Freeway Ramon Valera Launch

Freeway invited Soan and me to the official launch of its Ramon Valera Collection at the Row, Glorietta 5. At first we thought it was just another "event" only to find ourselves getting excited after seeing the invite and reading that Madame Imelda Marcos will be there.

S and I used to regard Marcos as our "lolo" only because his opulence and brilliance made him great in our eyes. So seeing that Madame Imelda, aka Lola Imelda was going to the launch made us want to go there more!

Well, for some unfortunate reason, S found herself stuck at work and had to miss the show while I on the other hand was stuck with a broken digital camera. Wow right? I felt so uninspired the entire time since taking pictures via camera phone just doesn't compare to the quality of a digicam. It didn't help that there was too much digital noise in the venue which doubled the "blurriness" of my already pixelated shots.

So to be blunt about it... I don't have photos of the event. Hehehe :P I tried, really, I did! But the photos were just too grainy and overly exposed that I gave up after a while.

See, I tried!

To give you an idea of what transpired during the event, here's a fast run down: The event was hosted by Tessa Prieto-Valdes and was graced by Madame Imelda Marcos herself. Other guests included Peching Zulueta Gomez, Aureo Alonzo, Nick Legazpi Jr. and another socialite I failed to note. There was a brief AVP of the life of Ramon Valera followed by an interview of the guests, then finally the fashion show. Since Madame Imelda was not part of the panel, she and Tessa had a tete-a-tete after the fashion show where the former first lady entertained the audience with her witty and honest statements.

Overall, the event stuck to the whole Valera-theme: classy and opulent. I never felt so glamorous while attending an event by a retail brand. Kudos to Freeway for pulling it off!

Apart from the main event at The Row, there was also an exhibit of wedding gowns and cocktail dresses created by Ramon Valera at the ground floor. So while others were mulling around the First Lady, I was downstairs taking pictures of my favorite Valera gowns:

I can see how they say Valera changed the way people view the traditional Baro't Saya! This is so beautiful!

Wow. So '50s yet so modern! Valera really was a revolutionary fashion designer!

Can you believe Valera did the beadwork on this himself? The man didn't even have patterns, or any assistants! Yup! You read that right! One of the interesting facts about him is that he didn't make patterns nor had any one else do his garments because he believed to be able to create a masterpiece, one should be able to do everything by himself.

Really, he defines the fashion of the '50s and '60s. This one is one of my most favorite!

The pink adds such a nice touch!

I LOVE THIS! The details say it all! Adorable ribbons! Who would have thought cute and quirky was also in at that time??

I am really loving Freeway's collection. It's not just because the pieces are interesting but also because they reintroduced the brilliance of Ramon Valera to this generation. I am truly amazed at the Artist! He is such an inspiration, much more because he made the Terno fashionable! --Plus who wouldn't love a guy who believes in "beauty before comfort"?? Haha :) Valera is so cool!