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Fashion week dazzles with Filipino designs
Published: September 17, 2010 | Author: Elton Lugay
NEW YORK –While Cebuana designer Monique Lhuillier's pleats and ruffles made a breathtaking appearance at the 2010 New York Fashion Week, Dubai-based Ezra Santos held his own at the invitational Couture Fashion Week.
Both events were held almost on the same week of Sept. 9-16 – the traditional NYFW at its new location in Lincoln Center, and the three-day CFW at the Waldorf-Astoria Grand Ballroom.
Unlike New York Fashion Week that features U.S.-based designers, vCouture Fashion Week welcomes a new trend in showcasing international designers, with a focus on haute couture collections. NYFW is an invite-only event exclusive to industry notables, publicists, and select press. Philippine News has been covering NYFW for many years now.
Whether Monique and Ezra know each other is not clear, but they're probably familiar with each other's track record in haute couture and their signature styles.
Ezra was one of the international designers invited to CFW, along with others from Lebanon, Romania, India, Spain, Mexico, Germany, and other fashion capitals.
"They heard about me and my work in Dubai, saw my website and the next thing I know, I'm here in New York," Ezra told Philippine News.
His ramp show – featuring elaborate wedding gowns and evening wear with butterfly sleeves – was graced by the Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations Libran Cabactulan and his wife.
Ezra's models wore headdresses inspired from an African Nubiangoddess. He confessed that to bring out his "Filipino-ness," he sought wwto introduce the Imelda Marcos-style butterfly sleeves to many of his formal wear.
His finale gown was a spectacular work of beaded art "packed" with Swarovski crystals.
Ezra, a prominent name in the Middle East fashion world and counts royalty among his clients, hopes to branch out to New York someday.
"I really want to open up a wedding boutique here in New York. Only a handful of designers make wedding dresses, and I think I can make it here," he said.
A product of Central Saint Martins in London, Ezra's designs reflect avariety of inspirations from Christian Lacroix and John Galliano, the iconic French designer Erte, to the glamour of Hollywood's Golden Age in the 1940s.
Over at the Lincoln Center, Monique Lhuillier unveiled her Spring/Summer 2011 collection, hailed by fashion bloggers as "among the best." Monique's designs carried her signature ruffles, pleats, organza, chiffon done in pale pastels to rich, luscious golds.
The theme was garden romance, and she confessed that the inspiration of her collection came to her in a dream.
"A beautiful girl running through a lush garden, her very own Garden of Eden," the Los Angeles-based designer said. Forty multiracial models walked the ramp in Monique's pretty and glamorous line of cocktail dresses, embroidered blouses, silk corsets and trousers, pencil skirts, tweed coats, cropped jackets and long gowns. Nothing campy theatrical, all of them wearable.
"Lhuillier was in a state of euphoria this season and with a collection like this it's no wonder," writes GlamChic blog fashion editor Nola Weinstein.
"We're sure her decadent evening wear will be a red carpet mainstay this coming year. Now we can only dream of wearing these divine confections."
