I've been very very excited about Nina Garcia coming to Manila, the moment I heard of it. For someone who's had a love-hate relationship with fashion, her books were a life-saver. Growing up with a great deal of "appearance issues", it's been a struggle for me figuring out my personal style. It's hard enough for me then to find clothes that fell right on me, that the whole "personal style" thing seemed to make the entire concept of dressing up so tedious. Nina's The Little Black Book of Style, started my journey in finding my voice, and later on figuring out my own style. I learned that styling wasn't as shallow and superficial as I thought. Along with a great many perceptions I had of the fashion world, which turned out to be wrong. I have all four of her books, and they do have a special spot on my shelves. I've come a long way, and much of it I owe to her. I'm by no means a style icon, or stylish, even. But the way I present myself now is certainly a whole lot better that the way I did back then.
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| Sarah Meier hosting the show |
So it's great that Jag started this forum to get fashion and style enthusiasts and afficionados to learn from the industry's best. The show started with featuring capsule collections from some of my favorite designers.
Personally loved Jerome Salaya Ang's looks on the runway. Been such a fan since seeing his work up close. Those looks on the runway did not disappoint. After that, came the time for a little Q+A with the Nina Garcia as moderated by both Sara and Boy Abunda. It was great to hear about the industry from her point of view. And how she got to where she is today. It was a really inspiring discussion, and further proof that passion and dedication will take you places.
She then talked about the business of fashion, from how they first heard/discovered Alexander McQueen, to how important it is to have a business savvy partner for designers.
She also talked about the start of Project Runway, and her initial doubts about it. It showed much about how we see the industry based on where we stood. And she was open about how afraid she was about taking on the role of judge on the show.
And with style, she emphasizes the importance of finding your voice. Like any path in the creative field it is important to embrace your voice, because it is your own. She also states the difference of fashion and style.
This is just the start of the many seasons to look forward to from Jag as they plan on bringing more of the industry's best in the country to share their insight on the world of fashion. They are also having a competition for young designers next time around, so that's something worth looking forward to.
xo
Henri
