Joel Escober and Twinkle Ferraren: The boxer and the beach
MANILA, Philippines - You can only wonder why dress-up designer Joel Escober and swimsuit creator Twinkle Ferraren were put in the same show at the Philippine Fashion Week spring/summer 2010 showing. Apart from a showing of skimpy designs — the first part of Escober’s collection showed off bare-chested men in skimpy, fitted shorts and women clad in leotard-like pieces — there couldn’t have been too many reasons to send these two designers’ collections down the same runway.
Maybe it's yet another one of those things that can’t be explained about Philippine Fashion Week. The list might also ask why there didn’t seem to be an organized seat plan or even a system of registration for the designer shows. Also: why were certain models cast in the first place? The oversight became even more embarrassingly obvious in Twinkle Ferraren’s swimsuit showdown. For any production to take on the lofty “Fashion Week” title, would it be too supercilious to expect a lot? And if we were to really support local designers, particularly the up-and-coming ones, shouldn’t providing more appropriate models be a priority?
Thankfully for Escober, his models and creations were pretty much up to par. Fit mannequins showed off skimpy, metallic suits and playsuits that would have raised more questions had they not been loaded down and dressed up with Escober’s intricate gold accessories, easily the standouts in his show. Chunky and mostly made up of clustered beads and metalwork, his belts and necklaces fit into today’s fascination with bib jewelry and extravagant accessories. The belts, in particular, were inspired by the champion belts awarded to fighters; Escober was inspired by the boxing scene, circa the ‘20s to the ‘40s (think Cinderella Man), when it was still both gritty and glamorous, which also explains the sexy leotards (round-card girls), plus the boxing gloves and scanty wear worn by the male models. His dramatic use of lilac, warm grays and silvers are also nostalgic echoes of this era, which are also continued into his dressier pieces.
Though the silhouette of many of his long gowns seem like a rehash of last season, Escober once again makes good use of his accessories and gold details to reinvent. A black brocade peacoat gives a nod to today’s obsession with the ‘80s with golden clusters on the broad shoulders and along the waist. Another long, sheer gold gown also drips with gilded details down the bodice.
Escober’s overall mood was romantic and sentimental, which made the jump to Twinkle Ferraren’s bright, beachy pieces a lot more jarring. There can be no mistaking Ferraren’s intent with her showing: summer is all about the beach. Brights. Skin. Strings. Here we have the quintessential neon-doused two-piece, the now ubiquitous maillot with cutouts, and the requisite sheer chiffon cover-up. They were not quite dull, but there was nothing novel in the collection, either. Except for a one-piece suit that looked a bit too loose in the chest area. Add that to the mysteries of this particular Fashion Week.
