How Ben Chan made Manila’s most stylish women wear the terno

MANILA, Philippines - It was an anachronistic sight, where the past merged with the present . Manila's hip, stylish set came in the terno, the attire that was  in vogue during their elders' time. Some resurrected ternos from their grandmother’s baul. Many asked top designers as well as students and alumni of Slim’s to reinvent it in black, or embellish it with artworks or textures. And another weird sight: women wearing the revered national dress while holding today's ultra modern cellphones to take selfies. How did Ben Chan make  Manila’s best-dressed come in their ternos? Launch a book and they will come.

A very “now” scene was this: While the organizers and authors were delivering their speeches, the audience was not all ears, obviously distracted by chatter and cell phone to-do’s. So we are reprinting these three speeches, for those who missed some nice words. —MMM          

It all began with old postcards

By GINO GONZALES

Twenty years ago, a simple act of generosity jumpstarted my interest in collecting postcard photographs of women wearing the mestiza dress. My mentor, the late National Artist Salvador Bernal, gave me a brown envelope containing old postcard photos that had been deteriorating in his office at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. I gladly took them and kept them as personal sources of research for my theater productions.

Thereafter, more vintage photos from the bauls of my senior friends like Gilda Cordero-Fernando found their way into this modest collection.  Gilda always had a generous spirit, which compelled her to share these treasures that had been stored in her bodega. Other friends followed this act of generosity by sending me postcard photos of strangers as well as ratty ternos from their homes.

Hundreds of photos later, I realized how valuable the pile had become as resource material for design and history. A desire to publish a tiny photo album to share these resources compelled me to approach a number of people including Mark Higgins, who thought that it would be a great research and inspirational tool for design students. He, too, was compelled by generosity (or foolishness) to give so much of his time to make this project happen. Sandy Higgins took pity on us as we desperately tried to organize ourselves and decided to crack the whip on us. An initial grant from the SLIMS Legacy Project allowed us to assemble a mock-up of the book with the help of graphic designer Efren Prieto and illustrator Rafael del Casal, who both donated their time to help us sell the idea.

This mock-up was then presented to Ben Chan, who immediately understood how much the project could contribute to education. An enormous act of generosity from Bench expanded the little book project to a 300-page resource material that has gone beyond the intended “little picture album.”

We were later joined by scholars Sandra Castro and Petty Benitez-Johannot, fashionistas Joan Bitagcol and Michael Salientes, and Lizza Nakpil to complete the book team.

Toto Gonzalez, Mike Santos and Ramon Villegas, opened up their aparadors to reveal materials that would help us tell this story of the national dress.

Tonight, we salute Bench for another act of generosity for granting our design students a subsidy to make the soft cover versions of the book very affordable.  We also thank everyone, who bought our books this evening.  Your purchase will help lower the cost of the soft covers for the young design students.  An entire generation of Filipinos will benefit immensely from your kindness and help keep the national dress alive in their consciousness

Love terno, love local

By BEN CHAN

Twelve years ago, Bench successfully presented the Terno Ball at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila to celebrate the beautiful design of this Philippine national dress.  It was also a tribute to my dearest friend, Joe Salazar, one of the greatest Filipino couturiers, who died a few months after.  I am remembering him again tonight because he was a master of the terno gown. I believe that Filipino talent can achieve the highest levels of mastery if we properly support it.

We are launching this book Fashionable Filipinas to show how the ternos evolved from its origins into what it is today.  It illustrates the structure, details, and pattern of the terno.  Just as the Japanese have the kimono, and the Chinese have the cheongsam, and the Indians have the sari.  So must we Filipinos hold the same reverence for the terno and its silhouette.  Doing so will give us a deeper sense of pride and appreciation for our own.

A special thanks to Gino Gonzales and Mark Higgins, who spent many sleepless nights in making this book project possible and to all the other contributors including those who opened their archives to help with this project.  I think that every Filipino, regardless of age, status, or generation, has something to learn from this book.  It is not just for Filipinos past and present, but for the Filipinos of the future.

“Love Local” has been the thrust of Bench’s campaigns not just this year, but for the past 20 years.  Let us renew our commitment to loving all things local — the best of our culture, our national identity, and our history.  May tonight be a night of inspiration.  Mabuhay ang Pilipinas.

Please read the book

By MARK LEWIS HIGGINS

Thank you to the women who took the time and trouble to look for, or to order ternos to celebrate this event. Some ladies are also wearing ternos made by some of our students as well as alumni designers from Slim’s Fashion & Arts School’s 55 years in education. There are a few vintage ternos here that were created by my mother, the school’s founder. This evening is also in honor of the late Joe Salazar, a dear friend of Mr. Chan and an alumnus of our school as well. A special thank you to Ben Chan for his faith and trust in Gino and me and in the importance of this book.

For those of you who do end up with a copy of this book and take the time to actually READ it, you will find that it is not just a book about a dress — it is about the birth of a nation, reflected in a dress.

I am quoting something very eloquent from Mr. Chan himself — “The book is a mirror of who we are, where we came from, how far we have come, and where we might be going.”