MANILA, Philippines?The minute Josie Cruz Natori?s first batch of models glided on the runway wearing updated versions of the kimono?an image that has been associated with this global Filipino designer for three decades?one caught her ultimate statement: the art of luxury.

The New York-based Filipino designer recently showed close to a hundred pieces in a benefit show at Makati Shangri-La. In keeping perhaps with the clothes and Natori?s sensibilities as a New Yorker, the show?s pacing was quick, straightforward and unpretentious.

From where we sat, Natori?s decision to make all her female models wear high-heeled, open-toed sling backs and platforms to go with all those soft, shiny, embroidered, semi-beaded and drape-like silk and lace pieces wasn?t arbitrary. Nor was it meant purely for aesthetic reasons.

Practicality, a lonely word in the realm of high fashion, dictates that many of the pieces could have probably been better paired with comfortable flats, even nondescript hotel slippers.

After all, the designer originally meant a bulk of the pieces to be worn as either lingerie or loungewear. And what woman would want to traipse around the boudoir or the lanai in high heels during her downtime when no one, except perhaps the hubby or the boyfriend (who probably doesn?t even care), is looking?

But who says Natori?s pieces, consisting mostly of loose, figure-friendly separates done in the most exquisite materials and techniques, are meant to be seen purely indoors?

Under the reed-thin designer?s direction, ?inner? wear as ?outer? wear has been gaining whole new meanings.

What worked

East-meets-West sensibilities were very much evident in the way Natori seamlessly combined a number of elements, silhouettes, techniques and materials;

The look was anchored on Natori?s knowledge of her market: rich, successful women honed in on the art of looking effortlessly chic;
Beautiful silk fabrics, plain or printed and embellished, that draped very well on the female models, making them look taller and slimmer than they already were;

Natori has immense access to rich, elegant fabrics?silk, chiffon, lame, jersey and eye-catching jacquard;

The look had the feel and ?scent? of luxury, yet the pieces, even when layered, were easy to wear and could flatter almost all body types;

A good number of pieces were versatile enough to be worn at home, but, with the right styling (and, yes, high-heeled shoes), could instantly morph into evening wear. Worn with a pair of denims, not a few key pieces could also be dressed-down daywear;

Several key pieces, particularly those with intricate embroidery and beadwork, were definitely worth keeping as collector?s items;

Using rich imagery and Oriental patterns from the Natori archives and her own collection of prints on the robes and caftans, which were reminiscent of John Galliano, was an inspired move;

Natori, as the ultimate lifestyle doyenne, also found an ideal way to parade her beautiful blankets and beddings by draping them on hard-bodied models;

Simplicity went beyond the kimono-inspired pieces to include versatile dresses that incorporated lace with silk.

Her black and white cat suits, however, stuck out among the flowy, draped pieces.