Bench Fashion Week 2024: Embracing Fashion for the Lost Romantics
Amidst life’s gravity, isn’t it easy to lose sight of what truly matters? Love, expressed fearlessly, bared souls, and hearts worn openly for the world to witness. For many, fashion offers a conduit for this vulnerability, craftsmanship, joy, and love, as evidenced by the designers at Bench Fashion Week’s Summer 2024 showcase.
Rhett Eala’s second collection for Kashieca epitomized the essence of the classy, sophisticated woman—confident, multifaceted, and gracefully poised. Each ensemble exuded femininity with off-the-shoulder necklines, voluminous bows, lace layers, and chic midi silhouettes, seamlessly transitioning from work to evening rendezvous.
Model turned photographer turned fashion designer, Jo Ann Bitagcol, debuted her inaugural runway show, a culmination of her mastery across creative realms. Her collection showcased wearable art, adorned with vintage photographs, reflective of our cultural tapestry, layered fabrics, dramatic capes, and a harmonious blend of earthy hues and subtle jewel tones, all elegantly tied together with loosely bound ribbons.
Gabbie Sarenas returned with “Tanan,” drawing inspiration from soon-to-be-wed muses and the timeless romance of the 1991 film “Hihintayin Kita Sa Langit,” starring Richard Gomez and Dawn Zulueta. Models graced the runway in elevated slip dresses, hand-embroidered with scalloped hems, while men sported collared polos paired with relaxed trousers, epitomizing an effortless yet refined aesthetic. With white sneakers and hair styled in neat chignons or relaxed waves, they exuded an air of understated elegance, layered with G.S. essentials—apron bouquets, tie-on ruffles, sampaguita-embroidered veils, and a playful mix of tulle and volume, evoking a sense of nostalgic romance set to the sweet melodies of Dina Bonnevie’s “Bakit Ba Ganyan.”
Lifestyle News: Bench Fashion Week 2024: Embracing Fashion for the Lost Romantics
