TODAY one can't speak of Philippine fashion and home design without Cebu in it. Cebu's
fashion and home designers aren't only good, they're also
at the forefront of cutting-edge design. And a Manila-born
hotelier has been putting that point across. It was a clear statement that Cebu designers are now significant in Philippine fashion design.
How did that happen?
Cebu designers show the daring of innovation, the steady hand of creativity, the spirit of competition, and--this is where they have an edge over Manila designers--the Cebuano tradition of business and entrepreneurship. It's amazing how they keep at it--churning out custom-made fashion year after year--and how their ranks grow each year.
Obviously there must be money still in made-to-order fashion in Cebu. Unlike in Manila, Cebu's
stylish and affluent women still pay regular visits to
their couturiers. And they don't run short of events and
parties to dress up for. Cebu's women scrambled to have their gowns made at the last minute. Philip Rodriguez, the Cebu Establishment's favorite designer, had to finish about 15 gowns in 24 hours.
Cebu's "Metro Wear" was highly innovative, in both design and treatment of material. Driving home the look was the coifed hairdo--complete with hairnet. Think Hollywood goddess Joan Crawford, not Nicole Kidman. His colors were muted browns and beiges, like, he said, "going over an old issue of Life magazine in its early years of color separation."
If Empaces was all modesty. His silk chiffon gowns and dresses bared the flesh and traced the body contour, in hot, luscious enough-to-lick colors--hot pink, orange, yellow, turquoise--with judiciously placed hand-sewn crystals for glitter. You cannot stop anymore Philippine fashion designers.
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