NOT much has been written about other color options for weddings until a few designers took a brave step in pulling-off their individual sense into a rather traditional gown. Ivory for love, you bet.
Consider it because designers Mark So and Jonas Navarro are exchanging the matte white for a more electric detail on the wedding dress. The difference lies on the execution. Navarro was pretty much in the mood for romantic halter neckline while Mark So, who also works for Harley Ruedas atelier, put drama on the metallic ruffles on the shoulders and on the hemline.
Raising the notch—or most appropriately called, the hem—a little higher, Manuel Tumaque had another surprise: mini dress on the most romantic day of your life. Surprisingly, Tumaque worked around light-weight fabrics that showcased his skills in draping, a move that he hasn’t seriously featured in his previous collection.
Another jaw-dropping number was Edwin Bayaton’s. He designed regal layers of ruffles that just fit the bodice, perfecting the serpentine silhouette—quite a seductress on the runway.
The lace was a recurring motif, appearing on the neckline and at the elbows of an asymmetrically draped champagne top, at the hem of narrow skirts, and at the back of float-y, vaguely 1920s-ish dresses.
The second goal informed the first: Even the “beachiest” of looks—rolled-hem shorts, say, or a floor-skimming cotton jersey tank dress—had a graphic, sexy, rock chick sensibility that meant they wouldn’t be out of place on the city streets.
Who’s bringing sexy back? Norman Aspiras felt it was time to bring the seductress back. Delivering a slight tease on the legs, he made a long dress using opaque fabrics—just enough to delight the eyes with well-toned leg shape.
Applied to the layered chiffon skirts of a bandage-bodice gown, that same pattern started to resemble the provocative work of H.R. Giger.
The bridal show was held at the activity center of the old Robinson’s along F. Ramos St. All models were from Lines Modeling agency, channeling exactly what the designers wanted: own the heritage and the attitude thing down cold—not bad at all for the second outing at the helm.