Manila Times article "Pride in the name of fashion: Markati Palazzo’s edgewear"

since i updated my cv yesterday, i trawled through the net to look for the things i published last year. and since i've been meaning to archive them here anyway, i'll post most of what i found here, mostly my column pieces na di ko pa pala na-u-upload dito, among other articles.

so this means i'll be reposting some old stuff here, at slight marami-rami sila. bear with me folks. salamat.

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this one i wrote when i covered the launch of Radar Pridewear in the general Markati Palazzo section launch of The Podium in ortigas.

had i known that the lifestyle editor of manila times had photo coverage problems, i should have brought a stringer with me to cover this event cum fashion show. well, that's what did na since then. ayoko lang na ako ang photographer din at writer (like i did before during my early freelance years) kasi haggard na siya.

radar pridewear is the only openly out lesbian apparel store (yes, kahit ang tindahan, may sexual orientation heheh) in the country, and i am proud of it and its owners, friends tin and rebie. pero hindi naman dahil magsusuot ka ng damit nila e lesbyana ka na rin. unisex nga ang karamihan sa fashions, kung tutuusin, kaya open to all ito. nga lang, wag tayong sabay magsuot nito sa UP, ha. baka akalain ng mga tao e kakanta tayo sa kung saan man heheh.

o sya. tama na ang side chika.

original post here.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Pride in the name of fashion

Markati Palazzo’s edgewear

By Libay Linsangan Cantor, Contributor Early this month, The Podium Mall at Ortigas proudly opened their brand new section called Markati Palazzo, Metro Manila’s newest fashion address. The cozy cul-de-sac type area at one end of the fourth floor is the new location of new fashion apparel and accessories shops created and run by all-Filipino designers and entrepreneurs. Rare fashion finds and stylish target marketing characterize what Markati Palazzo is all about. And when we say fashion, it doesn’t mean your usual off-the-runway type clothes sold at exorbitant prices, with designs that you’re not sure you really want to wear at the office or in a party. This new fashion address breaks those awful truths and non-aesthetic impressions. As the name suggests, the area is a lodging place hosting current trends and innovative styles—a “market,” if you will, where goods are displayed within rows of stores (palazzo is Italian for rows of buildings/apartment flats). The stores in the area are Bobon by Puey Quinones, Hot Pink Lingerie, Limb, Navarro, Radar Pridewear, Laura, Rugged Door, Stella, Central, Wisdom and V. A rundown of the shops would give ideas to achieve this goal: Bobon carries unique semi-formal style gowns with playful prints and long-sleeved polos for men with hand-painted designs. Puey definitely puts the “hot” in haute couture. Lingerie lovers will definitely love what Hot Pink has in store for them. Flash the words lace, see-through, red, black, silk, satin and sexy in your mind, and you get the idea of what their store seduces to offer. The people behind the seduction is Kaye and Carlo Garcia. For those who want to take their fashion style more out of the limb, so to speak, Limb embodies that out-of-the-box appeal in their apparel, where clunky cool accessories and crazy prints give extra color to colorful personalities. The avant-garde RTW designs are by Dimple Lim. Stella carries several trendy day-clothes for those who want to jazz up their usual office garb. They can choose designs from Louis Claparols, Eric de los Santos and Maud. Navarro (by Tina Navarro of Ilaya Couture fame) and Central (by Hazel Santos and Catherine Cavilte) also serve this purpose, with the former carrying not just apparel but colorful bags from Tinsley. Casual daily wear is what Rugged Door (by Jeffrey Rogador) and Wisdom (by Gail Angeles) specialize in, with designs for men and women who want to reinvent the word “smart casual” in a more intelligent and trendier fashion. Laura focuses more on jewelry, watches, bags and even home accessories with designs that span interests among various generations. Young and old alike could use the elegance and the trendy style of the jewelries, necklaces and other accessories they carry. The person behind the style is Laura de Guzman. Meanwhile, V (by Jane Mendoza) flaunts their ruffles and frills in their fashion outfits that any bona fide young (or young at heart) kikay would proudly wear. And when it comes to being proud, perhaps Radar Pridewear embodies a unique kind of pride in Markati Palazzo, as they are the first store in the country to openly target the lesbian community with their shirts, tank tops and polo creations. Yes, for the first time, a store creates apparel designed for women who love women. Making waves At Radar, there are shirts that carry designs pertaining obviously to the lesbian life and lifestyle, such as “Baby D” or “Barbie with a buzz cut” and several designs inspired by the popular US cable TV show about lesbians called The L Word. They also have a somewhat cowboy and/or military-inspired designs of jackets and polos. But not to alienate the non-lesbian female crowd, Radar also has cool and hip shirt designs that anybody could wear, sans Sapphic slogans. Their general design concept carries the philosophy of creating masculine-type designs that compliment the female form. And depending on the woman who would wear it, their fashion sense is adaptable to send differing messages—as androgynously hot, beautifully bi-curious, flirtatiously hetero or pointblank seductive. In the end, the wearer makes the greatest fashion statement which Radar compliments. Definitely, at Markati Palazzo, the young and young-at-heart are invited to discover their own style—and a myriad of fashion finds awaits all.