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| RUN THE WORLD. Supermodel Ria Bolivar opens the Parisian segment. The stage design looks spectacular! |
We have lots of reasons to thank everyone, especially our PARISIAN family (Marketing Head Ms. Rina Lacia-Bugayong, Merchandising Head Ms. Felanie Lim & her merchandising team, VP for LTBG Mr. Eugene Saw, etc.) and the whole creative team (Adfolio, especially) involved in putting up a great segment. Except for the fact that after setting the bar high, the SM Ladies Fashion slaughtered what could have been a showstopper as a whole - they presented never-ending collections of same-looking pieces to the yawn of the stylish crowd. If only they saw -- for one -- how supermodel/actress Melanie Marquez struggled to wake up from the sleepiness (while having a nightmare perhaps) that she went through that night!
I won't dwell on this problem of the SM Ladies Fashion, but certainly, I'll give kudos to fellow senior stylist Millet Arzaga for presenting much better styling this season, and going through that kind of seemingly-forever, herculean task that only the most patient can deliver.
OK, enough of that!
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| THE ELEMENTALS. Parisian shoes galore! |
Just a bit of nostalgia: during conceptualization stages for the PARISIAN show, George and I were thinking of practical yet exploding-with-showmanship-level-kind-of-fashion that will be fiercely-sexy, but transits from summer to rainy season. Inspired by the plastic coats, coverups and dresses by Burberry Prorsum, Louis Vuitton and Dolce & Gabbana from past collections, our dreams were coated with plastic and were delighted to the fact that PARISIAN has a whole assortment of gorgeous-looking lucite heels with plastic straps, and some cute transparent plastic-made bags, too. We realized we were totally in synch with each other!
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| PLASTIC-COATED DREAMS. Clothes done by Louis Claparols line-up at the backstage. |
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| ANOTHER TAKE. A better snapshot by our styling associate Maika Dy. |
And since we were raving about the swimsuits layered with lace dresses that designer LOUIS CLAPAROLS presented for his S/S 2012 at last October for PFW, we immediately tapped him to do the whole ensembles made of plastics with swimsuits underneath for the show. Aside from his creative talent, it was also such an easier thing for us to collaborate with him because makeup guru BOBBY CARLOS (who does the makeup for our PARISIAN ad campaigns & videos) is his partner. The result was astounding, the creations of Louis made us all say wow!
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| TWO TO TANGO. Designer of the moment, Louis Claparols backstage with his other half, Bobby Carlos of Max factor. |
But of course, these plastic ensembles are not for everyone. These were custom-made for the PARISIAN show, to match the new collections of shoes while making an impact. You will have to be model-esque or super fierce to pull these off (asa pa the others saying they wouldn't be caught wearing one).
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| TRIFECTA. Main stylist for Parisian George Palmiano chit-chatting with fellow stylist Ram Rivera and Adfolio's head honcho Lora Gabuna-Antenor. |
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| SKIRTING THE ISSUE. My partner George Palmiano fixes the skirt of Ria Bolivar while the ever-skinny Irish Ong looks on just before the show. |
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| BEND OVER. Statuesque model Marita Ganse checks out the shoes while smiling for my camera. |
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| CAUGHT IN COMMOTION. Our styling assistants attend to models Ana Sideco, Irish Ong and Michelle Panemanglor. |
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| PICHURRRR, PICHURRRR! Our associate stylist Maika Dy side-by-side with celebrity/model Victor Basa while waiting for gf Divine Lee backstage. |
PARISIAN, obviously with its latest marketing & merchandising efforts, is going leaps and bounds to establish itself as the country's leading stylish footwear brand for ladies from all walks of life. The new collection of shoes, called ELEMENTS, gets its inspiration from earth, wind, fire and water (thus the name).
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| SHOE MANIA. Nautical-colored shoes from the water collection. (Photo by Maika Dy) |
The show opened up with the Water collection, which consisted of architectural-type heels and wedges in nautical hues of blue, red and yellow with metallic gold trims. On the other hand, the Air collection typified its colorless characteristic with lucite heels and plastic straps. The Earth collection was automatically neutral with lots of wooden details. Lastly, the Fire collection was all about bright-hot colors in simmering palettes of red, black, fuchsia and orange.
In a show directed by the super-nice Cata Figueroa, here are runway shots and others for your viewing pleasure:
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| PATRONAGE. The anxious crowd awaits. (Photo by Maika Dy) |
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| The show starts with the Water Collection. Super loveeee those transparent skirts and those plastic bags with shoes inside! |
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| The Air Collection delights the audience with lucite heels and plastic straps perfect for modern-day Cinderellas. |
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| The Earth Collection takes centerstage. |
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| The 4th Element: Fire Collection heats up the stage. |
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| Models prepare for the finale. |
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| Front face... |
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| Then back turn... Models spell out P-A-R-I-S-I-A-N perfectly, thank God! |
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| My partner George Palmiano catches up with stylist friends post-show - Reg Rodriguez, Rudolph Leonor and Mikka Velasquez. (Photo grabbed from heyrocketgirl.com) |
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| Finally, my only moment with the camera - with Flor Maximo & Ricci del Rosario of LTBG, and young stylists Mikka Velasquez & Rudolph Leonor. Thanks Reg Rodriguez of heyrocketgirl.com for this pic! |
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| SHOE HEAVEN. This is what it looks like backstage after the show! (Photo by Maika Dy) |
Check out the new collections of PARISIAN now available in SM Department Stores nationwide. Also watch out for my blog about the PARISIAN Elements Ad Campaign for PFW very soon!
NOTE: Runway photos from PARISIAN Facebook account.
