Bywords in fashion in the ’70s and the ’80s, these designers’ brands kept the standards high and the sales brisk. However, today they’ve all lain low or diversified; Find out what’s keeping these creative forces busy these days.


Rusty Lopez

Brand: Rusty Lopez

SWEET INSPIRATIONS. For five years in the ’80s, Rusty Lopez and his creations were staple features in fashion sections and magazines in the US, specifically in New York, California, and Florida

Sometime in the early ’80s, pretty frocks in white cotton eyelet made a splash in the New York fashion scene. The designer behind the dainty creations was the Filipino Rusty Lopez. The New York sojourn lasted five years. “I did not make much money but my name became known,” Lopez reminisces. The memory takes him back to November 1969, when he opened his own shop right across the Assumption College on Herran Street in the Ermita district of Manila. There he established his eponymous brand with the dressy set as clientele. Not long afterwards, the late Conching Sunico, patroness of popular fashion shows at the Hilton Hotel, also took notice. Lopez later branched out into shoes, the rights of which he sold in 2002. His name lives on through the popular brand of shoes and bags, a testament to his influence in fashion. But his priorities have since changed, with quality of life taking precedence over everything else. He is taking it easy (“I garden, I decorate friends’ homes”) and now and then, he does wedding gowns for friends. Currently he is busy decorating an old house in Pasay City where he plans to move into. “My country house in the city,” he calls it. Clearly, Lopez has discovered the proverbial and coveted good life.


Lynnie Laurel-Castillo

Brand: Bayleaf

VICTORIAN ROMANCE. Lynnie Laurel will always be grateful to Tessie Sy-Coson for giving her her first break as a fashion designer at the SM Boutique Store; the designer’s label, Bayleaf, featured lines and details from the Victorian era

With a passion for fashion design and armed with a course from the French Fashion Academy in New York City, Lynnie Laurel-Castillo launched her label Bayleaf in the early ’80s. The name was appropriate; it was a direct translation of her family name and it symbolised her goal, which was “to create a fashionable women’s wear line that would spice up the wardrobe of women in the country.” The brand was an instant hit for its lovely details and perfect fit. Laurel-Castillo’s best-sellers were the Bayleaf bustier, which enhanced women’s silhouettes, and the Victorian-inspired blouses which were finely embroidered and combined with exquisite Swiss laces. For the success of Bayleaf, Laurel-Castillo thanked her mother, the thespian Celia Diaz-Laurel, who lent her tomes on Victorian costumes. But after 12 years of keeping up with the demands of her growing business, Laurel-Castillo left fashion for family. Her four children were growing up fast, and they needed her attention. For her own growth, she has found other spices to perk up her life: painting, selling her made-to-order personal nut mix, gift wrapping, restyling and redesigning for family and friends, and going to Bible studies.


Dobie Aranda

Brands: Kirei, Pizzazz, Dobie Aranda

BOLD AND EDGY. The big shoulder pads of the ’80s marked the clothes by Dobie Aranda under the then-popular label Kirei

When Filipina fashionistas recall the shoulder pads ala American football player of the ’80s, one of the first brands that come to mind is Kirei. A popular boutique for more than a decade, it specialised in tailored clothes that always came with over-sized shoulder pads. The creative mind behind the brand was Dobie Aranda, who first made a splash in local fashion via the teen brand Pizzazz. After designing clothes for ready-to-wear brands for years, Aranda now does it on his own. Maintaining just a few sewers, he has moved from prêtà-porter to custom-made clothes that carry his name. He keeps it small, as he has diversified into interior decoration and styling as well. There so much of life to be lived and Aranda is making sure he does, with none of the stress and the frenzy. But he never fails to look back with gratitude to people like Kirei owners Irene Salud, George Salud, Oli Salud, and Gina Rodriguez for giving him the break.


Eva Abesamis

Brands: Eva, Baronesa, Baronesa de Koenigswarter, Here Comes the Bride

DRESSED FOR SUCCESS. Her Eva line featured clothes unique in structure, pushing Eva Abesamis to the forefront of the fashion scene in the ’80s

The beautiful socialite Eva Abesamis was based in New York in the early ’70s when friends convinced her to come home and introduce the Madeleine Mono cosmetics to the Philippine market. Unfortunately, the cosmetics company closed shortly afterwards. Around that time, the SM department store was starting its boutique line of clothes, a cue for Abesamis to shift to fashion. An effective model of her own creations, she concentrated on cocktail dresses and casual chic pieces. Down the line, she also went into lingerie and bridal wear. Abesamis was one of the few designers whose brands were sold in different major department stores: SM, Cinderella, Rustan’s, and Robinson’s. After 12 years of running her own factory and buying the materials herself, she decided she had had enough. She left the trade to enjoy life at a more leisurely pace with David, her only child with Baron Patrick de Koenigswarter, her partner Citoy Lopez, and the company of her host of friends both here and abroad. Ever the busy bee, she keeps a bit of business on the side as an agent of an international medical insurance. Her philanthropic work involves the Museo ng Bata in Sagay City near Bacolod City.


Larrie Silva

Brands: Larrie Silva for Lady Rustan's, Silvano, Island Collection, Silva Star

AHEAD OF HIS TIME. Memorabilia of glorious years of his fashion reign, for which Larrie Silva is forever grateful to Rustan’s co-founder, Glecy Tantoco, who gave him the break and guided him all the way to fame

Going back to fashion designing is a persistent temptation to Larrie Silva. But each time that he weighs the pros and the cons, he has yet to find a good reason to leave the peace and happiness he is enjoying in retirement, a simple life, and a relationship with the Lord. “I admit I miss the excitement; but I would not exchange the joy I have now with that. Contentment is a big deciding factor,” he says. For two decades in the recent past, Silva was the Golden Boy of prêt-à-porter, the Anointed Prince of high-end retail giant Rustan’s. While still taking fashion courses in Paris, Silva met Glecy Tantoco, the late co-founder of Rustan’s. “Should you come back, I may have something for you,” she told him. He did come back in 1972, when he felt that Rustan’s was ready for a Filipino designer. Under the wings of Tantoco, whom Silva considers his “discoverer and mentor,” the designer became the name to contend with in classic ready-to-wear, a distinction he held for 25 years.


Katrina Ponce-Enrile

Brands: Options, Ingénue

MAKING A STATEMENT. For her creations under the labels Options and Ingénue, Katrina Ponce-Enrile took fashion inspirations from ERTE, Junya Wattanabe, and Azedine Alaia, to name a few

The thought of going back to fashion design tickles Katrina Ponce Enrile’s fancy, especially when a huge department store in the US has been sending feelers. It is akin to that same “rush of entrepreneurial spirit” that pushed the women of the ’80s to venture out on their own, inspiring her to create her first label, Options. “The label followed the couture concept of doing specific designs for discriminating clients and producing the clothes as one would couture,” she says. Her second label, Ingénue by Options, was intended for the ready-to-wear market but it stood out in that there were only three pieces per design—one small, one medium, and one large. But at some point, Ponce Enrile realised she had to put aside her creative enterprise to help run the family business. After more than a decade in fashion, with her labels still at their selling peak, she gave it all up. Today, she is CEO and President of the JAKA Group of Companies. Outside of that, her world revolves around her parents, children, grandchildren, and dogs Corgi and Simone. She is working on her blog “TheMakeupAddict” that will cater to make-up lovers “like me,” a clear sign her creative spirit is still alive and kicking.


Photography: Dookie Ducay | Make-up: Alex Lisbona and Al de Leon of MAC cosmetics | Hair: Eddie Mar Cabiltes

Tatler Asia

Rusty Lopez (Brand: Rusty Lopez)

Sometime in the early ’80s, pretty frocks in white cotton eyelet made a splash in the New York fashion scene. The designer behind the dainty creations was the Filipino Rusty Lopez. The New York sojourn lasted five years. “I did not make much money but my name became known,” Lopez reminisces. The memory takes him back to November 1969, when he opened his own shop right across the Assumption College on Herran Street in the Ermita district of Manila. There he established his eponymous brand with the dressy set as clientele. Not long afterwards, the late Conching Sunico, patroness of popular fashion shows at the Hilton Hotel, also took notice. 

Tatler Asia
Above SWEET INSPIRATIONS. For five years in the ’80s, Rusty Lopez and his creations were staple features in fashion sections and magazines in the US, specifically in New York, California, and Florida.

Lopez later branched out into shoes, the rights of which he sold in 2002. His name lives on through the popular brand of shoes and bags, a testament to his influence in fashion. But his priorities have since changed, with quality of life taking precedence over everything else. He is taking it easy (“I garden, I decorate friends’ homes”) and now and then, he does wedding gowns for friends. Currently he is busy decorating an old house in Pasay City where he plans to move into. “My country house in the city,” he calls it. Clearly, Lopez has discovered the proverbial and coveted good life.

Tatler Asia

Lynnie Laurel-Castillo (Brand: Bayleaf)

With a passion for fashion design and armed with a course from the French Fashion Academy in New York City, Lynnie Laurel-Castillo launched her label Bayleaf in the early ’80s. The name was appropriate; it was a direct translation of her family name and it symbolised her goal, which was “to create a fashionable women’s wear line that would spice up the wardrobe of women in the country.” The brand was an instant hit for its lovely details and perfect fit. Laurel-Castillo’s best-sellers were the Bayleaf bustier, which enhanced women’s silhouettes, and the Victorian-inspired blouses which were finely embroidered and combined with exquisite Swiss laces. 

Tatler Asia
Above VICTORIAN ROMANCE. Lynnie Laurel will always be grateful to Tessie Sy-Coson for giving her her first break as a fashion designer at the SM Boutique Store; the designer’s label, Bayleaf, featured lines and details from the Victorian era

For the success of Bayleaf, Laurel-Castillo thanked her mother, the thespian Celia Diaz-Laurel, who lent her tomes on Victorian costumes. But after 12 years of keeping up with the demands of her growing business, Laurel-Castillo left fashion for family. Her four children were growing up fast, and they needed her attention. For her own growth, she has found other spices to perk up her life: painting, selling her made-to-order personal nut mix, gift wrapping, restyling and redesigning for family and friends, and going to Bible studies.

Tatler Asia

Dobie Aranda (Brands: Kirei, Pizzazz, Dobie Aranda)

When Filipina fashionistas recall the shoulder pads ala American football player of the ’80s, one of the first brands that come to mind is Kirei. A popular boutique for more than a decade, it specialised in tailored clothes that always came with over-sized shoulder pads. The creative mind behind the brand was Dobie Aranda, who first made a splash in local fashion via the teen brand Pizzazz. After designing clothes for ready-to-wear brands for years, Aranda now does it on his own. 

 

Tatler Asia
Above BOLD AND EDGY. The big shoulder pads of the ’80s marked the clothes by Dobie Aranda under the then-popular label Kirei

Maintaining just a few sewers, he has moved from prêtà-porter to custom-made clothes that carry his name. He keeps it small, as he has diversified into interior decoration and styling as well. There so much of life to be lived and Aranda is making sure he does, with none of the stress and the frenzy. But he never fails to look back with gratitude to people like Kirei owners Irene Salud, George Salud, Oli Salud, and Gina Rodriguez for giving him the break.

Tatler Asia

Eva Abesamis (Brands: Eva, Baronesa, Baronesa de Koenigswarter, Here Comes the Bride)

The beautiful socialite Eva Abesamis was based in New York in the early ’70s when friends convinced her to come home and introduce the Madeleine Mono cosmetics to the Philippine market. Unfortunately, the cosmetics company closed shortly afterwards. Around that time, the SM department store was starting its boutique line of clothes, a cue for Abesamis to shift to fashion. An effective model of her own creations, she concentrated on cocktail dresses and casual chic pieces. 

Tatler Asia
Above DRESSED FOR SUCCESS. Her Eva line featured clothes unique in structure, pushing Eva Abesamis to the forefront of the fashion scene in the ’80s

Down the line, she also went into lingerie and bridal wear. Abesamis was one of the few designers whose brands were sold in different major department stores: SM, Cinderella, Rustan’s, and Robinson’s. After 12 years of running her own factory and buying the materials herself, she decided she had had enough. She left the trade to enjoy life at a more leisurely pace with David, her only child with Baron Patrick de Koenigswarter, her partner Citoy Lopez, and the company of her host of friends both here and abroad. Ever the busy bee, she keeps a bit of business on the side as an agent of an international medical insurance. Her philanthropic work involves the Museo ng Bata in Sagay City near Bacolod City.

Tatler Asia

Larrie Silva (Brands: Larrie Silva for Lady Rustan's, Silvano, Island Collection, Silva Star)

Going back to fashion designing is a persistent temptation to Larrie Silva. But each time that he weighs the pros and the cons, he has yet to find a good reason to leave the peace and happiness he is enjoying in retirement, a simple life, and a relationship with the Lord. “I admit I miss the excitement; but I would not exchange the joy I have now with that. Contentment is a big deciding factor,” he says. For two decades in the recent past, Silva was the Golden Boy of prêt-à-porter, the Anointed Prince of high-end retail giant Rustan’s. 

Tatler Asia
Above AHEAD OF HIS TIME. Memorabilia of glorious years of his fashion reign, for which Larrie Silva is forever grateful to Rustan’s co-founder, Glecy Tantoco, who gave him the break and guided him all the way to fame

While still taking fashion courses in Paris, Silva met Glecy Tantoco, the late co-founder of Rustan’s. “Should you come back, I may have something for you,” she told him. He did come back in 1972, when he felt that Rustan’s was ready for a Filipino designer. Under the wings of Tantoco, whom Silva considers his “discoverer and mentor,” the designer became the name to contend with in classic ready-to-wear, a distinction he held for 25 years.

Tatler Asia

Katrina Ponce-Enrile (Brands: Options, Ingénue)

The thought of going back to fashion design tickles Katrina Ponce Enrile’s fancy, especially when a huge department store in the US has been sending feelers. It is akin to that same “rush of entrepreneurial spirit” that pushed the women of the ’80s to venture out on their own, inspiring her to create her first label, Options. “The label followed the couture concept of doing specific designs for discriminating clients and producing the clothes as one would couture,” she says. Her second label, Ingénue by Options, was intended for the ready-to-wear market but it stood out in that there were only three pieces per design—one small, one medium, and one large.

Tatler Asia
Above MAKING A STATEMENT. For her creations under the labels Options and Ingénue, Katrina Ponce-Enrile took fashion inspirations from ERTE, Junya Wattanabe, and Azedine Alaia, to name a few

But at some point, Ponce Enrile realised she had to put aside her creative enterprise to help run the family business. After more than a decade in fashion, with her labels still at their selling peak, she gave it all up. Today, she is CEO and President of the JAKA Group of Companies. Outside of that, her world revolves around her parents, children, grandchildren, and dogs Corgi and Simone. She is working on her blog “TheMakeupAddict” that will cater to make-up lovers “like me,” a clear sign her creative spirit is still alive and kicking.

 

Photography: Dookie Ducay | Make-up: Alex Lisbona and Al de Leon of MAC cosmetics | Hair: Eddie Mar Cabiltes

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