…were to host dinner for other parents from my kids’ PTA, I wouldn’t brag about the cost of my Birkin. Especially if one of the parents know that I haven’t settled a million-peso debt with one of Cebu City’s high profile designers. Would some really just go broke for a Birkin?
if the shoe fits...
What did Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s wear at the opening scene of said movie? This garment was designed by Hubert de Givenchy and accessorized with pearls. It is the Little Black Dress of course.
agnes heuttel, arcy gayatin
Wallis Warfield Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, was also known to own several and said much in praise of the dress declaring, “When a little black dress is right, there is nothing else to wear in its place.” Even the French folk icon, Edith Piaf, consistently performed in a black sheath dress throughout her career and was nicknamed “little black sparrow” for doing so. It was acknowledged that the dress made the audiences focus more on Piaf's singing and less on her appearance.
tess lampert, lani osmena
The Little Black Dress, an evening or cocktail dress, cut simply and often with a short skirt, was originally made popular in the 1920s by the fashion designer Coco Chanel when she published a picture of a short, simple black dress in Vogue. It was calf-length, straight, and decorated only by a few diagonal lines. Vogue called it “Chanel’s Ford.” It was intended by Chanel to be long lasting, versatile, affordable, and accessible to the widest market possible and in a neutral color. Its continued ubiquity is such that many refer to it by the abbreviation LBD.
june alegrado, luisa robinson
The Little Black Dress is considered essential to a complete wardrobe by many women and fashion observers: "rule of fashion" now is that every woman should own a simple, elegant black dress that can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. A staple of the wardrobe for years, the style of the little black dress, ideally, is as simple as possible: a short black dress that is too clearly part of a trend would not qualify because it would soon appear dated.
this jotter, marco protacio
Appearing fashionably dated, one summer more, was your style jotter. Thus, when Marco Protacio, Waterfront Hotel’s style savvy General Manager, hosted impromptu dinner to celebrate friendship, I did not hesitate to call on my favorite girl friends for a night of gustatory fun and stylish, light chatter.
I just did a shoot at my friends resort, Club Serena in Moalboal and rejuvenated was I. although I was also working, Dexter Alazas, the stylist did his job quite well, thus, I didn’t have to lift a finger. I’ve worked with some stylists before but admittedly, in Cebu, Dexter’s level of professionalism is matchless thus far.
The items had been picked more than a week before the shoot and pulled out from the stores. An hour before the shoot, they were already steamed and laid out with the accessories, and the vignettes too had been sorted out.
Seven layouts for eight pages, all done in a day; there really is nothing like working with industry professionals. Day after the shoot, I had time to laze at oxygenated pool and even go scuba diving just before we headed back for Cebu. I didn’t realize how the deepest blue triggered primal fear in my spine until I saw the colorful, seabed of corals drop into an abyss. Then again, that’s another story.
ERTÉ (1892-990) is one of fashion’s most iconic figures. He was not only an excellent illustrator but also a noted costume and set designer. He was born in St. Petersburg. Russia but later naturalized as a French citizen. He was 76 years old when the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York mounted an exhibit of his works causing him to be rediscovered by art dealers and collectors and improving the market for his work today.
In Russia, as a young boy, he studied at the atelier of Ilia Repin. In 1912, he decided to improve his talent at the Académie Julian in Paris and at the École de Beaux-Art. Legendary couturier Paul Poiret discovered him and gave him a start, allowing him to earn a living by designing models for his collections, a trade that fascinated him. From Paris, he sent drawings to Damsky Min, the most important fashion magazine in czarist Russia while in Paris, Poiret opened doors of the Gazette du Bon Ton to him.
Sergey Pavlovich Diaghilev, Russian ballet impresario who with Ballet Russes revived Ballet as a serious art form, asked him to design costumes and sets. Erté’s style, though influenced by the paintings of the Pre-Raphaelites, and by Art Deco patterns, had an original touch, which was borne out of the exotic pictures he saw in the library of his father, a world-travelled admiral. These included 16th century Persian and Indian miniatures, from which he acquired certain precious decorative motifs, as well as a love for details and for gold and silver.
Between 1916 and 1938 he designed innumerable covers for Harpers’ Bazaar. During the 1920’s and 1930’s he would work in both Paris and New York on the sets of the Folies Bergères where he designed several costumes for Joséphine Baker and the Zeigfeld Follies. Hollywood also wanted him, and he created sets and costumes for The Mystic and La Bohème.
If one were to name a fashion illustrator that he most admires, that would be Romain de Tirtoff, famously and popularly known as ERTÉ.
Whenever your style jotter would go through final security check at domestic airports, one would cringe at the thought of inconvenience. Much as I’d love to, I can never get myself to wear flip flops on a plane unless it’s Caticlan bound and since these days, most of my flights are to and from Manila for design work, the only way to go is comfortably and presentably.
The easiest to wear and most comfortable travel shoes I’ve come across thus far are Columbia Sportwear Company’s convertible moccasins from the ZUGO series. The pair I picked is of soft suede in a light tusk color with chili stitching. With its lightness, supple texture, and distinct unusual shape, this pair looked fun, practical, and versatile.
Initially, I wasn’t so sure about the homey form, they’re not exactly the tapered shape that I prefer since my feet are narrow, but once I had them on, I instantly recognized its design ergonomics. Its wideness freely accommodates and makes it so much easier to slip them on and off. The collapsible heel also transforms them into slip-ons and I see its usability when you need to go that far on longer flights.
The Techlite midsole compound is engineered specifically to provide superior comfort and cushioning for outdoor footwear. This durable, impact absorbing material delivers consistent support in a lightweight package that keeps feet protected and snug whether one is spending leisurely time at the beach, on a rigorous weekend on the trail or simply listening to music within the fuselage of an aircraft.
The shoes foot bed has Contour Comfort sock liner, which interacts with the natural contours of the foot bringing up the level of support and ease. The AgION antimicrobial technology, based on silver ions, protects against a broad spectrum of bacteria to keep the foot bed clean and odor free.
Ever since I started travelling in my ZUGO’s, I’ve been breezing through final security checks. For travelling, this pair is probably the best.
