It's coming up rosas

Plato said in the Symposuim, "Remember how in that communion only, beholding beauty with the eye of the mind, he will be enabled to bring forth, not images of beauty, but realities (for he has hold not of an image but of a reality), and bringing forth and nourishing true virtue to become the friend of God and be immortal, if mortal man may." The history of beauty may be incongruous to its ethereal provenance. During the Golden Era of Elizabeth wherein it was coined a time of renaissance thinking and cultural progress, it was believed that a woman of substance and standing possesses only an alabaster complexion which had little or no contact with the sun. Only peasants had tans and only hos rouged. The use of a substance called ceruse gave the ladies of the court the ivory pallor that afforded them the company of the most eligible cads in town. Venetian ceruse most especially reined in aristocracy’s most fight boudoirs. However to this glamour came a dark side, this prized powder that gave the ladies of the court their heavenly complexion was also poison cocktail that led to a sudden influx of widows and fallen beauties whose faces were eaten up by the chemical.

So you may ask why did they do it? Easy because beauty, ever since the beginning of time, has been the source power of women. Some have their guts sucked right after childbirth, some defy the sags of time with excruciating nips and tucks while some whittle away by simply sniffing food instead of eating it, and yet not have the patience to wait in line. However, beauty for quixotic savants such as Patrick Rosas it is something that floats from the surface of the dermis. It is a glow that cannot be found in any cream nor a luster that can be achieved with simply a stroke of gloss. In his first book Images done in collaboration with his team and the legendary Jun de Leon, Patrick was able to raise the bar of the Philippine beauty industry to new heights with his fantastic opera of dramatic looks on equally theatrical characters. For his follow-up book Muses done with master lensman Raymund Isaac, he focuses now less on fantasy and more on the sensual nature of the women that inspire him. "I came up with the idea of defining the Filipina skin tone through colors. From beige, yellow, pink and blue, I thought of ways to emphasize their great skin," Patrick shares on his book’s concept. Patrick has lined up some of the country’s most intriguing women and as the array of looks suggests there are no holds barred. Whereas the idea of beauty may have moved from the snow queens of the Elizabethan period to the tanned bitches of the Gucci era, Patrick has presented in his book the different blossoms of pulchritude in the Filipino context. The result – an ode to beauty in its classical sense and almost contumacious to the ephemeral trends of time.

Raymund Isaac, internationally acclaimed photographer and industry institution photographed the women of Muses. The creative team includes the deft hands of Eric Maningat, the visionary Marlon Suarez and the talented Christian David. The book which will be launched at the NBC Fort Tent on Thursday, March 11 will be sponsored by Nivea and ringmastered by Robby Carmona. Carmina Sanchez is the book publisher, while Suki Salvador and GA Fallarme are responsible for graphic design. Lastly, Joan Bitagcol contributes as stylist and assistant coach to the project. The book itself will be available in bookstores nationwide.