Little did they know that Jeannie was on a life-altering mission. She challenged herself with changing her position in the fashion world. After 11 years in the business mainly as a "barong tagalog specialist," Jeannie decided to join the ranks of mainstream designers and do haute couture.
"I wanted to add another dimension to my fabrics. I used to do just barongs and curtains with them. Now I want to do haute couture with my silken threads and dress up the fashionable ladies of the world," she enthusiastically told me.
She told her 17 workers that every gown that went out of their atelier should be great enough to compete in Paris and Milan. Her workers rose to the occasion and produced gowns worthy of a standing ovation from the snobbish crème de la crème of Metro Manille.
Jeannie worked as a team with daughter Katrina, who is fast following in her mother’s footsteps as a designer; and sister Frances, who she claims was the stabilizing factor in their teamwork. The trio conceptualized the event from start to finish.
"The bonding was great. I had such a great time with my daughter and sister even if the work load was heavy. We even had to choose the music. Imagine, we probably spent 60 hours all together listening to all kinds of music that we thought would go well with each gown."
The perfectionist that she is, she did not leave anything to chance.
Her show was titled "Tapestry." The inspiration, as implied in the title, was taken from the idea that in life, we weave emotional ties and relationships, hopes and dreams. This was conveyed through elemental themes which flowed and told a story within a story through dance, poetry, and of course, fashion. The elements were the purity of air, the liquidity of water, the realism of earth, the core instinct of wood, the strength of metal, and the passion of fire.
It opened with the reading of a poem by Patxito Elizalde, son of Sofia and Patxi Elizalde, and was followed by a dreamy performance from the dancers of Steps, choreographed by James Laforteza, setting the mood for the models to emerge in their Silk Coccoon creations. The stunning numbers were complemented by unique, one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces by Arnel Papa and Tina Triechler. The show was interspersed with dances, more poetry readings by Audie Gemora of poems written by Luna Inocian on the aforementioned elements. The poems were written in haiku verses that told about the meaning and values of all the elements in our lives.
The surprise "numbers" of the evening were the fashionista friends of the team who were so willing to model for them: our palangga Maurice A., Philippine Star columnist Pepper Teehankee, YStyle editor Celine Lopez, businessman Jacques Dupasquier, YStyle columnists and actors DJ Montano and JR Isaac, chic ladies Hindy Tantoco, Jenni Epperson, Tina Tinio, Xeng Zulueta, and Angelique Villaraza.
Behind the scenes, credit goes to the multi-talented teamwork of Rene Arambulo, Luna Grino Inocian, Grace Venezuela of Brave World, and Robbie Carmona as show director.
Adding depth to the event for the benefit of Gawad Kalinga were sponsors Rustan’s Essenses, San Miguel Corporation, Globe Platinum, HSBC, and Bizu Patisserie. The beautiful floral arrangements of Mabolo and Vince Lahorra on his saxophone added to the ambiance of the event.
The pledges collected will be woven into the lives of the Gawad Kalinga beneficiaries in the Gawad Kabuhayan program. It entails livelihood and skills training, provides start-up capital and materials for micro finance and micro enterprise, with HSBC, under the dynamic Warner Manning, taking an active role in assisting residents of Maryville in Cavite and General Tinio in Nueva Ecija.
Silk Cocoon is supporting the skills training program. States Jeannie emphatically, "I enjoyed every minute of this undertaking, especially the time I spent with my daughter and sister. I would do it all over again! ‘Tapestry’ was the work of our minds, hands, and hearts and I am here to show the fashion world that we Filipinos can compete with them in fabric, in design, and quality of our labor."