Pitoy Moreno: The heart remembers

It was a night of nostalgia and a time for tears. Memories of fashion shows and friendships forged beyond the runway were what brought together forces in the fashion industry paying tribute to Jose “Pitoy” Moreno last Nov. 21 at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel.

I remember how Pitoy showed the world our beautiful Philippine fashion, bringing with him the prettiest movie stars, beauty queens and daughters of the finest families as his models.

My mother, Nati Osorio Aguinaldo, had her gowns, ternos and Maria Claras made when she was invited to Malacañan state dinners and top social events. Her childhood friend, Ramon Valera, and the then-younger Pitoy were her top picks for the beautiful Filipiniana that was de rigueur at the time. Back then, no one thought of buying anything off the rack, since there was really not much ready-made apparel to buy.

And in 1965, for the 25th wedding anniversary of my in-laws, Fernando and Dina (Pereyra) Jacinto, Pitoy was with them every step of the way at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. He not only designed the gowns of the whole bridal entourage but helped organize and direct the event. In effect, he was a wedding coordinator even before the word or job description had been coined. 

Miss Universe 2010 fourth runner-up Venus Raj

When Pitoy had his retrospective show at the Cultural Center in 2004, he asked me to join as one of the models and I readily agreed. It was an honor to be part of a show that would highlight his creative work that has spanned more than half a century. He was in command of which clothes would be shown, which model would wear what type of gown or terno and he even showed me his choice of makeup, hair (a stylized version of the French twist), plus the lighting and music onstage. During rehearsals he was always present and fine-tuned everything that needed to be tweaked. True to form, during the two evening sell-out shows, everything went without a hitch with over 100 models, performers and musicians onstage.   

Conchitina Sevilla Bernardo started as Pitoy’s muse when she was barely 15 years old. Conchitina and Stella Marquez Araneta wanted to honor Pitoy with a tribute to showcase his artistic genius. From that seed of an idea grew a grand show that brought a crowd of adoring clients, friends and fans with the coordination of the Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Inc. and the ABS-CBN, Metro Society, and The Lifestyle Network headed by Gabby Lopez.

During that evening, Pitoy was ready with a smile, a frail handshake or a short hello for everyone who approached him. Since I was ready with my camera, I aimed at him and said, “Smile, Pitoy,” and he did just that. Not just a shy grin, but a wide smile that reminded me of the old Pitoy.

I could hear ladies behind me appreciating gowns including the intricately embroidered and beaded piña dresses. At the finale, Pitoy was accompanied onstage by Conchitina and Stella. I was waiting to see if he would walk by himself or need to be aided because he had told me once that he always wanted to go down the ramp alone at the end of every show. When he started walking by himself, the well-dressed crowd started to cheer and applaud and Pitoy seemed to gather more strength with the affection from the gallery. It was an emotional moment as we cheered and the louder our cheers were, the happier Pitoy was as he waved to the adoring crowd.

The body may be frail, but I like to think that the heart remembers what the mind cannot.

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