Film fatale

Fashion and film constantly feed on each other’s creative surges, one inspiring the other and then eventually affecting a movement and a following. YStyle and production group HG paid homage to this artistic hook-up at the former’s third anniversary celebration.

The film-themed celebration featured a fashion show, called "F Stop" produced by HG. The show was bannered by three fashion designers – Yvonne Quisumbing-Romulo, Ivar Aseron, and Patty Eustaquio – who each teamed up with three young film directors: Lyle Sacris, Quark Henares and Poklong Ananding respectively.

Bench jumpstarted the fashion spectacle. HG stylist Mads Adrias took Bench’s casual lines a notch up the ladder of chic. Cotton shirts, burnt through with cigarette holes, topped pantaloons or bright leggings. The basic striped tee was put under the razor, shredded at the back or threaded through a beaded necklace. The ubiquitous Bench Overhauled denim jean slunk down the stage paired with scarf-topped distressed tops.

Presenter Motorola then sent off three outfits liberally dotted with their signature batwing insignia. Each designer specially prepared an outfit to represent the brand’s hip standing: a sheer orange minidress by Yvonne Quisumbing, a black and white ruffled two-piece set by Ivar Aseron, and a floral-skirted dress by Patty Eustaquio.

The entrance of musician and arranger Malek Lopez, and the 15-member musical ensemble he specially chose signaled the start of the show proper. The ensemble’s dreamy rock euphony was the soundtrack as Ivar Aseron sleek silhouettes took over the catwalk. Working with a stark black and bold red palette, Ivar "took the viewer a bit into the future" with geometric patterns, sleek tights, square shoulders, and layered panels: his own edgy interpretations of the dark classic Blade Runner. Quark Henares’ colorful video featured an Oriental ingénue playing in the background.

"I wanted to create black and white interpretations of trees and blooming shrugs," says Patty Eustaquio, describing her ensembles. Geometric cuts contrasted with flowing fabric as Patty sprinkled her monochromatic set with palettes, haphazardly-cut layers, and side ruffles. The ode to foliage was Patty’s homage to director Michelangelo Antonioni’s obsession with the landscape specifically highlighted in the stylish 1966 thriller Blow-Up. Poklong Ananding, who teamed up with Patty, also preyed on Antonioni’s panoramic proclivity with a calming video of greenery.

"Maximalism" took on form in Yvonne Quisumbing-Romulo’s sartorial ode to the movie Brazil. "I wanted the clothes a bit frenzied and severe, yet having this elegance. I was really into making natural fabric ‘unnatural’ and sculpted." Satin and woven silk were sculpted into sleek fishtails, tiered layers, and voluminous bubble skirts. The highlight of Yvonne’s showing however was her use of striated mirrors to represented her and director Lyle Sacris’ interpretation of Terry Gilliam’s retro-futuristic flick. The offsetting reflection afforded by these mirrors continued into Lyle Sacris’ video, which was a moving macroscopic and experimental look at architecture and the human figure.

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