Holiday Bride

CEBU, Philippines -  It is interesting to note that despite the hullaballoo of the much ballyhooed June bride, more and more women choose to tie the knot in the holiday season, in the month of December most particularly. With bridal designers here and abroad at the well manicured fingertip of every bride to be, options are what they have in abundance. Featured here is an emerging bridal designer ready to please the holiday bride.

Edwin Alba is known for combining couture-worthy craftsmanship with the practicality of the modern woman, and his recent bridal collection was true to his roots. It consisted of classic, elegant pieces in rich materials, cut with careful precision. For this season, Alba got some playful notes here as well, and more generally, completely abandoning the glittering surfaces of his past collections referring to the collection's laborious crystal embroidery. A halter topped pleated column gown with layers of laser cut olive branches and leaves hung at every space adorning the skirt. There are two versions of the pleated bustier that can put a smile on every Christmas bride waiting for a kiss under a mistletoe. The poufed skirt ensemble and the lace skirt column gown are dependent on her whim (and body structure, of course).

The designer has a way of distracting from the fact that this brand is increasingly well crafted inside and out. There's a savvy strategy at work: Season to season, the actual look of the clothes stays reasonably consistent, with modern pieces and simple yet refined tailoring providing a canvas for endless reinvention. It's worth noting, though, that Alba's bridesmaid and entourage collection stem from the bridal gown and vise versa creating a cycle complementary to the total look. To exit the realm of art, for a moment, and employ a music metaphor, the signature Alba pieces operate as a kind of rhythm section, and a very good one, that sets the beat and the bass line for the melodies the bride remembers, as she struts down the aisle. Bravissimo!

Credits:

Raceene Beierly and Kymberly Litman of M.A.C. Models Association of Cebu (0917 6302400)

Maquillage by Ramil Solis assisted by Cris Canoy and Aura Verallo (FREEMAN)