Katrina Goulbourn's baby couture world

Imagine a fairytale world of little princes and princesses in a blend of rich and varying cultures, with lace and ribbons wafting through the sky, floating clouds of piña-silk translucency and taffeta-crisp solidity, drizzles of the fluffiest pom-poms, bursts of flora and fauna forming a dazzling spectrum of colors, soft and misty, flying, hopping, running and swimming magical animals, gurgling laughter and squeals in the air.

Designer Katrina Goulbourn has created this dreamlike state with the introduction of her first collection of christening gowns entitled “A Small, Small World” at Silk Cocoon.

The collection takes inspiration from the past with Goulbourn’s roots in the Philippines while being of mixed cultures, with designs that are Filipino, Spanish or Chinese in origin. But as for expecting the usual, she has taken christening gowns in a bold, new direction while being true to the history and the tradition of the occasion.

Designing christening gowns came almost hand-in-hand with the start of Goulbourn’s bridal line. Her brides would come back to her when they had their first babies, as she had saved fabric from their wedding gowns to use later for the babies’ baptismal outfits.

“It was a natural extension from wedding gowns to do gowns for the baptisms of babies, and a real joy to be a part of the next big step in their lives,” Katrina says. “Doing these gowns is like a breath of fresh air for me. I let my imagination run wild and reminisce about old childhood memories to imbue the hopes and dreams of a child, or at least what the parents have for their baby, into each gown.”

“I realized there was a lack of high-end gown options in the market when not only my brides, but friends and clients would come to me and ask me to make their baby a christening gown,” says Katrina.

Gone are the days where it was common for a mother or grandmother to sit at home and make this precious gown herself or work with a seamstress to do so for the baby. Today’s modern world, with young mothers’ busy lifestyles, does not allow them this leisure.

Katrina explains, “Nowadays, not only is there a big lifestyle change if you compare the lives of our grandmothers and even our mothers at our age, but there is also a greater exposure to the world. Most women have careers, tastes vary greatly, people are more individualistic in their views, in the way they dress themselves and their children, the way they decorate their homes. Husbands and fathers are more involved and hands-on with their children than ever before, and often couples or families have unconventional ways of living due to international and regional positions within jobs. With this in mind, I wanted to offer something a little different for christening gowns while hoping to continue the tradition of keeping something precious to be passed on to the next generation.”

The Katrina Goulbourn baptismal gown line offers baby couture heirloom gowns. The gowns are at once atypical and romantic, modern and timeless. No design is exactly alike with fabrics dyed per piece to match handpicked trimmings, lace and custom-created embroidery. Unlike most christening gowns that are usually unisex, Goulbourn has designs that are specific to girls or boys while still offering styles that can be worn by both. And then there is color.

“Life is colorful. It would be dull if it were just in shades of black, gray and white!” exclaims Katrina. “The modern mom is open to something unique, to less frilly looks, so I wanted to give her a greater choice. Color is a part of that choice.”

Through inspirations from old-fashioned barongs and panuelos, Chinese emperors’ robes to the typical dress of Spanish royalty, Katrina Goulbourn takes us on a journey through time with her christening gowns.

Katrina Goulbourn Babes Couture Christening Gowns are available at Rustan’s Makati and Alabang branches on the Childrenswear floor and at Silk Cocoon, Renaissance Makati City Hotel, Esperanza St. corner Makati Avenue, tel. no. 811-6856.