In this honest conversation, Filipino designers count the ways

I made a promise that I would stay in my shirts, shorts, and sneakers until a vaccine was found. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I might have underestimated our fighting spirit, thinking we could manage staying cooped up, removed from one another, until the storm was over, forgetting what I should have learned from disaster fiction that no matter what the odds, life finds a way, we go on.

It has been over 10 months since an infinitesimal, invisible virus upended our lives. It is no safer now than it was in March, but now we know we can’t afford—and some of us don’t want—to keep everything on hold indefinitely.

And so this is Christmas, and there are more and more occasions to go out there. It’s a little different now that from our family and friends the more we keep our distance, the less we touch or kiss or gather close, the more we care, but more and more of us are now venturing out as public places like grand hotel lobbies and our favorite restaurant haunts are opening up with the mandated and reassuring health and safety protocols. Besides, we are truly, truly missing one another.

In a conversation with designer friends, I raise the question “Is there a point to dressing up for the holidays?” and find that the answers are a resounding and hopeful yes. It still is party season, even if the parties are held in small batches of five or 15 or 50, preferably in a place outdoors with the skies overhead or at least a room beneath a high ceiling or with big windows open. If that is still too risky for you, there’s always Zoom, for which everybody dresses up anyway.

“Christmas is always a time to celebrate. No matter how scary or depressing the times are, we must always remember in our hearts that the holidays are the season to give thanks and to renew our hopes,” says Dennis Lustico, whose early stint designing for a men’s label made him a master of tailoring and his subsequent foray into women’s wear, stitched together by his trademark restraint and elegance, all the rage among Manila’s fashion cognoscenti. “It’s still a time to be with loved ones, to share our blessings, laughter, and stories over food.”

London-based Kalibo born designer Lesley Mobo agrees. The pandemic caught him on a brief vacation in Aklan, where, as a result, he spent the most part of the quarantine. It was no time wasted, as he spent much of it rediscovering his roots and exploring possibilities to integrate them more deeply into his work as a designer. “I was stranded in paradise,” says he, who is now back abroad. “Celebrating the holidays is important, even though we are in the darkest of times. It is tempting to skip Christmas, but celebrating even the smallest of things at home may be mean more now than ever.”

“Dressing up is a way of expression and for me it also lifts up the mood,” adds Chris Nick de los Reyes, a young designer still often described as emerging, whose name is already up there in the A-list. His is a remarkable signature, a strong sense of style evident in his bold use of old-world references and in his mix of tailored silhouettes with fringes, feather, and sparkle. “This holiday season, with everything going on, it’s especially important to keep a bright outlook and surround ourselves with people and things we love,” he says.

To Albert Andrada, who first established his reputation as designer to the royals, having spent some time in the Middle East working with Arab heiresses, the holidays are still a dress-up season, especially for the women for whom he continues to create, from Kathryn Bernardo to Pia Wurtzbach. “But 2020 will be more about the welfare and safety of the individual,” he says.

For fashion innovator Randy Ortiz, who describes his work simply as making “clothes that make women feel good about themselves,” the holidays are an occasion to celebrate the hopeful and resilient spirit of the Filipino, whom he believes will be more productive than ever. “As the year ends, I believe dressing up will be all about what your core is as a person,” he says.

This is also the point Lesley wants to make. “Finding daily moments of delight, and celebrating them, will help carry us through these dark days,” he asserts.

What sells is hope.

—Diana Vreeland

“Whether you spend the holidays at home with the family or snuggled up in bed, putting on something luxe can totally help make you feel the holiday spirit,” recommends Chris Nick.

Dennis concurs, “Dressing up is an expression of happiness and thankfulness.”

Lesley continues, “There’s never been a better time to embrace full-on happy colors and some fresh floral prints on skirts. I think flowers have been scientifically proven to make people happy and they definitely lift the spirits. From boosting your mood and the people around you to lowering stress, there’s nothing quite like a bouquet of colorful blooms to elevate the mood or the whole room.”

“It wouldn’t hurt if our lounge wear would have just a little holiday touch, like being made of silk or having subtle prints that mirror the richness of the season, but personally, comfort takes a precedence on how we should dress up for the holidays,” says Dennis. “I would suggest lounge pieces like pajama sets or togas. Anything loose and roomy, where it’s easy to move around.”

Randy chimes in, “Practicality and wearability are also important in helping spread the air of positivity as we anticipate a great year ahead. More than ever, I believe we should support Filipino fashion and the Filipino artisan.”

“Yes,” assents Albert. “Since the celebrations are limited to small intimate gatherings, dressing up should be more relaxed. Boyfriend’s or folk-inspired
jackets are nice options for over-layering to make your look more stylish. To complement these jackets, underneath are rompers and jumpsuits with classic and cleanlines. Blouses and dresses with square or rectangular silhouettes are inevitable in this year’s holiday style. The holiday look will be more practical in terms of cost and comfort of the wearer.

Mix-match dressing would be fun. Accessories like hats and caps, scarves, and bags are nice add-ons. The mask is the most important accessory to add to the 2020 holiday look. It may be plain or not, but one should always consider the breathability of it.”

Like Lesley, Puey Quiñones, who just recently made a dramatic comeback in Manila after many years establishing himself in Los Angeles, was also stranded in Manila when the pandemic grounded all flights and closed the borders. Like Lesley, he didn’t waste any time. Puey was among the first to respond to the call for PPEs, quickly coming up with a collection he aptly called “Fashion for Protection.” Adding to the conversation, he said, “Instead of putting ornaments on a Christmas tree, I decided to embroider on my buryong barong, which now forms part of my holiday 2020 collection.”

Which echoes the last point, Albert wants to make: “At the end of the day, our fashion sense should always project a more confident personality. Fashion is us! Fashion is you.”