Five and co.: In the mood for mode

CEBU, Philippines - Five and Co's (soon to have a grand launch) first and freshest outing was inspired by five sisters' (who want to remain anonymous) outing of their own: a travelogue traipsing around the globe that began as pleasure and ended as business. The chic sisters found themselves too wrapped up into each destination to leave. They were thinking in particular, they revealed, the allure of gardens.

The question they posed for its conceptualization is how to balance prettiness with chic. Thus, the Five and Co. line bounced from hard-edged (blanc et noir for evening) to floral for a day at the beach or mall and back, with a collection that is colorific vis-a-vis neutral for the office. There were body-con dresses with architectural seams and jagged layers of flaring skirts that recalled other designers' recent fare, not always to their own advantage.

More successful were pieces that wore their specialness lightly. A dress and skirt in stretch chiffon floral print that hit the trend of the moment but did so in a subtle, blink-and-you'll-miss-it way. Likewise the layered chiffon sheaths that up close revealed to be embroidered then perforated organza, a minor miracle of production. That, actually, felt authentically modern and easy and breezy, a homage to a walk in the gardens where no price is too high for perfection. For the full evening look, Five and Co. leavened the high with the low: a longsleeved and covered black dress showed it with low décolleté miraculously safe for movement. Ditto for the floaty chiffon floralia cover ups. It was exactly the kind of outfit you'd want to dance in at a summer wedding. Floaty strips of black fabric attached to white stretch satin and reversed plus "3d" blooms in clutches struck a similar balance of unassuming elegance.

The designers are also expanding their separates business with menswear-inspired pieces like de-constructed jackets with a tuxedo-inspired tail flap, birds-of-paradise-colored separates; a crisp cotton tops and matching pants set. They have good reason to move beyond their original formula. The preview of the soon to be launched collection was full of new categories like capes and jumpsuits, shoes and bags and more than doubled retail presence (available at Gaisano Tabunok, Gaisano Mactan and soon Gaisano Talamban). Bravissimo!

Credits:

M.A.C.>Models Association of Cebu (0917 6302400)

Maquillage by Emi Ayag assistd by Rey Abella (FREEMAN)