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“What
convinced you?” The question slipped smoothly, like silk
satin upon one’s touch, toward Auggie Cordero regarding
his decision to come out with a solo gala after a long
absence from the limelight. After all, fashion people
and the general public are intrigued, this show—to
sashay down the runway on June 29, courtesy of Samsung
and Metro Society, at the Peninsula Manila—being the
famously reclusive designer’s first full-length
presentation after his 1994 complete showcase and his
2000 bridal collection.
 “This
[show] is three years in the making. It triggered and
piqued my curiosity on how I’d do a collection. Before I
joined the 2005 Metrowear, I didn’t know if I could do
what the designers now are doing,” Cordero discloses at
his Malate atelier, adding curiously that insecurity
creeps in once in a while.
Not
unlike the unforgettable Bette Davis with a cigarette
ever present in his fingers, a waft to emphasize a
point, a deep breathe to stress his opinion on an issue,
every flick of the stick makes Cordero a more
fascinating subject himself. Insightful, authoritative
sans the arrogance and quick to impart information, he
is always an engaging conversationalist.
On the
recent Miss Universe: “The training for our
representative should be done here and her gown should
be made by a Filipino.” On his recent reads: “It’s a
book about Chado Ralph Rucci, who’s like Balenciaga and
Charles James, and The Beautiful Fall, about the
feud of YSL and Lagerfeld.” On his latest films: “Seamless,
made by the same people behind Isaac Mizrahi’s
Unzipped. It’s about the first CFDA/Vogue Fashion
Fund, won by Proenza Schouler, and a film about the rise
of YSL.”
Back to
clothes. In reality, Cordero says, it is easy to make
five to eight clothes for a show. A designer will do a
basic look, pick a fabric, decide on a silhouette and
choose a design direction. But a full collection is
another matter. The scarcity of fabric is one source of
insecurity. Once he’s inspired to do a design in silk
chiffon or satin, he finds out that only polyester is
available. Things can get frustrating.
“It’s a
waste of time to worry about mundane things like where
to get threads, zippers, linings or rhinestones. If you
use inferior materials, masakit isipin. You want
a $100 duchesse satin, but what’s there’s a P27
polyester,” says Cordero, whose creations are refined
inside out. “I myself can’t take it. If the zipper’s not
the same color as the fabric, I freak out.”
Younger
designers can only marvel at Cordero’s dedication to his
craft. “I think his legacy is his passion and pursuit
for perfection, as can be seen from his crisp tailoring
to his glamorous yet sedate ballgowns. This also
explains his longevity in the industry and why the
industry looks up to him with awe and respect,” Jesus
Lloren, one of a handful of young designers that Cordero
admires, shares.
THE
JOURNEY BEGINS
A top
high-school student who later on took up accounting at
San Beda College and the Far Eastern University while
apprenticing at the classy shop of the low-key Emma
Crisologo, Cordero by his own recollection—and he is
also a genius at dates—said it was in 1970 that he
carved a name for himself in the industry that his
family frowned upon.
Classic
Cordero.
One of the masters of Philippine fashion, the
reclusive Auggie Cordero comes out with his first full
showcase since 1994.
--Photographed by ROY
DOMINGO
With his
mother as his only staunch champion, and having honed
his sketching skills (at P10 a day at Crisologo’s) and
his knowledge of fabric, Cordero opened his own shop on
Herran Street.
Colegialas flocked to his shop, drawn to his
fashion-forward designs, a stark reaction to their
mothers’ closetful of Pitoys, Bens and Aureos. At P250 a
dress, Cordero was already deemed expensive, but in no
time he also won over the mothers.
The ’70s
was the heyday of the Marcoses, and soon the
clothes-loving First Lady took notice of the fledgling
designer. And where Madam goes, legions follow. A woman
invited to Malacańang’s endless parties always wore a
custom-made dress to every occasion. Cordero could get
commissioned by as many as 20 ladies to make dresses for
them.
“From
1970 to 1986, my career was on the upswing. Then the
Edsa Revolution happened. Biglang bagsak. I
thought it was the end of my career. I got depressed and
left for New York,” Cordero recalls. “A month after the
revolution, there were no orders. Or there would be one
casual outfit made.” He had no choice but to pack up and
leave. “The political situation was shaky. There were
coups every now and then.” To add to his dilemma, fabric
supply began to dwindle.
“I got a
reality check. If one event can change my life, I
realized then that I had to save.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
“Auggie’s perseverance to succeed in whatever is his
goal is a great inspiration to others,” says good friend
and contemporary Cesar Gaupo. This observation finds a
suitable example in the years that Cordero tried to take
on the fashion capital. A green card holder, he first
tried to apply for a job in New York in 1978 at Oscar de
la Renta. As in any fashion house, there were layers of
assistants below the designer to deal with applicants.
Cordero was interviewed by the eighth assistant. However
little the assistant may know about fashion and design,
and no matter that Cordero knew in his heart that he was
infinitely better and better-equipped as a designer, the
reality was that the interviewer was in a position to
hire him.
Cordero
was hired. “To choose buttons!” Cordero wailed. Goodbye
to de la Renta.
Having
done shows all over Asia, Europe, the US and Australia,
Cordero brought a complete portfolio of his press
clippings and sketches. Inno Sotto was a great help in
the preparations. “Auggie showed us all [what]
dedication and love for craft [should be],” Sotto says.
“He is one of the last of Manila’s great designers. My
regard for him as a friend is as special as my respect
for him as a designer. [What impresses me most about his
designs] are his fabrication and proportion.”
In
between conducting seminars at the Fashion Institute of
Technology, Cordero would apply for jobs. The verdict
was always: “I’m overqualified,” Cordero says. “Somebody
said that if I have that impressive a portfolio, why
don’t I put up my own business?”
Another
reality check. “To live and succeed in New York, you
must be there at the right time, you must be noticed by
the magazines and be discovered by the society women.”
THE
INDUSTRY SPEAKS
Designer
Randy Ortiz offers: “He is best known for his timeless
romantic clothes and understated elegance. He will
always be a major player in Philippine fashion and an
inspiration to the next generation of designers.”
“Auggie
Cordero’s work is the embodiment of a true modern
classic. His rendition of color, his eye for detail and
the polished treatment of his works are what make him a
master of his craft,” says Joey Samson, whom Cordero
mentions as one who will soon join the major leagues.
Another
design great, Barge Ramos, says: “Auggie maintains a
strict discipline in his art and craftsmanship, which is
evident in the clothes he makes. And what I respect
about him is that he has always refrained from gimmickry
or visual tricks in his designs.”
Camellias and bows have become Cordero trademarks. As
has the cabbage rose, long before Carrie Bradshaw, when
his discovery Margarita Moran wore his V-neck gown with
the rose as accent on her left shoulder as she was
crowned Miss Universe in 1973. Later on, Cordero
perfected the look of the Hepburns Audrey and Katharine
for Manila’s social x-rays.
Mia
Ayesa, a model newbie, is excited to be part of an
important show. “I’m really not an authority on fashion,
being a neophyte in the industry. What I can say is that
Auggie Cordero is known for pieces that make a woman
feel like a respected and dignified member of high
society, and still feel very feminine because of the
details [he brings to his clothes].”
Supermodel Izza Gonzales Agana, who will model in the
show, cites Cordero for his revolutionary pairing of the
barong with jeans and his Great Gatsby-inspired
collection. Fellow seńora Marina Benipayo says: “Auggie
has established his own identity through the decades. He
is supernice and down-to-earth, yet professional and
exceptionally talented. Each show that I have done for
him is a feather on my cap. He continuously brings the
purity of beauty and elegance to life. Each one of us
would want to live like that, even for just a moment. It
is a privilege to wear his creations. With Auggie
Cordero, it is always a story of romance…and I love it!”
Bessie
Badilla, another model great now based in Connecticut,
said via e-mail: “Auggie didn’t invite me to model but I
will come home to see his show.” So will his greatest
alaga, New York-based Anna Bayle. Will she walk for
him? “No she won’t. But she said she will be here.”
THE SHOW
OF THE YEAR
“Why do
you show a collection? To impress other designers? What
for? To regale the press? You’re fair game to them,
whether they understand you or not. Today you’re their
darling, bukas pambalot ka na sa palengke. And
the press will say, nag-show ka pa, wala ka
namang pinakita na bago?” The designer is best
listened to when he blurts out what’s on his mind.
For a
designer of his exalted stature, Cordero has a few
demands. Tiffany chairs arranged theater-style at the
Pen ballroom, Ariel Lozada as the director, Patrick
Rosas for hair and makeup, inputs for music, and
lighting and stage design. All these elements will come
to full effect to showcase his 40-plus collection of
column gowns, wedding fare, brocade suits and mermaid
dresses.
Still,
even if he is virtually critic-proof and universally
praised by peers, Cordero is never content. Before
showing a collection, he asks himself. “Am I happy? Do I
like my clothes?” If so, then let the show begin. |
