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

My Work: Paper, Scissors, Glue

 Here's what I can do with three of man's greatest inventions; paper, scissors and glue.

From regular bond paper with very sharp scissors and Elmer's glue...

to paper hats and headpieces!

Rows of spikes and cascades of folded paper.

A cascade of criss-crossing folded strips jotting out of a single base.

Floral cap. Each flower is hand cut, curled, tufted and assembled individually before putting them together.

On some of the models: a spike-y mohawk.

A crown of spikes.

Another mohawk.

A full hat with a folded triangles as a brim.

A visor of intertwining spikes.

(Photos taken backstage a the Swatch Dragon Ball, March 15, 2012. Salon de Ning,  Peninsula Manila)