Blush: Debutante and Bridal Show

 CEBU, Philippines - I vividly remember a line from the movie Bride Wars wherein a bridal attendant quipped with authority –"You do not alter a Vera to fit you, you alter yourself to fit a Vera!"

Well luckily for brides to be in this pristine island paradise, the bridal designers make sure you fit perfectly in the gown they have made for you. Case in point, at Blush, the debutante and bridal show presented at the Visayas Ballroom of Marco Polo Plaza Cebu in cooperation with Fashion Council Cebu (F.C.C.) and Wedding Essentials, one bride-to-be adored one of the gowns on parade by Anthony Romoff with which the latter happily announced: "We'll alter it to fit you comfortably!" And the former turned a perfect blush of pink! Lovely isn't it?

Bridal and debutantes' wear is a tough proposition; all too often, it falls into cliches of over-the-top glitz and heavy-duty ornament with every bead and ruffle imaginable. But it doesn't have to be that way, as the featured designers Arcy Gayatin, Albert Arriba, Anthony Romoff, Cary Santiago, Jun Escario, Ditas Rodriguez, Oj Hofer, Philipp Tampus, Vania Romoff, Yvonne Quisumbing and Philip Rodriguez' beautiful show proved.

Gone were the Edwardian references of brides from the past as Arcy Gayatin's ultra moderne chic tube dresses moved fluidly with every model's sashay. Albert Arriba's silhouettes were simple and completely modern: serpetina but was as light as the wind and so were Philipp Tampus' debutantes' and bridal gowns. Jun Escario, Oj Hofer, Yvonne Quisumbing and Vania Romoff created outfits that were simultaneously elegant and youthful, hip and intelligent. Ditas Rodriguez created a lacy top with a whimsical skirt made from tiers of rough, ruffled ivory silk tulle, ran a line of asymmetrical ruching down the front of a strapless gown with trail and mixed in careful details like hand-smocking and occasional short bursts of cascading ruffles.

For Cary Santiago there was nary an embellishment as his white lace set against nude colored lining were still bridal faves and used to maximum impact. A scattering of pea-size glittering glass beads looked like dewdrops against a jersey or chiffon shift, and a pretty black duchesse satin gown had thin streams of lace tracing its waist from Anthony Romoff as debutante's gown. Philip Rodriguez' princess line strapless gown for the bride were appliqued with multitude of almost 3-dimensional lace and beading cascading from the bustline towards the hips et voila, dispersed down the hem with subtlety. Bravissimo! (FREEMAN)