Students of style

Gone are the days when all people here in Manila dressed conservatively and safely. Of course we still keep an element of propriety in what we wear but more and more people are willing to take bigger risks when it comes to dressing up. People are less and less afraid to try new things and set themselves apart from the rest. It doesn’t matter whether we only have two seasons here in the Philippines, you’ll still see shoppers sifting through and wearing hats, coats, or boots. Maybe it’s because in recent years, many foreign brands have become available locally. A girl no longer has to wait for her trips abroad for a satisfying shopping spree. Even our local stores have become trendier and more fashion-forward as well. The looks that we’ve long believed would only be confined to the pages of foreign magazines are actually coming to life right here.

Whatever the reason behind this development may be, there’s no denying that the Filipinos have come a long way. Suddenly, it seems that the gap between Manila and fashion capitals like Milan just got narrower.

It’s not just the stores, brands, and clothes here in Manila that have allowed us to bridge that gap but other institutions and organizations as well. Many schools like Nuova Academia de Belle Arti Milano (NABA) School of Fashion, for example, have come a long way to present themselves to Filipinas who might want to hone their talent and interest in fashion and arts. La Societa Dante Alighieri in Manila has been trying to bring Italy closer to the hearts of Filipinos through many social and cultural events and malls like the Podium are constantly sponsoring such events so that we don’t have to take a plane or spend a ton of cash to have our own little version of a Roman Holiday.

Giving us a taste of Italy could not be better expressed than the recent fashion show featuring a few of the famous Italian designers and students from NABA School of Fashion at the Podium. This joint project of the Italian Embassy, La Societa Dante Alighieri Manila, NABA, the Podium and SM, sponsored by Joey 92.3, Richmonde Hotel, L’Oreal, Lancôme, Hairshaft Salon and Kodak, was called "La Sposa Laica" (the secular bride), inspired by the modern bride.

The first part of the collection focused on bridal gowns created by Elio Fioruccci of the famed Fiorocci brand, Rossana Diana, Neil Barret who currently designs for Puma, Frankie Morella, Thomas E. Choppin, Anna Gemma Lescarie, Koen Deweerdt who creates clothes for one of our favorite icons, Barbie, as well as the popular brands – Krizia and Costume Nacional.

The second half of the show featured very avant-garde and cutting-edge clothes designed by third and fourth-year students of NABA who played around with the theme "Emigration, Integration, a world where cultures meet and intersect to create new forms of culture." While we may not be seeing these clothes in Manila anytime soon, this event shows that we have more things in common with the Italians than just love for family, food, and that playful outlook on life. We, like them, have a love affair with fashion as well.