Sandugo's Fashion Fusion

CEBU, Philippines - After Cebu, the circular island of Bohol is the place to be. Ranked 2nd for its tourist influx, all roads lead to the quaint little towns with their distinctive rustic elements spread generously throughout this island paradise. Thus, it didn’t take long for the fashion cognoscenti to follow suit. Spearheaded by fashion mover Salvador Malto, a group of designers collaborated with Tagbilaran’s Bayong and Municipio Inabangga’s Raffia and the Department of Tourism for a fashion fusion that highlighted its Sandugo celebration.

So much for minimalism. Not that Protacio, Ren Manabat, Humberto Villegas and Edwin Ao have never endorsed austerity, but after the group’s arts and crafts-inflected collection, the much buzzed-about show unleashed a million times on how to accessorize using the raffia and banig. Working in a shadowy palette of black, brown, gray, silver, and white, the designers established a non-restrictive silhouette: Skirts were at various lengths and slightly full at the hips and thighs, while pants were wide and tapered. Tops, except for a few new riffs on their signature bustiers and bodysuits, had volume, as did cover-alls and coats, primarily, were trimmed with embellishment

Now, here’s the fun part: Bags, belts, necklaces, note pads, mobile phone holsters and head pieces ranging from the colorific down to the natural hue added with passementerie just kept coming. Huge beach bags and totes were an instant hit. A chartreuse silk beribboned bag was very user-friendly, but in a neutral shade with beach pattern embroidery, it’s a guaranteed collector’s item. The ropey necklaces worked well with exposed shoulders on dresses by Ren Manabat, Salvador Malto and Protacio. As for the more sophisticated evening clutches, they were clean, modern counterpoints to all that embellishment, while its predecessors seem a bit too rough. Taken collectively, there were plenty of lovely pieces that fashionistas—whom most are adept at the tricky art of personal styling—will no doubt want to claim as their new favorites.