HOW CAN YOU MAKE TODAY’S WOMAN WEAR THE ‘TERNO’?
casions, but also to other dressy, even casual, affairs?
JC Buendia, in his Ternocon portion, deconstructed the ter
no into separates—simple tops and skirts, in indigenous weaves and embroidered piña. Some terno tops hung at midrib—the look was so hip and young. The inabel skirts were draped, falling just below the knee.
Definitely, Buendia and Cabili’s terno, in accessible fabrics (like cotton), with indigenous prints, will find a market among today’s women. Ramon Valera did, among women in the ’50s.
I remember collector Dr. Eleuterio "Teyet” Pascual, years ago, one idle afternoon when we had nothing better to do, making me try on his Ramon Valera day terno. It was midcalf, draped at the side, in printed cotton, with perfect-fit sleeves. Teyet knew I would fit in it—such was his unstinting faith in me.
Hard to use the cellphone
Auggie Cordero has an idea that takes the terno a step closer to daily wearable chic. Collapse its sleeves and turn them into billowy but soft puffs.
“Face it, women will find it hard to wear the stiff terno sleeves to cocktails, much less to board meetings. The less costumey it looks, the better. Hard to raise your arm and use the cellphone,” said this designer who has yet to use a mobile phone.
But he’s right. Those terno sleeves can be cumbersome.
And for a panuelo, Cordero used strips of fabrics on the bodice—an abstract representation of this terno component. He gave the knee-length silk ter
no a pouf hem, with black lace draped on the skirt.
Years ago, as designer at Harrods, Lesley Mobo shrunk the terno sleeves for Anne Hathaway.
Mobo told us, “When we created the terno chic in London, it was a hit in Europe at that time and was sold at Saks in the US, Luisa Via Roma in Italy. It was amazing to see the ‘it girls’ wearing it. Actually, the young Filipinas are a bit delayed in wearing the terno as cocktail dress—as early as 2006-2009, girls in America and Europe were already wearing the terno cocktail dresses. When it came out it was considered chic by the British editors.”
To encourage today’s women to wear terno in everyday oc- casions, Mobo said, “We just need to design a variation of the
terno, like separates, in comfortable fabrics and make them available… It’s just the right proportion, fabric adjustments and garment care.”
One must remember that Valera modified the terno, even if he got flak for it in his time. And Salvacion Lim Higgins raised the bar with her unorthodox treatment of fabrics, and a construction that was a marvel of fashion engineering.
To turn the terno into everyday wear, Ternocon, next year, could push the boundaries of fashion, encourage the participants to play with its silhouette/proportion, not just with ornamentation, or even deconstruct it, although a budding designer must know how to construct the terno before he can deconstruct it.
Ternocon could push the en- velope, even as it remains grounded in Philippine culture.
There was nothing as enthralling as listening to the Philippine Philharmonic’s strings play the kundiman last Sunday, the well-loved Filipino music you haven’t heard in a while, certainly not in a fashion show. It was something to give up one’s Sunday for.
Now, Gino can get some rest.