Iloilo Designer's Week Day 4

Since I've been very busy working on my Hablon piece for our Gala show tomorrow, I didn't get to watch the shows for day 2 and day 3 of the Iloilo Designer's Week. Today, Day 4, was just a recap of all the shows from day 1 to 3 plus SM Department Store and the teasers of the collections of the Manila designers who will be joining us tomorrow. I can't believe we're now down to our finale night. Phew! Anyway, here's what I wore earlier.. :)

What I Wore:

dress and belt from Bangkok

heels from Primadonna,

necklace, gift from a friend

Vivid Dreams- Spring/Summer 2013 Collection by Binky Pitogo

When I applied for a slot to be one of the designers for the Iloilo Designer's Week, I already knew what collection I'd be showing. People who know about my RTW line (Binkydoodles), know how much I love prints and colors. So from the day I applied, my mind was already set to do a print on print collection. When I finally got in, we were encouraged by the organizers to do a collection that would clearly show our personal style and design aesthetics. That inspired me more to push through with my original plan. I believe my skills are still very raw so instead of doing a collection that wasn't my forte, I decided to stick with what I can do and what I know I'm good at.

Coordinate prints, digital prints, gradient colors, African prints, were the things I did a research on before I started making the clothes. As to the silhouettes, I balanced  soft and tailored structures to keep the girliness while maintaining sophistication and wearability. Structures were basically inspired by the 1950's but with a modern and sexy twist.

As a whole, my collection is a unique mix of different things. Colors and prints together seem to clash but they actually look good together. Structures are also rooted from end to end but still complimenting each other. Every piece in this collection reveals a part of me. This is my style, this is ME. :)

All photos by Paul Frederick Chiongson

Iloilo Designer's Week Day 1

Yesterday was a very significant day for Ilonggo Designers as it marked the 1st day of Iloilo Designer's Week. As I've said in one of my posts about a month ago, this event is our very own fashion week where each participating Ilonggo designer gets to showcase his/her 10-piece S/S 2013 collection. For young designers like me, an event like this make the perfect venue to introduce myself as a designer. I consider myself really lucky because my 1st fashion show here in Iloilo was for the 1st ever Iloilo Designer's Week. Aside from the fact I'm doing this along with very talented and inspiring people in the city, being in this event also makes me a part of the Ilonggo fashion history. I'm still waiting for the official runway photos so for now I'll just share with you the outfit shots we took before the show.. :)
 

 What I Wore:

necklace and bustier from Bangkok,

digi print skirt from Binkydoodles,

gold belt from Mango,

wedges from Nose,

bag from Liz Claiborne

Skull Candy

Earlier today, we had our fitting for Iloilo Designer's Week. I finally met my models and the other designers too. As I mentioned before, this will be my first fashion show here in Iloilo. I've joined fashion competitions in Manila while I was still studying at the School of Fashion and the Arts but it's a lot different  when you're joining a fashion show that isn't a competition. If you ask me which is more nerve-wracking, I'd say the pressure is greater when it's not a competition. In a competition, you're there to represent just yourself, win or loose. If you don't give your best, then it's entirely your loss. If it's not a competition though, you have to consider a larger "behind-the-scenes".You have to consider the organizers, the people who worked for you, the people who believed in you, the audience, etc. The responsibility is bigger if it's not a competition so you're only allowed to give your best. As for my collection, there's still so much editing to do but I'm very positive and happy in working things out because I know I'm learning and growing because of this challenge. I'm really excited to show you what we've been working on but I have to wait until the day of the show as we're not allowed to spill the details until it happens, so I'll have to stop here for now..  :D

What I Wore:

top and skirt from Bangkok,

faux leather sneakers from H&M,

bag from Singapore