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Wednesday, January 14, 2004
The Miss Cebu 2004 Wardrobe What to wear tonight?
By Jude A. Bacalso
Today I woke up as the 13th contestant of the Ms. Cebu pageant (cue in dream sequence musical scoring). I slammed the button on the darn alarm clock and slid my beauty queen legs sideways then down to touch the parquet floor. I’m glad my mother had the foresight to swathe us in mosquito nets and veer me away from tubig-tubig (where one is bound to trip and scratch herself) to the direction of books, books, and books. After all, no one remembers if you had large thighs that night, but everyone remembers the Q&A.
Salvador Malto has been watching Far From Heaven, that Julianne Moore starrer, I cluck to myself as I open my closet and walk in to peruse my wardrobe for the evening. Crimson and the ‘50s are his idea of an opener. “It’s not even 50’s-inspired, it’s really authentic 50s,” the designer says as we stroll along the Sugbayanihan stretch.
Quantum-leap into the future, although the two items hang just a few inches from the retro gear, I pick out two nifty items: Andre Chang’s convertible dresses ( which won for him the Cebu Young Designer’s plum) in black. Jolts of color from intricate beadwork (like Picasso warped faces) adorn the back of a coat, that folds inward, and zips neatly into a clutch. No room there for my Shu, but this is about stunning them dear! The other half of the contestants will be drenched in Irvin Lisen’s playful color, a wonderful contrast to Chang’s Noir Mode. I look forward to wearing mine…garters, oh my…lastiko in all its hues…and those tirador accessories! It’ll be fun to change from that into Joy Bernaldez’s jusi dress: it’ll be delicate, indigenous, industrious.
My gown will be a secret, much like Lea’s Monique Lhuillier. I snuck a peak at what the others were working on, just to be sure I was one step ahead. This year, it’s a collaboration between a designer and an “artist”, a term that encompasses a wide range of individuals…from furniture and jewelery designers, to various visual artists (sculptor, painter, installation). Harley Ruedas teams up with furniture designer Luisa de los Santos-Robinson. “First, I met with my candidate (Hester Jean Fortuno) and found out that she was very feminine. I decided to make her a gown that had a lot of sensual curves, very irregularly molded. When I visited Luisa’s display, I was amazed at how similar her furniture’s shapes were like my idea…and I borrowed a lot of neutrals from her palette.”
Color, too, was Dino Lloren’s main collaborative point with artist Tito Cuevas. “When I interviewed him, I found out that most of his paintings are done in red. At a Christmas party at JunJun Escario’s house, I saw one of Tito’s works and examined it closely.” Thus, a red and orange gown for his muse Christine Pieper now stands half-finished at his atelier. “She picked my name by chance, we were so happy about it!” says Dino, who is contestant #12’s bosom buddy. Meanwhile, I already picked out an artist to collaborate with: David Blaine.
My dress will make me float (just as he levitates), will mesmerize (as he sinks into your mind), and when all else fails, will vanish into thin air. It’s all about stunning them. (Cue in sound of real alarm clock, stunning me into wakefulness) Dream sequence over.
(January 14, 2004 issue)
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