Lady in red

CEBU, Philippines -  The iconic Anna Piaggi, she of the couture garbed jet set, once quipped about New York’s bleak weather, landscape and fashion coloring minutes upon her arrival. Who can blame her? New Yorkers show off their somber black and grey uniforms everyday, including the weekend, while she was in her usual Valentino red boucle pant suit with nary a crease withstanding three time zones.

Recently, Michelle Obama made a bold statement in her red and black Narcisso Rodriguez dress, that she is a no nonsense First Lady. She made a buzz in the fashion circles, comparing her to a lethal arachnid. The living legend Italian maestro Valentino loves the color so much that a distinctive pantone is now dubbed Valentino Red.

While these times are considered the red carpet season, our island in the sun is abuzz with a different season, the month of Love. It is no joke that designers still show made to measure clothes in that particular shade. Ditto for the retail mass market. Despite a kilometer-long, rambling press release about the credit crisis and all doomsday predictions, there’s much of an evident theme to hold the collections together, and there were plenty of head-turning moments.

Philip Rodriguez picked up the Paris vibe for glitter with a glowing, deep-crimson plumed dress with chiffon overlays, and a sparkly red jacket thrown over high-waist trousers. Ren Manabat proved himself as a tenacious tailor with structural uni-shouldered dress with asymmetric hemlines, while Wendell Quisido went all out glam with his chic Parisian pairings of a chiffon cape over a long dress, and more beading. The image to take away was a beautiful look on Elvira Stehr—a red taffeta mini dress, with a shrug in gazaar, one of his signature ties at the décolleté from newbie Rei Escario. A two-piece swimsuit in red and fuchsia floral print from Victoria’s Secret would look great at lunch at the Cowrie Cove for a vavavoom Valentine’s date, definitely a winning look.