While preparing for the board exams, she serendipitously landed a set design styling gig for Look Magazine’s cover shoot. It was through her good friend Eizel Nocon, who referred her to former Look editor in chief Carmencita Sioson. That cover gig was used by a clothing brand as an inspiration for its fashion campaign, and she was even hired to produce the set design for it. “That’s when I realized I could do this professionally,” she says. After passing the board exams, she would divide her time between interior and set design.
Barretto likes to stretch the imagination by adding visual elements to create a unique background for a fashion shoot. “A little bit whimsical, distressed and eerie,” she says of her trademark work, inspired mostly by movies, TV series and architecture, and with references to her favorite set designers Shona Heath and Mary Howard.
Heath is the brains behind the whimsical editorials of British fashion photographer Timothy “Tim” Walker, while Howard has created amazing backgrounds for some of the most famous photographers, designers and magazines.
If Barretto were to create her dream set, it would be “whimsical, strange and colorful,” she describes. “Like oversized things in a garden, similar to the ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ movie.”
As vibrant and whimsical as Barretto’s set designs are, she likes to “shake things up a bit”; her fashion sense is anything but conventional. “I’d like to call my personal style transformative androgynous utilitarian,” she says, stringing together descriptive words for her unique individual style.
She would normally go to work in stylish or crazy workwear—pencil skirts or well-styled sweats or harem pants, teamed with tank tops or T-shirts. Or a maxi dress paired with boots. Solid colors, mostly black and white, constitute her wardrobe for easy mixing and matching.
Since she’s always on the field, her office is where her projects are. One day she can be sourcing or pulling out, other times doing oculars, construction or even spending her whole day doing photo shoots. She can magically transform her look from day to evening with a simple change of shoes. “From my working boots to my stilettos, I’m good to go,” she says, adding, “my favorite hat, which comes out of the closet to party.
“I guess it’s all about styling,” she says.
Her day is never boring, she exclaims. “I actually like it. It gives me a sense of variation,” she adds. The most interesting part of her job is when she gets to collaborate with different creative people from the industry, as well as having an idea that is turned into reality, which is what keeps her even more fascinated with her job.
“The process by which you create this picture in your head and actually have to execute it,” she explains, “it may be hard, but the outcome is worth it.”
Her take on fashion:
Style: It’s what makes fashion pieces personal to every individual. Style is how you want to present yourself. It’s more than what fashion clothes or items you put on yourself; it’s how you wear them.
Fashion heroes: Annie Lenox, Twiggy, Yasmin Sewell
Style advice: Experiment with your style until you find your right footing, then, stick with it; you’ll have a closet full of clothes that best represent who you are. As for the clothes you had during your “experimental phase,” there’s always a garage sale.
Style era: The 1920s is the era I love the most. From its Art Deco fashion and art, to design and architecture. I’d like to wear both 1920s female and male fashion from this era: cardigans, blazers, sweaters, hats, trousers, hip-length for skirts and tops.
Style rules: 1. Make sexy look effortless. 2. Styled oversized clothes. 3. Experiment with your proportions. 4. Wear manly clothing femininely. 5. Don’t wear it if it’s not comfortable.
Music she dresses up to: Alternative rock. Hip-Indie. “Gurrrrlll.” (LOL)
She can’t live without: A nice pair of black leather boots, a black hat and sunglasses
Oldest and dearest item: My camel-colored leather Anne Klein sling bag. It’s a small bag that fits a lot and matches all my clothes.
Quirkiest fashion item: Cat-ears headband, and I actually still wear it.
Go-to designer: Martin Bautista
Fashion pet peeve: Pushed-up collar
Her fashion favorites:
- Zara pencil skirt, which can easily take me from day to night, depending on how I style it.
- Zara tailored blazer to easily give my outfit a polished look.
- A pair of Mango trousers for a slightly masculine feel.
- My Topshop hat completes my outfit and comes in handy, especially for bad hair days.
- I never leave home without my Ray-Ban sunglasses.
