Fashion

Project Runway Philippines Review: Episode 7

10 May 2012   Katrina Ramos Atienza   No comments
prp7.feat



Strange. There are no runway recaps and no photos of this week’s episode in the ETC website. What gives, ETC? Is it because this week’s challenge was a tie-up with MEGA Magazine’s 20th anniversary, in which the designers re-interpret an iconic MEGA cover, which means we’ll only get to see photos of the designs if we buy the latest issue (because they’re not on MegaStyle.ph)?



Anyhoo, let’s make do – and if you haven’t seen episode 7 yet, try to catch the rerun on Saturday, because this was a return to form for the show after a couple dud episodes. The challenge seemed to re-invigorate the designers, who came up with some truly beautiful clothes.

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PRP3 Episode 6 Review: “Looking Ahead”

03 May 2012   Katrina Ramos Atienza   No comments
projectrunway6feat

Aaaaand here we have the Sponsor Episode. Quick, how many times did you count the WACOM unit, a tablet-like computer sketchy thingamajig used by iAcademy in their Fashion Design course, mentioned in the program? Tweetie must have dropped it three or four times during her pre-runway spiel to the designers. I know that sponsors are lovely and make talent competitions like this possible, but this episode almost felt as though the editors didn’t have much to showcase, so they added the name-drops, plus a super-long and pointless sojourn at the L’Oreal hair and makeup studio, instead.

What a shame, because the challenge itself was rather interesting: the designers had to make a.) men’s streetwear b.) to be worn five years from now c.) by their non-model iAcademy student-tutors. Men’s streetwear is totally different from women’s fashion: the latter still takes its cues from traditional fashion outlets as runway shows and magazine editors, while the former is more pop culture-driven. See: Kanye West and the rebirth of the band jacket; Justin Timberlake’s transition from baggy to body- conscious; and even the definite impact Korean and Japanese artists have had on male street fashion and haircuts. Plus, there was the added complication of the “five years from now” directive. How would the designers interpret that?

The answer: not very well.

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PRP3 Episode 5 Review: “Little Troubles”

26 April 2012   Katrina Ramos Atienza   2 Comments
littletroubles

Whoah! I just missed one episode and all of a sudden my pet designer Enzo explodes in a haze of “bad” design, prompting Rajo to call his creation “a sad cabbage.”

As you might have guessed, I wasn’t too happy with how this episode turned out. Let’s break it down.

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PRP3 Episode 3: “A Bag of Surprises” Review

12 April 2012   Katrina Ramos Atienza   No comments
projectrunway303.feat

This episode the designers are challenged to interpret Rocio Bags designed by Rocio Olbes (who, in irrelevant trivia, used to go to Sunday School with my sister!). The bags were sculptural and showcased a definite Filipino sensibility (although not all of them were spectacular – the losing model’s cigarette case being one of the less nice ones.) I enjoyed the bit where Rocio Bags’ co-creator Hamish Menzies explained how the clothes should serve as a platform for the bags or something – for a minute there I thought Craig Ferguson swooped in as guest.



This episode provided some low-key drama too – starting with Cheetah’s brush with a slow saleslady at Carolina’s (mga ate, nasa TV kayo! Wag kukupad-kupad!), which eventually cost her the win. Then there were some establishing scenes of a burgeoning crush on Nel (Ha? Why?), but I confess my jaw literally dropped at the episode’s end, when designer Amor Albano confessed she wanted to be the one eliminated!



But let’s get down to the designs.

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Review: Project Runway Philippines 3, Episode 2 – Young and Indigenous

05 April 2012   Katrina Ramos Atienza   2 Comments
projectrunway

Season 3 of Project Runway Philippines has started and silly me was only able to catch the second episode this week!

I was a huge, HUGE fan of the show’s first season. It had it all: sharply drawn characters, great design and a nail-biting finale with three designers whose aesthetics could not be any more different. The second season, however, left me cold after a few episodes. Sad to say that there just wasn’t any…zing! All the designers genuinely liked each other and the winner was a super nice guy. Sounds like a lovely workplace, but it made for pretty dull TV.

Fortunately, the new season seems to take things in a new direction and I’m going to set my clock to start watching this every Sunday (it’s at 8pm, folks!). Episode 2, “Young and Indigenous” centered on creating a young, sophisticated outfit for fashion blogger Camille Co to wear to an event. The twist was that they had to use indigenous Filipino fabrics. I thought it was genius, as ikat and tribal prints have been making a big splash in international runways and high street chains, so the time is ripe to promote our own beautiful, traditional design! Not all designers were as enthusiastic, though. There were some wonderful hits – and some not-so-great misses.

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The sizzle season: Cover me glamorous

15 March 2012   Katrina Ramos Atienza   No comments
The sizzle season: Cover me glamorous

You’re at the beach or the pool and you’ve got your banging swimsuit on. You want to stay modest out of the water, though, or maybe you don’t plan on swimming at all. Do you reach for a pair of thin, fabric shorts and a white cotton shirt? 

I say halt! Put the shorts and

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The sizzle season: Swimsuit shopping

08 March 2012   Katrina Ramos Atienza   No comments
thesizzleseason.feat

…And just like that (a la Carrie Bradshaw), it’s summer. You all know what that means: bathing suit season!

Full disclosure time: I do my best to be confident and own my body, but nothing brings home the fact of time and the ravages of childbirth than swimsuit shopping. I’m actually weighing-scale lighter than I was pre-baby, but my tummy’s all loose and my breastfeeding boobies are so unwieldy. That makes me uncomfortable in my previous sporty two-piece suits.

I’ve looked all over for appropriate replacements, which made me shake my fists in frustration, Where are all the boy leg shorts? Where are the Liz Taylor-fabulous retro swimsuits?

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Fit it right: Secrets to buying the perfect bra

01 March 2012   Katrina Ramos Atienza   No comments
secretstobuyingtheperfectbra.feat

I wish I could be in the fitting room with all of you to show you what wearing the right bra can do for you. When you are properly lifted and supported, you not only feel better but you look significantly better — not just in your bra but under your clothes. For instance, I had a client today who told me she wore a size 38C and refused to believe otherwise. When none of the bras she tried on were working for her, I gently convinced her to let me take a few measurements and make recommendations. Before I wrapped my tape measure around her back, she looked at herself in the mirror, sighed deeply and said, “I really, really need to lose weight.” I hushed her up — no self-hatred is allowed in my fitting room ever — and minutes later had her in a 36DD bra. I showed her how much smaller her back looked now, how all the “fat” on her sides and in her back that she complained about were smoothed out, and how perky her breasts looked again. This is my goal every single time I go to work — and it’s what I hope happens for you during your next bra shopping expedition.  



Here are a few guidelines that, hopefully, will help you find success on your own. Perhaps next time we can talk about different problems with fit and their possible solutions, but this is a good start.


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Fit it right: Finding the perfect bra

23 February 2012   Katrina Ramos Atienza   No comments
Gigi E. Santos - "Gigi Goes Gaga"

My first retail job was at a lingerie store in downtown Los Angeles, part of a growing chain that is now the most famous lingerie brand in the world. There I learned how to do what my tita once did and I became an expert at fitting bras on women of all shapes and sizes. Twenty years later and I’m back at the same company. I discovered that bra technology has advanced so much that there’s really no reason why any of us needs to suffer through wearing the wrong bra. Theoretically speaking, at least; I’m sadly aware that it’s difficult to find bras in the Philippines that are larger than, say, a 36D. 


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Color story

26 January 2012   Katrina Ramos Atienza   2 Comments
katrinaramosatienza.colorstory.feat

I’m not the most “colorful” person – before my style reawakening, my work wardrobe was full of beiges and grays. But I’m slowly working color back into my repertoire, and the hues from the Spring 2012* runway collections are yummy enough to get me on the trend. Simply put: it’s time for pastels, crisp sorbets

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