Before his TV stint as mentor on “Project Runway,” Jojie Lloren was the designer to go to for immaculately cut clothes that bordered on the sculptural. His sleeves were always precisely cut, and in fashion shows, his collars were upright—the better to frame the models’ faces.
Four years ago, Lloren began designing for the Jill and Luna lines at Rustan’s, breathing new life into the two distinct but complementary ladies’ lines. If the Jill woman ruled the boardroom and the home in comfortable separates and easy accessories, the Luna woman enjoyed the good life in elegant, after-six frocks.
Earlier this month, Rustan’s staged a fashion show featuring the holiday collections of the two lines. The Jill collection was a riot of printed separates like pants, skirts and wrap dresses. Tribal and ikat prints were followed in quick succession by paisleys and chevrons in monochromatic or multicolor hues.
“The inspiration is all about world cultures, a melting pot,” Lloren said, describing the set as an eclectic mix of prints from all over the world.
“Ideally, different prints that seem to clash are worn together to create a harmonious look,” he added. As a flourish, long cotton scarves were wound loosely around the models’ necks.
Leggings with skirts
The designer also latched on to the trend of pairing printed leggings with complementary skirt, a look espoused by Miuccia Prada.
Asked if this look would catch on here, Lloren said that as long as the fabrics used are light and cool, he didn’t see why it would not. He added that he has actually seen quite a number of Filipinas sporting this look.
“A printed pair of cotton knit leggings under a printed cotton skirt would actually be cooler than wearing denim jeans,” he said.
Lloren’s holiday collection for Luna consisted of long, jewel-tone jersey evening wear with details limited to the necklines (cowl neck, twisted) and sleeves (puffed, draped or slit). One particularly striking dress—a long, ruby red one—had a sexy racerback that would probably be best worn by women with toned shoulders and arms.
“We always try to give our clients what they need in terms of variety and designs. This is why we have constantly been improving the quality and fit of our merchandise,” Lloren said.
Jill and Luna are exclusively available at Rustan’s Makati, Shangri-La Plaza, Alabang, Gateway, and Ayala Center, Cebu.
