THE recent unveiling of Collezione - C2’s holiday collection by Rhett Eala at the Rigodon Ballroom of The Peninsula Manila was decidedly schizoid—in a fabulously good way.

On the one hand, there were the separates and tops and bottoms of the stylish simplicity and marvelous ease that have come to define the Collezione-C2 brand, even as this collection was apparently determined to push the aesthetic beyond casual-weekend wear.

On the other, there was Eala’s DUE imprint, formerly found in the women’s apparel section of Rustan’s Department Store but now apparently in the Collezione-C2 fold as its exclusive women’s  line DUE|Collezione—separates and dresses that bear the designer’s stamp of urban chic and low-key glam.

For clarity, we first focus on the parts of the collection unveiling that were unmistakably, resoundingly Collezione-C2 (the DUE|Collezione parts will come at a later date)—the pique and jersey tops and sportshirts that you pull yourself into and quickly forget about while you go about your day feeling exquisitely urbane and thoroughly in-the-moment, this without ever veering into that unfortunate metrosexual realm (“metrosexual” is a term we hope never to use again, ugh!).

With “citizens of the world” and “travel in style” as themes, the silhouettes were relaxed and the color palette, resolutely muted with the blues going inky, the greens turning mossy and muddy, the aubergines feeling nostalgic, and the whites going beyond milky to downright moody.

For men looking to move beyond sportshirts and tees for their weekend or muss-free travel wear, check out Collezione-C2’s lightweight knit pullovers—pair them with jeans or khakis done in the jeans style, and you should get excellent points in the style department while looking like you never gave fashion much thought.

If there are any issues in the Collezione-C2 holiday 2011 collection, it would have to be the drop-crotch pants that walked down the short runway together with the sublime tops. True, drop-crotch pants are so on-trend that they have become an instant visa to hipster-rock star style. It’s a trend that we have even reported on these pages.

Still, there were a number of drop-crotch pants that made it to the collection which went beyond the hipster vibe and straight into MC Hammer aesthetic. While the ’80s may be back in fashion, make no mistake: the rapper’s funny pants are best left in the annals of pop culture.

Of course, Collezione-C2 brand ambassadors Phil and James Younghusband of the football team Philippine Azkals walked the runway (James, by the way, winning the loudest shrieks—and much deservedly so), and they brought along with them teammates Anton del Rosario and Nate Burkey, with del Rosario proving to be the yummiest of them all. We wouldn’t be entirely surprised if a local clothing brand quickly snaps up del Rosario as its image model—that is, unless del Rosario’s runway debut at the Rigodon Ballroom was also his and Burkey’s unveiling as the brand’s new ambassadors in addition to the Younghusbands.

Who needs an Ed Westwick or a Mario Maurer as an image model when you have the decidedly manly fabulousness of del Rosario hawking your products?