Dubai-based fashion designer Michael Cinco understands the influence of signature looks. Call it branding. His name is synonymous with bold but feminine architectural shapes, multitiered and hand-sewn ruffles and shirring, structured fluted skirts, artistic embroidery that conveys opulence and metrosexual fashion.
“A designer’s greatest achievement is to cultivate a signature look and a personal aesthetic that people can recognize,” he told Inquirer Lifestyle. “My most significant fulfillment is when people say, ‘That is very Michael Cinco.’”
His pair of oversized Gucci shades, which he wears even indoors, is not just a trademark but a powerful means of self-assurance.
“It’s like a shield,” said Cinco. “I’m shy, but I’m confident whenever I wear these glasses. I feel as if I’m looking at a rose-colored world. Everyone is beautiful.”
Wearing a black lace brocade double-breasted suit, Cinco preferred to stay backstage and supervise the packing of his clothes rather than mingle with the fawning audience.
His 50-collection for Ballet Philippines’ golden anniversary gala at Manila Marriott’s grand ballroom was said to be his best ever.
The collection was based on the Tchaikovsky ballet “Swan Lake,” about a prince, Siegfried, who falls in love with Odette, a maiden who turns into a swan at daytime, under the spell of the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart.
The show was a crossover of fashion and dance. Alden Lugnasin’s choreography—a fusion of signature “Swan Lake” movements and contemporary dance—was crucial to the unfolding of Cinco’s collection.
Gender bender
The ballroom was transformed into an enchanted forest and glade.
Ballet Philippines (BP) principal Denise Parungao, dressed in a bell tutu, performed her solo as Odette. As Tchaikovsky’s music heightened, frightened swans, in flesh-toned bodices with white tulle shirring and powder puff tutus, encircled Odette until she disappeared on stage.
Odette, now a swan, reemerged with her partner, BP alumnus Biag Gaongen.
Cinco explained that the sorcerer turned maidens into captive swans. However, the designer took a different trajectory.
Normally portrayed by a male, Von Rothbart was a female model, dressed in a black gown with stiff feathers on the shoulders, crystal trumpet sleeves and a bodice of red crystals that suggested blood.
“Red symbolized the hatred in Von Rothbart’s heart,” Cinco said.
Like swans, models appeared in a series of minis and knee-length white dresses, embellished with feathers and embroideries of feather patterns.
As the show progressed, variations of complicated feather motifs were executed in the gowns and exaggerated trains.
“My embroideries are like paintings or patterns on stained-glass windows. I used pearls, crystals and mirror glass for sparkle,” Cinco said.
Some outfits were adorned with fluted sleeves, made stiff with horsehair. “The swirl represents the gracefulness of the swans,” he said.
Party scenes
Another reference was Prince Siegfried’s birthday party in the garden. Women in colorful gowns of layered ruffles with hand-sewn shirrings and men in waistcoats and long coats with rose embroidery patterns were allusions to the flowers, Cinco said.
Then there were other references drawn from the famous ballroom scene where Von Rothbart appeared with his daughter Odile, dressed in black, to fool the Prince into believing she was Odette.
A highlight was a series of fluted dresses in gradating colors which was a nod to “Dance of the Princesses.” It was matched by men in colorful coats worn over dove gray city shorts and pants.
Cinco’s penchant for rainbow colors was born out of his childhood memories of chasing rainbows in Samar.
The couturier explained that his signature fluted skirt was his take on Christian Dior’s groundbreaking full skirt in the mid-20th century. Cinco’s version was stiffened by crin or horsehair.
The model who portrayed Prince Siegfried wore a light suit with puffed inserts and a shirt with ruffs.
To titillate the audience, Cinco’s Von Rothbart at the ball scene was a male model wearing a black crystal bikini under a robe heavily embroidered with foliage patterns. Odile, the Black Swan, was an adrogynous-looking male draped in a black cape of organza ruffles and sheer black pants.
“The gender-bending Odile was my salute to the LGBTQ community. That’s why the music was, ‘Are You a Boy or a Girl?’” Cinco said.
The collection went on to present black pouf ball gowns evocative of the Black Swan.
The finale was the bridal wear, the last gown, which had a cape made of layers of shirred tulle that suggested the feathers and tail of a swan.
Cinco pointed out that Cultural Center of the Philippines chair and gala organizer Margie Moran-Floirendo was his Black Swan. She was transformed into a jewel with her sparkly gown, decked with layers of electric pleats that swayed as she moved.
Embroidery
Although Cinco’s clothes are theatrical and fulfill a fantasy on stage, his silhouettes are basic. He established a solid foundation in construction techniques at the Slim’s School of Fashion and Arts. He then spent a year as an assistant designer to Renée Salud.
Eager to conquer the world, Cinco went to Dubai and applied at a famous fashion house, Ghanati. Since it was on the brink of bankruptcy, it was sold to HSBC. Cinco came when management was undergoing restructuring in 1997. He revamped the clothes that were heavy on drapery and beadwork.
The Filipino designer introduced cleaner and comfort-focused silhouettes and toned down the embellishments to create the right amount of drama.
He left the company after six years, took up short courses in fashion design at Central Saint Martins in London and spent two months in Paris to immerse himself in the culture.
Returning to Dubai, he established his own label with a local business partner, Sayed Ali.
Style Public Relations in Los Angeles saw Cinco’s designs on his social media accounts and asked him to send clothes to the United States. Among the celebrities he has dressed are Lady Gaga for the launch of her perfume, and Sofia Vergara for the 2013 Golden Globe Awards. He has also dressed the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna and Mariah Carey.
Cinco attributes his precise construction and elaborate embroidery to his demanding clients in the Middle East. “They are accustomed to buying Valentino, Dior, Saint Laurent. I had to prove that my clothes are at par with these European designers,” he said.
He runs a workforce of 130 to produce one-of-kind embroidered fabrics for his couture clients who want exclusivity, he noted.
The price of his clothes are in the range of a Mercedes Benz. “It’s worth it,” he said. “It’s like you’re buying a piece of art.” —CONTRIBUTED