FOR the last seven days, he has not slept for over five hours.
With three wedding dresses to accomplish, Izhar Pepito also has to grace the nightly practices of two contingents. One is for Barangay Guadalupe as a costume designer; another is for the Sandiego Dance Company as a devotee.
“When I was tasked to design for a Sinulog festival queen costume, I was excited and thought to make it grand,” begins Pepito, the fast-rising evening gown and pageant designer who debuts his first costume dress on Sunday.
But as he progressed with the composition of the concept, he has trimmed it closer to his heart.
A serpentine silhouette makes the frock modern that matches well with the his own version of the Maria Clara top.
“But when I tried to execute my design, the biggest challenge I faced is first the availability of some materials and the colors. Second is trying to draw between being a gown designer and a festival queen costume designer. I did a lot of editing because I don’t want
my costume to just look like an evening gown,” he shares.
”My inspiration is the whole theme of Sinulog this year, which is evangelization, and our contingent’s theme is the Seven Sacraments.
I put the credit to Spain who introduced Christianity to us. The inspiration of the design is a typical Maria Clara with panuelo, accentuated with Spanish roses,” he describes.
“It’s really an honor to design for a Sinulog festival queen costume because first I’m really a Sto. Niño devotee and to the Sinulog dance.
Designing this time became not so much of my passion but as well as an expression of faith and devotion.”
I can remember a few of his designs that cast a longing look south, conjuring a daydream version of languid days on the pristine Cebuano coasts.
But Pepito’s native practicality was seamed into that vision; dreamyas these clothes were, they had just enough of a utilitarian mien that you could imagine them as the high-summer wardrobe of a stuck-in-the-city working girl.
The vacation vibe here wasevidenced in some of his loose, bell-shaped silhouettes; his habit of leaving off formal fastenings in favor of wraps and insouciant cinches; and his emphasis on lightweight materials such as cotton poplin, broderie anglaise, and chiffon.
His palette, too, was sprightly—a mix of nautical white and indigo with emerald and a range of pinks.
One particularly eye-catching print mixed emerald and bubblegum pink together in a vaguely vintage Pucci-esque graphic pattern, one of several inspired by marine life.
