Nina Garcia on style: ‘Short, shiny and tight — I don’t think so’

Nina Garcia is the Project Runway judge who makes aspiring fashion designers quake with her no-nonsense appraisals of their creations, but in person she is far from intimidating. Well, maybe just the tiniest bit. In the flesh Garcia is warm, if not outright welcoming.  (We hear that the panel of judges on the show, which includes host Heidi Klum and fashion designer Michael Kors, are encouraged to be even nastier, but Garcia won’t do it just for the sake of good television. She has to be true to herself and “authentic,” which also happens to be one of her favorite words.)

Jeans company Jag brought the Marie Claire creative director to the Philippines for Jag Origins — not just a fashion show but also a series of talks — where, as a major style influencer, Garcia will discuss fashion, marketing and creative thinking with students, fledgling designers and fashion entrepreneurs.

Breezing into the executive lounge of Solaire Resort & Casino Garcia looks fabulous, of course — flawless in an animal print pantsuit with a simple gold cuff on one wrist and black platform stilettos. Having arrived just yesterday from a friend’s wedding in Tuscany, she says she already feels comfortable in the warmth of Manila.

“And I’m not just talking about the weather,” Garcia says. “Filipinos are so warm. Because I’m from Barranquilla, Colombia, I feel very at home here.”

The author of four books on style — including The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own — Garcia gives us the shortlist of what we need to make our own fashion statements: “Women should have the LBD (little black dress), the white button-down shirt, great pumps, jeans, fabulous glasses, and a blazer.”

Her top piece of fashion advice is “Be yourself. Comfort breeds confidence. Follow trends but make them your own.”

She says we’re moving more into that mindset, and learning how to mix high and low. “A quick tip for being on trend is look for accessories — it’s a very quick way to update your look and a sure way to be more on trend without having to spend on an entire wardrobe.”

Aware of global Filipino designers like Monique Lhuillier, Rafe Totengco and Celestina, she lauds them for their creativity, craft and hard work.

How do our designers based in the Philippines hope to make their own names? “You’ve got to have identity, be proud of your heritage, have a singular vision,” she says. “Don’t copy. That’s when it becomes a success. Philippine Fashion Week has to be very genuine.”

Garcia is a 20-year veteran of the industry, having had a fashion education at Esmod in Paris and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, followed by stints at Perry Ellis (with then-designer Marc Jacobs) and as fashion director for Elle magazine.

One of her most memorable moments as a fashion fan was the 2012 Yves Saint Laurent retrospective at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, where 15 years of archival pieces were exhibited. “It was such a phenomenal show and I felt privileged to see his work,” Garcia says. “They saved his iconic pieces and it was like a moving museum.”

Here Nina Garcia elaborates more on style, what not to wear and the phenomenal talent of Filipino designers.

THE PHILIPPINE STAR: Jag was a jeans brand that was most identified with the 1970s and ’80s.  How is it reinventing itself for the 21st century?

NINA GARCIA: Denim is such a democratic piece of clothing. It is something that we all have in our wardrobes. It is something that both women and men are so passionate about. Once you find a pair of jeans that you like, you are loyal and will go to the ends of the earth to find it.

What I particularly like about this brand is that it is all about innovation. And what particularly struck me with the invitation here to the Philippines with Jag Origins is their support and nurturing of the young talent, especially in this country. That’s a way of not only giving back but also connecting with the creative minds here in the Philippines and it will help and grow their brand. And it’s mutually beneficial. You are not only helping the industry but you are learning from their talent. So everybody wins. And that’s what impressed me the most about Jag Denim and Jag Jeans and this initiative for Jag Origins. For many years I have worked in the fashion industry, and what I enjoy and excites me the most is really finding and nurturing talent because it’s very rewarding.

What are some of the key pieces of fashion advice you will give in your talk to fashion designers, students and entrepreneurs?

I really want to answer questions. I remember when I was a student many years ago and I grew up with this passion for fashion. I grew up in a country like Colombia that had very limited resources in terms of information in fashion. I’m not going to say how many years it was — that was just a few years back (laughs) — but there was very limited information. I thought that fashion was just being a fashion designer. So for many years growing up, I thought, “I’m going to be a fashion designer.” But there is so much more than that. It’s a humongous business that has so many different perspectives. And I just want to answer questions, clarify any misconceptions also that might be out there of what this business is about, because it is a business. It sounds very glamorous, it sounds very exotic, but at the same time it is a business. And it’s a very powerful business.

What are hottest fashion trends right now, and what will be really big next season?

Right now for spring/summer the biggest trend that we’ve seen is this black and white. Graphic black and white — that’s really the biggest one that we’ve seen. But from those you have the ruffles — Givenchy in the higher end had all those ruffles — the very feminine flowers, but the biggest trend that I see out in the market that everybody from high to low has is the black and white.

Can you define “modern” versus “trendy” from the Marie Claire point of view?

I think “modern” is a word that gets used a lot (laughs). It gets thrown around a lot in the business of fashion. It’s meant to be new. What’s interesting about fashion is that it’s all about the new, it’s embracing the new, it’s all about what’s next. It’s a way of saying “new,” but there’s very few designers that you can say, “Well, that’s modern.” Sometimes I feel that it’s an interpretation of something that has already happened. There are designers that think outside of the box and surprise us.

In your opinion, what make a woman truly stylish? What catches your eye first?

Women that are unique, that have their personal sense of style; women that are not so much followers of fashion but are the leaders in fashion. And if you look throughout history, the women that have been known to be those style icons are women that didn’t really follow the trends or adhere to what was happening, but kind of created them by being very unique. I always celebrate unique. I like to celebrate it on a personal level with your style, and I like to celebrate it also with designers. If you’re watching me on Project Runway I’m always saying, “Please! It’s got to be your point of view, it’s got to be unique,” but it’s true. It’s got to come from something that is not imitating anybody else. It’s got to be authentic, it’s got to be you, and that’s when it’s phenomenal. When you’re not following anybody’s footsteps, when you’re not really referencing anybody else but it’s from you. Then it’s a home run.

Who are your own personal fashion icons?

Of course Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn, Maria Félix … my god, there are so many. Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keeffe. There’s a range, but all those women, what they have in common is that they’ve been … they weren’t beauties. Some of them weren’t even so beautiful, they were just so different in the way they put themselves together and their aesthetic was very personal. And that’s what I admire the most.

In terms of designers obviously Saint Laurent, Coco Chanel, and designers that revolutionize the way we’ve seen fashion.

What about fashion no-no’s? What would you never be caught dead in?

Short, shiny and tight, I don’t think so. Not happening! Too short, too shiny and too tight is not for me. I hate sometimes that we tend to overdo it on the sexy. A no-no for me is either it’s short or low-cut. But it can’t be low-cut and short. There’s got to be a balance.

What is the place of plus-size fashion now considering the size of the average American woman?

There is a growing market for the plus size. Absolutely. We have a column actually in our magazine called “Big Girl in a Skinny World.” And it’s been very interesting. Women really relate. There is a growing problem, especially in the US, with a healthy size or healthy weight. It’s either too skinny or it’s too large. There needs to be “healthy.” But that column, we also have it online and there’s been a very big reception for that, because women have trouble getting dressed or dressing up.

My mother, who I mention in my book, was not a skinny woman. She wasn’t very large but she was kind of very curvaceous. But she embraced it and I think I learned a lot from her. She didn’t let that hinder her. She loved fashion; she worked it to her advantage. She tailored everything. She got creative and she knew how to really enhance those parts of her body that were the best. She knew how to work her proportions.

What are your current favorite pieces in your closet?

One of my favorite pieces — and I think it should be in anybody’s closet — is the little black dress. That’s the universal staple that everybody has. It could go from very conservative to very mysterious and alluring. It’s transformative. What else am I crazy about? Shoes. I love my heels.

What is your main fashion vice or weakness?

Shoes. Because it doesn’t matter whether you feel fat or skinny. You could be pregnant, you could be fat, you could be having a bad day … you’ll still like your shoes.

Can you give us some tips on finding the perfect pair of jeans?

Denim is one of my favorite pieces of clothing to talk about because you can get so passionate about denim. You have to go into the fitting room and you have to try what works for you. What works for me may not work for you, but it’s really going into the fitting room and trying and once you try something and you love it, you stay loyal to that. And that’s the way I feel about my jeans.

As you know, there’s no lack of talent in the Philippines in terms of fashion. How can our local designers push Filipino design and make their talents better known to the world?

We go back to the authenticity. I think Filipino designers already have an international platform. You have very good representatives of this country outside internationally that are doing phenomenally. I think you keep it authentic. I think that’s my key. And the ones that have succeeded outside of the Philippines have done so in a very big way. I mean, Josie Natori, Monique Lhuillier — those are big names in the fashion industry.  And they’re smart, very industrious and very focused women. So I have great admiration for the women of the Philippines. I think they’re very talented and they’re very hard workers.