Party frocks are in the house tonight

Metrowear has always been more than just a fashion show, fusing entertainment, live music and celebrities — and sometimes this has complemented the clothes or provided distraction from it. At last week’s event at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel, “Metrowear Rocks the Runway” threw in a charitable cause (ABS-CBN’s Sagip Kapamilya), and good old-fashioned rock and roll. For someone sick of

Glee

-ified versions of current radio hits, the lineup of Filipino rock acts at Metrowear was a welcome change, as was its range: Wolfgang, a band from the ‘90s, probably the first local band I became a “groupie” of; Kjwan, a band from the 2000s whose various members have been exes of my friends; Callalily, who I thought would be a girl group; and Rico Blanco, who has gone electronic.

 The design themes for “Metrowear Rocks the Runway” were based on three major trends of the season: Aquatic, La Dolce Vita and 1950s couture, and the designers were encouraged to be “eco” as well. Aside from the fact that they used a lot of locally produced fabric, it was not really obvious how and if they managed to achieve “sustainability,” so it would have been better if the show producers just left it out and let the fashion be what it is. A mix of 20 established and young designers each presented a five-piece collection while the rockers rocked on stage with the models.

Notable were John Herrera and Louis Claparols’ different takes on jellyfish — the former going white, sheer, and soft, and the latter, all vibrant and plastic and hard. “I used a lot of fluorescent rubberized fabric to create the outer shells. I saw photos taken underwater and fell in love with the colors,” says Claparols.

Cary Santiago didn’t fail to wow audiences again with his masterful cutouts and lacework, this time in shimmering black. Ronaldo Arnaldo’s tribute to Old Sicily had a tough, futuristic edge to it with leather and strong shapes, inspired by the “beauty, energy and power of semi-precious metals like gold, copper and silver.” He used local dupione silk, which is made with organic dye.

Avel Bacudio added a touch of rockabilly to his poufy dresses by way of metal studs on cropped blazers, like a girl had come home from the sock hop in her boyfriend’s jacket. Newcomers Roland Alzate and Mak Tumang showed they had every right to be on the runway alongside their more seasoned counterparts with their strong, animalistic designs. Alzate used real snakeskin with old lace and leather-like satin in classic hourglass silhouettes, which he described as “nonchalant yet delightfully flirty.” Tumang took the Tibetan Garuda and flew with it, using tulle to mimic bird feathers and gilded lace to look like repousse metal.

The conceptual and rebellious Jerome Lorico presented what appeared to be a McQueen-inspired tartan set but which turned out to reference the Cordilleran women and their tapis. “It was easy to come up with a capsule collection of peplum skirts and tailored pieces, but that was just one voice of that era,” he says. “I wanted to explore the local voice of fashion and culture of our country at that time. And I believe that it is those places and women hidden from foreign influences that can best mirror that epoch.”

Now that’s rock and roll.