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   I wanted a classic style as not to look outdated when I look back at photos.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.

Christmas Buzz

It is again the time of the year when shoppers are excited to open the papers to have news about sales, look for friends to accompany them to bazaars, bring out their savings which they have been waiting to spend, and, move their muscles with carrying ample shopping bags. Silver bells! Silver bells! December is already here, and it only means Christmas is just around the corner.

But, before we hit the various bazaars that have sprouted throughout the country, we might as well plan first. As Stephen Covey mentioned we have to "start with the end in mind". Thus, if we just want to have fun by acting as a headless chicken when hitting the malls or bazaars, then, there is no need to proceed to the following lines. Mind you, shopping entails practicing higher cognitive skills - that is, creative and critical thinking skills.

Practicing one's thinking in shopping manifests first and foremost by having an idea of what to buy. Are we there in the shops to buy scarves or brooches? Pearl earrings or fancy earrings? Vintage clothes with a twist or classic pieces? Or maybe, to fill in the necessary clothes in our wardrobe (e.g. basic clothes such as white blouse)? By clarifying our purpose in shopping it helps us to be more focused, less stressed, and more efficient. The result: more time to do other things such as preparing a dinner for our family and adding special decorations in our house. In line with "what knowing what to buy" is "how much we ought to spend". We definitely would want to spend the holidays free of financial concerns. If we find ourselves as impulsive buyers maybe it would be of help to allot a fraction of our shopping budget to unexpected good finds. With this healthy practice we are able to stick to our budget and do not feel much deprived at the same time. Gift-giving is also very much part of this season as we want to make our family members and friends feel loved and special. As we do not want to give them the impression of giving a gift just for the sake of giving - this situation means just going with the flow, not knowing the meaning of the feast we are celebrating - we would want to show our loved ones that the gifts we are giving them have been thought about. Again, there is much thinking in shopping. We choose gifts that we ourselves would want to receive and not just any generic product such as keychains, mugs and mass-produced trinkets.

We hope that we are more ready now to go to the malls in this busy time of the year, and end up having more dendrite connections as we do more essential thinking. Enjoy shopping!

Leveling the Field

Written by a GUTSY correspondent

I’m not an avid reader of women’s magazines whose main focus is how women can please men. I mean, I think to myself, why is it that a magazine supposedly targeted to me be all about him? What is this, sort of a guy manual?

For the longest time, it has been women who have been objectified through billboards, magazines and other forms of media that show unrealistic standards of beauty. The MTRCB would ban shows that show half-naked women dancing around, and feminist groups would react to billboards that showcase women being ‘too sexy’. It was only recently that men were subject to censorship (remember the huge billboards of the Philippine Volcanoes along Guadalupe?). These billboards were a wakeup call that even billboards showing male models/celebrity endorsers needed regulation.

I am writing this article based on personal experience. Just a few days ago, I currently had an argument with this guy I’m currently dating. I am dating a male model for about half a year already. And no, by doing so, I am not being superficial. He is a good conversationalist, with excellent PR skills and possibly the most consistent guy I’ve ever dated. Never a day goes by that he doesn’t call and text, and is very patient considering that I can be too frank and almost tactless. As a model, he is a high-fashion model who usually participates in couture shows. Check his folio and you won’t see topless vanity pictures. In other words he is very conscious that he projects the right image. And oh, he is also an engineer. In short, not an airhead. I could go on and on and on about the good qualities.

So anyway, last week, he kept on insisting that he wasn’t part of this event for a women’s magazine which showcases the 69 sexiest men every year. Until, come the day itself, he tells me that he came across some of my friends and had their picture taken with him. He goes:

Him: “Nakita ko si *****, Ang hirap ng job ko today 6 hours ako nakatopless and ang lamig lamig pa.”

Me: “Kala ko ba wala ka diyan, bakit ilang beses mo sinabi na wala ka diyan pero andiyan ka pala. Ba’t di ka honest?”

Him: E kasi nahihiya ako sa job assignment ko. Sorry if you think I’m stupid” He replied. “Magpapagupit nalang ako so the next time we might see your friends, di nila ako mamumukhaan.”

Anyway, point is, it’s not only women who feel exploited with these types of shows/magazines (hiding under the guise of being confident with their physical appearance, when in truth they feel some sort of ‘hiya’ afterwards). Women look at these types of things as "levelling the playing field". If guys objectify women, why can’t people do the same to them? And honestly, some shows featuring men show them to be more exploited than women.

Modesty is important to both men and women. It should be stressed that not because men are visually stimulated, women should be more conscious on how they present themselves. Men too, have to be conscious. I mean, as a guy, would you like to be known immediately as the "sexiest bachelor" by the people you would meet for the first time especially if you need to set a good impression with them? I don’t think so. As a model, if you’re trying to capitalize on being high fashion, respectable, smart and decent, please be consistent. Choose jobs that won’t go against your image, or the person you are for that matter.

Pinoy Ako! Earrings

Surely, the ways to manifest love for our mother country is more than the number of stars in our flag. One can resolve to sing the national anthem with better understanding, to follow the simple traffic rules, to act as a law-abiding pedestrian, to utter good things about our country wherever we are, to buy local products, or, the one that is closest to GUTSY, to recognize our own fashion.

It is a challenge to promote the type of fashion peculiarly our own. One reason is our lack of awareness of who we are and what we possess as Filipinos. Little is our knowledge on Philippine history; modicum effort is there to polish further our positive traits; only short-sighted aspirations are there to uproot our weaknesses; lack of interest in our culture. In other words, the vague perception of our identity manifests itself even in our external bearing. Nowadays, there are more fashion stores sprouting up with the intention of bringing to the fore Philippine fashion. This is already a humongous effort on the part of these boutiques, but not enough when looking at the entire fashion panorama. We have to go across the board, influencing and encouraging Filipinos from different societal levels and walks of life to say yes to Filipino fashion.

GUTSY Fashion Team features in this article an accessory that we can call our own. This pair of earrings hails from Davao City. The array of colors is reminiscent of the vintas we can find in the South, and is truly reflective of the positive and optimistic outlook of Filipinos.

Remember this: our patriotism can always grow. The major factor for this depends solely on us, whether or not we are sincere in this endeavor.