It was too good an opportunity to pass up, so we asked these designers to share with us their ideas on what makes for a timeless dress design.
RONALD VILLAVELEZ and ENRICO LINGAO-LINGAO, JR., designers of RONALD ENRICO: A dress design becomes timeless when it is conceived and created with passion and honesty to embody, evoke and express the soul and sentiment of the now, and at the same time, it envisions the future, intuitively giving the whole creative orchestration the ability to resurrect itself at any given time or period in human history.
PROTACIO EMPACES: I guess Coco Chanel has perfected it with her little black dress. But my own gauge is that I would look at old and not-so-old photographs of my friends (even mine) and judge it from there. If I don’t find the clothes in the picture funny and ridiculous, then it would definitely pass my standards for what I consider classic. If it does not, well, damage has been done; better luck next time or better learn your lessons. But what the heck! Fashion is meant to be fun, so let’s go and enjoy whatever clothes we want to wear.
PHILIP RODRIGUEZ: My concept of a timeless dress design is something that is classic in line with interesting details. Something the wearer can use time and again and yet she will still look flattering in it.
MARIO ROTERSOS: My concept of a timeless dress design has three main factors: quality, material and design. I believe workmanship has a lot to do with keeping the dress a timeless piece. The right choice of material to the idea or concept is one important element as well. And lastly, simplicity and wearability make good design.
JUN ESCARIO: A timeless piece doesn’t seek attention for attention’s sake. It is by definition understated and elegant. It requires careful consideration of color and fabric.
CARY SANTIAGO: A dress design is timeless when it is able to carry itself through time without going out of fashion. Chanel’s four-pocket jersey suits for women were way ahead of their time – 20th-century fashion innovation that made a lasting impact.
JUDE ELARDO: For me a dress that is timeless defies trends and surpasses the confines of time. It submits to form and function without sacrificing aesthetics. It is elegance that is lasting, beauty that endures.
ARCY GAYATIN: To me a timeless dress design has two key elements : wearability and versatility. It is the kind of design that helps us define our own personal style. It is timeless because it defies fashion, which is constantly a slave to trends.
EDWIN AO: Simple, multi-functional and comfortable, doesn’t mean the absence of artifice but the presence of sophistication. Something you can wear 10 years from now and it will work just as well as it did the first time.
MARIO COLMENARES: My concept of a timeless dress design is one that is exquisitely made and stripped of unnecessary embellishments. It is uncluttered, with clean lines but has interesting details just to enhance it and most of all it exudes elegance.