Filipiniana by Southern Scribbler

My bestfriend Faye got married with the theme Filipiniana. When I first heard about the theme, I got really excited because I have been waiting for an excuse to don a formal Filipiniana outfit to an affair outside of work. 

I searched the net for inspiration and found the following Filipiniana outfits to my liking. 

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I couldn't decide whether to wear a Terno or a Maria Clara. The last time I wore a terno was during my Acceptance Ceremony to the Sigma Tau Mu Sorority and I couldn't find a picture of myself then. I tried looking for the gown to take a picture of it but I couldn't find it anymore. I do remember that it's black with red details. I remember too that during the hell week of initiation, I just rushed to the Manang who sews my uniforms and asked her to make me a Terno. Sya na bahala sa lahat, sa tela and everything. I picked it up on the afternoon I was to wear it, right after the final rites and right before Acceptance Ceremony. Memories, memories. 

My last recollection of wearing a Maria Clara was when I was ten or eleven during a school activity at the Almendras Gym. Older memories.

In work-related functions, my usual outfit would be a Baro't Saya in an embroided white top and black bottoms. 

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Me with Officemates from the Legal Division

Last year, I attended a more formal work-related function requiring Filipiniana and I wore a Baro't Saya, with a glittery gold top (borrowed) and black slacks (slacks not skirt as I had to ride a cab to and from the venue). 

Faye then announced that her wedding color is Navy Blue. Not royal blue as is the color of the Water Dragon (2012 is the Year of the Water Dragon in the Chinese Calendar). But Navy Blue as in the color of the Ateneo uniform for girls. 
 

Not being part of the Wedding Entourage, I thought I could get away with wearing a lighter color, pink perhaps (wink wink) because if I am wearing a traditional outfit, I wanted it to be in a light and young color. Pampugong sa edad!

A month or so before the wedding, Faye asked me to be the Emcee in her Wedding Reception with our friend, Bret. Good thing I was busy in the months of July and August and has not gotten around to making a pink gown made yet. Although another friend has already loaned me a beautiful hot pink Terno that I was considering wearing, I knew then that I have to wear blue. I was officially part of the Wedding kasi. 

I knew I couldn't wear a navy blue Terno or Maria Clara to the wedding. I felt that I would look older and heavier. I opted for a Modern Filipiniana outfit and channeled Dita Sandico-Ong. 

Women of Harana in Contemporary Costumes by Dita Sandico-Ong

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The best thing about this is that my sister had this wrap in the dark blue that she used when she hosted Coca-Cola's 10th Philippine Cup last summer. I just borrowed the wrap and had the inner gown made in navy blue. 

Alas, the navy blue gown didn't look good in me. It looked good by itself but it didn't go well with the wrap.  The mistake was that the bottom was willowy when it should have been fitted or at least serpentina. I was upset for a week before the wedding because I knew I wouldn't have time to have the gown redone or find something else to wear. Busy-busyhan tayo pag end of the month. 

The day before the Wedding I tried on the pink terno I intended on wearing in the first place and i tried placing the blue wrap over it. It looked good ... way better than donning a full blue outfit. I decided to go with it. Uso pa rin naman ang color-blocking, di ba?

I didn't have a solo picture during the event. I was busy with my role as Emcee kaya walang time mag-posepose. 

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Tandang Sora ang peg ng outfit ko ! 

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The Beauty Is In The Details

SOCIAL CLIMBER: Dita Sandico unwraps the fabric of her unique style

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If you asked Fe Cabactulan what she was wearing, her cheeky reply would be, “Fruit salad.”

At the February 17 cocktail before Dita Sandico was to present her latest wrap collection, Cabactulan, the wife of the Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations, wore a white pina dress topped by an earthy brown Sandico ‘abaca’ scarf made from banana fiber. “I’m wearing fruit salad!”

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I love this woman! She’s loving her clothing and having fun with it. When was the last time we felt this way about what we wore to a party?

If you were at the Philippine Center that evening, Cabactulan proudly and elegantly wore her wrap. So did Eleanor de Leon, the wife of the consul general, and consular officials and staff. They wore their Sandico wrap as ‘panuelo,’ ‘tapis’ or over a black skirt or a pair of jeans. A few twists and knots and this piece of clothing becomes uniquely your own.

The fashion show called “Czarist Charms: Filipiniana Flirting with the Unorthodox” showcased the many ways this wrap can be worn – around the neck, at the waist, to cover the arms, or over the head as a visor. She was further inspired by the “light, airy and gossamer wings of the butterfly,” said Sandico.

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“It’s similar to how the women in Russia wore their clothes,” she told The FilAm.

To those curious about the unusual fabric she uses, Sandico addressed all concerns:

Yes, they are made of indigenous banana and pina fiber.
No, they don’t bleed or fade.
Yes, they can be handwashed and dry-cleaned.
No, the pleats won’t smoothen out over time.
Yes, they are machine-washable.
No, they don’t cost an arm and a leg.

“My dream is to make Philippine abaca a stamp in the world of fashion,” said Sandico, who studied fashion merchandising in Tobe-Coburn School in New York after graduating with a fine arts degree from UP.

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Seeing the real women in a Sandico was a testament to the wearability of her apparel. But watching the models on stage showed how Filipino women, wearing head-turning capes and dramatic opera coats, can radiate “czarist charm.”

Tea and Fashion with Dita Sandico

Its not everyday I get invited to a Tea Party! And not only that, one hosted by Ms. Dita Sandico Ong herself. Fashion with a cup of Tea.. An intriguing combination difficult to resist! So when Jen asked me to go with her to the event last February 1, I immediately jumped at the chance despite the shocking fact that its NOT about Coffee but about TEA (haha.. the coffeeholic side of me cannot believe I just did this!).

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As a coffee lover, I must admit that drinking Tea was difficult in the beginning. I kept on comparing it to coffee which you really shouldn't do. Trust me, I ended up eating every single negative word about Tea coz well.. I got hooked! LOL. It took a lot of convincing but Tea did ended up romancing me over to its side (naks chos.. ganun kalakas ang tama sa coffee sensibilities ko! hahaha!). This must also have been the case for Ms. Dita Sandico Ong. Tea that touches us on a "soulful level" has brought this talented fashion designer to share a different kind of art -- the art of drinking tea.

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The Tea Party was held at the DSO Boutique in San Juan, Greenhills. It was my first time to see her fashionable craftsmanship and I'm just simply amazed by her pieces. As far as I know, what makes Dita Sandico Ong unique is due to the special hand-woven cloth that was made by weavers in Catanduanes and the innovative designs that is well-loved by women all over the world. Here are some samples of her amazing work that would make any Filipino or Filipina PROUD!

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Dita Sandico's fashion show: Filipiniana flirting with unorthodox

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Filipino designer Dita Sandico-Ong is set to amaze fashionistas in New York where she will hold this month a fashion show titled "Czarist Charms: Filipiniana Flirting with the Unorthodox."

Ong, best known for handmade Philippine textiles, will present yet another inventive collection at the Philippine Center on February 17, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.

The event will be attended by the cognoscenti of New York, Filipina magnates in New York led by Atty. Loida Nicolas Lewis, the Philippine ambassador to the United Nations, Libran Cabactulan, together with wife, Fe Cabactulan, and Consul General Mario L. de Leon, Jr. and his wife Mrs. Eleanor de Leon.

Ong will present her new line of unique and versatile wraps for her spring/summer collection.

For the fashion show, she experimented with new creations using indigenous materials mostly coming from the province of Catanduanes. These wraps are versatile, transforming themselves into capes, opera coats and headdresses.

The title of her show — Czarist Charms — suggests a somewhat anarchic concept of the Filipiniana fabric wrapping itself around the world of the Russian empire, a distant conception now within reach.

Ong always tries to unravel new stories about worlds beyond our own, but she always connects them to something that is truly local — Filipino craftsmanship at its finest.

Ong's wrap artiste has been featured all over the world, including Paris, Milan, Rome, Tokyo and Budapest.

In New York, her fashion masterpieces can be found at the Asia Society Store and the METropolitan Opera. - VVP, GMA News

Dita Sandico: Fashion With a Conscience

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“[I] probably will not be a model who wears the clothes [on] the runway.

That’s what I said when I was young whenever my mother brings me to watch the fashion shows. Then, I’ll see the designer, the last person who receives all the applause after the show. I told myself, I want to be the fashion designer.

I want to be the person who do the final bow,”

~ Dita Sandico said.

A proud Filipino designer, wrap artist and advocate of sustainable fashion, Dita Sandico has been in the ethical fashion business for 26 years—promoting Filipino fashion, while helping poor communities by giving them sustainable livelihood. 

Having been born into a family who has been in the fashion industry for generations, it came natural for Dita to understand the substance, identity, and creativity of fashion collections.

“I am actually representing the third generation who has the interest in fashion,” Sandico said.  “My mom always bring me to fashion shows even when I was young. My grandmother was one of the [pioneers] in the industry, through the C.O.D. Department Store. It is in my blood, I guess.”

A graduate of Fashion Merchandising in Tobe-Coburn School in New York, Sandico reminisced that the her first customers were actually the family members.  “I design and make clothes [or gowns] for them and eventually, people are coming to me to create clothes for them. [My relatives] did the advertisement and promotions for me,” she shared.

The Ditta Sandico Fashion

For Sandico, fashion is always evolving, changing, and moving forward “back to our roots.” This definition puts her name on top of the fashion pedestal. Her works—simple, elegant, and perpetual—are not just about being trendy. Her creations can probably last a lifetime, while maintaining its original shape and color.

“Sometimes, people will go to me and say that their dress is my creation [that] I made for them a long time [ago]. I don’t remember some of it, but whenever people tell that to me, it is a confirmation that I’m doing the right thing,” she explained. 

The Sandico fashion, if described in just one word, is timeless—like a piece of art you can buy today and can still appreciate in the future. A piece that can be hidden in your dresser and still look fabulous without a slight change on its quality.

A wrap artist, Sandico has mastered the creation of wraps in varying color and style. “Everytime I come up with new collection, the additional design or accessories on that collection is applicable to my previous design. And that is how my designs are. I just keep on adding something new without losing the base or the identity, ” Sandico said.

Her creation mirrors the good old filipinianas. The clothes she makes are, more or less, a result of her reinvented filipiniana that is more minimal.

An advocate of sustainability, Sandico only uses indigenous materials like thepiña, banana fiber, and pinalino, a combination of piña fiber and irish linen.Though the fabrics are not easy to deal with, Sandico sees the difficulty of the fabric as an advantage and an opportunity to make use of it. Its different texture and shape give her label an identity that is unique and not easy to find. It became her signature trademark, like the Le Smoking suit of YSL and pleated creations of Issey Miyake, which she both admired.

“I look up to the Japanese market because their fashion is very Asian, having said that, Issey Miyake is an inspiration. His creation looks [as] if you don’t know how one can wear it but it is wearable and he can get away with it. It is simple and comfortable, and very close to their culture. On the other hand, I also do admire YSL for his global influence,” Sandico shared.

The DSO Philosophy

Most of the clothes by Sandico are ready to wear and can be bought off the rack.  For clients who want customized designs, a month’s preparation is enough.  “We already have design templates where my customers can choose from, since there are styles that [don’t] suit the fabrics I [use],” Sandico said.

The fabrics that Sandico uses are weaved by the mangyans (the umbrella term for the indigenous groups in Northern Luzon), who keep the tradition alive. According to her, the weavers are mostly mangyan elders, since the younger generation would rather explore other things, neglecting the dying tradition.

“You see, these people weave as part of their culture and you have to teach them discipline and help them through the things they are familiar with. You take care of them and give them livelihood. This what makes a benevolent fashion,” said Sandico.

At the same time, this is what Sandico wants to share with everyone: fashion is not just about clothes. It is what it is underneath, what it is made of, what it identifies. It is not a shallow subject because it is never just about dressing up and looking good. It is being confident and being conscious of what it takes to make a garment, understanding how difficult it is to weave, to create a fabric. For her, it is creating “fashion with a conscience.”

“There are so many fashion designers out there but I feel that they should go back to the basic, which is the fabric. We have to make use of what we have, to identify ourselves in the global market,” she said. When asked about her message to aspiring designers who are dreaming to make their mark on the industry, she simply encourages them to realize who they are.

And that’s what makes Dita Sandico more than just a fashion designer, but more so, a true artist.  She continues to carry the Filipino identity through her collections, the most important element that most designers today seem to neglect.

FILIPINO DESIGNER DITA SANDICO’S INDIGENOUS FIBRE CLOTHING

During the AICI SE Asia conference there was a session on doing business with Asia and understanding some of the cultural differences, manners and customs.  The presenters wore traditional dress of their culture.The Filipino presenter Miselle Bergonia wore this fabulous wrap by local designer Dita Sandico.  It’s based on a tradiitional garment and made from indigenous fibres and linen.  The fabrics are produced by local craftspeople.

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Denise needs all white outfits to comply with Royal Palace function dress code in Singapore

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When travelling I like to bring home something of beauty that is locally produced and typical in some way of the culture.  After admiring Miselle’s wrap we were lucky enough to have one of the local image consultants Bill, take us to Dita’s shop, where she came in and met us and told us all about her clothing and production techniques.  She supports traditional methods of production from natural materials woven into indiginous Filipino fabrics.

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The wrap is the green one pictured above and is called Mariposa, which I believe means Butterfly, and can be worn in a multitude of ways.  I also picked up hat that can be worn in many ways and a great evening bag, both also made of the banana fibre which has a natural sculptural form.

Dita told us that her designs and clothing can be found in a retail outlet in Denmark and she has an outfit in the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore, and is currently looking for outlets to sell her unique and beautiful clothing in other places across the globe.