Will update soon. Kinda hard when you are traveling and you don't have access to your usual arsenals of photoshops and all. I borrowed Loven's camera so I have to resize the pictures first. I'm in Roxas City now visiting the famille so it's more bonding time with them. Tomorrow I'm going back to Iloilo. Will try to post something there. If not, it's hello from Bangkok na.
Kawadjan see ya soon!
OMG!
Philippines Fashion Week for spring/summer 2009 has closed its curtain.
Nakakaloka! Hectic. I have so many tsika, so many pictures to post and so many things to cherish in my memory box.
Some stuff:
1. Ukay with Titser in Cubao which yielded 2 Comme des Garcons Homme, 1 Junya Watanabe, 2 Issey Miyake, 1 Y's Yohji Yamamoto, 1 Y-3, 1 Marni, 1 APOC and 1 Sportsmax. Yun lang naman.
2. Cecile Zamora van Straten and moi at Pepper Lunch. Then at Fat Michael's to meet Jude.Then Theodore's, some sale near Bonifacio and marsmallow hunting for Trick n' Treat.
3. Collection updates, backstage pictures and more.
Basta, I didn't go to Gibo's birthday party!
The opening gala show of Philippine Fashion Week for spring/summer 2009 was participated by all showing designers in collaboration with the Fiber Industry Development Authority and the Department of Agriculture. Each designers were given fabrics that they interpreted in their own style and somewhat a preview of what they will show for their collections. Here's my piece in collaboration with Bo Parcon of Project Runway Philiipines.
Photos by clickthecity.com. See more here.
You will have to wait for the pictures I've taken because I'm nursing a headache after getting visually overloaded tonight. Besides I have to resize them which would take a lot of time. But this much I can say, the 3 finalists did a wonderful job. Each one, Veejay, Phillip and Aries, created collections that reflected their personalities. Philip employed a lot of couture technique and mainly created pieces for the evening. Veejay was chic, in muted colors. He showed pieces that are wearable and urban yet soft and feminine. Aries was all about edgy tailoring and revealed surprising elements. All have strength and weakness but I won't tell you who my fave was. You must watch the finale coz you might just catch me there telling everybody who I gave my thumbs-up. Hihihi!
O sya, sleep na ko. More tsika later about the people, judges and other stuff plus the show of Tina Daniac.
I'm here in Manille na after a slight delay of our PAL flight from Bangkok. Hay, what's new with PAL, anyway?
Needless to say I'm so tired but rushed to SMX to catch half of Frederick Peralta's 25th Anniversary Show. Of course, if it's from Frederick it's dramatic, glamorous and larger than life. Saw Agot Isidro model for him
Here's Frederick being interviewed by GMA 7 after his show.
Earlier I didn't get to see my indigenous fabric entry for the opening. It was sponsored by the Fiber Industry Development Authority and the Department of Agriculture. Bo took care of my piece. He said it looked great. Tita Jaki Penalosa also showed but since all our flights were delayed she didn't get to see it also.
I borrowed Loven's camera but during the rush from Tina Daniac's house to SMX I forgot to bring it. So it's my trusty camera phone then. Sorry I didn't take any pictures from the shows coz I was seating so far behind and it was beso here and beso there with fashion people and it was just too much for me to even care. I was introduced to the 2008 winner of Campus Fashionista, Isaac. He modeled for Frederick also.
Project Runway Philippines' Bo Parcon with respected designer Barge Ramos.
Moi with Mark who I haven't seen for a long time.
All in all everyone was happy with the opening as far as the people I've talked to. The only downside I can comment was that some designers didn't show their collection for some reason. I heard rumors but you know me I won't tell. Hihihi!
Frederick's collection aside (si mother pa winner na yan, as in todo na!) I was duly impressed with the collection of Ralph Ng, although I can see too much Rei Kawakubo and i-D in the styling. But nonetheless his play of texture, tailoring and deconstruction comes from a very inspired place. I predict he will get a lot of attention from the fashion press.
And speaking of press, who did I see from the first row benches? Hmmm... Alex Vergara of the Inquirer, Camille Sison of Mega and Darryl Chang of Manila Bulletin. I don't know who came to cover for Preview and The Philippine Star. I'm sure meron pero di ko napansin.
Jeffrey Rogador and Jerome Lorico also showed their collection that night. Jerome worked with a garments manufacturer to come up with some edgy, HK RTW-like collection. It's not his main line anyway and I'm expecting a more avant garde flavor for his 10 piece collection for the Trends&Vision show.
Google PFW now and see if there's pictures of the show yesterday.
O sya, I'm getting ready pa for the show later, the Project Runway Philippines grand finals show.
Later...
What can I do?!!! Vacation mode kicking in and this post will start with a food shot. Naku, I will not hear the end of it from Kawadjan. Pero naman, can you resist a spread of moist steamed bangus, juicy squid adobo and spicy tuna stir-fry? Heller! Goodbye diet.
My hosteses with the mostest, Dave and Mikee, were so gracious to make dinner for moi despite their hectic schedules. Of course, since this Phnom Penh trip was all about me looking for new artists for the Art Lounge, Mikee finally showed me his works which I've been bugging him to let me see.
One of his fantastically detailed watercolors. Basta, I'm cooking up something for him.
Since it's my first night in town they insisted I check out the night scene before I go to Manila. Eh kelan na naman kasi ako makakababa sa Phnom Penh! So off we went to paint the town red. That's Ms. Bubbles Cojuangco (I will do a separate post about her truly shushal blog next time) and Steve (thanks for the rounds of flaming B52!).
New friend Peejay from Manila and Dave getting cozy.
and moi. Take note of my clavicle and neck Kawadjan. Maghintay ka sa mas clear na picture.
It was brunch at Chow with Tevy the next day. She brought me around to see all the galleries.
Some of my faves:
At Xem Gallery, Charlotte Ducrot photography.
I also got an exclusive preview of a French Khmer artist's work which excited me so much. Amazing work!
Two of my fave Cambodian artists, Tevy Ouer and EM Riem.
At Reyum I was fascinated by this painting showing local scene but done in the French painting technique. The artist was Cambodian.
Metahouse gave me an edgy high! As in naloka ako! Ánd that's a lot coming from me given I'm very critical with the works I like. The artist name escapes me now but his work got my heart palpitating. Beautiful, no? And it wasn't even in the main exhibit area but was hidden at their storage area when I saw it. I met the lovely Lydia, who's the art manager and Nico, who owns Meta. We are going to have some very juicy collabs soon which I'm going to reveal once it's finalized.
The French Cultural Center had Vincent Brustet. I'm quite familiar with his work and I do love what he is doing. Maybe soon I can show him in the lounge.
EM Riem's wavy chair at FCC.
We were greeted with a lovely scene at Two Fish Gallery. The absent artist just left his work-in-progress. Naloka lang ako because the gallery walang tao. No one was minding it. We could have literaly picked that work and get away with it. They were showing some nudes.
The gallery is a lovely house, 70's bungalow style, and seems quite inhabited. Yun nga lang that time it was empty with people.
A break at The Shop, a go-to place for moi everytime I'm in Phnom Penh. Love the shakes and pastries there.
And since my good friend Louis Claparols is having a menswear show on October 27 at the Rockwell tents I took a picture of this ad for him as inspiration. It was posted inside the toilet of The Shop. Very Louis Claparols, isdatchu ba? I think, Ging, their hair is inspiration enough.
Talking about inspiration, my PP trip wouldn't be complete without moi passing by Japan Thrift Shop. Dave came with me to unearth treasures.
Moi checking the merchandise. So, did I find anything exciting? Oh nothing much cept some Gomme, Modern Amusement, Inscription, Muji, Emporio Armani etc., cheap brands, really.
It's Le Wok for dinner after the ukay exercise. It's a cozy place near the National Museum.
I had some salmon for my main, quite pleasant and yummy, but was blown away with an interesting entree called barracuda tartare. I'm thinking Loven would love this.
I just had to try on the Gomme top I got - Peter Pan collar, double button at the neckline and soft Japanese cotton jersey. Kailangan malabhan ko na to para magamit sa Manille.
And so I say my goodbye to Phnom Penh for now. See you in Manila! :)
Fuchsiafans, I'm off to Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Manila, Iloilo and Roxas.
And, I can't wait to see some of you in person!
Will you miss me while I'm gone?
Enough of the drama. I will try to update whenever I can, promise!
Later...
MY LOOK
Top : H&M tee
Bottom: Balenciaga pants with Topman belt
Shoes: DP gladiator sandals
I'm already quite excited to present my capsule collection for Philippine Fashion Week now that everything is finished. I'm feeling kinda Ann Demeulemeester-ish because we finished the collection a week before the presentation which is on the 26th. Ann is known to finish her collections a week before her show schedule because she doesn't want to be harrassed with the stress of last minute preparations. Now I know how she feels. I'm quite feeling the serenity putting on the last pieces of label. Unlike before where I'd be quite tensed, now it's all calm. Tomorrow I'm getting the shoes and I'm quite excited to document and make the final line-up because I'm also going to buy a new click&shoot camera! Yehey! I know someone will be quite happy now that the quality of the pix here in my blog will be greatly improved.
I've uploaded some snaps of my collection in a secret folder and previewed it to Kawadjan and Peer. Great honest comments from both which I really appreciated. Earlier this afternoon I was chatting also to my official DJ, non other than, Lyka. I swear the taste of our sister is quite impeccable! Music taste that is lest Kawadjan misconstrue the above statement. We decided on this really moody music called Fembussen Hjem. O di ba, title pa lang tumbling ka na. Nosebleed nga ako when I read the title. Anyway, leave it to Lyka to unearth musicians who make gibberish titled songs. (What can you expect from somebody who orgasms at the sound of Sigur Ros, di ba?). I have to also thank Brewster for the help in making the music playable in 3rd world sound system. (It's a long story pero I'm shocked Siem Reap is more advanced when it comes to sound systems than Cosmo Manille!). Special mention to Gibo who will try to document my show (birthday nya sa araw na yun so you better greet him that day).
Loven asked the guys to work until Sunday for me. Let me mention first that part of the reason why I love Loven to bits is that for many years we've been friends he's such a staunch supporter of my crazy ideas. Of course, he's got some other qualities I appreciate so much but he's one of the few friends I have, along with Faith, (my original rah rah girl and make-up artist!) who bullies me to just make it werk with my design. He usually photographs it too for free which is a huge bonus given how expensive he charges now (enough to buy me the Balenciaga and Longchamp that I covet). Heck, I came to Cambodia because of their help. And part of that support is letting me use the 'guys'. Di ba I mentioned in my previous post about them? My collection materialized because of their help:
Tin. Chief beader. Such a talented guy. I just have to endure his sporadic burst of singing dismally depressing Khmer love songs. He beads most of Loven's artworks.
Visal. Quiet guy. Speaks English but is prone to 'lost in translation'. Charade hand signal is optional to explain your design. Very fast worker!
Parith. My purchaser cum beader. He usually knows where to get the materials that I need. Knows how to ask for a good bargain, too. He's also my translator when I speak to my seamstress.
Ah yes, my seamstress, Sina. Doesn't speak English. Hence the translator. One time I asked her to copy a detail of a DKNY Pure skirt for a dress we were making. Much later when I checked the DKNY skirt was cut up and attached to the dress. Tumbling! But I couldn't ask for a better seamstress than her. Despite our language barrier she can quickly guess what stuff I want made. I swear she can represent Cambodia in the World Charades Competition (if ever there's one). I'm rather abstract sometimes when describing what I want and usually the patterns I concoct are quite 'impossible'. But then all of them goes with me for the ride.
So they're my fashion family - me dependent on their kindness, talent and support. So wish me luck for a good show because my success is also their success.
See you guys! October 26, 1pm, SMX Convention Center
Gibo
Daphne
Kiel
JP Van den Berg
Angel
Valerie
Gianciphile
Chester
Katie
Nestie
Born Typical
Buddha Banana
CVS
Titser May
Alcuin
and
KIKS (magtatampo ako kapag wala ka)
Si Kawadjan pupunta raw in spirit. Meron ba sya non? Bwahahaha!
Salamat sa future blogpost na gagawin nyo about my collection, hihihi!
Busy is an understatement.
I'm actually in crisis, close to splitting my soul into several parts ala Voldemort. Add to that a side project involving 'he who must not be named'.
Last night I had to redo my capsule collection. Three of the pieces I had to chuck. It wasn't giving the mood I was looking for. Not too deconstructed for my taste. I'm quite happy to report it's not giving the Gareth Pugh vibe anymore. I guess, it will make one of my haters happy because I'm done 'assuming' Mr. Pugh. Hahaha!
Although, let me say this, I did take inspirations from the concepts of Martin Margiela and Rei Kawakubo. Very them, half of my collection. Of course, I don't assume it's that good like what they churn out, lest my lovely haters accuse me of 'assuming' again.
I don't know about my seamstress if she's happy with the changes. Hahaha! She gets to have a mini vacation once I'm off to Phnom Penh on Monday. And did I ever tell you our beaders are guys? Yep, and they're all not gay ha. Very creative bunch. I'm telling you Cambodians are really good with their hands.
I'm happy with the shoes. All in yummy colors like blue, pink, fuchsia pink, red and flesh. The flesh one is made of suede calf skin leather, my fave material now.
I don't know what reaction will this collection get. For one it's more colorful than my usual sober, darkly flavored aesthetic. It's a statement about construction and deconstruction which I doubt a lot would understand. Come on, most of Manille thinks the high street brands are high fashion. That's the reality some of us designers face. I say some coz many who show during PFW don't even have a clue how to do a collection.
From what I saw in the PFW poster there's a lot of new names cropping up. Great! We need new designers to put out new ideas, new sensibility. I can't wait to see their collections. I'm also excited to see the finale of Project Runway Philippines on the 23rd. It's head-to-head between Aries Lagat, Veejay Floresca and Philip Tampus. I've worked with Aries and Veehay before and I know they will give it their best. Based from what I gathered from Bo Parcon, Philip is also palaban. Your bet is as good as mine on who emerges as the grand winner.
A minor detail I'm not happy about is that a couple of my models are just 5'4". I don't know what to do with them. I'm happy with everything the organizers have done for us so far but I don't think having 5'4" models is a good way to do it. I know a designer who decided to back out because he didn't like the models given to him. I don't think it's being primadonna and trying to be difficult. I could understand where he is coming from because he's got a product to protect also. Using a bad model is like suicide. I don't want to be mean but some of the models we are using are not pretty at all. I'd rather use Kawadjan, actually.
Anyway, there's nothing I can do now except to use Frodah, the 5'4" model with 9" feet. hihihi.
So, see you all on October 26, 2008, SMX Convention Center, 1pm for the Ready-to-Wear collections where I'l be showing my capsule designs for Spring/Summer 2009.
She welcomed me with pink lotus flowers on her hands. With Mona Lisa smile and hypnotizing breasts, she beckoned me to enter a realm I'm unfamiliar with.
One year ago, I left my fasyon life in the Philippines to try something new here in Cambodia. From a third world country to another third world country, my friends joked.
Mind you I was nervous. She didn't reveal herself at first, not fully even now.
It was around 6pm when my plane landed at Siem Reap International airport. Time to teach the Khmers how to 'fashion it'. My outfit? Black Ann Demeulemeester tee, Levi's jeans and K-Bond sneakers. Not much has changed, eh?
A Lexus picked me up. A cold towel was given to freshen me up. When I arrived at Hotel de la Paix I was given a nice welcome drink. OMG! I think I'm going to be spoiled here, I thought then.
What to do after checking in? Fresh from a week of intoxicated farewells and goodbyes back home, heck, my official tour guides, Loven and Faith, wisely decided that more intoxicating lubricant was in order!
The first dinner I ate. Quite perfect, I guess, since I've been eating a constant diet of couscous and salmon since. I've eaten hundreds of meal on this table.
She offered me morsels I couldn't refuse.
I thought it was just a dream.
The morning after. Sadly, I couldn't remember what my dream was but I know I dreamt something. I must have snored, too, since I was so tired from the trip. Hay, so many memories! It took half a day of travel from Iloilo to Siem Reap. I had to re-pack my luggage 7 times, I stayed up until 4 in the morning, because I couldn't decide which pieces of clothes and stuff to bring. Panic couldn't come close when someone like moi needs to choose which pieces of clothes to bring from among my preciousness. If you want to torture me I guess you know what to do already.
My breakfast. A lot, no?! Hehehe, I was really hungry. I inhaled the seafood fried rice, vegetables salad, a side of omelette, yogurt and orange juice.
And my lunch. Hmmmm...Pumpkin Salad, Salmon Bagel and Gazpacho! Ay, wait, why am I talking about food here? Well, ever since I arrived here in Siem Reap I didn't do anything but make myself fat. Yes, Cambodia made me fat! Those first 3 meals were the start of the many fattening meals I ingested without remorse. Hihihi. It was also the start of so many memories.
My how time flies. I've recently started going to the gym religiously to reclaim my old body back. I've set up a workshop for my designing needs. I've started selling my clothes in a shop that I share with Loven. I've travelled to different destinations and made new friends along the way. I've discovered where the locals buy their ukay. I found a Comme des Garcons shirt there for 5pesos!
Yes, Cambodia has been very good to me.
What's next? I don't know what's in store for me at the end. I expect more fabulous discoveries waiting. I've still got a another year of commitment here.
One year ago she welcomed me with a flower, a smile and a meal. She's not letting me go.
It's no surprise that Sofia Coppola, cool Oscar-winning screen writer, Marc Jacobs muse and one of the most stylish women in pop culture, have decided to make it her goal to design 'the perfect bag that doesn't exist', for her Louis Vuitton collaboration. Translated, if you are familiar with Sofia's sensibility, it's all about ' discreet, chic and grown-up' style, according to Suzy Menkes of the International Herald Tribune.
Simply called the 'SC', it features an open pocket enabling the user to grab something inside conveniently. Paano ang mga pick-pockets?
Expected to retail for $2,190 for the monogram version, there will also be a pochette containing a mirror which Sofia 'wanted for herself'.
There's shoes, too! Some gilded wedge ankle-strap sandal inspired her mother's Yves Saint Laurent shoes in the 70's.
Looking at the picture of the bag I can actually see myself carrying it but only the plain one. I've tried the monogram and it really doesn't suit my sensibility. Ewan ko, I look trying hard or I think I'm not preppy enough. Hahaha! Basta, even my friends agree the monogram LV is not for moi. This Louis Vuitton 'SC' seems wonderfully understated, roomy and I really love the strap because honestly in our mobile world now a strap can make a difference.
"Paris women have certain style - they are not trying to be little girls," Sofia says. "In general, people are more chic and put together in Paris. American sportswear hasn't entirely taken over. I like the idea of growing up and being a woman - the end of childhood but keeping part of your nature."
I decided to do another sketch for the Men Represent challenge of Style Salvage. On the previous post I was just using a black felt tip pen, not my usual drawing instrument, so I felt my drawing was kinda different from what I'm used to. It's usually black ball point and pastel that I use for all my drawings. Style Salvage Steve said it could be better if I included pictures of the actual garment. So here:
Ann Demeulemeester leather biker jacket
My own designed 'curve' pants
Soda tab necklace by me, red leather belt from Topman, blue knit scarf by Eairth by Melissa Dizon and gladiator sandals by me.
By the way, that is supposed to be me in the drawing. What do you think?
