TernoCon 3, a collaboration between the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Bench, featured collections by veteran designers who also mentored this year’s contestants.
The third edition of TernoCon began with a series of workshops led by mentor designers Joey Samson, Dennis Lustico, Inno Sotto, Chito Vijandre, and Ricky Toledo.
On the reimagining of the traditional balintawak, the designers allowed contestants to play with the silhouette, structure, colors, textiles, and patterns used.
But out of all the elements, the butterfly sleeves are a mainstay. “Those sleeves are the ultimate symbol of a terno,” says Lustico.
READ ALSO: A Modern Classic: 12 Designers Present Their Takes On The Balintawak At This Year’s TernoCon
Contestants were divided into four groups and assigned to the designers that matched their aesthetics. Maximalist designers were mentored by the duo of Vijandre and Toledo, while those with minimalist designs were assigned to Samson.
Those who leaned towards feminine and classic looks with Western influences were divided between Lustico and Sotto. Throughout the course of the workshop, all mentors were free to give their input and advice to all mentees.
The 12 finalists were able to present their final pieces on January 28, 2023 at the TernoCon fashion show held at CCP’s Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez Black Box Theater.
Their mentors and previous TernoCon winner, Hannah Adrias, also presented their own designs on the runway after the contestants.
Dennis Lustico presented his collection alongside melodies from live guitarists. Joey Samson followed with his models walking to the sound of period kundimans performed by the Philippine Madrigal singers.
The final collection, designed by Chito Vijandre and Ricky Toledo, began in silence as the first model walked towards a jukebox to play OPM hits and karaoke favorites by the likes of Celeste Legaspi and Eva Eugenio.
The duo praised all the finalists in their column for The Philippine STAR Lifestyle, saying “The mentees displayed an amazing range of backgrounds, skills and sensibilities, not to mention ideas, that made us realize the rich fabric of our country and its people.”
Banner image courtesy of TernoCon.
