By Hazel P. Villa
Inquirer

ILOILO CITY–Sashaying to the live renditions of old Ilonggo favorites like Pinalangga (Beloved) and the more current Handumanan (Remembrance), models made their entrance up the burnished narra stairs, glided through antique rooms, and preened before an audience seated atelier-style on a balmy evening at the Sanson y Montinola Antillan House in E. Lopez Street, Jaro District, Iloilo City.

The Antillan House itself, one of the very few left intact in the country, was like a debutante dressed for a grand ball—its trademark yakal rooftop carved decors were restored and repainted, shuttered windows were cleaned, and the exterior was painted a more cheerful mocha and pastel blue even as the brick foundations were spruced.

It was not only because the Iloilo Heritage Gala was held at the Antillan House in May that Greg Sanson, the owner, decided to glam up his family’s turn-of-the-century ancestral home but also because heritage-conscious Ilonggos have once more revved up the advocacy machine calling for the preservation of Iloilo City’s heritage houses and buildings.

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By Pennie Azarcon dela Cruz
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–The idea, says fashion designer Barge Ramos, is to come up with clothes that are unmistakably Pinoy without looking like one is bound for an Independence Day Parade or a costume party.

“It is possible to look thoroughly modern and contemporary and still retain the Filipino touch in one’s clothes,” says Ramos who is widely known for his barong Tagalog creations. Aside from being a gauge of one’s age, taste, income level and politics, clothes should proudly hark back to our cultural identity, says this erstwhile fashion journalist who expounded his theory through a weekly column for the newspaper Malaya from 1990-1995.

The best of those columns have recently been gathered into a book of the same title, “Pinoy Dressing: Weaving Culture Into Fashion,” a scrumptious coffee table book that details how history has shaped the way we dress, and how clothes in turn reflect cultural beliefs and traditions.

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By Alex Vergara
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–After three years of burning the lines and spending extended dinners with collaborators Ige Ramos and Winnie Velasquez, designer Barge Ramos has finally succeeded in combining his twin passions for fashion and journalism into one handsome coffee-table book that best reflects his niche as a purveyor of Filipino-inspired fashion.

Published by Anvil Publishing, “Pinoy Dressing” is a collection of newspaper articles Barge wrote as a columnist for Malaya. The column, which went by the same name, ran for five years in the newspaper’s lifestyle pages in the early 1990s.

Just like what he did in its previous run, Barge combined his essays, which are now grouped into corresponding chapters, with contemporary sketches by fellow designer and accomplished illustrator Loretto Popioco.

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By Apples Aberin Sadhwani
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–In celebration of Independence Day, here’s a shout out to all Filipino designers who make us truly proud to be Pinoy!

To Rafé, Lesley Mobo, Monique Lhuillier, Cesar Gaupo, Bea Valdez and all those who’ve successfully ventured out to the highly competitive international fashion scene, kudos for putting us on the map and setting a wonderful example for all aspiring designers here in the Philippines. Yes, it is possible to dream big and to actually see one’s dreams come to fruition.

To those who’ve stayed and who continue to elevate the standards of the local fashion industry — that means you, Inno Sotto, Auggie Cordero, Jojie Lloren, Cesar Gaupo (again!), among others — a big thank you for setting the bar and providing local clients a taste of high fashion at its finest.

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