Makabagong Pilipina

I've always loved Filipino wear. I've done several ternos and barongs for clients, some classic the others updated versions. I enjoy tweaking them to make them contemporary and more relevant to the times, by making them short or making the sleeves smaller. I still believe every Filipina should have a terno. It doesn't matter if the party specifies Filipiniana. Just wear it as you wish. It's really very special. Take pride in our national costume the way our Asian counterparts do, because wherever you are, you are a Filipino.

I got attracted to these photos taken during the Jul B. Dizon anniversary show. It shows a vision of the new Filipina. Confident, poised, classy with a touch of tradition.

Contemporary cropped 'Baro' top in dyed pina-abaca paired with twill 'Kabuki' pants. Photo by Daniel Tan. Jewelry by Jul B. Dizon.

Closer shot. The top features a split back. Photo by Daniel Tan. Jewelry by Jul B. Dizon. Worn by Michelle.

Porcelain Dolls

These were the bridal gowns I presented at the Weddings at the Peninsula 2011. In my mind, I was creating frocks for porcelain dolls, hence the pale faces and rosy cheeks. I wanted a rock vibe in this collection that's why I chose Sanya and Jessica to model for me. They both have unique looks and exude a free-spirited attitude that I needed to complete the look I wanted. I could imagine them walking down the aisle to the tune of Smashing Pumpkins' "Tonight, Tonight".

Jessica in a knee length bridal dress in duchess satin and tulle. The shoulder straps are fully encrusted with beads that go all the way to the V-shaped back. Shoes by Emi Jorge. Cameo by Jul B. Dizon. Photo by Arvin Cruz.

Sanya in a floor sweeping Victorian inspired gown with huge bell sleeves. The  cream colored satin is embellished with tiny rice beads in floral motif.  Dragonfly brooch by Jul B. Dizon.  Photo by Arvin Cruz.

10 years 10 collections

In celebration of my 10 years in fashion, I have selected 10 collections that I feel, define me as a designer. Here's to the next 10 years! And the next, and the next, and the next... Cheers!

2002. Mega Young Designers' Competition. "Prayer". My very first collection. All white dresses in various geometric shapes. This one is the "Cube" top in organza, cinched at the waist and worn on top of a canvas shift dress. All of my models wore prayer veils/habits.

2002. Paris Young Designers' Competition, Manila finals. My gown was chosen among the 5 to represent our country in the Paris competition. The top is made of fabric circles linked together using pant hooks. The skirt panels were stapled together then embellished with pant hooks and eyes. Inspired by ancient star maps.

2004. 10th anniversary show of the Young Designers' Guild presented by Alliance Francaise, PMAP and Saga Productions. Each designer chose a French short film for inspiration. Mine was a film on Martin Margiela. I created shift dresses decorated with slopers and patterns in brown fabric with orange top stitching. I used tape measures and tomato pins cushions as accessories. My homage to the neighborhood mananahi (seamstress).

2005. Fashion Declaration. My 25 piece collection was inspired by Filipino comedians. Each piece had a punchline or a witty twist. This is a white cotton shirt dress which we inflated into a bubble at the hem.

2005. Philippine Fashion Week. I was inspired by pillow cases, bedsheets and slipcovers. This is a double-cube skirt in twill. The top had extra sleeves at the waist to act as a sash.

2007. Philippine Fashion Week. My Homage to Graphic Design and Pop Art. This dress in duchess satin features an open back with a patchwork hand appearing to pull down the zipper.

2008. Fashion Watch at Makati Shangri-La. I was so honored to have been invited for the first time to join the Fashion Watch series. My collection was called "Metropolis". Inspired by a futuristic city where weather, time and seasons didn't matter anymore. 

2009. Designing for Barbie. Ballet Philippines chose over 20 designers to come up with a collection each for Barbie  which were auctioned off for the benefit of the Ballet Philippines Scholars. My collection was inspired by Odille, the black swan. A tribute to contrbidas (villainess). It was a contrast to Barbie's sweetness. This particular one, in black satin with feather-like beadwork, was auctioned off live.

2011. Fashion Watch at the Makati Shangri-La. This was my "Silence" collection inspired by the Japanese  during the time of the earthquake. These tops are exactly the same cut,  just worn different ways.

2011. Fashion Watch at the Makati Shangri-La. This was my Summer 2012 collection inspired by the works of Patrick Nagel. This was also the first time I used acid colors in any collection. The result was a riot of colors celebrating summer.

A tribute

In 2005, we did a show for Philippine Daily Inquirer and Motorola called "Fashion Declaration". It was my first big show. Along with Joey Samson, Ivarluski Aseron, Yvonne Quisumbing and Ignacio Loyola, we each came up with a 25-piece collection, no theme, no concept, no holds barred. The show was meant to launch us as the new breed of Filipino designers. Ariel Lozada and his team staged a mind-blowing show which included 2 massive trusses used for the lights that were hoisted diagonally (and dangerously) to the ceiling of the NBC Tent. 

For my collection, I looked back to the golden age of Philippine cinema. Particularly, comedy films. It was a tribute to great Filipino comedians during that time. I had unexpected pouffy shirt dresses, cube shaped skirts, plaid pants with giant pockets, huge bows on cropped pants, M&M colored buttons, uneven button holes etc., each one had a punchline. I had sets named after Chichay, Panchito, Cachupoy, Palito, Chiquito and of course Dolphy.

"Dolphy" a sketch for Fashion Declaration 2005

It's always a sad time when a clown says goodbye. Mang Dolphy will always be in our hearts as someone who made us laugh and giggle through the years. And for a moment, was my inspiration in creating clothes. Maraming salamat po Mang Dolphy!

"Chichay" a sketch for Fashion Declaration 2005

 These are additional sketches for the collection to show you how everything evolved.

Sadly, there were hardly any photos of this show. Here's one I found from The Fashpack. Thank you Liza Ilarde.

See you May 19, Saturday, 6pm Alabang Town Center

My Work: Weddings at the Peninsula

Once again, I will be participating in the Weddings at the Peninsula Bridal Fair. Now on its third year, this bridal event is one of the most anticipated wedding fairs in Manila.  It’s an honor and a privilege to be part of this yearly gathering of the best wedding suppliers, event stylists, coordinators, florists and designers carefully selected by the Peninsula Manila, the premiere hotel choice for pre and post wedding events for most of Manila’s brides.

Peninsula Manila is a personal favorite because I grew up here. It’s the first hotel I stepped in to when I was a kid. We used to hang out at the lobby after a night at Faces, Mars or Subway in the 80’s.  In the 90’s, we would cap our dinners with their giant ice cream sundaes. Now, it’s our choice for brunch or coffee with our good friends, Candy Dizon and Janina Dizon-Hoschka, who both hold shop there.  How can you not fall in love with their iconic lobby and the beautiful live music wafting through the winding staircases (with amazing acoustics too!)? Their staff always welcome you with friendly greetings, and the quietly elegant interiors are soothing to the eyes.

I would usually recommend the Peninsula to my brides. Technically speaking, their pictures will turn out great because of the neutral shades of the lobby and the huge windows letting in natural light. The wide spaces and little corners are never crowded so you avoid by-standers. You can also book Salon de Ning for a more opulent setting for pictorials.

A special touch I noticed is when a bride enters the hotel after her wedding.  The orchestra would start playing the wedding recessional piece, eliciting a warm applause from everyone at the lobby. Now, that’s magic!

Some photos of my first year at the Weddings at the Peninsula Bridal Fair.

Detail of my bridal terno in fine lace with a bubble skirt in taffeta.

Back shot of my opulent Duchess satin bridal gown with beadwork on the shoulders and a draped bustle.

My trio of wedding gowns for resort weddings, Filipiniana weddings and classic opulent weddings.

Another shot of my bubble wedding terno.

Top view of the beautiful set up at the lobby. http://www.peninsula.com/Manila/en/default.aspx#/Manila/en/Occasions/Weddings/

With my very good friends and fellow featured designers. From left; Dennis Lustico, myself, Ivarluski Aseron, Joey Samson and Jojie Lloren.

So please come and visit the Weddings at the Peninsula, this April 21, 2012. Our show will be at 5 in the afternoon.  Direction is by Jackie Aquino.

Get ready to fall in love with the hotel I have loved through the years.

My Paintings: March 29, 2011

March 29 marked our first year in our new home. I am sharing with you a painting I made specifically for our living room. Measuring 4 ft by 4 ft, it was a challenge during our move. It wouldn’t fit in the car so it had to be carefully wrapped and transported along with the large furniture.

The large space of our living room needed a large graphic, statement painting. I have always had this concept in mind of re-inventing the Catholic stampitas with images of fashion. Here, I painted a girl with a red hat looking like a halo, with a bird perched on her hand like a saintly symbol. Her black cloak is reminiscent of Roman robes, yet it looks like a drape-y jacket. I decided to paint her eyes closed as if in meditation (Although, Asian religious art represents the meditative, nirvana state with half open eyes. Apologies to my art history professors.).

I added a collage of scrap fabrics swirling outward and slightly painted in red blotches for a more graphic effect. It also finishes the painting well. The intricate backdrop emphasizes the stillness of the central subject.

My Inspirations: Pilipino

At the last Manila Wear show at the Manila Fame, I couldn't help but feel so proud of my fellow designers who presented their collections. Each one did their own take on contemporary Filipino design using local fabrics and pulled off one of the most talked about shows to date. This made me think of what more I could offer as a designer to Philippine design, and eventually the rest of the design world. What more do Filipinos want? What does the rest of the world know about Filipino design? What does the world want from Filipino design? It's a lofty climb to become the design capital of Asia (that's Japan), but armed with skills and determination, I think we can get there. I hope we start with education. It wouldn't be too much to ask design institutions to include Filipino design history as part of their curriculum, right? I really think it's important to know who we are in terms of the arts and design. This way we can find our place in the design world and see the relevance of Filipino design in the international arena. Meanwhile, let's all do our share by supporting and promoting Filipino design, through social media. The more we do this, the more the rest of the world will find out about us. We are the capital of People Power, and no other country can claim that!

Here are some of my Filipiniana work:

Water color and ink on paper. Feb 2012.

Water color and ink on paper. Feb 2012.

From Metrowear 100: Model Sara Kae is wear a leather and taffeta terno with an anting-anting "Kontra Bala" zipper pull. Photo by: Henry Anima II

From Metro Magazine: Ria Bolivar wear a burgundy pina-abaca bubble terno dress.

My Exclusives: Windie

Meet the prettiest doctor in Manila, Windie Hayano. I met her through very good friends and we hit it off instantly. She's been a very loyal client ever since as well. I understood her style right away, and she looks good in a lot of my experimental pieces. Geometric cuts and stark colors work well against her luminous skin. Most of the time, she reminds me of Japanese porcelain dolls. Maybe that's why I like dressing her up in daring cuts and origami-like pieces.

Windie wearing Samurai pants in twill and a georgette, un-lined top that comes with a matching neckpiece to cover the front. She wore it with a stingray cuff and the Tatjana clutch, both by Janina Dizon-Hoschka.

My Drawings: Kyoto

These are a few quick drawings I made while reminiscing about a city I fell in love with. India ink on paper, February, 2012.

My Hobbies: Japan Alphabet

My Japan trip last month was life changing for me. Suddenly, the aesthetic sensibilities of a country I looked up to in my design career, was unfolding in front of me. The symbolisms, the discipline, the harmony and balance of everything they create, opened my mind; and I understood the deeper meaning of respecting the material, the form and the functionality of every creation.  Japanese design does not blatantly scream 'design'. It's about about harmony; with the raw material, the end product and the audience you're sharing it with. So here's my latest travel alphabet. My impressions of an incredible country, thoughtfully photographed and edited in my mind, which I'm now sharing with you.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z