Best of my love

CEBU, Philippines - Indeed, the highly anticipated eighth installment of Best of Cebu, featuring the pride of Cebu—in local tongue, mga garbo sa Sugbo—in the field of fashion, beauty, music, and dance did not disappoint.

A regularly featured designer since its conception, Cary Santiago unveiled a 30-piece collection inspired by the Rorschach Inkblot, directed by Perlas awardee Junjet Primor. This was translated into wearable art of blanc et noir (black and white) dresses presented at the Cebu City Sports Complex at high noon and aired live on The Filipino Channel and TV 5.

Days before, excitement rushed throughout Cary Santiago’s  atelier as models, seamstresses, stylists, personal assistants and a proactive designer scurried, doubling (nay, tripling) their efforts for the show. Of course, the bevy of experts—Ramil Solis, Gari Son, and Jonas Borces  with Cris Canoy, Lloyda Aytona, Pines Borden, Andy Sinadjan and Rusty Famador— interpreted every maquillage imaginable.

And their efforts did pay off excessively. Santiago, an all-time favorite among hardcore fashion devotees, tailored his designs around shard-like angles—so sharp that you can cut your fingers with them. There were echoes of cheers and a round of applause from opening to finale as he presented his trompe l ‘oeil (a strategy of delivering optical illusion) in between, suggesting his favorite eagle: a gecko and a handsome peacock (in full fan-like foliage, still in black and white).

Also somewhere in the middle of the show,  he sent out models in origami-like folds that highlighted odd issues with fit, a homage to Rorschach and to artist Doro Barandino, who did an exhibit of those lines back in the 90s. It further emphasized where the collection’s strength lies—definitely in the bias cut silk shifts.

Another Santiago hallmark has been his predilection toward the florid and even though the Blanc et Noir collection banished beads altogether, the patterns were still elaborately intricate enough for colleague—and his dear friend—Arcy Gayatin to declare it as a very intelligent collection.

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