Ready To Wear, Ready To Land

With Piatco gone to crap – the organizers decided to transform the Fort Tent into an airport and present us the latest in retail land in a whole new, different runway. And just like any flight – it was delayed for an hour and we jetsetters had to make do with the bar that soothed our frayed nerves with some comforting hooch.

However, there were absolutely no delays when it came to the progressive thinking of GP Reyes, the man behind S2G, and the concept of Fashion Fest alongside director Robbie Carmona, who tapped his magic wand once again on the runways. The airport theme is no cutesy act as GP explains the theme of the show, "We felt Filipino fashion is about to take off ... in the future we want foreign buyers to see what Filipino designers could do and how to make the world aware of our local retail brands." He adds, "I’ve been dreaming of this for the past two years: To showcase the best brands in Philippine fashion retail. I wanted to choose the pioneers such as Sari-Sari Store, Cinderella, Bayo and Rustan’s, and up-and-coming brands that represent the potential of what a brand can be such as Freeway, Folded & Hung and Tyler."

Although the lengthy show kept us all fashionably thin, it truly was a celebration of fightness. The crowd was treated to sightings of drool-worthy PMAP (Professional Models Association of the Philippines) models and video productions from five of MTV’s hottest flirty footwear as the collection brought us back to the golden ’50s, with the directors and head pilot Joyce Jimenez navigating us from one point of chic to another.

If there’s one thing we know for sure – this is one airport that will never ask any of its passengers to take their shoes off!

Bayo

Bubble gum sweet: Bayo’s collection paints the picture of la dolce vita. Picture cheery fruity shades, feminine silhouettes, silky scarves and afternoons in Central Park. Demure or feeling coquettish, Bayo evokes the natural flirtatious nature of a lady in bloom!

U By Rustans

The sexy and hip line of Rustan’s young division U showed an unexpected contrast of sorts. Hindy Tantoco presented a utilitarian glam look, refining the coarse canvas material in sleek and sculptural garments that can be called modular fashion. You can mix and match at will layer tanks with inverted racer backs, and choose from different hemlines as you can adjust the length of your skirt to your liking as well. The girl’s line has some influences of Helmut Lang for its austere elegance, Margiela for its raw personality and loads of the signature Hindy magic that shows the sexiness in every woman in a most unique manner.

Dennis Lustico, the newly-appointed U boys head designer, shows that manliness comes in the form of vintage romance. A sort of happy mafiosi theme is resonated as sexy thugs in anything-but-sweet, floral-and-stripe pattern play. A chic Gavroche, Les Miserables goes to Barneys! A swinging and hip street-inspired look that definitely crosses out stiffness and ho-hum boring.

Freeway

With its brand renovation in action, Freeway presents a selection of vintage athletic chic, complete with tiny sport shorts, edgy tops and dresses that are so preppy. It brings us back to the days of Farrah Fawcett.

Tyler

The black-and-white symphony of sophistication bubbled like a frosty bottle of Cristal as the festival drew to a close with the breathtaking opus of LZ Punzalan’s style turn at Tyler. He describes the collection as thus, "Androgynous with details like right over left for men’s pants. On making the clothes, I incorporated it with utilitarian details such as beltings, snaps. To create images of power, I chose white and black refreshed with beige to keep it from looking common."

The strong silhouettes of this season’s Tyler set a new standard to the modern black-tie uniform.

Sari-Sari

Sari-Sari has always been the stylish claypot of clothing with that tarty Filipino flavor. A bit cheeky with the Darna look, but also exotically sexy, wonderfully down-to-earth and yet strongly elegant. Sounds like the perfect woman, huh? Maybe since the collection probably has such a woman in mind. In fabrics that float and colors that stand out – it’s anything but shy!

Folded & Hung

The show had an icy start as the first flock of eye candy strode down the catwalk in frostily sexy white outfits trimmed with silver and softened with touches of flora. This part of the lineup had a modish tone to it as sleek little garments exposed parts that the world is intended to see with glee. Think Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton where they make frostbite look fab! The second part was more like post-war glam as tweeds trimmed with fur gave us the idea of what to do when the sun stops shining and the clouds start cryin’. The tawny colors reminded me of Julianne Moore in An Affair to Remember – truly essential ingredients for the sophisticated heartbreaker.

Cinderella

Why does everyone keep on complaining about the ’80s and yet it keeps coming back to invade closets with its neon punk glory? Cinderella has embraced this era of Debbie Gibson, Reeboks and magenta lipgloss. Hot tarts in even hotter brights in ’80s-inspired regalia, toned down just by an itty-bitty with turn-of-the-millennium fashion sensibilities (no blue eyeshadow and leg warmers). It’s as nostalgic and naughty as the Go Gos!

Salt

This is grunge gone good, the slacker-wisens-up kind of look. The millionaire skateboarder– lots of Spike Jonze (director of Being John Malcovich, Adaptation and loads of Beastie Boys videos) and very Hollywood brat. The West Coast feel is evident with its carefree styles Prozac-free personality and the lack of haute in its couture. Nevertheless, the cool factor is something to behold.