DURING the recent “Weddings at the Peninsula and More” bridal and events fair, we couldn’t help but feel a little frisson of delight that the grand venue is ready for possibly some of the most romantic weddings in the city. The sense of excitement was heightened by a wedding dress fashion show at the lobby on Sept. 3 teasing the Manila Fashion Festival Bridal collections of Steph Tan, Vin Orias, and Jun Escario.
We tracked down the coming trends for this wedding season using the collections of these three designers.
MAXIMALISMNo cocktail dress-wearing brides here. The collections of Steph Tan and Jun Escario featured trains, long skirts, and wide ballgown skirts. Smaller dresses would have been dwarfed while coming down the Pen’s grand staircase, which was used as the runway. Even Jun Escario’s singular cocktail-length dress had a skirt made with layers and layers of fabric forming the illusion of several pages of books; perfect for more literary brides.
COLORWhile the menswear designs for grooms by Vin Orias featured traditional white, his designs also showed off plum and burnt sienna suits for dashing grooms. Other suits on the runway showed iridescent pale pink, and navy.
BEADINGLow-key weddings were vital during the pandemic, and grand details on dresses were lost on Zoom screens. With a return to face-to-face interactions, designers lost no time in making sure each detail, embroidered or otherwise, would not disappear on fuzzy screens and camera by highlighting every stroke of embroidery with crystals and beads.
TRAINS AND BUSTLESNow let’s hear it for the back of the dress. Walking down the aisle, the dress should make an impression on its way to the altar, and both Ms. Tan and Mr. Escario would not let the moment pass. Particularly entrancing is Ms. Tan’s Daniela dress, with a wide ballgown skirt and a bustle made of one huge ruche, making the back of the dress appear like a voluminous pile of either whipped cream, or petals. With Mr. Escario, scarves and capes trailing to the floor complete the effect. — JosephL. Garcia