Harking back to bygone eras

MANILA, Philippines - The past was a rich source of inspiration for a lot of designers for the holiday season of Philippine Fashion Week. From Baroque period to the ‘50s and even from past collections of senior designers, the local fashion industry attempts to make what happened then, more relevant now.

Xernan Orticio

Entitled “Nuhi,” which is the Japanese word for “slave,” Xernan Orticio went with a dark theme for his holiday collection. According to him, this collection was “inspired by an era in Japan where slavery and prostitution were rampant... the skin-baring vents I used on my pieces are suggestive of the roles comfort women and geishas had back then,” he says. Taking his inspiration into consideration, the structured pieces in black, embellished with white origami shapes and lines, more than sensual, as a whole, the collection came across as powerful. However, I just couldn’t agree with his choice of fabric, which was predominantly silk gazar, crepe and organza. It has a terrible sheen, especially under harsh lights that make the garment appear, well, cheap. It’s a shame though because Orticio had an unexpected interpretation of Japanese women in the 1800s. I’m told that these are fabrics that he usually uses, so it would be interesting to see him work with other materials.

Edgar San Diego

“I decided to make my holiday 2013 offering a tribue to Mang Ben Farrales, one of our pioneer fashion designers who is known for his signature Muslim-inspired creations. I wanted to render my own interpretation of his works and give a modern twist to the traditional attire of the Muslim tribes,” Edgar San Diego says of his collection. Chockfull of ikat prints, T’boli beadwork, and woven Tinalak accessories, this collection was definitely a nationalistic one, but I wouldn’t say it was a contemporary one. Nevertheless, it’s the little details that made some of the pieces work, such as the ikat print peplums and heels with ankle bracelets, the T’boli beadwork rendered into cocktail dresses (I wasn’t really a fan of the beaded corsets, while the belts looked a little too ethnic), and the gold body armor-slash-jewelry. It was Xena the Warrior Princess if she had joined the Maranaos or the Badjaos, sans the feather earrings and hair ornaments.

Oz Go

Oz Go said it all when he named his collection “The Librarian.” Featuring prints, like clocks, globes, compasses and what appeared to be illustrated pages torn out of history, art and science books, Go showed that it isn’t always boring when a designer decides to interpret his inspiration literally (pun intended, yes). Go played around with vintage silhouettes thrown in with sharp and modern tailored pieces. “I pictured myself as a librarian immersed in different books that take me back in time. Because of this imaginary travel, I’ve come up with a collection inspired by different eras of fashion,” Go says. What took the collection from bookworm chic to old world quirk were the embellished and oversized frames that might be difficult to see through, but there are worse sacrifices for the sake of fashion.

Cherry Samuya Veric

It wasn’t until half-Egyptian beauty queen Queenie Rehman sauntered down the runway that I made the connection between Cherry Samuyra Veric’s collection and the Queen of the Nile. As it turned out, however, my reference turned out to be completely off. Veric was actually inspired by a more recent style period—the Byzantine era to be specific. “Inspired by Baroque fashion, my collection, ‘Ardor,’ presents a fiery work of careful ornamentation and sublime detail,” he explains. “Shades of royal gold were interspersed with layers of lace to add drama and depth to lavish pieces, tailored in silhouettes that cut close to the body with tight sleeves and low, pointed waists.” Well that certainly explained the gold leaf-covered ornamental ensembles he sent down the runway. Regardless of the reference, he turned out several gold hits that Cleopatra probably would’ve thrown Mark Antony under the bus for or at the very least, Carine Roitfeld might have been interested in for The Ultimate Gold Collection Fashion Show that she recently directed for amfAR. Photos by CELWYN ABASOLO