Taking a small break from the cultures world (not fully), let’s talk about something I normally don’t bring up: fashion. To be honest, I haven’t been a really big fashion person. Even going out to shop, I wasn’t into looking at clothes on the rack for long. To this day, I’m still not into it. However, looking at evening gowns from pageants and other events is something different. For me, it’s very fun, especially when you find gowns and other ensembles that appeal to you.
With that said, I will be sharing some designers who I really love. Keep in mind that I have not ordered anything from them nor am I being paid by them to write this, but I may wear their fashion pieces in the future.
Mak Tumang
If you watched Miss Universe 2018, you saw Catriona Gray’s lava gown. Mak Tumang created that iconic dress and more of Cat’s fashion pieces. They are all so beautiful, from her Binibining Pilipinas gown to her final walk gown. He has also created gowns for other Filipino celebs, such as singer Regine Velasquez. If you look at his Instagram profile, you’ll see many of his creations. They are SO good, and he is at the top of my favorite designers list for sure. I love his work so much, and it would take me years to wear all my favorite pieces. His creativity remains unmatched, and you’ll see why when I share just a few of them (including Catriona’s lava dress) below.
Leo Almodal
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9ZHZQ1lKLU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Another great talent, Leo Almodal has created gowns for pageant queens, brides, and Filipino celebrities. When I first looked at his Instagram page, I admired his work. His gowns are sparkly, but really eye-catching. My faves are shown below, but look at his Instagram page to see more of his work for yourself.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6_E7VTFhSn/?igshid=nktexyridh4d
Michael Cinco
Some of his gowns grow on you with time, but like the other two designers listed above, many of his gowns are so good. He has dressed pageant queens, and he made final walk gowns for Iris Mittenaere and Pia Wurtzbach. He has also designed many Hollywood celebrities, such as Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, and Sofia Vergara. Many celebs from around the globe have worn his work, and it’s not hard to see why. Many of his gowns are appealing, and I have no choice but to love them.
Rian Fernandez
I randomly found him when I saw that he designed Cambodia’s gown for the Miss Universe 2019 preliminaries. I loved that gown ever since I first laid my eyes on it. I looked on his IG page, and I was like, “Oh, that’s Cambodia’s gown. He designed Cambodia’s gown!” And looking at his other work, he has pieces that I would definitely wear (including Cambodia’s gown of course). The third dress shown below this paragraph is something I would totally wear to the Met Gala.
Michael Leyva
I’ll admit. When I first saw a few of his gowns, I wasn’t impressed. But then I looked at them again, and some of the ones I didn’t like before I started to love. Looking at more of his gowns, they’re pretty and I have pieces saved to my Fashion Inspos collection. They compliment the women who wear them, because sometimes, less is more.
Rosenthal Tee
I discovered her a few days ago. I choose to look at her Instagram to see what pieces she has made. Honestly, I was not disappointed. She has nice gowns, from solid colors to interesting prints and designs. She has dressed Filipina pageant queens like former Miss World Philippines Laura Lehmann and former Miss Universe Philippines Ariella Arida. She definitely has interesting fashion in her portfolio, as seen on her IG page.
Those are all the designers I’m featuring for now! All of them are Filipino or based in the Philippines. In all honesty, I think the Filipino designers have better fashion than the white designers. Don’t get me wrong. There’s some good fashion from white designers, but they don’t enamore me as much as Filipino-made fashion. At least when it comes to the entire portfolio.
Nevertheless, more fashion designers will be mentioned in the future, so look out for part two!
Image Credits: Instagram (leoalmodal)