Fashionable greenery city sense

MANILA, Philippines –  It’s the first week of January and things are slow to start. I was hoping to hit the ground running in 2011 but it is hard to shake off holiday hangovers. I had also promised myself and my better half Twink that I would get our basement in order and free from accumulated clutter of the previous year (actually, years).

I’ve been trying to get little corners of the basement organized these last few days. The first being a mess of old magazines (and I mean old) from the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s. I know everyone is still struggling to get back into the swing of things so I’ve decided to write something light this week …and about a serendipitous find while putting my basura in order.

I collect periodicals, books, images of the city, landscapes and architecture. I dusted off one issue from a wad of old Asia magazines I had, and found this issue with really cool images of ‘60s fashion in a garden setting.

I remember that I had bought the magazine not because of this article on the annual Karilagan fashion tour but because another page had an old ad featuring Fort Santiago as a backdrop for SAS and Thai airlines.

These tatlong Maria strike a pose in native costume in front of Fort Santiago before its renovation.

The image was that of three Filipino lasses in Marcos’s costume dancing in front of the entrance to Fort Santiago before Imelda’s renovation of Intramuros. The magazine is from 1966 and shows that old Manila was still in ruins until the mid-‘60s.

Some say that we should have left the ruins to remind us of the horrors of war. The unsuccessful 50-year-old struggle to bring back Intramuros to its old glory since the picture was taken may lend us to think that the Walled City may have been better left as is…Or that we have not pursued its revival with the persistence that others in the region have applied in their heritage districts and culture.

One aspect of culture we have been able to sustain is our passion for fashion. We may have (and continue to have) problems bringing in tourists, but we have been exporting our fashion and our fashion designers to the world since the ‘60s.

The cover of the magazine showcased a Ben Farrales beaded masterpiece modeled by Toni Serrano. Inside the article are featured pieces by Pitoy Moreno, Arturo Cruz, Emil Valdez, Casimiro Abad and Gibert Perez. The gowns were modeled by Christie Flores, Baby Santiago and Toni Serrano.

The Karilagan haute couture collection was exported to the United States and Europe once a year in the ‘60s and it opened the world’s eyes to Filipino talent — at least that of creating fashionable evening wear. The other exports of the ‘60s and ‘70s were the complete opposite. They were our boxers and entertainers, including Flash Elorde and the Reycard Duet.

Designer Gilbert Perez reinterprets the Filipino tapis for Christie Flores to be able to climb trees in.

The other reason why I bought the magazine was the setting of the photo shoot, which was the Vera-Perez Gardens in Quezon City. The shots by veteran lensman Dick Baldovino are masterful and took full advantage of the garden’s lush tropical foliage.

I had the pleasure of visiting the gardens once in the late ‘70s. It was an evening party and I was struck by the presence of this hidden eden in the midst of the city (maybe it was San Juan but my memory is a bit awry now). In any case, it was somewhere near the New Manila district where the pre- and post-war rich built their manses.

I cannot comment on the fashion but they apparently show our designers’ attempts at incorporating local culture, motifs and material to modern wear. The Muslim-inspired red gown is particularly striking and elegant. But red always contrasts well with green backgrounds and the gardens look like they were designed by a professional landscape architect (like IP Santos or Dolly Perez, two pioneers who were just starting to practice their craft after stints in the US).

Today, we still export fighters like Manny Pacquiao. Most of the older generation of fashion designers have passed away or given way to two more generations of designers, a number of who now dress Hollywood stars or design their bags. What’s gone from the images of the magazine is image-maker Dick Baldovino, who deserves acknowledgement as one of the best of his generation and I hope someone does a retrospective of his work.

Modeled by Baby Santiago, this black-and-white beaded gown by Casimiro Abad is stunning in spite of the Mickey Mouse coif.

What may be gone, too, is the Vera-Perez garden. I pass the New Manila and San Juan districts every now and then and wonder where all the old houses and gardens have gone. It is clear that many have been replaced by crowded townhouse developments that have no open space left. Other properties have raised their walls so high to keep out thieves that all we can steal are glimpses of the past when a gate opens momentarily.

This is why I collect ephemera like old magazines. We don’t know what we have lost unless we have peek at past glories…or failures. We need this grounding in our own cultural history, be it for fashion as well as for architecture or landscape, for without this grounding we will have no basis for growth or salvation. As for my basement, I may not have any hope unless I get back to putting it in order instead of writing articles like this.

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Feedback is welcome.Please e-mail the writer at  paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.