The recent fashion show featured five female designers, each one with a distinct style but who all know what women want

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This was a show with a point of view. Five female designers, all Filipina, all aged under 40, and each one interpreting what the modern woman ought to be wearing today. Constantly barraged by fashion show images from the New York-London-Milan-Paris fashion week circuit—plus celebrity images, plus blog posts, plus fashion advertising, plus Vogue— the modern woman’s eye has been severely disciplined. You have to know, with just one glance, what a designer’s vision is all about, and whether it jibes with your lifestyle or not, whether you can relate or not. And so, since Metrowear Luxe 2015 featured only women designers, expectations were higher on wearability and relatability, and less on fantasy and whimsy.

Held at the Dusit Thani Manila Hotel’s Mayuree Grand Ballroom, Metrowear Luxe 2015’s requested attire for the event was “creative black tie.” Fitting, as that seemed to be the theme for all the featured collections of Maureen Disini, Vania Romoff, Rosanna Ocampo, Sassa Jimenez, and

Charina Sarte that night.

Her collection focused mostly on tops and bottoms, with many interchangeable pieces. Exhibiting evidence of androgyny, utilitarianism, and the fashion uniform, the designer’s no-fuss approach would easily appeal to working women. This was not about making a fashion statement or expressing a creative direction, but more about the real needs and demands in the lifestyles of most

women today.

A one-hour special of Metrowear Luxe 2015 will air on Lifestyle Network tonight at 9:30pm

“Creative black tie” at its finest. The collection was done in only black, white, and gray, signaling the designer’s focus on making glamorous yet dependable and flattering go-to pieces that a woman must possess in her wardrobe on those nights when she has “absolutely nothing to wear.” Such dresses are considered investment pieces, to be worn more than once, since they make the wearer feel fabulous on those evenings when she truly

needs it.