(Larrie Silva pioneered in ready-to-wear in the Philippines after working at Pierre Balmain in Paris as a young designer. In the early ’70s, Glecy Tantoco tapped him to design RTW brands for Rustan’s, from Lady Rustan to Silvastar, Silvawear Island Collection and Silvano. He retired in 2005.)

Just how does one pay tribute to a woman who’s touched and brought me to the fulfillment of my dreams, who gave me the opportunity and a privilege to design the first local designer brand of a store as prestigious as Rustan’s?

Ms Gliceria Rustia-Tantoco (GRT) must have first heard of me through the wife of then Philippine ambassador to France Ms Salcedo Moreno, whom I would regularly invite to watch the Pierre Balmain collection in Paris. I remember her telling me, “I’ve told Ms Tantoco about you.”

For a 26-year-old wannabe, the thought of meeting the founder of Rustan’s was wishful thinking. One day, seated next to a window in my hole-in-the-wall apartment in Paris overlooking the Notre-Dame Cathedral, I thought, “Why not?”

With the help of a brother, I was sent a return ticket from Paris to Manila. After a few weeks, my sister, Ate Lydia, who GRT personally knew, set that memorable meeting.

Coming face-to-face with GRT was truly a precious moment. We talked mostly about my career and, after agreeing to my request to bring in my favorite French models from Paris should anything materialize, she was quick to say, in a very business-like manner, “Okay, Larrie, I plan to make you handle Lady Rustan with your name and make you our very first local designer brand.”

The rest is history!

Astute businesswoman

We knew GRT as an astute businesswoman. She was a stickler for quality and looked intensely into the details. She was intuitive, judicious, sharp-witted, and much more.

There was a side to GRT that perhaps not too many knew. She was tender, kind and compassionate. I will never forget the many times she’d let her chauffeur drive me to Rustan’s manufacturing factory in Parañaque, and back, especially during rainy seasons. She also personally offered me a company car loan after learning I commuted to the office.

Many times while we were abroad, I would simply whisper, “Ma’am, I no longer have money,” and with a smile on her face, she would reply, “Look for Samson (her secretary).”

There was that one frightening moment when she screamed at me for coming in late for an important group meeting, only to have her secretary call me the next day to check if I was okay.

I made her laugh no end, as she watched me perform my ridiculous one-man acts during our Christmas parties.

It has been 47 long years since my story with Rustan’s began, but it was only recently that I was asked to describe GRT. I said with conviction: “She was an extraordinary, gifted woman with a passion that transformed the course of Philippine fashion and lifestyle. She made Rustan’s the paragon of elegance, glamour and class.” —CONTRIBUTED