Sunny Side Up

CEBU, Philippines - Since she showed her first collection not so many seasons ago, Mary Ty, with her Very Mary label, has amassed a young-ish cult following who rely on her quirky dresses. But with her latest collection at the launch of Padgett Place condo at the cavernous Radisson Blu's Santa Maria ballroom, Ty proved that she has plenty more to offer – and that she is ready for the big time.

There was nothing superfluous or buttery about her clothes: Done almost exclusively in cotton pique and jersey, she relied on precise detailing and clarity of vision rather than facile gimmickry. There were diagonal and asymmetric tops, fringed to perfection dresses and peek-a-boo sheaths with a zipper on the side. The sensational draped asymmetric dress that supermodel Marjay Ramirez wore proved that directional design can be perfectly wearable. Model actress Angel Aquino snapped up the opportunity to host the launch and wore a draped Very Mary sherbet colored dress, and with good reason. She finds the collection consistently producing quietly intelligent, breezy clothes, with an apparent simplicity that betrays an almost compulsive attention to detail.

Mary, who just recently tied the knot, relied on clean, perfectly proportioned lines for effect. A pristine jersey dress was stark and immaculate, except for concentric metal rings wrapped in the same shade of jersey that decorated the collar; dresses gently skimmed the body, shaped only by deftly applied tucks and folds. A triple layer of pleats ran across the shoulders of a halter top. To break the monotony, two animalia inspired dresses in leopard and zebra prints complemented the ensemble for a day (or endless days) in the sun perfect for our island paradise! (FREEMAN)