Oliver on townmate Jessica: She's the winner

When Jessica Sanchez was declared second-placer to Phillip Phillips in the just-concluded 11th edition of American Idol, among the first to congratulate her was Hollywood-based Filipino designer Oliver Tolentino not only because he designed the gown Jessica wore when she finished among the Top 3 but also because they are townmates from Orani, Bataan (Jessica’s mother used to live near the Tolentino residence).

“I’m very proud of her,” said Oliver in a text message to Funfare from Beverly Hills, California, where he and his partner Andrew Caruthers live and run a shop alongside those of, among other A-listers, Stella McCartney, Giorgio Armani and Alexander McQueen. “When Jessica made it to the Top 3, she was already a winner. In the final episode, her duet of And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going with Jennifer Holliday was a show-stopper. Even if she didn’t bag the title, she’s already assured of a bright future as an international recording star. Di ba ‘yung mga hindi nanalo sa American Idol ay mas sumisikat pa sa nanalo? Look at Jennifer Hudson.”

Oliver has been dressing up Hollywood stars, the two latest being Emmy Rossum, star of her own TV show Shameless, who’s featured with Oliver in the June 2012 issue of In Style; and Anna Paquin, the youngest Oscar Best Supporting Actress winner (for The Piano), who wears a pink wool linen cocktail dress for the alternative cover of this month’s issue of Zooey. That makes Oliver the third Filipino designer to dress up an Oscar winner, following Pitoy Moreno (for Rita Moreno when she won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for West Side Story in the ‘60s) and Monique Lhuillier (who has dressed several Hollywood stars for the Red Carpet).

“I didn’t know that it was Anna Paquin na magsusuot,” recalled Oliver. “The stylist went to my shop and chose several dresses. I was just told that a Hollywood actress was going to wear the dress. It was Anna who chose the pink dress from three choices. I feel honored because I learned that they checked out dresses from several other designers.”

Rossum, together with Maggie Grace (of the Twilight Saga), wore piña dresses by Oliver to the 2012 Global Green USA Pre-Oscar party, with Rossum in yellow cocktail stunner chosen by The New York Post as “Look of the Week.” A new client is Michelle Trachtenberg (who stars in Gossip Girl).

When Funfare interviewed Oliver at his and Andrew’s cozy bungalow in Beverly Hills early this month, he had just returned from the Philippines where he was guest of honor at the Bataan Day celebration; he also attended the opening of the exhibit (at Greenbelt 3, Makati City) of the 24 outfits he created exclusively for America’s Next Top Model.

Other clients include Arnel Pineda who wore a velvet tux jacket to the premiere of Ramona Diaz’s docu Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey at Robert DeNiro’s Tribeca Film Festival in New York; and Broadway star (of Godspell) Anna Maria Perez de Tagle.

Recently, Oliver was invited to open the Fashion Week in Barbados where he presented a 53-piece collection made mostly of Philippine fabrics, with Tutay Maristela flown from the Philippines to open and close the show.

Oliver’s three dream models: Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock.

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