...the passion for fashion

Pinoy fashion designer receives standing ovation at US fashion show

By JULIEN MERCED C. MATABUENA

March 29, 2011

Oliver Tolentino (Photo courtesy of fashionweekelpaseo.com)

MANILA, Philippines – A standing ovation concluded the Pinoy-themed fashion show by Filipino designer Oliver Tolentino held March 26 at the El Paseo Fashion Week in Los Angeles, California.

According to a report aired in DZMM Teleradyo’s “Radyo Patrol Balita Alas Kwatro” on Monday, El Paseo’s “Designer of the Week” presented his more than 60-piece collection before a crowd composed mostly of Americans who were said to be impressed by his work. The clothes were said to have been made within a span of four months and with the help of Filipino tailors.

Tolentino’s show reportedly exuded an all-Filipino vibe that was headlined by his muse, the Pinay supermodel Tutay Maristela. The show featured the Filipino songs “Waray-Waray” and a remix version of Sylvia La Torre’s “Galawgaw” as background music.

In an interview aired on “TV Patrol” on Jan. 11, Tolentino shared that his show “is gonna be a gala showcasing all the embroidery of Lucban, the fabric of Aklan.” It was also then that the Orani, Bataan-native designer was named El Paseo’s “Designer of the Week.”

Tolentino became the first Philippines-based designer to expand his clothing line in the US when he opened his Melrose boutique in 2009. Prior to this, he won first prize at the Bali Fashion Week in 2008 for his outfit made of Philippine capiz shells.

In January 2010, he became one of 10 finalists at the Oscars Designer Challenge, where his one-of-a-kind piña and abaca gown gained Hollywood’s attention.

In November he presented a show at the “Islands of the World Fashion Week” in Bahamas, the first Filipino to have done so. There he bagged the Sustainable Eco Fashion Award for his 40-piece couture collection made of sustainable fabrics such as pineapple fiber, abaca and raw silk cocoon.

Tolentino’s designs, famed for being made out of eco-friendly materials, have been picked by many Hollywood stars to wear to prestigious award-giving ceremonies such as the Golden Globes and the Oscars.

His clients in Hollywood include Sophia Bush, Patti Austin, Macy Gray, Niecy Nash, Kimora Lee Simmons, Mel B. of the Spice Girls and La Torre’s granddaughter and Disney star Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, who graced Tolentino’s El Paseo show wearing one of his gowns.