The Wedding Fact Sheet

Celebrity fashionista Pops Fernandez is adding another feather to her cap. After making a name for herself as a TV host, pop singer and Concert Queen, she’s ready to reinvent herself as a wedding gown designer offering affordable frocks to women planning their special day.

The bedimpled Pops will team up with her business partners (and good friends) Emily Sy and Michelle Lim in establishing stand-alone boutiques throughout the country. The boutiques will sell not just custom-made wedding gowns but also gowns for the whole wedding entourage, including of course the bridesmaids and flower girls. They will also offer cocktail dresses and formal get-ups that one can wear in all kinds of parties.

Plans are afoot to franchise the Pops Fernandez wedding boutiques this early. The launch of her wedding collection was made in the Franchise Asia 2011 expo but it wasn’t revealed yet where the first boutique will be.

What is good is that the wedding gowns will be very affordable, only P15,000 up. Cocktail outfits can go as low as P3,000, depending on the design.

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Photo credit: RC Bridal Philippines

For the blushing bride having an upscale wedding, look no further than Spanish label Rosa Clara which has dressed some well-known socialites and celebrities in Europe and beyond. I’ve passed by the Greenbelt Residences in Makati City and can see signs that the first and only Rosa Clara bridal boutique will be opening soon in the Philippines. This is certainly good news for women out there who want to expand their options on classy and elegant wedding gown styles without going too far.

Peek at the Rosa Clara website to see how beautiful the styles are. For 2012, the label sticks to classic, minimal lines. They feature simple bodices, bare backs, asymmetric necklines and swishy skirts. The gowns either have high or low tight waists, or full skirts. They’re also fond of using such exquisite fabrics as Chantilly lace, silk organza and tulle.

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So your fairy tale wedding is coming true….congratulations! Now begins your frantic preparations and of course the semingly-elusive search for the perfect wedding gown. A gown that will perfectly match that of your Prince Charming. How to do this? Wear a princess-inspired wedding gown, of course!

I was quite surprised to find out that the US-based Walt Disney company has a Disney Bridal collection where you can play the role of a Disney princess to the hilt with their wedding gown collection. For example, the Sleeping Beauty gown has a crystal beaded bodice with rose detail and “multiple layers of dreamy gossamer tulle, reminiscent of cascading briar rose petals.” View it here.

The Cinderella gown features a draped criss-cross bodice and a romantic sweetheart neckline accented with sparkling crystal beading and rhinestones. This is your classic ballgown of tulle and glitter net over taffeta, and reminisces what the storybook Cinderella wore with her glass slipper.

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I treasure my recent meeting with Oliver Tolentino, one of the Philippines’ fast-rising fashion designers. He shuttles between continents, as he has shops in both Los Angeles (California) and Manila (Makati City). He has dressed up a number of celebrities including Imelda Marcos, Lea Salonga, singer Patti Austin, former Spice Girl Mel B and Kimora Lee Simmons.

A check with his website shows that he specializes in wedding gowns as well. In the interview that follows, get to know more about his style and how he’s bent on promoting the best of Filipino fabrics. We think he will provide the perfect, contemporary touch to your Filipiniana or eco-chic theme wedding

What’s your signature design and design philosophy?

My designs always have some Filipino touch, usually the detailing.  I love to use colors and prints and mix them in ways that you initially wouldn’t think would work.  

What are your insights on eco-ethical design (in the Philippines and abroad)?

Eco fashion / sustainable fashion is the hottest thing right now and wherever I go I promote our native fabrics.  I personally have introduced them to the fashion dean of Parsons in New York, the owners of Paul Mitchell, an eco fabric charity in Hong Kong, the crowd at the Ronald Reagan 100th birthday gala, and my fashion shows in the Bahamas and Palm Springs.  I get a lot of pride out of exposing what we Filipinos can create to people who have never seen our indigenous fabrics.

So far, what do you think is your greatest achievement as a designer?

I’m proud to be the first Philippines-based fashion designer to expand into the United States when I opened a shop in Los Angeles.  But I don’t think it (greatest achievement) has happened yet. 

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Recently, I was attend the launch of the new line of liquid foundation by Artistry, the prestige make-up brand of Amway. One of the highlights of the launch was a fashion show featuring wedding gown creations by designer to the stars Francis Libiran. He has made red carpet gowns for the likes of beauteous actresses Anne Curtis and Bea Alonzo. During a brief chat, the youthful Francis revealed that one can have a wedding gown made with him for as low as P17,000 (seventeen thousand pesos). For a celebrity designer, that’s certainly reasonable!

We certainly give the thumbs up to his wedding gowns, which were simple yet stunning. When asked what the wedding trends for 2010 will be, he mentioned that the color tone for the entourage will now veer on pastels, as opposed to the dark colors last year. This means the return of pink, lavender, lime green and other light colors. Instead of straight silhouettes, wedding gowns will have more frills at the bottom edges, like what you see in these gowns:

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During the last Flores de Mayo held at the Mall of Asia during the last week of May, I was able to bump into Renee Salud, one of the Philippines’ most enduring designers who created the bridal gown of TV personality Tintin Bersola and other top fashion models in the country (like one of her ‘alagas,’ Marilen Espino).

I was teasing Mama Renee about how expensive her wedding gowns must be, after which she replied with an exclamation mark: “Not at all!” Apparently, you can have a Renee Salud wedding gown for about P30K only. It really depends on how you negotiate with her, and the specifics of your dream gown.

My impression after talking with her is that the country’s top fashion designers have adopted to the changing times. They have larned to adjust, knowing that today’s brides are more budget- and cost-conscious than ever.

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Every bride probably can’t deny the fact that they want a notable designer to do their wedding gown. Not all of us can have a Vera Wang or our very own Monique Lhuillier who has made it internationally. But local fashion is brimming with talent itself. You just have to look around.

And that’s how I became a happy Edgar Allan bride. I was certainly proud to wear his creation during our wedding. I liked its simple cut and classic accents. It’s something I’ll treasure and content enough to pass on to my daughters, when the time comes.

Guess what, I thought Edgar Allan is hibernating…but it turns out he’s preparing for his own bridal exhibit from June 4 to 14 near his new boutique in Glorietta 5, Makati.
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