YDG (Young Designers Guild) has always been my favorite group of people to watch. Completely trend-free and utterly daring (well, some anyway), it’s always a joy to see these peeps do their stuff in a way that reflects their own look and not what some overpriced magazine dictates.
Cecile VAN STRATEN: I know it’s hard to make even a small collection and mount a group show, but it’s also hard to do an honest report and tell it like it is. I agreed to review only one show this Fashion Week: I chose YDG because they have been known to be the innovators in the local fashion scene.
Unfortunately, because of the "Y" in YDG, members past 35 years old are sort of evicted from the group. The guild is then left with the task of refilling the slots in order for the group to remain in existence.
While some of its current members are known to be talented, promising or even gifted, judging from their recent showing at the NBC tent, it seems the group needs to work on its weaker members who do not quite measure up to the guild’s reputation.
Because the invitation called it "Young Avant-Garde Collection," I think many of us in the audience had high expectations.
When you hear avant-garde, you expect works that are novel or experimental. "Basically, avant-garde pushes the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm. It is the sharp edge where things arise," according to freedictionary.com.
In the case of what we saw last Monday, I refer to a term coined by young indie filmmaker Raya Martin (whom I have to stress was not present at the show): TWAG means "Third World Avant-Garde." I take it to mean a backward interpretation of avant-garde.
I’m a big fan of avant-garde fashion. But I believe avant-garde should be done by avant-garde people, not normal people trying to be avant-garde.
Some of what we saw at YDG was indeed avant-garde – like 10 years ago. I’m talking about the unfinished seams, "reversed construction," and the tired gothic, monastic, are-you-trying-to-scare-me look.
Some of the collections were far from avant-garde and were sweet and pristine. Someone even showed a very wearable tropical collection.
What I’m saying is maybe the group has to realize, that while there are some very creative people in the guild, not everybody understands avant-garde or should attempt to do it.
Brian Leyva
Celine: His debutante from the heart of the south is more about tea parties than it is about fried chicken. His clever use of seams, cutting into the bodice rather than just the sides gives an illusion of an hourglass shape, which can only be seen in vintage Thierry Mugler or Alaia. There are some pieces that are overly detailed and the brown ruffles on some pieces may have been distracting on ensembles that otherwise would have been lovely.
Cecile: Fifties-inspired shift dresses with a twist. I loved the raw-edge flouncy skirts and his coloring and fabrication of cotton and suede.
Dong Omaga Diaz
Celine: Dong totally loves pastels these days. His nautical-inspired pieces are very now, although the tassels on each piece could have been better finished. His jackets are to die for.
Cecile: He opened with a model in a little capelet, reminiscent of Lily Cole’s last change at Marc Jacob’s fall ‘04 collection for Louis Vuitton. He showed military or torero utilitarian outfits in pale blue and brocade fabric.
Ciara Marasigan
Celine: Her yonic pieces have interesting friends like the blue armband and gold neckpiece. She had a good concept except the colors could have been more unexpected.
Cecile: I understood her to be primarily an accessory designer based on what she showed, using all-black canvases of long jersey dresses to showcase holiday-looking crystal and gem accessories. My favorite piece, however, was the only dress with no accessory.
James Reyes
Celine: Ironically his gothic pieces were refreshing during a time of angelic trends. He presented good ideas that can be toned down for real life. It was theatrical without being trying hard.
Cecile: Maybe it’s time to move on from the monastic, to-the-nunnery-thee-go look. One model couldn’t walk, due to the very narrow cuffed hemline of the ankle-length skirt, revealing perhaps a lack of formal training on the designer.
John Herrera
Celine: Wearable options for the darling but strange girls out there. It was experimental without being desperate, which is a very, very good thing. Only for the real McCoys, no posers please.
Cecile: This unremarkable fall collection in dark wool with raw edges would’ve been really cool in the early ‘90s.
Joey Samson
Celine: The man who is almost every fashion editor’s favorite is one of the few members of the YDG to actually own a look. His menswear pieces are more refined than ever. His simple designs are proof that restraint in the runway is outstanding when used well. The question is this: will the tags that were dangling on each model’s arm be the hottest new accessory?
Cecile: We breathed a sigh of relief when Joey Samson saved the day by opening with a deconstructed men’s suit in a collection inspired by Jack Vettriano. Joey takes off from the British painter’s work, depicting mostly menswear in retro-looking suits, vests and breeches with a twist.
We were pleasantly surprised when he finished unexpectedly with Jo Ann Bitagcol in a man’s coat and suit and Ria Bolivar in a clingy retro dress.
Joey stuck to clean fabrication and a smart palette of midnight blue, chocolate brown and white. I love the extra-large shipping tags he left hanging on the garments. His smart separates with smart silhouettes proved to be the most holistic collection in the entire show.
As I’ve said before, Joey Samson rarely disappoints.
Louis Claparols
Celine: Probably one of the sweetest men in fashion, Louis was not shy when he meant texture. Although some pieces were a bit overly detailed, most were lovely, decorated with chiffon icing. Perfect for his clientele who want pretty pieces spiked with a bit of vodka. With the colors he used, one can’t help but think that his cute little puppy, a cream-colored poodle named Marni, has more than a little influence on the color palette.
Cecile: Fans of Louis would surely love his pretty dresses and separates inspired by his poodle Marni. Nice, but I found the styling – with the furry shoes and ribbon hairband – a bit distracting.
Yvonne Quisumbing-Romulo
Celine: Genius as usual. Perhaps one of the brightest and most original designers of my time. Aside from Joey, she is also one of the few designers to actually have a signature look, the kind, that when you see it on a happening girl, you know it is unmistakably Yvonne’s. The clothes she debuted, I realized, are the actual clothes she wears in real life only in diaphanous fabrics and intricate beading.
Cecile: An extension of Yvonne with bits and pieces from her past work. As they say in American Idol, Yvonne stayed in her comfort zone with the cargo pants and sheer tops. Her artisanal gladiator skirts cut in leather were both interesting and innovative.
Ferdie Abuel
Celine: He’s retro boy. Echoes of the Copacabana come to mind when you see his tropical pieces, especially the pink play suit which is my favorite. The tropical pieces, given shots of color, are perfect for the season. When it’s hot, you’ve gotta look hot. Although his finale pieces didn’t quite weave well with his other creations. Or was it just me? His blue and yellow gowns were quite stunning in their simplicity, but how did they contribute to the cohesiveness of the collection?
Cecile: Brown and pink floral fabrication in Grecian-inspired long dresses or items salvaged from lola’s baul.
LZ Punzalan
Celine: Highly-wearable pieces made for the modern girl. His creations are perfect for those whose Smythson datebooks are crammed with parties to go to and a style that looks nothing like the rest of the herd’s. After watching Project Runway, I have become obsessed with finishing and under the harsh lights of the runway, some slight puckering could be seen in the seams.
Cecile: He opened with ho-hum beige pieces befitting a department store, but ended with very nice long flowy dresses, short in front and long at the back.
Mitzi Quilendrino
Celine: Confidence was what her collection was all about. She concentrated on design and used neutral fabrics to show it off!
Cecile: I know she’s good and I love beige. But I know she is much more capable than making blah beige summer dresses.
Reian Mata
Celine: Great hot-weather clothes, things you can wear in the middle of summer and still look hotter than the weather. The balloon shorts were a genius idea.
Cecile: Very wearable, tropical eye-candy with nice-colored florals and browns. Collectively good-looking and I like it, but not on me.
Patty Eustaquio
Celine: When we first featured her in YStyle, I already knew that this girl was all about grit glamour. Not for the faint-hearted but not for the confused fashionista either. Patty has locked herself into a certain niche of people who want some beautiful clothes but not in a conventional way. Her straightjacket chic collection was a great example once again of a collection that was obviously conceived from one idea, one that makes a collection strong and cohesive. Her cuts are original, not the conventional rib-eye or porterhouse cuts that we see so much in local fashion.
Cecile: An all-white sweet collection befitting a Surf commercial.
Mel Vergel de Dios
Celine: One of my favorite collections of the evening. First he used acid pop colors without making them look cheesy. Second, he used Thai silk, a forgotten fabric that was fashionable in the ‘90s when Rhett Eala popularized it for Due. The construction of his pieces was phenomenal and one could not think of Mel’s collection without thinking of the genius of Alber Elbaz of Lanvin.
Cecile: A bit over-the-top with the loud colors and obi or gift-wrap theme going on.