THE Red Charity Gala is inarguably the most glamorous night in Manila. To be its featured fashion designer is a singular honor. Every year since 2009, world-class couture has been showcased by Dennis Lustico, Furne One, Michael Cinco, Cary Santiago, Ezra Santos, Jesus Lloren and Lesley Mobo. This year polymath Chito Vijandre is given the privilege.
Each designer is handpicked by society icons/philanthropists Tessa Prieto-Valdes and Kaye Tinga, and genius director Ariel Lozada. Every auction-gala, held at the Makati Shangri-La, is for the benefit of the Philippine Red Cross and the Assumption High School Batch 1981 Foundation.
I’ve never missed a show but, woefully, I failed to write about Lustico’s and Santiago’s collections.
In my article “First Among Equals,” I deemed One’s 2010 show unforgettable—not only for the onstage drama the Dubai-based, Cebu-born designer would rather forget, but also for “the marvel and magnificence of [the] Queen Elizabeth I-themed collection. One displayed stupendous craftsmanship in short dresses profuse with netted threadworks, crystals, French laces and curlicured appliqués…. The queen of all supermodels [Marina Benipayo] glided onstage in a whirling cloud of a cape and corseted maillot” to close the show.
2012 was Dubai-based, Samar-born Michael Cinco’s year, as the gala’s featured designer and as a talent winning awards in the international arena. In “Becoming a Myth,” he shared the essence of the show: “When [socialite-philanthropist] Tessa Prieto-Valdes and [Taguig City first lady] Kaye Tinga approached me to do the Red Cross Ball fashion show, I immediately gave them my approval not because of the glamour and publicity (it will bring) but because it’s for a good cause.”
In his “Impalpable Myths of Greek Gods and Goddesses” spectacle, “the first part was epic beauty with laser-cut ceramics and porcelain inspired from the columns of the Parthenon and Greek architecture. The second part was inspired by the goddesses Aphrodite, Hera and Athena. For the third part, Cinco envisioned the goddesses of Olympus in Hollywood glamour attending red-carpet events with colors inspired by the sunset of Santorini.”
In “Ezra Santos Mesmerizes,” I said of the Dubai-based designer’s Art Noveau/Art Deco-inspired “Divine Romanticism” 2013 collection: “Though understandably still heavily informed by his Middle Eastern ostentatiousness, what I found refreshing in Santos’ retro-futuristic outing is his concession to the more pragmatic—albeit no less chic—outlook of the local market. He unleashed sensational neoprene pieces that were clean, crisp and uncluttered by too many crystals.”
“Is Jesus Lloren the Savior of Philippine Fashion?” I asked in 2014 when the gala organizers enlisted a locally based talent to do the show. “With his eye and empathy, Lloren captured quite remarkably the essence of the works of the artists he chose to pay homage to. ‘[I was aiming for] how I perceived the painting, or how the painting touched me or affected me, or sometimes I would ask: What’s his style,’ Lloren intimated. ‘Also, I had to research through the Internet and books, and interview [art experts], particularly about paintings.’”
The Paris-trained designer took inspirations from Filipino painters—from Juan Luna to interdisciplinary artist Lexygius Calip for his 2014 stint. “With the most important gala in the country, Lloren has shown what 25 years in the fashion business has done to his astonishing talent. His range is stupefying—from sleek skirts to flowing gowns, from crisp shirts to smart blazers, from slim pants to fancy trousers,” I wrote.
“[The process in creating the 40-piece collection] was madness. I knew I had to deliver. I had to finish pieces right away but then, you know, ideas don’t come automatically. I just had to wait for that and usually they come at the last minute,” Lloren said backstage after the gala. “I had to change six pieces, like the Amorsolo [piece]. With the Arturo Luz [piece], the beadwork was done three times,” starting with beads, then zippers and finally feeling satisfied with pearls.”
London-based, Aklan-born Lesley Mobo’s mind-altering, time-traveling, intoxicating 2015 show took the silhouettes of the Tudors, Studio 54 and Dynasty. In “Lesley Mobo’s Stardust Memories,” I wrote:
“Mobo expressed pride and happiness, but [also] in his characteristic self-deprecating way, the degree of difficulty in making his collection. ‘Yes, it was technically my own. Mahirap!’ he laughs. ‘When the models came out, those who understand will understand. Those who don’t, they don’t have to. They just have to have fun because the outfits are all glittery. The collection kind of embraces everyone, you’re not alienating anyone. It’s not an elitist collection. It’s basically, you know, an inclusive collection. You don’t have to be a fashionista to embrace it.’”
Chito Vijandre, this year’s featured artist, was quick to say at the press conference for the event, that the show is not a comeback for him as a designer. He stopped designing at his peak in the 1980s, during the La Concha luncheon shows at the Hyatt Hotel. A few years back, he participated in a Philippine Fashion Week tribute to Salvacion Higgins Lim, his mentor.
This year the Red Charity Gala will be held on October 8, 6 pm, at the Shangri-La at The Fort. Vijandre will present a 40-piece Filipiniana haute couture collection “reimagined and reconfigured through the prism of Philippine history and art.”
“When Tessa asked me last December to do the show, I said, ‘Let’s do it,’” said Vijandre, who’s busy with his partner Ricky Toledo overseeing their Firma store in Greenbelt, as well as their home accents, jewelry, objet d’art and AC+632 businesses. “I want to keep my [fashion design] creative juices flowing. I kind of miss it.”
- For inquiries, contact Joel Acebedo at 0947-8125431.
Image credits: Henry Anima II, Bruce Casanova and Alex Van Hagen
1 comment
Can this site post a photo, please? Thanks!