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.

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MAYON: Fiery and Lovely Perfection Today, Catriona is coming home. She is celebrating her roots – she is celebrating Albay! The prominent and iconic Mayon Volcano is the penultimate inspiration for this creation. It is dubbed as the ‘perfect cone’ because of its symmetric conical form. Folk tales have it that it was named after the mythological heroine ‘Daragang Magayon’ (Beautiful Lady). Despite its pulchritude is the fact that it is the most active volcano in the Philippines erupting numerous times in the past half a millennium. Catriona can be considered as the modern-day Daragang Magayon. She embodies the Filipina’s beauty, intelligence and burning passion. This lady is definitely on fire! Watch her erupt right before your very eyes and let the lava of grace, goodness and hope flow.

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SAMPAGUITA: A Promise Fulfilled The Sampaguita; also known as Philippine Jasmine, is the national flower of our beautiful country – the Philippines. Legend has it that its etymology was derived from the Filipino words "sumpa kita" which mean 'I promise you.' This ornamental flower is an inherent part of our landscape since time immemorial. Interestingly, this flower has a lot to do with the concept of ‘Coming Home’. You know you are home when its distinct sweet and aromatic fragrance tickles your olfactory sense. Moreover, the flowers are usually slung and made into leis which are used to welcome dignitaries or are being peddled in front of churches so as to become offerings. Ergo, it is but fitting that we welcome our Queen with Sampaguitas adorned with Anahaw – our national leaf. Catriona will wear this Philippine Terno which is a “Callado” (similar to Piña Barong) embroidered gown with stylized Panuelo and Mariposa sleeves. Welcome home Catriona! Thank you for the fulfilled promise of making the Filipino people proud! Mabuhay!

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Waling Waling The Waling-waling is a paragon of unmitigated beauty. Many regard it as the rarest, most beautiful and the most expensive among all the flora our country has. This rightfully gives justice to its being dubbed as the “Queen of Philippine Flowers”. Moreover, even the native Bagobos revered it as a “diwata” (fairy) because of its unparalleled and captivating beauty. This representation fits perfectly to what our Miss Universe Catriona Gray is. She is absolutely a queen of beauty and substance. This flower, like Catriona, continues to be on treetops and aspires for greater heights. The Queen of the Filipinos' hearts bids farewell to her reign here. Yet, she will incessantly reach and touch the bright sun, making her justly symbolic of the Filipino’s unceasing hope and tenacity.

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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.

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ROXAS. This Queen Isabela ensemble is encrusted with rhinestones, swarovski and semi precious stones. The craftsmanship of this gown is purely hand-made.A piece of art and definitely constructed to perfection. The gold color represents royalty and the black color stands for power and authority which is a perfect description of the province being the largest province of the Philippines. The bottom of the skirt is adorned with dolls which also symbolize bayanihan and women empowerment, all for a new beginning of the majestic Isabela. DESIGNER | Rian Fernandez DESIGN ASSOCIATE | @enchiong1217 #rianfernandez #atelier #handcraftedluxury #ballgowns #ballgowncostume #beadembroidery #PurelyHandbeaded #couture #MissRoxas #QueenIsabela2019

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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)