ARE YOU GUTSY?

Listen to what athlete/ host/ commercial model/businessman/ youth role model Chris Tiu's take on dignified dressing for women. 

Are you GUTSY?

BRAND SPOTLIGHT: JUANA

   Fresh, modern, wearable and proudly Filipino, ladies ready-to-wear brand Juana makes fashion accessible to all.

      Ann Francis King-Anasco, 38, proprietor of Juana Clothing Corporation, is a dentist by profession who stumbled into fashion as part of a business decision.

  G: What got you into fashion?

      A:   It was more of a business decision to choose the fashion( retail ) industry. When I started the business in 2006, I had the intuition that there was room for a business model that will serve the general public with prices that are competitive against imports. I also had a very good source of cheap fabrics that I knew could be turned into nice creations just with the right designs. Juana was chosen as a brand name to highlight the fact it is Filipino made (female Juan dela Cruz). The price range had to be so affordable the brand can easily grab the mass market, designs had to be in fashion but with a classic touch. With all these in mind, I got myself in the fashion business.

   G: Tell us about your style philosophy.

      A:  I believe in Uniqlo's philosophy, democratization of fashion, "made for all". I believe that to be fashionable does not mean expensive, style and dignified dressing can be acheived at affordable prices.

  G: Describe Juana's aesthetic? Who wears Juana?

     A: Juana's aesthetic is about classic silhouettes updated with the right color, texture and kind of fabric that is in season. With wearability as the main consideration, Juana is suited for Ladies aged 24-50. Juana's aesthetic will suit casual and corporate dress codes. 

G: Take us through the designing process--from inspiration to construction to finished product

    A: when i do my collection, I start with my intuition on what i think will click to my target market. Backed  by a careful study of the seasons trends, I pick what I think will be grasp by my customers. With the new silouettes in mind, i look for the right color, texture and kind of fabric that is also in season. Styles are drawn, made into pattern, sewn then fitted by me, revisions are made until fit and fall of garment is right. Patterns graded then size sets done, fitted again by actual people across size, if satisfed it now goes into production with the correct assignment of fabric for that particular design. Product tested in the stores with initial run, revisions are again made guided by customers comments.

    G: What kind of woman would you want to dress? (target demographic, etc, simply put what  kind of women do you have in mind when you design?)

    A: I usually ask myself if i can see myself wearing the garment. More so if I can picture myself in the daily activities of a regular woman with these clothes. (E.g. Ptc, church, grocery, malling or going to the office.)

    G: Who is your favorite designer and why?

    

   A: I love Marc by Marc jacobs and Tory Burch. Their designs are so wearable but not run of the mill. Both have a certain classic elegance to their work but with their play of color and textures that are vibrant, the designs are made fun and exciting.

    G:  Any general style advice for women?

    A:   Wear what is comfortable with your figure and what brings out your best self image.

G: What is your take on dignified dressing? Would you advocate it?

    A: Being fashionabe means having the sense to choose the right style appropriate for your age, body type, lifestyle and activity for the day.

Juana is available in Ali Mall in Cubao, SM Sta Mesa, SM Valenzuela, Pavilion Mall in Binan, Laguna and 168 Mall in Divisoria. For more details, visit https://www.facebook.com/juana168

BRIDAL STYLE: Sunshine Plata-Alimagno

Most women consider their wedding day one of the most important occasions of their lives. It is the one that usually takes the most effort to prepare for, and mention one of the most expensive. For good reason, since your wedding is a once in a lifetime event. 

New Bride Sunshine Plata Alimagno shares with GUTSY her tips to feeling your best during this big day. 

Full Married Name:
Kresta Ruth Plata Alimagno
When? Where?
May 4, 2012, Friday at San Antonio De Padua Parish in Calumpang, Marikina City
Photographer
Imagine Nation's Noel Salazar and Shayla Sanchez
Make-up artist
Ann De Leon- Perez

Who designed your gown? 
The gown is a merge of my ideas as well as my own, incorporated with the vision of Ms. Vilma Orticio, our trusted family dressmaker throughout the years.

How was the designing process? Any style inspiration?
   I wanted a classic style as not to look outdated when I look back at photos. Besides, I had to be honest and realistic with myself that it should be something that should suit me and my body frame.
I got the inspiration from Audrey Hepburn’s  iconic black and white Ascot race dress from her 1964 film version of My Fair Lady as Eliza Doolittle (take out the long sleeves, the heavy laced pouch, the wide brimmed hat and the black and white ribbons but keep the umbrella for the rain). 
 
Any considerations when coming up with the design?Modesty is a top consideration since God is a major witness who will bless your marriage as you exchange sacred vows with your husband-to-be.
It takes three to get married: GOD, you and your husband.Another is making sure you look beautiful for your husband-to-be (to keep his eyes glued on you). That's a perpetual advice of St. Josemaria to wives to avoid their husbands from looking somewhere else, right?!)
Practicality is very important since one will be spending on just a "one day affair" but a special and a “once-in-a-lifetime" at that (which gives it a weightier brain work and pressure). If there is a theme, then it should be linked to it somehow. The weather and venue are also considered and in my case, it's a rainy summer church wedding.


How does your gown suit your frame/personal style?The style fits petites like me since the mermaid cut gives an illusion of height; it flatters and gives shape to the monotony of the straight slim frame. The Chinese collar also emphasizes the neck and shoulders plus the tedious bead work. The tiny sleeves with intricate bead work covers the top of the shoulders and served as a warmer as the weather changed from really hot humid to cool rainy.  I personally told Ms.V how I so wanted a slim and modestly sexy looking gown for me!

Can you describe your gown? The mermaid cut gown is predominantly made of tulle, lace and duchesse [satin], then there is the beadwork. For the veil, 5 yards of tulle, edged with heavy lace, were used.

Any other gown related unfortunate events before your wedding?Before the wedding, I purchased a pair of yellow suede stilettos. It looked so perfect! When I got home everybody agreed that it was such a pretty find, except my mom. She was totally against the four-inch heels because she knew how I was used to walking with just the common flats or rubber shoes. Wearing 4 inch stilettos without practice might cause me to trip during my big day. So the following day, my mom insisted that I return the shoes. My hubby asked me,  "Ok lang ba sayo? Malungkot ka ba ibabalik natin yellow shoes mo???" I exchanged it for a pair of white and silver flats (an extra to my collection) and mom helped me find an equally stunning but funky pair of open-toe pumps instead. I was proud to say, there were no "tripping feats recorded on photo or video on that faithful day of May 4, 2012!

Any style advice to future brides? 1.)  Choose a classy and elegant style of dress that flatters your body frame without compromising too much skin, you'll never go wrong! :D
 2.)  Scout for the perfect make-up artist you're most comfortable with for the both of you to work on your winning look!
 3.)  Try to save up for a professional photographer who does really wholesome and fun photo shoot sessions
 4.) Be open to constructive criticism even if it's justified that YOU RUN THE SHOW or THIS IS YOUR WEDDING. You may be required at times to give-up some of your "addictive little wants and caprices" versus a higher "unfathomable good “but in the end you'll be very grateful for being docile.
 5.) Always, always pray to Our Lady Mother of Fair Love. She will accompany you in your "uphill and downhill" battles to stay chaste as you look forward to your wedding day. Best assurance is that, she will ask her Son to never let you down on your most special day just as she did to the couple who invited them to be part of their "Wedding at Cana".  

Dressing According To Context

“What??? ‘Wag ka nang sumama dun di bagay yang suot mo, lahat sila dun di ganyan ang suot, you’ll just look

out of place. Baka magmukha ka lang mongha dun!”

--My mom’s reaction when I told him that my businessman friend is inviting me to go out with him and a bunch of beauty queens.

I’m a leggings and dressy top kind of girl. Smart Casual/Dressy corporate is my favourite attire. Something safe—something I can wear to meetings, to the mall, maybe to a not so formal dinner date. But Smart Casual is not something you wear to a night-out of partying of cocktails or maybe dancing with friends. So when a friend of mine told me he was in Manila, and that he would like to invite me to cocktails in one of the most popular bars in the metro, I declined, knowing that I won’t have time to change from my “daily attire” to the suitable “bar attire”. Especially when he said, “Kasama naming friends ng girlfriend ko, BB Pilipinas candidates”.

No, I am not in any way encouraging everyone to dress like a beauty queen when going to a bar—fitted dresses, platform heels, big hair, false eyelashes. What I am saying here is that part of modesty is dressing within context. Simply put, wearing the right clothes includes considering occasion, location, company and sensibilities of people you are with.

Standards of modesty vary by culture. I think this is most obvious with Islam women who in the heat of the city only have their kohl-rimmed eyes exposed since exposure of hair, other parts of the face or even the ankle are considered immodest, whereas, other cultures don’t go to that extreme.

The left one is the digitally covered one to suit the sensibilities of the Middle East Market.

The one on the right is the original US H&M Campaign.

A large part of modesty depends on context. For example, a bathing suit worn in the mall is considered immodest while in the beach and swimming pools, bathing suits are the proper attire. (Wearing them with shorts, in fact are prohibited in some sports clubs). For men, board shorts are not immodest in the beach, but these are inappropriate as office or Church attire.

My dad wears white linen shirts and dark jeans/trousers to work, to church, to the mall, everywhere—even to the beach. He looks normal in a mall setting, or to work as a photographer, but when he goes to the beach in the same clothes, people are staring at him in a weird way as if he is out of place. One even remarked, “Wala na bang ibang damit ang dad mo?”

For dresses as in special occasions—you also have to consider the setting. A floor length prom dress in heavy fabric may look elegant in a ballroom-setting prom, but cocktail length and lighter fabrics are the way to go should the prom be held in a gym or in a venue without airconditioning (In the same way that wearing backless in an airconditioned venue may be immodest, and may cause bronchitis).

Modesty is not only the amount of skin you cover, but also the way you wear your hair and make up. Dyed hair, colourful makeup, tattoos, body piercings and ripped jeans may look great when your job is a stylist, or if you work as a creative staff member in an ad agency, but doing so in a regular corporate setting would be improper. One would say that their fashion is their way of expressing themselves, “This is me; it is my creative outlet”. Yes, truly, personal style can say a lot about the person, as it is your way of presenting yourself without saying a word—but you also have to take the sensibilities of others and rules (such as dress codes) into consideration.

You can say, to some extent, that modesty is relative. But in any kind of dress code, there is always the more modest choice. For example, choose a tankini or one piece suit instead of a bikini for the beach, leggings instead of cycling shorts when working out, for cocktail dressing, you can get knee length instead of micro mini.

* Written by a GUTSY correspondent

Glamming it up in the Red Carpet

Glamming it up in the Red Carpet for the GRAMMY’s and BAFTA 2012

Celebrities ( i.e. singers and actresses) definitely have the most influence in fashion nowadays. Every designer would like to see his/her dress worn on the red carpet of an awards show, as this exposes the designs to a greater demographic. Even non-fashionistas are familiar with celebrities, so much so that they have replaced fashion models in magazine covers. (Taylor Swift was the cover of US Vogue for February 2012, while Adele now graces the March 2012 cover of the said magazine.)

The recently concluded GRAMMY’s and BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Awards) 2012 gave us a dose of celebrity style once again. Here, we see classic cuts, interesting sleeves as well as opulent textured fabrics such as lace and metallics.

Scroll down and get your fill of red carpet glamour.

Vogue Cover Girl Adele in Armani Couture

Glory:Fashion favorite and US Vogue cover girl Taylor Swift in a lace Zuhair Murad

The usually overdone Katy Perry looking streamlined in a baby blue Elie Saab Gown

Old Hollywood meets Space Age: Alicia Keys wears a super sleek LBD by Alexandre Vauthier with a chunky gold neckpiece

The [in]famous Miss Hilton looking refined and elegant in a Basil Soda creation.

Singing sensation Carrie Underwood in a sparkly Gomez Gracia gown

Golden Girl: Emilia Fox in a lace Luisa Bacarria gown

Opulent Orange: Actress Fearne Cotton in an Orange Moschino Gown

Humor and Wits among the Youth

Here is the modern generation: with earphones plugged in their ears, with eyes glued on netbook, if not on the floor while walking, with fingers almost collapsing due to long-hour typing, with bangs covering their pretty faces, and with bloodshot eyes due to nocturnal schedule. So, is this the generation that will take on the task of governing the world? It is true that when one is young, a person tends to be self-centered (nobody's listening to me!), moody (both crying and laughing within a short span of time), gloomy ("It's the end of the world!"), and locked up in her ivory tower ("I am afraid to get out of my comfort zone."). She could be so melodramatic to the extent of affecting her entire circle of friends. At the end of the day, panning style seems to be in vogue; the focal point is the trivial issues in her life. However, this phenomenon could always not be the case. The young person has always a chest of treasures to share to the whole of mankind. We just have to push her a bit (a friendly jolt) so as to help her not to get sidetracked with petty things.

One of the characteristics that can be highlighted is good humor and wits. Be reminded that it is not just the act of laughing. It puts the person on a level that is divine: the person learns how to transcend beyond immediate things, and flows into the core of the matter. One gets to see things in a different perspective. She knows that life is serious and tough, but it does not rob her of the things that make life pleasant, bearable, and, ultimately, fun. In other words, she knows the right place of everything and everyone, and thus, she gets to understand the deeper meaning of things. Just like in fashion, a girl can always be inventive, innovative, wacky and/or witty when it comes to the choice and combination of her clothes and accessories, but at the same time she knows ultimately that there is a person behind those things. Juggling fashion rules and personality, she gets to obtain her prize. With this, at the onset of the year, GUTSY wants to remind you that with humor and wits one yields fruits of positive outlook, cheerfulness, and sanity.