LOS ANGELES?FOR THE SECOND year in a row, a Filipino designer made it as one of the 10 finalists in the ?Oscars Designer Challenge.? Oliver Tolentino, who divides his time between his shops in Makati and Los Angeles, was recently notified by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that he is on the list.

Alan del Rosario, LA-based designer from Cebu, was a finalist last year.

The winner, to be announced on the Oscar pre-show, will attend the 82nd Academy Awards show on March 7. Tolentino, who was born in Bataan and attended a fashion school in Manila, was picked based on his spring-summer collection in the Downtown Los Angeles Fashion Week last October, which impressed style authorities.

?I was very surprised to receive the Academy?s call because it was after the day they said they would notify the finalists,? said Tolentino. He was informed that he was being considered in December. ?The deadline day was also my birthday, so while I was having a lovely dinner out, I couldn?t help thinking about the contest. I?d accepted that I didn?t make it [so] of course I was thrilled!?

Tolentino, who recently represented the Philippines with his gown that showcased piña (pineapple fiber) at the EcoChic fashion show and exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland, described to the Inquirer his entry to the Oscar gown design contest.

?I got such a great reaction for the piña at Downtown LA Fashion Week and EcoChic Geneva. What else would I showcase but our wonderful fabric?? he said. ?My design is a piña mermaid gown, the skirt accented with hand-cut abaca and piña rosettes, individually hand-stitched. The bodice is draped with silk piña and embellished with Philippine fresh water pearls.?

The first RP-based designer to expand in the US added, ?People always say this, but it?s true: I?ve already won, just to be a part of this contest. That I was selected from designers from all across America to make a gown for the Oscars is such a thrill that I don?t even need to [actually] win !?

Recalled the designer, whose US shop is located on LA?s trendy Melrose Avenue: ?I remember the first time I watched an Oscar telecast in my hometown of Orani, Bataan. I dreamt that one day a gown I made would be worn by some glamorous star to the Oscars.?

The contest is such a huge honor for any designer, he said, ?But to think that I expanded to the US just seven months ago? I?m pinching myself! I?ve been so blessed the past seven months?a great opening, the LA Fashion Week, and just last week, EcoChic Geneva at the UN headquarters in Switzerland alongside Diane von Furstenberg (Belgium), Thakoon (Thailand) and John Rocha (Ireland). I wasn?t there, but I was flattered that they chose my gown as the finale in their fashion show.?

EcoChic Geneva celebrated sustainable fashion and accessories to mark the UN International Year of Biodiversity. It was organized by the UN Conference on Trade and Development) and Hong Kong?s charity group, Green2greener.

Earlier, in 2008, Tolentino represented the Philippines in Bali Fashion Week. He won first prize for his Carnivale parade outfit creation. His collection was also chosen as finale in the couture show on the last night.

3 gowns at Globes ball

In the recent Golden Globe Awards, Tolentino?s gowns made the red carpet scene.

?One of the reasons that I couldn?t attend the Geneva show was that I attended the Globes in Beverly Hills. I?m just starting my career in America, and I was watching three of my gowns in the exclusive Golden Globes ballroom! Margaret Gardiner, the first-ever Miss Universe from South Africa, was very involved in the details of her outfit. She kept coming up to me during the Globe after-parties to say that everyone was raving about her dress and that she told them, ?It?s an Oliver Tolentino!??

He continued: ?Jannelle So, host of the popular TV talk show, ?Kababayan LA,? wore a silk chiffon, red monochromatic gown with beaded neckpiece, and Filipina journalist Janet Nepales wore an empire-cut, draped silk chiffon purple gown. It was great to have three different looks there representing me and the Philippines. It was an amazing night!?

?When someone asks what my hopes are in 2010,? said the talented designer, whose clients include Journey?s Arnel Pineda, Filipino-American actress Anna Maria Perez de Tagle and Las Vegas performer Lani Misalucha, ?I must say it?s to continue introducing and promoting our local fabric and Philippine fashion.?

The entries of Tolentino and his nine rivals in the Oscar tile will be unveiled in a press showcase on Feb. 23 at the Academy building in Beverly Hills. Video clips of the designers and their entries will be posted on the Academy?s website. Online viewers then vote and determine the winner. Tolentino hopes his countrymen around the world will support him by voting for him online.