Beyond the cliches of summer

MANILA, Philippines - It seemed the spring/summer luxewear theme was a free-for-all for the 14 designers who presented at the Sony Cybershot show: because of “summer,” there was resortwear. Because of “luxe,” there was eveningwear. And there were even pieces that you’d be hard-pressed to wear anywhere — Nolie Viñeza layered piña and abaca over his zebra-print swimsuits, and the results looked too cumbersome for a day at the beach. Still, each of the 14 collections was distinctive and, surprisingly, none employed the spring/summer clichés of peppering everything with floral frivolities and exhaustively using bright colors.

Anthony Ramirez’s tulle beach coverups had its necklines and bodices embroidered in Greek-like prints of delicate ferns and curlicues while the beading on Tina Daniac’s gauzy black dresses both covered and highlighted certain body parts in patterns that call to mind the undulating shapes of sea anemones.

Julius Tarog, meanwhile, went in a completely different direction, presenting ladies in suits and menswear-inspired gowns in beige and black, in counterpoint to Delby Bragais’ gaudy, red, black, and white cabaret-meets-the-mob gowns and cocktail dresses.

Softness came in different forms, from Aztec Barba’s mauve chiffon dresses, some of which he paired with satin lilac cape shawls and boleros textured in origami-like folds, to Yvonne Quisumbing’s austere black and silver separates. The collective aesthetic was all over the place, though that had the benefit of presenting the many avenues that next season’s fashions could take.