Bebes Garso photos by Jed Aries Yu
Finally a good response to some concerns of inertness.
Almost like the force of magnetism, a trio of academicians pulls us strongly that we’ve swooned at their sight before us—presumably, a capacity
reserved only to our dear lovers.
From a pool of in-house fashion design professors during the commencement exercises of the Fashion Institute of Design and Arts at the Northwing of SM City Cebu last Sept. 10, Sunday, we’ve enlisted three favorites—Philipp Tampus, Lord Maturan, Angela Dado—who circled all the squares of the haute couture interpretations of the communal concept “the deep blue sea.”
LORD Maturan. A winner
of Cebu Young Designers’ Competition, he is an alumnus of Central Saint Martins, a college
in London that produced notable fashion designers such as Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo. photos by Jed Aries Yu
Do these three have the color of the season, too? No … but they’ve got the rare pigment of muses, sirens, geniuses, and black sheep. Metallics mingle with textures, which nestle up with the intricacy of the handworks.
We appreciate the science beneath the arts. Visible beauty, in scientific terms, is delivered through a harmony of proportion, not through the attainment of any arbitrary ideal.
It’s a case in point: Newcomer Angela structured the silhouette of the evening dress with almost precise mathematical estimation.
She decided to lend the architectural effect of the peau de soie (ribbed layer of silk fabric) for the inner part.
Even with its stiff edge, the crumbled organza flowed from the Venus neckline that also shaped the bodice and bust, culminating the route with
a long, floor-sweeping trail sheered at the back.
The merit stood in the continuity of the draping—often a mistake committed by some ready-to-wear lines and few
other designers.
Hear ye, hear ye, Angela:
EDWARD Castro photos by Jed Aries Yu
Delight us again with another draping studies in your future shows.
MEL Maria photos by Jed Aries Yu
“I associated the depths of the sea with the depth of one’s character. Going deeper underneath (represented by the color blue) means more calmness and stillness within; thus, resonating enlightenment outwards (represented by the color white). I
am taking it slow,” she said, four years after she graduated from the same school and offered a teaching load.
Meanwhile, Lord took us back some 10 years ago, rekindling us with the memory of why we loved him after winning the Cebu Young Designers’
Competition: his mastery in glam rock frocks.
He assigned the stones—stitched on white neoprene—on the mid-bust that crawled up to a plateau on the shoulders.
A departure from Lord’s theme, Philipp (a consistent showman in our list this year) served the audience with Victorian and Japanese concoction.
“It’s a fusion. I used origami—on how flat materials can be transformed into an art shape, turned into wearable items. The Victorian embroidery was placed on a soft, structural gown,” he described later on.
“Actually, I want to develop clothing lines, which are convertibles in the future. That would make any wardrobe easier.”
And for all of us who have Philipp Tampus in our wardrobes, let it be known: We want more.
