Underwear as outerwear has been one of the dominating fashion trends of the year. We’ve seen it grace many international and local runway shows, red carpets, and even a version of it totally bedazzled. The latest to present their take on the revealing trend is Filipino actress Nadine Lustre.
In her recent photoshoot with fashion photographer BJ Pascual, the “Deleter” star dons a bejeweled brassiere—a collaboration between fashion designer Thian Rodriguez and jewelry designer Marigrace Reano, founder and creative director of MJorian. The piece features semi-precious stones and crystals in a 24k gold-dipped setting with cascading hand-beaded chains for added drama. To complete the look for the shoot, stylist Lyn Alumno paired the jewel-encrusted gilded brasserie with pieces courtesy of fashion designer Bon Hansen.
“MJorian is the perfect partner to execute my idea and is generous enough to accept the challenge,” Thian tells Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. “During the initial meeting I had with Marigrace, we prepared a rough sketch and I patterned the base of the bra. Then we strategically laid out the stones and crystals to hug Nadine's body perfectly.”
“Skillful artisans intricately handcrafted the base of the brassiere and encrusted the stones according to Marigrace’s approach. After the production of the base, my team and I created and draped the cascading hand-beaded chains,” the designer adds. “It took us 14 days to finish the entire piece. The base itself is worth P60,000 and is designed exclusively for Nadine.”
Thian has been a huge fan of Victoria's Secret Angels, and throughout his career in the fashion industry, he’s wanted to create his version of the fantasy bra. The collaboration started after his show for BYS Fashion Week in 2022, with Nadine sending him a message regarding a piece she wanted to wear for a music festival.
“For some reason, she wasn’t able to use it at the festival,” Thian says. “Marigrace and I waited, and we think Nadine and her team waited as well for the right occasion/project to use it. True enough, what a great way to end 2023.”
This is not the first time Thian and Marigrace joined forces to create one notable fashion moment. Their first project was for Pia Wurtzbach’s Vogue Italia feature in August 2021. Last October the fashion designer presented his dramatic take on the traditional terno at the “Pagsibol” fashion show, with Mjorian's crown finishing the look. Marigrace is also the designer behind Catriona Gray’s attention-grabbing earrings inspired by the Pintados at Binibining Pilipinas 2022. With their latest work with Nadine, it looks like we're going to see more Thian Rodriguez Manila x MJorian collaborations in the future.
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