Plank check

If the thought of contemporary design makes your heart beat a little faster, then triple-threat boutique Plank, headlined by young designers Patty Eustaquio, Yvonne Quisumbing Romulo, and LZ Punzalan, should leave you with some serious cardiovascular issues.

The joke behind the store’s name, as the designers themselves are wont to repeat, goes like this: after several weeks of tossing around different ideas in an attempt to combine all three names, the end result resembled a children’s alphabet song – P for Patty, L for LZ and K for, well, Quisumbing. Hence the joke.

What began as an idea, first broached by Patty, soon blossomed into a full-blown art project. What if they were to create a venue – in the spirit of all independent designers – where people could come to purchase one-of-a-kind fashions without feeling the sting of high price tags? For two months, the three planned on a look and feel for the shop. With Yvonne and Patty’s background as visual artists, they took their cue from the somber romanticism popular of late and covered the floor with a dark fur rug, while a large molded mirror with vintage bevels and etchings make a dramatic focal point.

But it’s the racks that line the store’s two walls (they took up shop in a corner of the Independent Lifestyles section of Power Plant Mall) that draw the most attention. With their approach to fashion as art – essentially making cloth their canvas – the frocks filling the racks make for surreal eye candy.

Dubbed Patteu, the collection by Patty Eustaquio is reminiscent of Narciso Rodriguez’s sporty minimalism but with a more playful edge. Currently in the middle of a love affair with swirl cutouts, pleats and kimono-inspired cuts, Patteu’s mellow romanticism, aided by creamy fabric, ruffles and sweet collars and cuffs, is underscored by an affinity for things of a darker nature. So instead of a run-of-the-mill pretty babydoll dress, a cutout in black adds depth and makes for a more dramatic ensemble. "My style vision is ready-to-wear basics in not-so-basic fabric treatments," explains Patty. Vintage enamel belts and hand-carved leather bags round out the label.

Yvonne Quisumbing Romulo adds a dash of texture to the store’s selection with frocks layered with all sorts of textured frippery in an equally dark cast. According to the designer’s publicist (i.e. her spouse), understated artistry is what characterizes the clothes of Verity. Meticulous craftsmanship is "hidden" through a lightness of touch in the design. Although form and shape may be somehow sculptural and unconventional, the design principle behind each is fundamental, with respect to the natural beauty of the female form.

"The current collection, called Sacris Cloth, uses simple ornamentation on camouflage and monochromatic fabrics that typifies Verity’s approach," explains Yvonne. "Each piece and accessory is designed to blend with various ensembles, allowing wearers to express themselves in their fashion statement. The clothes are functional and versatile, another hue in the palette of the bearer."

Yvonne’s blend of nontraditional techniques with an eye for trends (case in point: a camouflage blouse topped with boutonnieres made of fabric and crystal) are subtle works of wearable art. Paired with jeans, they make for a great downtown ensemble; topped over a full skirt, they make for unconventional dress.

Louvre, LZ Punzalan’s label, is an exercise in sartorial polarity. Full skirts in autumn fabrics fall in simple, clean lines, while his accessories complicated affairs done in rope with tassels and pearls, are haphazard bursts of ingenuity. Which is the real LZ? Is his style more the busy, offhand style of his draping neckpieces or the lowkey glamour of his calculatedly structured pieces? Perhaps the answer is in his bags: satchels that combine both styles – the knack for embellishment and a talent for tapering trappings to a bare minimum.

For a glimpse of fresh, young design, take a gander at Plank. The three wonderfully distinct design perspectives on display make not only for interesting copy, but a great shopping jaunt too.

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Plank is located at the second floor of Independent Lifestyles section, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell.