Her clothes dress the 21st-century party girl, one who is no neophyte to the bright lights of the party circuit paparazzi yet still much of a gazelle to be able
to flaunt a pair of warrior two pose-perfected legs. Sassa Jimenez, only 21, sent out a full 45-piece collection on Oct. 25 at Philippine Fashion Week to a packed house, filled with increasingly younger girls dressed in full Gossip Girl mode (I could’ve sworn I saw a Lipgloss cast member), probably all supportive and stylish friends of the designer.
And she didn’t disappoint. Starting with a palette of rose and black, there were dresses that were short and structured, loose and louche, ruffled and ruched, but did not seem schizophrenic at all, as the designer’s vision and intent was evident in each piece—nothing high concept, referential, or overthought, just a feel for what looks good and what a girl would like to wear. One particularly cute outfit was this rust-colored mini dress with pink trim and an overlapping skirt with side pockets (pockets are always welcome).
The next dress after that, however, seemed to overcompensate for the previous one’s sleek spareness—in addition to a petticoat and many oversized ribbons, there was a pilgrim collar that just capped off the dress’s bulkiness. A fringed dress in shiny black pinstripe material paired with a yellow fringed cropped jacket suffered the same effect, but Jimenez swiftly brought out more short perky dresses in gorgeous fabrics, some of which had pockets.
On to the gowns, then. There’s a fair amount of draping going on, usually as a one-shoulder or as a sash that falls across the body; the designer is also fond of the gathered-and-folded look that’s a bit Japanese—but these techniques are used as accents and not a defining style. Two of the “wedding” dresses bent a cheeky nod to perhaps her time in LA, with a very urban, oversized hood on a lacy mermaid dress, and a fluffy turtleneck on a dress deliciously whipped upwith a million ruffles. Sassa’s collection brims with sass and confidence, and will no doubt be seen very soon adorning the bodies of stylish young Manille.