Bea Valdes designs wearable art for Idee

MANILA, Philippines -  Last week, Rica Lorenzo, owner of Idée Clothing Store, released her third and latest collaboration with bag designer Bea Valdes.

No, it’s not a line of bags but ready-to-wear. While a few pairs of printed pants and crepe dresses figure in the collection, the stars are definitely the tops: all sleeveless, some in neoprene with hand-cut and beaded floral appliqués; others are two-toned with contrasting ruffles that fall down the hips.

“We try to make each piece unique,” Valdes says simply.

Says Lorenzo, “The collection is very soft and feminine, with subtly clever touches here and there, which are signature Bea Valdes.”

Their collaboration started in 2015, thanks to Valdes’ penchant for producing unique, one-of-a-kind designs made Lorenzo think she would be a perfect fit for Idée.

“You won’t find anything like them in the market,” she explains. “And she creates pieces that appeal to a wide range of women, from teenagers or young professionals to older women who are executives or entrepreneurs — anyone who appreciates fashion that is unexpected, similar to art pieces, sometimes even playful, but always very beautiful.”

Lorenzo’s sister Isa is good friends with both Bea and sister Marga Valdes-Trinidad, and she got them in touch with one another. “We spoke and were pleasantly surprised to discover a lot of ideas we had in common, so we decided it would be great to do a collaboration.”

After a few months, Bea delivered her first collection of hand-painted denim halter blouses and dresses, with a few in neoprene.

“The first launch was very successful, very well received by the Idée clientele,” relates Lorenzo. “Bea’s clothes complemented and enhanced our other pieces at the store. That led to a second one, and now we’re on our third Bea Valdes collection at Idée.”

Since in the past Lorenzo enlisted a number of bag designers to design bag collections for Idée, I asked her why she asked Valdes to design clothes and not bags. “Because she carries her own line of bags and accessories,” she explains. “However, last year, she did also design earrings for Idée. This time we really want to concentrate on clothes. It’s a response to what we believe our clients want.”

Valdes, meanwhile, says her process of designing clothes vs. bags is “very organic. Whether the variation is in size, color, material or embellishment, we really strive to make every item a one-of-a-kind piece.”

Lorenzo told Valdes to come up with something new, something surprising, something her clients hadn’t seen yet. Consequently, the new collection features floral and Aztec prints on blouses and pants; double-layered blouses feature interesting details like floral cutouts in the front; and two-toned tops that have ruffles cascading down the sides.

In past collections large armholes featured in her sleeveless tops; this time Valdes enlarged the armholes even further but put sleeveless tanks underneath in contrasting colors to give it a sportier, less dressy look.

Neoprene, a fabric I find ideal for travel because it doesn’t crumple and is bodycon but also forgiving, makes an appearance once again, along with denim — pleated this time — organza, and crepe.

“This collection has a lot more fluidity in it,” notes Valdes. “The first collection had a sense of utility in the use of denim, and this one is definitely softer.”

Valdes designed pieces she herself would wear and return to — season after season. “I think the Idée woman has an outlook that is not just oriented to fashion alone,” she notes. 

The collection is comprised of around 35 blouses, dresses and pants, and each design is one-off. The price for such luxurious, wearable art runs from P6,300 up.

Lorenzo’s favorites are the blue floral-print blouse with beads, and the pink and gray blouse with ruffles on the side. “They’re chic and comfortable, very easy to wear with other clothes and accessories I already have. I would pair them with skinny high-waist jeans or shorts and a denim jacket,” she says.

Valdes says, “The next piece we create will be our favorite one. We really try to craft pieces that are useful, yet distinctive — always something that touches both utility and desire.”

“We love the positive energy that Bea brings to Idée with every collection that she creates for us,” Lorenzo says.

And I’m sure this third Idée x Bea Valdes collection won’t be the last.

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Idée – A Clothing Store is located at 2263 Pasong Tamo Extension, Lapanday Center, Makati. Follow @ideeclothingstore on Facebook and Instagram.