On its 12th edition, Philippine Fashion Week (PFW) has found its steady and solid footing. Clothes in their various incarnations are categorized, quite deftly, according to a designer’s forecast for Spring/Summer 2010.

At this staging, PFW got off to a rousing start with the Grand Allure suite, traditionally acknowledged as the show for designers with couture persuasions and aspirations.

No less than the Dean of Philippine Fashion, Ben Farrales, led the impressive and the pretentious in a grand parade of skilled artistry and frustrated attempts on the runways of the SMX Convention Center. Incidentally, Mang Ben also lead a staggering number of designers (200!) in Fashion for a Cause on October 28 at the Philippine International Convention Center, as the fashion flock gave back to the victims of the recent great floods. (More on this heartwarming effort soon.)

Meanwhile, it will be a disaster of an untold scale if Fashion Week hereabouts isn’t handled by the siblings Audie and Joey Espino Jr. of Runway Productions.

“I keep asking myself why I keep doing this when it is very difficult to do productions like this,” Joey said on the finals night of the Ford Models Supermodel of the World Philippines contest (won by a dusky, slender Chat). “But when I see the girls in black dresses [Supermodel alumnae from 1999 to 2008], I know it’s worth it.”

Joey can very well be speaking of PFW in general. He and Audie have built PFW as a viable venue for designers legendary and fledglings to showcase their wares.

As evidenced on Grand Allure night, directed by Ariel Lozada, and the exciting Luxewear night, directed by Jackie Aquino, fashion in the Philippines is alive, vibrant and well.

In Photo: Gil Macaibay--Inspired by Queen Ena of Spain in the 1920s, Kim Ross in Spandex kerchief-cut caftan embellished with same fabric cutouts