Night Out puts on the ritz at the country’s premier fashion fiesta. Don Jaucian takes a look at Philippines' best and up-and-coming sartorial talents.

Already on its twelfth year, Philippine Fashion Week is the country’s showcase of established as well as up-and-coming local talent in the arena of sartorial splendor. Holiday collections from some of the biggest and brightest Filipino fashion designers and brands sashayed down the runway from May 26 to June 3, 2009, in various locations throughout the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

In her individual show, designer Michelle Varela Lim showcased fashion-forward designs that contemporized traditional, indigenous fabrics—elegantly responding to the government’s call (particularly that of the Department of Science and Technology) for fashionistas to support our native fabric manufacturers. As emphasized by Department of Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap—in season one of Project Runway Philippines, in 2008—85,000 Filipinos are dependent on the abaca industry, and 4,000 more on piña-weaving. In fact, Yap explained that 85% of the world’s abaca supply comes from the Philippines—hence its other name, ‘Manila hemp'.

Lim is certainly among the best-equipped creators to not just use, but elevate indigenous fabrics, having made her first splash on the fashion scene through the Rustan’s label Kimona, specializing in Filipiniana designs. Blending this expertise in handling native fabrics with a decidedly modern outlook, this latest collection may be seen as the evolutionary next step in Lim’s design aesthetic; and it was, by and large, a well-received one. What’s even better is that her designs are priced as attractively as they are made, making it both appealing and affordable for the everyday Filipino to patronize our local creators.

Gerry Katigbak likewise reinterpreted our ethnic fabrics and culture in his own show, especially through the use of strategic draping, lending a sense of softness to the fibers, which are usually thought of as stiff. Of particular note were his whimsical, inventive takes on the time-honored barong Tagalog, for both men and women.

Speaking of Project Runway Philippines, the hit show itself was a no-show for this year’s Fashion Week, but several of the young designers who had enjoyed the opportunity to jumpstart their careers in the show’s first season did make their presence felt. Winner Aries Lagat was featured in the ‘Design Fusion/Vision & Trends’ show, while fan favorites Ava Paguyo and Jaz Cerezo participated in the ‘Ready-to-Wear’ and ‘Grand Allure’ collections, respectively. Veejay Floresca (who was a Project Runway finalist, along with the unfortunately absent Phillip Tampus) unveiled his ‘Paper and Pen’ collection, based on the sketches of his little brother.

One of the biggest retail fashion houses, SM Department store, opened the week with its first runway show after a ten-year hiatus. Throughout these years, the SM Department store’s line of RTW has been quietly ramping up to rival the quality of the country’s more visible RTW heavyweights, such as the ubiquitous Penshoppe and Bench. Anthony Nocom (who also showed his own menswear designs on June 2) is one of the movers behind the upgrading of the fashion store’s image.

Aside from those already mentioned, the collective shows that brought together a plethora of design luminaries were ‘Luxe Wear’, ‘Menswear’, and a walloping five sets of ‘Premiere Collections’, labeled A to E.

Designers that took the spotlight in their own individual shows included Marlon Rivera, Shanon Pamaong, Ronaldo Arnaldo, Renee Salud, Robin Tomas, Arnold Galang, Michelle Lim, Gerry Katigbak, M Barretto, Jeffrey Rogador, Jorge Palmos, Sassa Jimenez, Lyle Ibañez, and Michael Cinco.

A crowd favorite was John Herrera, whose collection balanced gray hues with bold, curvilinear shapes, accented by equally-bold accessories, such as large bangles and torques adorning the necks of the models.

Along with the aforementioned SM, the powerhouse RTW brands that graced the stage were Jag, Penshoppe, Human, Kashieca, and Bench. Barbie also held a show, in which 50 Filipino designers celebrated 50 years of the global fashion icon. Finally, Plains & Prints closed the Holiday 2009 edition of Philippine Fashion Week on June 3, at the Mall of Asia’s Main Atrium.

With international names such as Monique Lhuillier, Josie Natori, and Rafe Totengco continuing to forge new territory for the Filipino designer on the global fashion map, it’s clear that Philippine fashion is finally beginning to come into its own. And with the ingenuity, diligence, and passion so gloriously exhibited at this year’s Philippine Fashion Week, there can hardly be any doubt that our local creators are more than ready to follow in the prestigious footsteps of these fashion ‘frock-stars’.

(Don Garcia is an unemployed registered nurse somewhere in Zambales. He likes cities, coastal towns, and indie music.)