not by the book

Friend and favorite designer Tippi Ocampo, launched her own book called "Not By the Book: Fashioning Design by Tippi Ocampo" with an exhibit at Greenbelt 2. The book and the exhibit are sooo typically tippi - it really was a perfect way for her to celebrate her career in fashion :) Most designers would probably have a solo fashion show, but the runway doesn't always do justice to tippi's creations, i think. There is so much detail in her clothes that you are not able to appreciate from afar. So the idea for the book and show were perfect.

I remember when she first mentioned the project to me, i got so excited! Her "little book with big ideas" illustrates her design process from inspiration to creation - and includes a lot of little details like small envelopes of photos, swatches of fabric, ribbon, a "mirror" - its a feast for the senses! My fave sketch page is this one with the "candy wrapper top" (bida!) and the strawberry ice cream with chocolate syrup dress (which i may have her make for me one day....)


Its that same look and feel that we wanted to translate into the exhibit :) It's so fulfilling see ideas actually come to life before your eyes... we were just meeting about the exhibit "tableaus" in her house less than a month ago, and there they were standing before you, just as you had imagined....






I especially enjoyed making accessories to complement her quirky clothing at the exhibit :) My favorite pieces were...

the "purple gate" dress with a padlock on the waist and a gold key necklace


the "jeepney" dress!


the "sampayan" dress


*for book orders, you can email order@notbythebook.net or text 0915-710-0357

hairspray

as soon as the curtains opened to a candy-striped, pink polka dotted backdrop, i knew i would enjoy this show :) set in 1962, i just LOVED the costumes - so fun, colorful, kitschy (very brini maxwell!!!) - which really matched the show's songs, dances and energy.


i actually didn't know much about the show til last night. never saw the movie nor read the book. so it was quite a pleasant surprise. newcomers tim espinosa and madel ching played the lead roles of link and tracy. still a lot to be improved vocally for tim, though i think he acted well enough. madel seemed perfect for the role and had good vocals, though sometimes it would get drowned out by the music.


nyoy volante, who played seaweed, was a surprisingly really good dancer!!!


the clear stand-outs in the show were menchu lauchengco...


and of course, dulce (!) with michael de mesa as edna turnblad.


still one weekend left before the run ends. i think it's worth the trip naman all the way to star theater. you kinda leave the show wanting to dance and sing all the way home. hehe

urbanscape

yesterday, twinpophub and i had a nice city walk from philcom bldg on paseo de roxas to the pci (now bdo) building on makati ave.

especially enjoyed the geometric designs on the sidewalks.

we should totally take from these design elements and develop our city further -- create retro-modern street lights, benches, railings, plant boxes, etc etc...

same old, same old

what a coincidence!

twinpopgay and i rarely have photos together.  we decided to take some by the big tree in rockwell...

only to realize, our last photo together (taken YEARS ago) had us in the SAME clothes!

mwahahahaha!

mark & joy

WOW that cyclovia is soooooper.  we should totally do that here.... hmmm who can we approach?  jojobama?

anyway, had dinner with one of the most artistic couples i've met: mark and joy.

here's them signing a piece they did together...

here are pieces from their upcoming shows...

by joy:  tres "maria's" who had sold their kidneys (see the scars?)... strange image.

a mail order bride...

a guy with a 'sacred heart'?  + one with a floral skull...

witty...

santa santita... very powerful face...

love this... nagpapatisay... reminds me of how mum used to make me pinch the bridge of my nose!!!

on the invite...

this i really love...  it's called 'regalo'... as always my photos really don't do justice...

and a few works by mark... as always he is ever evolving.

his images now are quite ethereal.  these are charcoal on paper -- it's amazing how he does them.  

on the invite...

this one's of a guy who had lost his fingerprints and is trying to gain it back...

this was the one i liked the most... it's of a woman with some sort of dual light emanating from her center... hmmmm.....

yun lang :)

happy thanksgiving!

ciclovia

went on a night bike out last night from my house to the fort ... to eat at mcdonalds - haha! well, i didn't really eat (yeah!), but i did order that "wild watermelon sprite float"! (super good! its watermelon flavored sprite with sundae on top)

anyway, biking around the city in all that pollution and traffic reminded me of the ciclovia in bogota, columbia, where over 70 miles of city streets are closed to traffic every sunday so people could come out on the streets to bike, run, walk, picnic, exercise, come together. its like a giant UP acad oval on sundays. you should see this....


what a dream :)

and here is perhaps one baby step toward a more bike-friendly manila.... free bike parking at robinsons galleria!


props to the Gokongwei's! (and to the Lopez's because rockwell has one rack, too! ) i hope more buildings and malls follow suit :)

and on to more bike news, "pedala" bikers mendel and ruel start their 10-day bike ride today from manila to davao.... here they are at kilometer 0

good luck guys! :)

pride

the malate gay pride parade is coming up...

and in time for that, i was hoping to surprise twinpopfren with a youtube video launch of his singing.

since twinpopfren is twinpopgay, and his fave recording is of 'monalisa', i thought it might be fitting to make the video sort of gay activist-y.

so i drafted this video, just a montage of shots picked up from the web, to see if the song/lyrics is/are apt for the images.

watjatink?  how should we make it?

religiosity

how pretty is my m-i-l's tree?  i love how it's so eclectic -- mixing whimsical decor with religious icons (angels, churches, crucifixes).

idea!  next year, my tree's gonna be totally goth!  can't wait!

speaking of religious images, i dropped by fred esquillo's show at tin-aw a few days ago.  now here's one artist who likes to use religious images.  

this one's quite clever -- it's of a guy in 'cockfight'-stance, with iglesia ni cristo spires towering out of his spine, looking almost like a dinosaur.

this one, entitled 'school of bontoc' depicts a class photo of filipino kids with blinders, mickey mouse ears, etc. under the tutelage of their american teachers.

this one's 'mamackinley' -- with mckinley as the mum and a pinoy (aguinaldo?) as the bebe.

this one's 'siyam siyam' -- siamese twins -- aguinaldo and bonifacio.

these ones, 'cruciformorph 1 & 2', are 2 canvases, weaved like a banig.  one is of the crucified christ, while the other an almost naked man/woman.  velly clever!

last, this is of himself as a pseudo santo - it's done on rubber.

cool, right?  yun lang :)