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TWO
decades ago, a discerning fashionable few fell for the
neoromantic aesthetic of Randy Ortiz. Since then, the
soft-spoken designer has attracted a larger following
and remains well-loved in an “industry” notorious for
its catfights, copycats and charlatans. To celebrate 20
years of a still-burgeoning business, his name firmly
entrenched in the company of the country’s most admired
designers, Ortiz unleashed his Samsung Metrowear
“Aspirer” holiday collection recently at the Edsa
Shangri-La to rapturous applause, A-list attendance and
some unforgettable falls, and even more graceful rise
from the ramp. “I’m relieved. I’m very happy. It was the
culmination of my dream. It was my first major gala
after 12 years,” Ortiz said a day after his talked-about
showing. His last one, “Uncovered,” was directed by
former supermodel Annette Coronel because his best
friend, the director Jackie Aquino, was in New York at
that time. After that, it was a series of small shows
and group outings for Ortiz.
 But
Aquino was on hand for “Aspirer,” the concept of
which—from the inspiration, music and staging—was the
brainchild of Ortiz. “We know that a fashion show is the
call of the designer. But Jackie embraced my concept,”
and the best buddies of 30 years presented a seamless
blending of ideas to produce a show that evoked a
nostalgic feeling long before it was over.
“Aspirer
is Latin for ‘aspire,’ which means to want or to desire
for something,” Ortiz explained. What he aspires for is
for his clients to be like his idols in cinema, to
approximate their glitz, glamour and elegance. “We are
so awed by the beautiful men and women of cinema who
have captured our hearts,” he said. “With the red carpet
as the canvas for my collection, I then took my
references from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.”
Ortiz
derived heavy inspiration from The Valley of the Dolls,
Twiggy, Jackie O, Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn, and
from modern-day, red-carpet divas Charlize Theron,
Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie. When conceptualizing
his menswear, he brushed up on Butch Cassidy and the
Sundance Kid, The Beatles and American Gigolo. The look
was achieved by the Patrick Rosas Team for Makeup
Forever and L’Oreal Professionel, with accessories by
Arnel Papa, and shoes by Pedro and Nicolo Junsay.
A
recurring symbol of his clothes was the rosette. “My
fascination for the neoromantic can be interpreted
through a flower, and the rose expresses a lot of
emotions and it captures the romantic in a person,”
Ortiz said. On the bodice, on the skirt, on the stage
backdrop, the rosette was everywhere.
John
Estrada and Richard Gomez, who both gained fame and
acclaim at the same time as Ortiz, lent their
leading-men presence on the runway as they donned the
designer’s formal ensembles. As proof of his appeal to
the younger set, upcoming actors Rayver Cruz and Bea
Alonzo also worked the ramp.
In a
subtle entrance, Alonzo came as the bride, radiant in
off-shoulder silk organdy, patterned rosette in silk and
pleated organdy texturized with embroideries. Why her?
“Well, Claudine Barretto is married already, and Bea is
the next It Girl. She has the height and a beautiful
face. All the elements are there. She is such a
darling.”
This
touching quality also endeared her to Ortiz even more,
when during the curtain call, Alonzo slipped onstage.
Shocked and mortified, Ortiz can only manage to murmur,
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” To which the gracious celluloid
star replied: “Randy, this is for you.” If the ABS-CBN
camera crew were there, that could make for fabulous
footage for the star’s Betty La Fea show.
Early
on, the overly gleaming ramp claimed victims from even
the fiercest catwalkers. When Jo Ann Bitagcol and Ria
Bolivar, the reigning queens, couldn’t keep their
strides in sync with the music for fear of sliding
unceremoniously in front of a well-heeled crowd,
everyone knew it was a matter of time before someone
fell flat. Then the always resplendent Marina Benipayo
(in fiery red serpentina with electro-pleating
detail and bodice in rosette-pattern embroidery) came
gliding like the glamourpuss that she is, the audience
thought the unforgiving ramp was conquered.
Annette
Coronel nearly slipped, but regained her footing quite
beautifully. When her contemporary, Suyen Chi, the queen
of the catwalk at their prime, came in a V-neck
plunging neckline serpentina, energy was at an
all-time high. There’s nothing like a señora who
can give justice to a couture creation, after all.
Then
what was feared the most happened. The magnificent Ms.
Chi stumbled and fell in a heap of silk taffeta. On
reflex, she recovered in a split second, laughed at
herself, posed for the cameras and played to the gallery
amid raucous cheers and shrieks of delight. “Suyen,
she’s a trooper and a diva! She is the reincarnated
Miriam Quiambao of the ramp! I never knew there was a
fashionable way of falling and rising,” Ortiz said
admiringly.
“I
watched the show live. I didn’t want to be near the
models because that would only make me tense. I have the
manang to dress the girls and [designer friends] Anthony
Nocom and Vittorio Barba helped with the boys, so I was
already kampante,” Ortiz related. “There was
great momentum. Everyone tried to really emote.
Palaban lahat. I told the models before the show,
‘We should all have our moment. Savor it. This is not
just my night. This is also your evening.’”
Somehow,
Randy Ortiz’s words came true. Despite the falls, Ortiz
remains unfazed. “It was a live show. Things happen.
[The falls] didn’t bother me in a negative way. I think
the show was close to perfection.” |
