Department of Tourism Live Your Dreams Campaign

Early last year, I was a Mabuhay Guide spending an extraordinary amount of time in the Department of Tourism. In their offices, there are tons of brochures you can check out on the latest offerings of popular destinations in the country. This brochure about, "Living Your Dreams" stood out. The campaign done by BBDO Guerrero Proximity encouraged foreigners to buy lots and houses in the Philippines. Though, I'm not sold on the idea of selling off our land to strangers, I loved the ads and the art style.  

Here it is in print format:

These are actual paintings that were used for ads. Have a look at one artist's process in creating this.

It is delightfully meticulous. You really have to look closely to appreciate the story told by all the cutesy details. Did you spot the flying butanding (whale shark)? How about Rizal in his overcoat?  

I'm so happy they did a second installment in the campaign. Try looking for Manny Pacquiao.

This is one campaign I would be so proud to have in my portfolio.  I also would not mind having the paintings on my wall. The art style feels so Filipino. It's color-happy, maximalist, and whimsical.
Please DOT, ask the team to create a third campaign installment.

My Collezione Dress

It was a lazy Saturday so the boyf and I decided to take the camera out for a little stroll. I wore my recent dress purchase from Collezione or C2. This was a flailing old Filipino brand that's risen back to popularity due to their My Filipinas polo. It features the Filipino islands as a logo. An iconic design that's spread like wildfire. So much so that President Noynoy Aquino used it as a campaign uniform. It's also being copied by the tiangges (bazaar stalls) in Greenhills.

Good thing, Collezione has branched out to more than just their My Filipinas polos. They have a line of dresses that are awesome. The material is comfy and the cut is flattering.

I can wear this off-shoulder or cowl neck. 

After a stopover in Ateneo, we went to Kamuning, vintage capital of the Philippines. 

I heart this bead necklace from Davao. It's actually a celfone/pen holder and it goes superbly with this dress. 

There are tons of vintage finds in Kamuning- from used furniture to vinyl records, cameras and toys galore! If I were to go apartment shopping, I'd stop by Kamuning.

Kamuning is a street so you'll have to keep your eyes peeled to spot the vintage shops. Look closely because not only will you see furniture stuff but ukays (used clothing stores), funny store signages, and grafitti walls. I usually head to Kamuning for the textiles market- where I go to have dresses sewn or repaired. But more on that in another entry. Happy Sunday everybody!

Photos by Marlo Ongpin.

Manila Design Week Edible Billboard

An edible billboard made out of 13,500 lollipops made by TBWA-SMP Manila was one of the most enjoyable things that came out of Manila Design Week 2010. A scrumptious piece of advertising that crossed over to art installation. I think the young designers who attended really liked it. I personally witnessed hoards of them fill their bags with candy once they realized that the words, "Suck Design" really meant FREE LOLLIPOPS FOR ALL!


The most comedic moment happened at the end of the night when we saw the takatak boy (Filipino roving street vendor) selling some of the sweet loot just outside the venue. Filipinos are so enterprising!

Be Part of the Big Shift

Barely a month into writing this blog, preeminent creative forces launch bigshift.ph I just got back from their launch party in Glorietta 5.  The Big Shift just like the name implies is a web collection of pictures, videos, and articles that show a different perspective of the country. Enough of the poverty, terrorism, and traffic! 

My blog and this website share a vision. It's actually quite similar except that they have their own domain name and have the creative backing of Team Manila, Shift School, The One School, Tech Forge IT Solutions, and the Event Architects. And did I mention that they just had a live launch with really cool bands??? I could get really insecure except for the fact that I love the idea. 

The most impressive thing about Big Shift is that it's student initiated and the content will be user generated.  I believe that this is the generation of Filipinos that will ignite that much need shift in thinking. 

In order to get our beloved country off its butt, we'll need everyone to pitch in. So the more content on the web that shows love for the country, the better! Let's all join forces and contribute to the Big Shift! 

I'm using the large font as an experiment because it's come to my attention that people are glossing over my copy and just looking at pictures.

Michael Cinco's Collection for Manila Fashion Week Holiday 2010

This is what dreams are made of.

I missed a truly unearthly experience at the last Manila Fashion Week. The final show featured designs of Dubai based designer Michael Cinco. Luckily, my friend Frances Doplon was able to snap these photos. Michael Cinco is one talented Filipino and a designer to watch out for.

Cinco was born in Samar in 1971 and according to this Dubai website , his carefree childhood gave him room to really explore. Old Hollywood movies inspired him a lot which explains his dreamy highly textured dresses. His creations are mostly haute-couture and one-of-a-kind wedding dresses. One look at his stuff and you know that they are works of art- probably paid for by rich princesses in the Middle East.

His dresses which are passionately designed and painstakingly made really push me to believe that Filipinos are not geared for a mass-production. Our culture and our talents make us perfect for creating unique pieces. That's why Filipino designers like Bea Valdez and Tina Maristela Ocampo are making waves internationally. Perhaps, that's something we can all explore. Instead of trying to compete with China, we can have our own little haute couture niche. 

A little more digging on Michael Cinco and I found out that he had presented these pieces at the Dubai Fashion Week AW 2010.  I think the women of Dubai reacted pretty much the way we did. Stunned eyes followed by continuous drooling. But don't quote me on that.

Cinco  recreated the richness of the Japanese color palette with, "The Impalpable Dream of Madame Butterfly" Collection. I want a Ballet Barbie designed by him.

When I first saw Michael Cinco's work on Frances's facebook, I was floored. I've been meaning to blog about him. When I picked up a copy of this month's Preview magazine (my favorite Filipino fashion magazine) I saw that they had made him their top pick for fashion week.

With a dress that can transform from this.

To this.

In one easy motion. 

It's no surprise. He definitely deserves all the Oohlahlahs! Great job Preview. Michael Cinco is in a class of his own.

Much thanks for the fashion week photos from Frances Doplon.
Scanned pages from Preview Magazine August 2010 Edition.

Manila Deserves a Dashanzi Art District Just Like Beijing

Manila Art 2010 was a sad reminder about how other countries don’t just have annual exhibits to celebrate art.  They have vast creative spaces that serve as permanent posts for the art of the now. 

Last year, I was able to visit  Dashanzi Art District in Beijing- a consortium of factory type buildings turned into art galleries and restaurants.

One thing that I noticed in Beijing is that the quality of art is not different from our own.  Though I have to say that they really like to focus on themes that are very Chinese.

They also use some very large canvases- perhaps, because they have a lot of money to throw around or because they like things BIG in China.

The Chinese are more playful. Maybe because they have the support to really experiment. A lot of money is being poured into the Chinese art market by the locals and by outsiders capitalizing on the waking of this exotic sleeping giant.

Also, they are more open to performance art which I have a love and hate relationship with. It's all rather strange to me but we need to be more exposed to this kind of kookiness. 

I go back to these photos because I was disappointed with Manila Art 2010. There was no sizzle in the air, just a nervous listlessness. Twice in my two hour round, I heard people say that this Manila Art was just not as successful as last year’s.   People manning the booth theorized that the public was being “ningas kugon”- a Filipino behavior that shows great enthusiasm in the beginning with no follow through to finish.

I think that if you love the country and you love art, you should support events like these. Even if you can’t buy art, it’s important that you find a way to love art.  Sure, the Mall of Asia is far but so is SoHo, the Village, the entire city of Paris. Yet we find a way to fly to those places. 

Someday, I dream we will have our own permanent space for art. The only place that I can think of where a lot of galleries converge is on the top floor of Megamall and it simply won’t do.  It’s on top of a mall for crying out loud. We need a real playground for ideas and artists. And we deserve a BIG one too! 

Manila Design Week 2010 TV Commercial is Out

I can watch this television commercial over and over again. The insight is brilliant and the execution is flawless. It reminds me of synesthesia - a condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another, as when the hearing of a sound produces the visualization of a color. Great visual design can make something so much more appetizing. Yumyum. I can't wait for Graphika Manila tomorrow! 

A shout out to my very good friends Ali Silao and CJ DeSilva from TBWA-SMP who worked on this. It's fabulous and it makes me proud that events like Manila Design Week are being held in the Philippines.