Couture Becomes Her

CEBU, Philippines - Maria Elena is a dreamer. Discovered as a fashion model in the middle of daydreaming (while browsing through a biography of Coco Chanel at a bookstore in uptown Cebu), Maria Elena has always a soft spot for styling. While most girls her age back then would be naturally attracted to the glamorous world of fashion, Maria Elena was more fascinated in the amount of work that went behind the scene, specifically on the creative process for every piece of dress.

"I knew modeling is just a phase," she kept reminding herself so she went on to finish a degree in MassCom at the Saint Theresa's College. But even if she already got married and having been blessed with kids, she'd still get calls from agents to do this and that runway shows.

Cast in the first and second Bench show in Cebu, Maria Elena has graced many covers, if not fashion editorials, in Cebu's glossies and dailies. Her love for fashion is such that it has become part of who she truly is. But she opted to stay largely behind the scenes. In fact, for close to a decade now, she has been one of the silent owners of a retail store that specializes in a good buy in terms of a nice wardrobe on a shoestring.

It took the landmark Indian movie, "The 3 Idiots", that got her pondering: "I learned a very important lesson in that film: to make your passion your profession", she shares. So much so that she took it upon herself to learn the rudiments of dressmaking, and eventually, design on her own.

With a little help from her friends and a very supportive better-half, she has decided to embark on a great adventure: to open her own fashion house .It's a dream come true, "she muses.

Come February 8, she'll open her heart for everyone to see her art: The unveiling of Maria Elena at the Country Club. She'll feature a complete collection of wardrobe - from casual chic to power suits to LBDs to haute couture. The gala fashion show will be directed by Monch Ceballos. And her atelier located right in front of the Carmelite sisters will be opened to the public.

If there's one thing that keeps her going, it is this:" Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go, be what you want to be. Because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do."

And just like the game "Maria Went To Town", Maria Elena the designer will certainly wow the discriminating taste of the Cebuanos with her trademark style and silhouette, fresh spins to classics, a tribute to all things bright and beautiful, where sweet dreams are said made of these. PR