i couldn’t go to the Metro100 fashion gala but my friend cary santiago took care of my clothes thus I didn’t worry at all. edwin ao who worked with me as associate fashion editor for zee was there too and took the photo above.
i couldn’t imagine what level of chaos the backstage was in, what with more than fifty designers there. Good news however was that “we were well applauded,” according to cary.
silk dupione coat, dove dress,wood&satin flood clogs.
i posted the “haori” pattern a couple of posts ago, and this here is the final outfit which was posted at thefashpack.blogspot.com Instead of my original plan to show the coat with an ultra fitted, micro tank dress, I instead did a shirtdress with dove sleeves and deep-V back.
blogger's sketh of cary's gown
The most beautiful gown worn by a candidate at Ms. Cebu this year was the serpentine number designed by Cary Santiago. The silhouette was especially flattering on Rizini Gomez.
The bodice was intricately textured with hand-sewn fine pleats that undulated seamlessly around the body. What’s considered a feat in construction skills is the daring décolletage, a Santiago signature that has been widely and, sadly, unskillfully copied by both established and young designers in Manila and Cebu. Cary did not hold back either on couture skills with the floating off-shoulder ruffles sleeves and a flouncy skirt that flared out in perfect cones.
“I boned the sleeves and used crin to shape the skirt,” he revealed. Crin a synthetic fibre used in couture houses gives body to garments and embellishments such as bows and collars without adding too much weight. Because of its stiff quality, perfection of pattern and subtlety of technique is required to achieve a refined shape.
cary santiago
Among the couture savvy, it is common knowledge that other than the fabric, neckline and the hemline are the two most obvious indicators of a gown’s quality. These two areas easily reveal the workmanship and care that goes into its creation and should therefore be no less than perfect.
A neckline that’s an inch too high or too low, a centimeter too tight or too loose will say more about the wearer than a fabulously large collar of white diamonds. A hemline that ‘s too long or too short, unintentionally crooked or haphazardly defined and finished will say more than her million dollars Stuart Weizman shoes.
With above-mentioned gown, Cary exhibited an eye and hand for perfection in both areas but what’s most amusing is his use of hard tulle instead of his usual Marco Lagatola “couture” tulle. Couture skills can indeed elevate any fabric. In this case, Cary’s couture elevated hard tulle, all 250 meters of it.
Everyone showed what's elegant and beautifully Filipino, most cohesive and memorable however, were the Spanish influenced clothes presented by Philip Rodriguez. There was a white toreador jacket in moiré embellished with black guipure lace appliqué that was so chic; a black gown with tasseled sleeves and red rose embroidery that reeked of romance and a silk organdy shirt with puffed and book-leaf sleeves worn with unmatched style by the elegant Fiona King.
toreador look
“I was thinking of Chinese/Spanish Mestizas of the past and how they would dress up today. The look is Hispanic, elaborated with fine details, which is a rich mixture east and west. And as you can see, they’re totally wearable for big parties and in tune with the global trends today,” Rodriguez reveals.
rose embroidered dress
your blogger worked with the chefs of waterfront cebu city hotel to come up with a course that will emulate the elegantly austere style of Balenciaga. Other participating designers are jun escario doing an yves saint laurent soup, arcy gayatin doing an interpretation of coco chanel purse as pie, philip Rodriguez doing a valentino sorbet, albert arriba doing the christian dior main course and cary santiago doing a christian lacroix inspired dessert.
