fashion and society

And now, something serious. Last Saturday, during the ENTA Alumni Party, four teams were tasked to create clothes that depict burning social issues and deep-seated truths about the Filipino sensibility. I just had to document this monumental event, hoping that someday, somehow, the two readers of this garbage dump of a blog would see the Philippines in a totally different light—a crepe paper-wearing society.

This gown, made by the Orange Team, brings to light the question of Filipino Identity in the Age of Globalization. The white headdress, the significance of which is still subject to interpretation, could be seen either as a huge flower or as a good old-fashioned sunny side up. The blue round object the model is holding, perhaps the key element in this globalization-themed outfit, must not be seen as a symbol for the world because it is, in fact, a blue queso de bola.


Green Team tackles Charter Change with a ballroom gown that consists of the absurd coupling of a flower-filled shawl-top and an asymmetrical skirt with a ruffled train in front of the model. It should be noted that the train does not trail on the ground—it doesn’t even touch the ground—making it a non-train. The important thing about this outfit is that it cannot be worn in any [dancing] occasion because only absolute immobility keeps it intact.



Women’s Rights is the burning issue of choice for members of the Pink Team. This three-piece ensemble consists of a tube top and a flowing skirt, both made of plastic garbage bags, and big green hair with a blue headband. Transparent armbands made of scotch tape and blood red body paint accessorize the outfit, presumably signifying subtle bondage and senseless violence, respectively.




The Blue Team crafted a tunic (at least, that's how it looks to me) that symbolizes Overpopulation and the tremendous poverty it entails by interspersing 2-dimensional paper heads with what appears to be colorful details of squalor and chaos. The purple veil, not your garden-variety veil of suffering, is in fact the Lambong ng Dusa ng Mater Dolorosa, a reference to Filipino Christian tradition and values. Strangling the model is an umbilical cord that stretches down to the ground. It’s got a paper doll (not shown in this photo) hanging on its end, dangling by the model’s feet, symbolizing the poor Filipino child that remains uncared for.

tv

Since late last year, during the rare occasions when I find time and energy to sit in front of the TV, I always catch myself unconsciously switching to Channel 56—a TV viewing habit I have cultivated since more than 8 years ago. That’s where this wonderful Japanese channel called WOWOW used to be on before our cable TV operator decided to replace it with a vapid channel that features local horse races and cheap-looking magazine shows. How absolutely frustrating that none of the existing channels on TV today can match what WOWOW offers.

1. I’ve harped on about this hundreds of times with friends and random people: I discovered Woody Allen movies through WOWOW. In fourth year high school there was a month-long Woody Allen Retrospective on WOWOW, where his films were shown every 11:00 in the evening. I laughed hard (or silently wept, depending on the movie) until 12:30 or 1:00 in the morning, then rave about the movies with my high school classmates (I amused none of them) during the following day.

2. Old and/or foreign films like Breathless, Wild Strawberries, Throne of Blood, Almodovar movies, Chusingura, Rules of the Game, Throne of Blood, The Bicycle Thief, Metropolis, et cetera.

3. Uncensored/uncut versions of movies like The Velvet Goldmine, The Piano, Pillow Book, Quentin Tarantino, Polish movies with lots of nudity, etc. and TV shows like The Sopranos, Twin Peaks and Sex and the City.

4. Films that are not likely to be accessible locally, like that Martin Scorsese documentary about the birth of Blues.

5. Music specials like Woodstock and the WOWOW Music Chase. Though I don’t have great love for the music of those J-Pop acts, I like their costumes a lot: the fur, the leather, the accessories, the fancy nail polish, purple hair, etc. I am reminded of that post-rock concert scene in Hannah and Her Sisters (Holly: Don’t you just love songs about extraterrestrial life? Mickey: Not when they’re sang by extraterrestrials.)

6. Baseball games which I never really follow but are beautiful to look at anyway.

7. This evening show called The WOWOW Jazz File, featuring performances by Coltrane, Parker, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Ornette Coleman, among others.

8. The soft porn during the weekends.

(To be continued)