By Alex Y. Vergara
BRIDES OF JOSE From top: Fashion Czar Pitoy Moreno created the dream gowns for women for more than 50 years; and Salud de Castro, daughter Caress Banson, and grnddaughter Carla Yulo all wore the same French veil sourced by Pitoy Moreno in Paris sometime in the 1950s.
Like almost all the brides Jose “Pitoy” Moreno did bridal gowns for during a span of more than 50 years, Salud de Castro couldn’t help but feel “sad and sentimental” upon hearing about the designer’s death last Monday. Not only did they become friends over the decades, both designer and bride hold a special place in each other’s personal history.
Salud not only wore a Pitoy Moreno when she married banker Alex de Castro in 1956, she holds the distinction of wearing the first ever wedding gown Pitoy designed as a professional couturier, several years after he graduated with a Fine Arts degree from the University of the Philippines.
It didn’t end there. The long and exquisite veil made of French lace, which came with Salud’s gown, was also worn by her daughter Caress Banson, daughter-in-law Ruby de Castro, and granddaughter Carla Yulo to their respective weddings.
Soon after hearing about Pitoy’s death, De Castro posted her thoughts on Facebook, together with a collage of photos of herself and younger members of her family during their respective weddings.
Caress, Salud and Alex’s only girl, also wore a Pitoy Moreno gown to go with the veil in 1981, while Caress’ daughter Carla paired her Amir Sali gown with her grandmother’s heirloom piece during her 2017 wedding.
“It was my husband, through his cousins, who were friends with Pitoy,” said Salud. “I didn’t know him. My only concern back then when my then fiancé told me that a certain Pitoy Moreno was offering his services to do my gown was marunong ba ’yan? We were simple people and I wasn’t particularly fastidious, but it was my wedding.”
Not only was the newbie good at his craft, his services were also unbelievably cheap compared to the then already very famous Ramon Valera. Apart from Salud’s gown, Pitoy did the gowns of her female entourage for R10,000. He even did the bride’s hair and makeup as part of the package.
“Yes, he knows how to do hair and makeup,” said Salud. “Over the years, we also became friends. He even did a piña gown for me, which I wore to one of my children’s weddings.”
They didn’t bump into each other often, but when they did Salud would invariably tease Pitoy that the bridal terno and veil he did for her were “lucky for both of us.” After doing his first wedding gown, the designer never looked back. He was soon swamped with orders. It was only a matter of time before he would travel the world and become a fixture of high society as well as a household name.
As Salud related it, it was Alex, upon Pitoy’s advice, who ordered the veil from Paris. Considering how exquisite the veil was and the distance between Paris and Manila, it cost quite a small fortune even back then.
It was one of Caress’ primary reasons for wearing it during her own wedding in 1981: “My father said that he bought it with hard-earned money. They really relished the idea that I also pair it with my wedding gown. Since it made them happy, I had no problem. And it did look quite good with the gown Pitoy designed for me.”
By then, Pitoy had already put the Philippines on the world’s fashion map with his traveling collection. As one of the country’s go-to designers for big weddings and debuts, his atelier in Malate became very busy. But still, it wasn’t beneath him to do Caress’ hair and makeup.
Carla, one of Caress’ 10 children and the first girl to get married, also grew up hearing Salud lovingly tell her granddaughter that she’d also get to wear the veil someday during her own altar date. Well, her prediction came true.
“It wasn’t because of tradition,” said Carla. “I really wanted to wear the veil.”
By then, Pitoy was already sick. Had he been well enough, who knows, Carla might even follow her grandmother and mother’s lead by tapping him as well to do her gown. Instead, she went to the Paris-trained Amir Sali.
“Her main worry was if Amir would mind pairing his gown with Pitoy’s veil,” said Caress. “But, as it turned out, it was perfectly okay with him.”
If the veil was still in mint condition when Caress wore it, it was already very delicate and had tiny holes when Carla’s turn came. By then, the veil was already more than 50 years old.
“It yellowed a bit with age, but after a bit of washing, it managed to look as good as new,” said Carla.
Even Salud’s bridal terno by Pitoy has held up quite well in the passage of time. When she had it dry cleaned after being nearly ruined by floodwaters brought by Typhoon Ondoy in 2009, people at the dry cleaners lost no time snapping pictures of it.
“Nagandahan sila,” said Salud. “Of course, it made me happy and proud. And I owe it to Pitoy and the quality of his work. His first ever gown like many of his later creations managed to withstand the test of time.”
Now that Pitoy is gone, the veil that seems to hold several generations of women in this family together has become more precious and meaningful than ever. And since Caress still has four single daughters left, it wouldn’t be farfetched to see any one of them walk down the aisles wearing the same veil one of these days.
BRIDES OF JOSE From top: Fashion Czar Pitoy Moreno created the dream gowns for women for more than 50 years; and Salud de Castro, daughter Caress Banson, and grnddaughter Carla Yulo all wore the same French veil sourced by Pitoy Moreno in Paris sometime in the 1950s.
Like almost all the brides Jose “Pitoy” Moreno did bridal gowns for during a span of more than 50 years, Salud de Castro couldn’t help but feel “sad and sentimental” upon hearing about the designer’s death last Monday. Not only did they become friends over the decades, both designer and bride hold a special place in each other’s personal history.
Salud not only wore a Pitoy Moreno when she married banker Alex de Castro in 1956, she holds the distinction of wearing the first ever wedding gown Pitoy designed as a professional couturier, several years after he graduated with a Fine Arts degree from the University of the Philippines.
It didn’t end there. The long and exquisite veil made of French lace, which came with Salud’s gown, was also worn by her daughter Caress Banson, daughter-in-law Ruby de Castro, and granddaughter Carla Yulo to their respective weddings.
Soon after hearing about Pitoy’s death, De Castro posted her thoughts on Facebook, together with a collage of photos of herself and younger members of her family during their respective weddings.
Caress, Salud and Alex’s only girl, also wore a Pitoy Moreno gown to go with the veil in 1981, while Caress’ daughter Carla paired her Amir Sali gown with her grandmother’s heirloom piece during her 2017 wedding.
“It was my husband, through his cousins, who were friends with Pitoy,” said Salud. “I didn’t know him. My only concern back then when my then fiancé told me that a certain Pitoy Moreno was offering his services to do my gown was marunong ba ’yan? We were simple people and I wasn’t particularly fastidious, but it was my wedding.”
Not only was the newbie good at his craft, his services were also unbelievably cheap compared to the then already very famous Ramon Valera. Apart from Salud’s gown, Pitoy did the gowns of her female entourage for R10,000. He even did the bride’s hair and makeup as part of the package.
“Yes, he knows how to do hair and makeup,” said Salud. “Over the years, we also became friends. He even did a piña gown for me, which I wore to one of my children’s weddings.”
They didn’t bump into each other often, but when they did Salud would invariably tease Pitoy that the bridal terno and veil he did for her were “lucky for both of us.” After doing his first wedding gown, the designer never looked back. He was soon swamped with orders. It was only a matter of time before he would travel the world and become a fixture of high society as well as a household name.
As Salud related it, it was Alex, upon Pitoy’s advice, who ordered the veil from Paris. Considering how exquisite the veil was and the distance between Paris and Manila, it cost quite a small fortune even back then.
It was one of Caress’ primary reasons for wearing it during her own wedding in 1981: “My father said that he bought it with hard-earned money. They really relished the idea that I also pair it with my wedding gown. Since it made them happy, I had no problem. And it did look quite good with the gown Pitoy designed for me.”
By then, Pitoy had already put the Philippines on the world’s fashion map with his traveling collection. As one of the country’s go-to designers for big weddings and debuts, his atelier in Malate became very busy. But still, it wasn’t beneath him to do Caress’ hair and makeup.
Carla, one of Caress’ 10 children and the first girl to get married, also grew up hearing Salud lovingly tell her granddaughter that she’d also get to wear the veil someday during her own altar date. Well, her prediction came true.
“It wasn’t because of tradition,” said Carla. “I really wanted to wear the veil.”
By then, Pitoy was already sick. Had he been well enough, who knows, Carla might even follow her grandmother and mother’s lead by tapping him as well to do her gown. Instead, she went to the Paris-trained Amir Sali.
“Her main worry was if Amir would mind pairing his gown with Pitoy’s veil,” said Caress. “But, as it turned out, it was perfectly okay with him.”
If the veil was still in mint condition when Caress wore it, it was already very delicate and had tiny holes when Carla’s turn came. By then, the veil was already more than 50 years old.
“It yellowed a bit with age, but after a bit of washing, it managed to look as good as new,” said Carla.
Even Salud’s bridal terno by Pitoy has held up quite well in the passage of time. When she had it dry cleaned after being nearly ruined by floodwaters brought by Typhoon Ondoy in 2009, people at the dry cleaners lost no time snapping pictures of it.
“Nagandahan sila,” said Salud. “Of course, it made me happy and proud. And I owe it to Pitoy and the quality of his work. His first ever gown like many of his later creations managed to withstand the test of time.”
Now that Pitoy is gone, the veil that seems to hold several generations of women in this family together has become more precious and meaningful than ever. And since Caress still has four single daughters left, it wouldn’t be farfetched to see any one of them walk down the aisles wearing the same veil one of these days.