Albert Andrada is the featured designer at a bridal fair in Marikina set for the last weekend of October. The well-liked designer is famously known for designing the iconic blue gown worn by Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach when she was crowned in Las Vegas, Nevada, that year.
He has gone to design many other gowns and dresses for his clients since then, but told Lifestyle it’s perfectly fine that people continue to associate the “Pia blue” shade and dress with him.
When we last interviewed Albert, he had just designed a dress for Marina Summers, a drag queen who was in the first season of “Drag Race Philippines,” and who was later part of the second season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs the World.”
“Her team wanted the gown in that shade of blue so I came up with a design but told them I couldn’t make a replica.” Even the one that used to be on display in his shop at Greenbelt 5 was the actual gown worn by Wurtzbach.
“When people passed by and saw the gown, they thought it was a replica. I never made a second one. They then usually remark about how narrow the waist is, but Pia really had a tiny waist when she competed back in 2015, just 23 inches!”
He remembered calling Wurtzbach and telling her to take extra special care of the dress because he wanted it back—a wise decision, considering it was the gown worn by the Philippines’ first Miss Universe in 42 years. The last Miss Universe crown was won by Margie Moran in 1973.
He has since closed that shop and is in the middle of transferring to another space in Makati that he said would be operational by the end of November. The shop, located on the third floor of the La’O building at the corner of Arnaiz and Makati Avenues, has a display window that will once again showcase Pia’s gown.
Before he relocated to Manila, Albert worked in the Middle East for two decades. The first 10 years were spent in an atelier designing with an Emirati business partner, while the next 10 were as the appointed designer of the ruling family in Fujairah of the United Arab Emirates.
When the chance to return to his homeland presented itself, Albert took it. He quickly learned how different Emirati women are from Filipino women when it comes to design sensibilities.
Emiratis prefer in-your-face bling with all the crystals and embellishment, while Filipinas go for more subdued details.
Expensive-looking
He has evolved accordingly, but said he still uses crystals and sequins. “The bling is still there, but now it’s really about fabrics and classic silhouettes. My clients tell me that they want to be able to use the dresses I design for them a few years after they are first worn. And these are women with rooms full of gowns and party dresses,” he said.
“They come to me and say they want simpler dresses, but they want the final product to look expensive.”
To achieve this, Albert places orders with his contact in Paris, France who introduced him to the different fabric sources there. “I only order enough fabric for confirmed clients because it’s not wise to stockpile expensive fabrics like silk chiffon, silk crepe, silk taffeta and Mikado silk.”
Aren’t these types of silk readily available? “Maybe in the past they were, but not now. They’re not as easy to source. That’s why I only order these silk fabrics in specific shades when needed,” he said.
For his upcoming show for “Antipolo Wedding Museum” at the Marikina Convention Center at 3 p.m. on Oct. 27, Albert will be presenting a 15-piece, all-Filipiniana collection. It will be his opportunity to showcase his evolution as a designer.
The butterfly sleeves of the terno will still be there, but he will experiment by using ruffles and ruching at the back, on the hips and on skirt hems to create more volume in what is traditionally a streamlined silhouette.
“This event has been planned on and off for two years now. My cousin Joy Madriaga, who is an established caterer in the province of Rizal, invited me to join their annual event, but our schedules never seemed to align,” he said.
The bridal event features close to 80 wedding suppliers including florists, photographers and venue providers, but is mainly a grand food tasting for soon-to-wed couples.
Apparently, weddings are big business in Rizal and nearby areas. “We have dozens of venues to choose from, and our churches are beautiful and varied,” Madriaga told Lifestyle. On a busy Saturday, she said they can provide catering services for up to 15 weddings.
Aside from Andrada, two other fashion designers, Rica Siena and Jez Amorado, will present their bridal collections at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 27. INQ