Art lover

I first met Patty Eustaquio last year during a fashion event for Mega Magazine. I couldn’t take my eyes off her outfit and being the whore that I am, I approached her. I gushed till she was suitably uncomfortable, and when I sensed that my exit would be appreciated I asked for her card. She wore a sweet looking dress with fabric petals that I later learned was a ubiquitous element in her designs.

As any good night would prove, there was a casualty. That night, it was Patty’s card. I thought I lost her forever, until she magically reappeared in the cover story of Mega last year. Patty’s charm lies in her sweetly unexpected designs. Both naughty and nice, Patty’s pieces embrace a spirit that that is undeniably free and unapologetic.

"I joined the International Young Designer’s Competition here in Manila last year and I actually got into the top 10 and my entry was sent to Paris," Patty enthuses. "I was so excited. I was just taking a pattern-making workshop with Jojie Lloren and never even called myself a fashion designer. I have been a practicing visual artist for the past four years or so, and my life was painting."

However, Patty admits that although she did not know it then, she had an affinity with fashion. "Fashion and sewing always seemed to find their way into the processes I employed in my art. Like making plaster casts of shoes or making a huge pile of discarded clothes into a gown. Fashion has always been very natural for me. I tried my luck, sewed my competition entry entirely by myself, and that was it: literally my first step into the world of fashion. The gown was my very first design," Patty shares of her first brush with couture.

As an artist Patty finds excitement in all things. "I see myself designing an entire range of things. I love beautiful things and I get so many ideas to make everything – from jewelry to chairs. I want to design an entire lifestyle! Sounds crazy but fun." She adds that the fusion of art and function is what drives her crazy. "Meret Oppenheim and Louise Bourgeios, both of whom have works with some affinity with fashion inspire me. Elsa Schiaparelli. Wow. Imagine having Picasso and Dali paint on your clothes or making a hat the shape of a rib-eye steak? Now that’s avant-garde," she giggles.

As for her final say on fashion and its ephemeral nature, Patty has this to share. "I see a lot of people really getting into fashion now and the challenge is to discern which of the trends are fantastic and which are terrible. Some hideous clothes show up on the radar just because it was a trend embraced by a herd. Doesn’t mean you should stick to the classics, and shun all new things either. That’s another mistake – not trying new things." Indeed meeting and experiencing Patty proved to be a fashion ‘do.

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Patty Eustaquio can be reached at vintagepolka@yahoo.com or 0917-8979474.