RIIR MaKULAY Collection by Oliver Tolentino

Last Tuesday, we had the privilege of meeting Hollywood's most in-demand  Filipino couture designer Oliver Tolentino at the RIIR MaKULAY fashion exhibit. RIIR really upped the ante with this awe-inspiring collaboration.

                          

Bright and warm tones were the couler de jour with the vibrant line-up of elegant handbags. The limited edition pieces showcased the ingenuity of Tolentino and the enduring craftsmanship of empowered women from the Payatas community who meticulously weaved the fabrics for the entire collection. Dubbed “MaKULAY,” a wordplay of “ma” (mother) and “kulay” (color), the collection paid tribute to the remarkable mothers in Philippine history through the exquisite splash of colour in Tolentino’s design. 

Gracefully poised muses decked in newspaper dresses were the canvasses for the hues highlighted in the RIIR-Tolentino MaKULAY exhibit attended by stalwarts in the fashion industry, enthusiasts, and advocates for eco-ethical style. The newspaper dresses were fashioned by innovative young designers Noelle Llave, Camille Co, Kaye Morales, Mark Tamayo and Nino Angeles from the School of Fashion and the Arts (SoFA).

Oliver Tolentino, one of the most celebrated international haute designers today is a homegrown talent whose slew of recognitions include being named Designer of the Week in March, 2011 at the prestigious Fashion Week El Paseo in Palm Springs, California, USA; winner of the Sustainable Eco Fashion Award in 2010 at the Islands of the World Fashion Week in the Bahamas; and one of the finalists at the Oscars Designer Challenge in 2010, among others. His collections have been regularly featured in international glossy titles like Beverly Hills Lifestyle, Serendipity, and Hong Kong Tatler.  His creations have been worn by three Grammy winners, two Emmy winners, an Oscar nominee, an NAACP Image Award winner, and by attendees at the esteemed Oscars and the Golden Globes Awards. Hollywood celebrities Cee Lo Green, Amber Riley, Jenna Ushkowitz, Sophia Bush, Kimora Lee Simmons, Vivica Fox, Patty Austin, Macy Gray, Arnel Pineda, Lea Salonga, Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, Camille Grammer, Niecy Nash, Tatyana Ali, Eva La Rue, Wendy Davis, and Aly Michalka have all worn his designs.

Tolentino is known for promoting local fabrics and Filipino culture through his pieces. He is a staunch advocate of eco-ethical style.

                                       

                    Stylish celebrity Patty Laurel, also an RIIR advocate, hosted the show

The bags were named after empowered Filipino women Marcela Agoncillo, Corazon Aquino, Gabriella Silang, Marella Villavicencio and Lydia Tolentino.


                                       

This stylish bag was named after Lydia Tolentino, the designer's mother.

Mothers from the Payatas community are the passionate artisans behind the collection

RIIR successfully mounted the awe-inspiring MaKULAY runway show

Moving Forward by Steve Jobs

I came across this video of Apple's Steve Jobs delivering a speech back in 2005. It's a definite must-see.

Enjoy. :)

"You cannot connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking back."
   - Steve Jobs, visionary and co-founder of Apple, Inc.

Spring Fashion

I'm totally drooling over D&G's Spring/ Summer Collection. It successfully marries simplicity and elegance in this collection.

A Coffee Table Book and Schindler's List

I made a mental note halfway through the week. I will try to be productive and battle my propensity to hibernate during the holidays.

My first worthwhile activity this week was to watch Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List" for the first time. I was only thirteen when it was first shown in the theaters - way to young to understand the realities of war.

I have deep respect for Spielberg, but this is one film that I just forgot to see. I'm glad that somebody was kind enough to lend me an HD copy of the film. I saw it twice in less than a week, even talked somebody into watching it with me. It was a gripping story, horrifying, and to me, life-changing.

                   The real Itzhak Stern and Oskar Schindler, central figures
                                           in the film Schindler's List
                                        


My second goal this week was to read a book. To my surprise, I finished an entire coffee table book in two days. It was actually a good read. It's called, "The House That Fried Chicken Built." Replete with snapshots and engaging narratives about a family's passion to serve the best home-cooked fried chicken. Authors Sonia Ner and Robert Basilio talked about how this tradition was passed on to the second and third generations, and how it captured the hearts of thousands and even millions of Filipinos in the Philippines and abroad.

                       The House That Fried Chicken Built Coffee Table Book


Grab a copy of the book at Max's Restaurant in Scout Tuason, Quezon City for only
PhP 2,500. Part of the proceeds will go to education program of the Edgardo Trota Foundation.

Dreading the Holy Week

My two-year old son sleeps soundly as I type away on a borrowed laptop. A few days ago, we took  him to Bonifacio High Street so he can run to his heart's content. After a couple of "Supah Strikas" episodes on Disney Channel, my son has learned to passionately kick anything that is round. It didn't matter if it was a football, tennis ball, or an orange (the round fruit).

When we reached Fully Booked, I was surprised with the volume of people who were at The Fort. It seemed like the Sunday family crowd were all there, times three. Apparently, everyone was observing the Stations of the Cross tradition at The Fort.

After much hesitation, we decided to follow the crowd and go through the different stations.

I was never really big on religious holidays, especially this one. As a child, I remember having nothing to watch on TV, and being terrified by stories and superstitions about Holy Week.

Right now, I'm just glad I took the walk. It was not the religious walk that I expected it to be. It was a peculiar, and "quiet" experience. At one station, scenes from my life just flashed through my head. At another, I was reminded of the evil things I've done in my life, and how blessed I am for the opportunity to start all over. The "walk" came at such an opportune time, when everything seemed to be centered on a lot of things except the ones that really mattered. Faith, hope and love.

Too bad, wasn't able to take photos. ;)

una

I'm really doing it!! I can't wait to start. :)