My Hobbies: The Alphabet

Not many people know that I collect alphabet books. It's the graphic designer in me. I am fascinated by typefaces and the limitless ways you can visualize the ABC's. This leads me to my other hobby, making my own alphabet. This started in my atelier, while I was staring at a table and noticed that its legs looked like the letter A. I brought my camera the next day and started shooting objects around me that looked like the other letters of the alphabet. I've done a few of these photo collections already. It's fun and surprising to look at things in a different way. Here is a special one I shot during a trip to Shanghai. I will show you my other collections in the future.

My Exclusives: Bess

Meet my bestest friend, Bess. She's been a friend of mine since our Campaigns & Grey days. I was with creatives, she with accounts. We've worked together and travelled together. And when I took my leap into fashion, she's been one of my biggest supporters since day one. We've giggled through each others lives for many years. I've seen her fall in love, get married and raise a family. She's my shopping companion,  my coffee mate and my cocktail olive. I couldn't imagine life without Bess. So here's a few of the dresses I made for her. I always use her bubbly personality as inspiration when I design for her. Her style is always swingy, girly and, of course, bubbly. Cheers, Bess!

Bess with her husband, David and son Tobey. She's wearing the "Rose" dress. It's in white duchess satin
with a hand painted stem and a huge cabbage rose in black organdy on the shoulder.

In Boracay. Her wrap around dress in chiffon features bias inserts in varying lengths.
The extra long straps can been worn different ways.

The "Chandelier" dress in London. In violet duchess satin with a hand-painted chandelier
with dangling crystals and cut beads.

My Work: Carlo and Nina

Carlo and Nina are very good friends of mine. Carlo's a friend since college and I became close to his family during that time. In fact, all his friends are close to his family. They're that nice. His family literally saw all of us grow up! We'd all hang out with his sister Riza and his cousins almost everyday. There would be times we'd end up hanging out at their house until morning, with Carlo making sure we all got home safe. Of course, years later, work got in the way and we would hardly see each other, but still, we kept in touch. So fast forward to 2008, Carlo calls me to announce that he was going to get married and he and Nina wanted me to do their wedding. Working with them again was a throwback to college days, all the silly jokes and laughing, with visits from his mom and sister, made this project more like a family reunion rather than work.

Carlo and Nina run a graphic design company. So the concept behind their wedding was obvious, paper. They wanted paper to be the theme throughout the wedding and reception, with beautifully designed invitations, paper lanterns, paper cones to hold chocolates and candies served at the cocktails, paper pinwheels and even paper games on the cocktail tables. So for Nina's gown, I designed a crumpled bow-like detail at the back. Her A-line skirt had an over skirt with a hemline that gradually rose from the front to the back, leading the eyes to the bow detail. The entourage and family members came in different shades of gray and gunmetal (originally, Carlo and Nina wanted black, but we decided it was to severe for their Tagaytay wedding). The entourage members had "crumpled paper" details as well, either on the sleeves or as bows. I used silk dupioni and Thai silk to achieve this effect.

The ceremony and the reception was also a reunion of sorts. Friends from college all drove up to Tagaytay to witness this lovely event. It was great to see everyone again, all dressed up and looking good that evening. Suddenly, we were all the friends we used to be. Hanging out with their families and laughing at silly jokes again.

The back side of Nina's gown with the crumpled bow detail.

Close up of the bow detail.

Me at work with Nina getting ready for her entrance. Her gown features a raised collar and an overskirt.

My Work: The Paper Terno

I love working with paper. To my close friends that's an understatement. They all know I like working with paper, scissors and glue. To me, these are 3 of the most important inventions of man. I enjoy creating things using paper, from gift wrapping to origami and, as you will see here, in fashion. This challenge came up when stylist, Noel Manapat asked me to design pieces for the Bench Uncut fashion show in 2010. He presented me with beautiful handmade paper he sourced from Tagaytay. He needed pieces for the Pinoy segment of the show. His idea was for me to come up with skirts made of paper. I suggested to add terno sleeves and a headpiece to frame the undergarments they needed to present. The paper had enough character with its lattice work that it needed little designing. All I had to do was to make them wearable for the models. I was very happy with the end result. During the rehearsals, none other than Johnny Manahan, the director of the show approached me and said that he had seen many versions of the Terno but this one was one of the best. That compliment was enough for me to continue to explore using paper in fashion. I will post them next time. Meanwhile, presenting, the Paper Terno at the Bench Uncut Fashion Show. Photos from stylebible.ph

Brown paper terno worn by Grendel Alvarado for Bench.

Black paper terno worn by Justine Gabionza for Bench.

Beige paper terno worn by Sam Pinto for Bench.

My Hero: Eiko Ishioka

I dedicate this post to my hero and idol, Eiko Ishioka, master graphic designer and costume designer. Thank you for re-designing our world. Thank you for sharing your brilliant mind with all of us mortals. I shall continue to stare in awe at your body of work and be inspired.

Fashion Watch Holiday 2011. Black taffeta ball gown with crystals and cut beads.

Fashion Watch Holiday 2011. Photo by Carlos Hubilla. Modeled by Paloma Montilla.

My Work: Bridal Couture Concepts

Every now and then, we designers get to participate in bridal fairs and shows. It's a chance for us to introduce fresh ideas in bridal couture. It's also a chance for us to meet potential clients and hopefully, help them through planning their weddings. I personally enjoy participating in bridal fairs because of the wedding suppliers' exhibits. Here, you see new trends in event planning. From floral designs to photography, cake designs, event venues, pyrotechnics, entertainment,  even chair and car rentals. These trends are important because they tickle the imagination and, at the rate event planning has been improving leaps and bounds here in the Philippines, help create the most unique wedding for the future bride in this side of the world (The Philippines is fast becoming a premier wedding destination in Asia because of the abundance of talent, beautiful locations and impeccable service).

I'd like to think that we bridal designers still remain in the classic couture category because we need to be. The long process of fittings all the way to the hand-finishing of bridal gowns is a tradition, almost a ritual, that is important to all brides and we have to be there for her in every step. Seeing brides beaming in their gowns during fittings is priceless. Parents tearing up when they see their daughters in their wedding gowns is as emotional for us designers as it is for them. In the end, the gown is not just a cherished couture piece but also a treasured memory meant to be kept for a lifetime.

Back view of an ivory Duchess satin gown with draped skirt swirling into a huge rosette.

Mikado satin strapless gown with raised center panel and stiff ruffles.

Lace and Duchess satin column gown with crystals and pearls. Ostrich feathers are heat curled.

Masai-inspired collar of pearls and crystals on a bias cut heavy crepe gown.

My Work: Donny and Vanessa

There are rare times when I am asked to create the groom's attire as well as the entire male entourage. It was daunting and challenging, but of course I couldn't refuse.

Donny and Vanessa are very good friends of mine and drinking buddies up until today. Donny was my account director back at Campaigns & Grey. We worked and travelled together for several years. Both of them love the beach. For their wedding, they wanted to bring the beach to Manila. They wanted a laid back type of wedding and reception. Vanessa's gown had a glamorous resort look. It was by Jun Escario which featured a jaw-dropping mother-of-pearl neckpiece and had a deep back that showed off her tanned skin. So when Donny asked me to design his suit, it had to have a bit of flash to say 'Hey, I'm the groom!' because all the guests were asked to come in white, and he didn't want to blend in. Oo nga naman.

The sea is a wonderful source of inspiration. For this particular wedding, I only looked into the whites that you would usually see at the beach. Dry textures of sand and wet sparkly sand. Sea foam. Shells and mollusks. Bleached driftwood. Faded façades of beach front houses. Anything that was whitened by the salty sea winds. With this in mind, I did treatments on my designs like watermark prints (achieved by layering fabric), white on white sparkles, texture on texture (different finishes and washes of linen and raw silk), shell paillettes and details that would catch the breeze like scarves, bias cut chiffon and flowing sashes.

Good thing the male entourage members (around 12 of them) were all easy to work with. Donny figured it would be best to design at least 3 versions, let them vote and agree on one design (of course, this system worked because the wedding was beach-themed and they weren't going to wear classic suits or barongs).

I also got to create the bridesmaids dresses and several gowns for the female family members. For the bridesmaids, I experimented with layering. I designed 2 different necklines for each dress with the intention of allowing the inner dress to be seen. I also wanted to make it obvious that layering was intentional by sewing on floral appliques inside so they would just appear to be watermarks underneath the chiffon over-dresses.

The beach theme carried on to the reception at the Joya poolside in Rockwell. Production designer and dear friend Butch Garcia created 'beach' tents complete with lanterns and banners around the pool for the cocktails. The dining area had rows and rows of long tables and benches so everyone dined family style. The menu was created by Donny's dad and chef uncle (of Katre Restaurant) fusing Ilocano (Vanessa's family) and western food. Think Bagnet Salad and Vigan Longganisa pasta. And, of course, the booze overflowed. Cheers, Donny and Vi!

Donny's linen suit featured a mandarin lapel and his inner shirt had 3 crystal buttons. Vanessa's gown was by Jun Escario with a stunning mother-of-pearl neckpiece.

Jewelry designer and friend Paul Syjuco designed the wedding bands for the couple. Automatically, he was the ring bearer. Here's his website http://aumjewels.blogspot.com/

Vanessa's father and the three bridesmaids. Their layered dresses featured watermark floral appliques.

The bride and groom's parents. Donny's mom wore a gown that had mother-of-pearl paillettes
and gold crystals encircling her waist.

The male entourage members all had scarves so that they can add their own touch to their outfits.

The male members of the family (here, Donny's dad and brothers) all had the 3-button feature similar to Donny's shirt.
Donny's aunt wore an off-white chiffon gown with white crystals and cut beads.

My Collections: Menswear

I like designing menswear. Specifically men's shirts. They're classics and there's always room in a man's closet for shirts. When I design for men, I keep the details as subtle as possible. It could just be a detail on the cuff or the pocket or the collar. There are times when I just let the fabric speak for itself, like in this photo. It's an early attempt at menswear. I found a printed sear-sucker fabric with a little stretch which I fashioned into a basic long sleeved shirt. The fabric was beautiful enough so I kept it simple. Yes, please pay attention to the luscious fabric.

Photo by Ronnie Salvacion. Modeled by Perico

My Music: Classics

Here are more tracks I recommend re-listening to. Enjoy!

P.S. Please don't mind some of the videos. I selected these because of the sound quality for your listening enjoyment. I'll figure out how to post sound clips here soon.

My Music: Classic

You may have noticed that every now and then I have video links to music I listen to. I just want to share my playlist with you. I listen to some music every morning so that I'll have a soundtrack for the day. This blog will be peppered by music I enjoy listening to, old or new. There would be rediscoveries that would surprise you when you listen to them today. Here's one, produced in the late 80's by Narada Michael Walden, who created some of the most distinct music styles from that decade:

My Drawings: Europe 2000

In my previous post, I mentioned that my first published illustrations were about my trip to Europe in 2000. Here are the original ones that I did not submit to Philippine Daily Inquirer. I'm glad I re-drew everything and kept these. These were done on a small sketchpad, sketched them out with pencil first so I wouldn't forget, then colored and detailed them when I got back to Manila. I still bring a small sketchpad and some pencils each time I travel, but I haven't done travel drawings since Europe. Maybe it's time to do that again. Next destination please...