The Look of Style Awards 2014 reinvents Maria Clara

The 2014 LOOK of Style Awards was held last Nov. 12 at Buddha-Bar Makati.  A runway show was presented for the apparel category which features creation of Xioti Chiu, Bengt Enrique, Jinggo Inoncillo, Exur Lopena, Daryl Maat, Viña Romero, RJ Santos, Ron Santos, Eugene Tidalgo and Mike Yapching.

Accessories category finalists are Meme Dakay, Shiela Damalerio, Louie dela Cruz, Christopher Gomez, Nere Ku and Em Mariano.

In the novel Noli me Tangere, Jose Rizal described María Clara as the most beautiful and widely celebrated lady in the town of San Diego. She was the epitome of virtue, “demure and self-effacing” and endowed with beauty, grace and charm, and promoted by Rizal as the “ideal image”of a Filipino woman who deserves to be placed on the “pedestal of male honour.”

Its been more than a hundred years,  yet a lot still regard Maria Clara as the true standard of a real Filipino woman.

But how would she look,  and more importantly what should she be wearing in this modern era?

This was the challenged posed to the finalists of the 2014 LOOK of Style Awards.  Each finalist in the apparel and accessories categories were tasked to create pieces inspired by “Maria Clara.”

Wearable clothes, bags, shoes and jewelry, which utilize local and sustainable materials and techniques and reflect the new generation’s take on the Philippines’ national attire, were presented before a panel of designers, British Council officers, and LOOK Magazine editors during a prejudging.

As in previous LOOK of Style Awards, scholarships in short courses in the UK will be awarded the winners in the apparel and accessories categories.

A chance to showcase one’s creations in a London show also awaits this year’s big winners.

One of the finalists in the accessories category will also be awarded a scholarship by Amina Aranaz-Alunan in the School of Fashion and the Arts (SoFA).

The LOOK of Style Awards 2014 is supported by Hana Shampoo, Champion Infinity, SM Accessories and London College of Contemporary Arts, with Fashion is Great, Uber, Max Factor, Z Salon, Coca-Cola and Victoria Visual.

For more information on the 2014 LOOK of Style Awards, visit www.facebook.com/lookmagazineph and www.facebook.com/BritishCouncilPhilippines, and follow @lookmagazineph on Instagram and Twitter. Follow LOOK of Style Awards on Instagram using the hashtag #LOSA2014.

Marks & Spencer opens its BGC flagship store with a fashion competition

MARKS & SPENCER OPENS ITS NEWEST STORE AT BONIFACIO HIGH STREET WITH AN EXCITING FASHION COMPETITION

Marks & Spencer opens its flagship store at Central Square BGC last July 18, 2014 with an exciting fashion collaboration from SoFA Design Institute. Eight student stylists took part in the style-off competition. Three sartorial themes: stylish work wear, laidback casual weekend, and stylish nightout were done by the models in the runway. Three lovely fashion forward ladies Hindy Weber Tantoco, Tweety de Leon -Gonzales, Apples Aberin and Randy Ortiz judged the styling competiton. The participant stylist Bengt Enrique, a 23-year-old Fashion Design Marketing student won the competition and enables him to bring home  P50,000 cash prize and M&S gift vouchers, while the runners up Hazel Roldan and Florian Trinidad received P10,000 worth of M&S gift vouchers each.  Model VJ Sarah Meier hosted the fashion runway.

Ms Hindy Weber Tantoco, Tweety de Leon-Gonzales and Apples Aberin judged the style competition

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Bengt Enrique with his creation and Ms. Lucille Tolentino, M&S Merchandising Division Manager 

8 Finalists of the competition are as follows (in order of presentation): Camille Jasper Go, Jeanne Martinez, Florian Trinidad, Sachi Yuzon, Jill Anne Magsalin, Eugene Ysabel Ignacio Bengt Enrique and Hazel Roldan.

M&S Central Square will also be home to the first ever standalone Food store in the Philippines - located opposite the Menswear floor. In addition to a wide range of food lines, the store will also offer a variety of hot and cold coffee and serve freshly baked pastries and cookies that go along well with the premium blended drinks.

An official ribbon cutting ceremony and ceremonial toast  followed after the competition, graced with the presence of the British Ambassador--His Excellency Ambassador Asif Ahmad, Marks & Spencer Philippines’ General Manager Steven Sarmenta, and Marks & Spencer International’s Head of Visual Merchandising Lee-Oliver Morely.

Using the retailer's latest in store design, Marks & Spencer Central Square has its own distinct look and identity which allows customers to see which brand best meets their personal style preferences. The newest store aims to improve the customer journey through improved navigation, a better store layout and more inspiring in-store customer experiences.

Marks & Central Square is located at the Upper Ground Level and Second Floor of Central Square, 5th Ave. cor. 30th St. Bonifacio High Street Central, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Store Hours are from Sunday to Thursday from 11am-10pm and Friday -Saturday from 11am-11pm.