Rhett’s latest showing was courtesy of Jewelmer Philippines, the country’s biggest producer of South Sea pearls, which stages all—Filipino shows as part of their annual exhibition at the jewelry and fashion fair in Hong Kong. This latest Eala endeavour reconnected the designer with the made-to-order process, a skill that was lodged in the backburner when he opened his ready-to-wear boutique Wink a few years ago. "I like the process that goes into made-to-order. There are more details and the construction is better," Rhett affirms.
This latest collection also allowed the designer to present new ideas collected from the four-year lull. Rhett’s RCBC show exhibited a flurry of chiffon and georgette and pitched a series of flirty dresses that glamorized the peasant trend that was the rage at the time. For the Hong Kong show, Rhett stuck to the glamour and elegance of evening wear by combining sheer soft fabric with more tactile material. While his new pieces retain the clean lines and feminine silhouettes that seem to be his signature, Rhett manifests reinvention with the use of raw silk and fluid jersey, fabrics he had not explored prior to the show. You get a glimpse of Rhett’s trademark in how he gives versatility, yet again, to the simple corset tube dress. He dressed up the flattering silhouette with womanly details such as ruching, feathers, panels and beadwork, and, for some creations, even injected a trace of masculinity such as a tailored brown coat dress splattered with copper beads. While Rhett is now more inclined to blacks, whites, and neutral colors, the elements-inspired theme behind the Jewelmer show prompted the use of a vivid palette. Rhett displayed his fluency in brilliant color schemes with canary yellows, deep blues, hot pinks, and vibrant oranges. Though the palette presented bias to beachwear collections, Rhett’s designs waved off the summery feel and made the colors work for elegant evening wear.
It’s ultimately the uncomplicated silhouettes that make Rhett Eala’s designs so marketable. Enthuses Jewelmer’s marketing manager Angela Poblador, "We like Rhett’s designs. They’re feminine yet simple." (A few years ago, the most desirable piece in Rhett’s boudoir was the sheer poncho, a fuss-free sparsely-embellished drape-y creation that had a heyday which lasted almost a year. The poncho, apart from establishing the clavicle as an erogenous zone, filtered through the cocktail circuit and certified Rhett as a design favorite.) The collection was so successful that Rhett has now been asked to do shows from New York to Dubai.
This new collection presented an irony of sorts for Rhett. While it allowed a full-scale exhibition of his made-to-order designer prowess, the collection jumpstarted Rhett’s reunion with the retail scene and presented a comeback to the company that he once called home. Within the next months, Rhett and a few other local designers will be displayed in the designer section of Rustan’s, alongside the store’s collection of high-end designer pieces. (Years ago, Rhett designed under the label Due for Rustan’s; now his creations will carry the Rhett Eala label.) The designer, however, doesn’t seem to mind the retail reappearance. This new venture allows a marriage of made-to-order detail with ready-to-wear disclosure. More significantly, it will give Rhett what he wants: to further his love affair with glamour.