BLURB
While last year’s Adam Saaks gave the Sinulog T-shirt some edge, Cary Santiago raised it to high fashion
In the 35 years or so that we Cebuanos have been celebrating Sinulog, we’ve always had a to-each-his-own approach when it comes to our Sinulog wardrobes. That changed last year, however, when customizable Sinulog T-shirts by local retail brand Islands Souvenirs exploded on the scene and into the streets, becoming our unofficial festival uniform.
Islands Souvenirs showed us that a T-shirt wasn’t just a T-shirt with its first-ever Cut and Style fashion show last year, which featured fashion bloggers and brand ambassadors Laureen Uy, Camille Co and Kryz Uy. The event was also buoyed up by the addition of a Hollywood name, Adam Saaks, the self-styled master shredder known for his live T-shirt cutting performances.
Encore
After the unequivocal success of that first fashion show, it only made sense to do it a second time this year.
Islands Souvenirs brought back Laureen for an encore with her celebrity stylist sister Liz.
“I started my Sinulog journey last year by walking for Islands Souvenirs’ Cut and Style fashion show, and I’m ecstatic to be walking again for them—this time with my sister Liz,” said Laureen. “I’ve always wanted to do a shoot or campaign with my sister, and now it came true!”
Laureen and Liz walked the runway to a packed atrium at The Northwing at SM City Cebu. They shared the spotlight with local personalities and some of Cebu’s prettiest faces—Anne Geidt, Alyssa Sacal, Miren Jarque, Annette Osmeña, Nicole Li, twin sisters Jennifer and Jasmin Sarmiento, Gabi Baljak, Gillian Uang and Miss Cebu 2015 Wynonah Buot, who won the crown just two days prior to the event. She was with her court, Maria Genefe Navilon, Aivy Mae Castro, Lucena Rose Magdadaro and Domenic Reynes.
For the boys, too
The boys were not to be left out because, after all, they, too, needed some inspiration for their wardrobes come Sunday. On the runway, Sinulog outfit ideas for guys came courtesy of stylist David Cua, blogger Doyzkie Buenaviaje, Sirens frontman Josh Alipe, club promoter Kiko Kintanar, Kenyan grad student Marvin Rono, restaurateur Mikel Alazas, basketball players Joshua Sinclair and Jose Piero Longa and mechanical engineer Manuel Biermann, who was just in town from Germany to visit his girlfriend, Annette, who was also part of the show.
“This was a totally new experience for me,” he said. We assume he wasn’t just talking about the fashion show but Sinulog itself.
What stole the show and elicited the loudest cheers from the crowd, however, were the kids that made their runway debuts with their moms. On the ramp were Kate Anzani with her girls Azzurra, Ambra and Alessia; Elaine Lo with her daughters Julianna, Mikaela and Clarisse; Elise Demiar with her son Lucas and daughter Lana; Tanya Go with her son Ty and daughter Vy; Tasha Dixon with her two boys, Alistair and Miles, and her youngest, Sienna; and Golda Ouano with her identical twin daughters, Harlow and Shiloh, who went the punk route with their mohawk wigs in lieu of the more traditional floral or feathered headdresses.
Siblings Yano, Renzo and Kalina Perdices took to the stage by themselves. Their mom, Paz, said, “They’re more than fine on their own. I’d rather be in the audience for this!”
Highlight
After all the cuteness came some serious fashion. The highlight of this year’s show was the 12-piece finale, featuring the collections of Cary Santiago for Islands Souvenirs, a collaboration between two homegrown brands.
While Adam gave the Sinulog T-shirt some edge last year, Cary Santiago injected it with high fashion. Cary’s aesthetic is about glamour, and that’s precisely what he brought to the show. He showed draped separates and long gowns all in Islands Souvenirs’ T-shirt fabric, featuring graphic Sinulog prints combined with dreamcatcher elements, which were a major theme for the brand this year.
“My collection is about elevating the T-shirt,” he said. “Since Islands Souvenirs’ presence is already evident in the collection, I made sure to incorporate my trademark techniques, so the pieces are also distinctly me. I sculpted the fabrics and made use of the curlicues and Rococo patterns that I am so fond of. Think of this collection as evening wear for Sinulog.”
Who knew you could do this much with a T-shirt?
