The night of a hundred Francis Libiran looks

MANILA, Philippines - The applause from the crowd threatened to drown out the carnival-like synth beats blasting from the speakers (“My universe will never be the same/I’m glad you came/I’m glad you came”) but designer Francis Libiran kept up with the rhythm, bouncing in sync with The Wanted’s catchy hook for almost a minute. It was an impromptu victory dance, one that appropriately capped off four months’ worth of work and culminated in last week’s Francis Libiran 100 Fashion Gala, a 100-piece showing that reaffirmed the designer’s impeccable eye for combining architectural details with ultra-feminine silhouettes, held at the lobby of the Manila Hotel.

 “I didn’t even know the title of that song,” Libiran says a few days later, the high from the standing ovation he got from the guests still palpable in his voice. “When Robby (Carmona) and I were deciding on what would be a great finale song for the show, he made me listen to it and I thought it said perfectly what I felt. I’m really glad people came to the show –– on a Friday night and with the heavy traffic.”

For his first gala, he says he wanted to pay homage to Manila Hotel, its rich history and distinct turn-of-the-century design: laser-cut mother-of-pearl to resemble arabesque wood carvings and gold leaf platings seen around the hotel, and crystals and lace inlaid onto sheer bodices mirror the wrought iron details in The Champagne Room; one whole collection, in fact, was inspired by the hotel’s bronze elevators. Another well-received collection was the parade of sea-green and hint-of-lilac gowns with the necklines and skirts folded and ruffled into petal- and wave-like configurations. “There had to be the Filipiñana aspect in line with the 100-year anniversary of the hotel, but I also wanted to make it young, sexy, and hip, especially since the terno isn’t really my style,” Libiran admits. Hence, the butterfly sleeves were made smaller, more sparkly, and intricately layered. Of course, his signature lines had their turn on the runway: sexy, slightly severe, covetable. “I create clothes for an independent and classy woman,” he says. “Someone who knows how to present and carry herself, and someone who’s confident. I mean, you saw how sheer the gowns could be, right?”

While the silhouettes never veered too far from form-fitting bodices flowing into diaphanous skirts, Libiran injected fantasy into the show by fleshing out the details that play with the eyes and evoke different images. It wasn’t just his expertise in manipulating fabrics and accents that were on display but his eye for putting on a show. Hammered metal accents like corsets and asymmetrical belts added edge to what could have been saccharine sweet creations and china doll bangs transformed column gowns into power looks fit for an opium den madame. Some pieces seemed to be pure indulgence on Libiran’s part, such as the cocktail A-line dresses made of what looked like bejeweled cutouts, but in general, the designer displayed a mastery of balancing his couture sensibilities with what would click with commercial tastes.

Francis Libiran: Combining architectural details with ultra-feminine silhouettes

But just as there are fans and supporters, there are critics and nitpickers: Ayyteh, a local Tumblr site that puts side by side photos of international and local designs for internet surfers to compare and draw their own “copying” conclusions from, has featured a couple of Libiran’s looks and compared them to pieces from Atelier Versace and Valentino. The designer is aware of the website and even surmises that it is run by someone who also works in local fashion. “I’m just saddened by it,” Libiran says. “More than anything. I’m not angry about it, not really affected by it. I’m just sad because these bloggers who pick on designers are actually good at writing; they just don’t do their research. And with such a small fashion industry in the country, why spend energy bringing people down? When we see each other at functions and events, how would they approach these designers, knowing that they’ve written these things about them? And why do that in the first place? Out of hate? Envy? Is this a professional critique or a personal attack? I really don’t understand. I just feel sad for them.”

To those particular posts about him, he comments, “I have been doing these details in my creations for years, ever since I started, and they just don’t know that. If only the blogger got in touch with me to ask me about my work, I would have happily answered and explained it to them. I don’t mind negative reviews as long as the writers do their work. It’s just regrettable that they spent their time writing and posting entries and not spend time researching; then they could have been credible. As it is now, blogs like that are just for entertainment.”

It’s all fuel for fire, though. “Those things make me work harder to prove that I am good,” Libiran says. And if his first gala is any indication, the designer would be doing his victory dance for quite a long while.