MANILA, Philippines?It?s interesting to see if the daytime fashion shows, which started last month, will develop a growing audience, and market, for Filipino designers. Also, will it make a dent on urban lifestyle?will Ladies Who Lunch turn into Ladies Who High-Tea?

Fashion Watch, held twice a week in the afternoon, at Shangri-La Makati, harks back to the daily luncheon shows of the ?70s at the Top of the Hilton and Hyatt?s La Concha.

In Fashion Watch, it?s been obvious how designers and clients welcomed the opportunity to interact on a more personal level and in broad daylight.

It perhaps comes as no surprise that the series? producer, veteran fashion designer Inno Sotto, who sought the support of such corporate sponsors as Nokia, Globe Asiatic, Belo Essentials and Metro Bank Femme Card, launched his career in the luncheon shows of the ?70s.

This time, instead of lunch, Sotto and Shangri-La Makati chose to stage the shows at the lobby lounge during the afternoon high tea. They did away with the ramp and let the models glide freely around the lounge, just an arm?s length away from seated guests.

Patrice Diaz, one of the featured designers, was a bit concerned initially about the presentation and how her clothes would look sans dramatic lighting and a ramp.

?In the end,? she said, ?a lounge setting worked, as it proved to be cozy and not intimidating to the audience.?

Sotto?s track record as a producer also convinced her to join. Diaz used to participate in the Fashion Watch series in the ?90s, produced by Sotto and his partner, the late Richard Tann.

?For me, a high-tea show is more targeted to my clients,? she said.
?It?s a type of show where the goal is to sell. In fact, organizers even provided a room for us to showcase the clothes and sell to interested parties right after each presentation.?

Of the 30 pieces she did, 12 were sold soon after the first show (each of the featured designers showed the same collection twice within the week). Since the clothes were based on models? measurements, Diaz wasn?t able to sell all of them.

The show, however, was able to generate dozens of orders from women in the audience who wanted to wear versions of what they?d just seen on the floor.

?I guess it helped that it was a solo show,? she said. ?I was able to give a strong statement, show a wide range of designs and create a bigger impact that wouldn?t have been possible in a group show where we usually get to showcase only five pieces.?

The afternoon shows also pushed the designers to try to create impeccable collections, from the design down to the finishing, since the clothes were viewed up close and under harsh, unforgiving natural light.

Big venue

Cary Santiago, another featured designer, (the series will return in May) was also quite happy with the show?s results.

?After I saw Patrice?s show,? Santiago said, ?I realized the venue was relatively big. It also dawned on me that 15-20 pieces wouldn?t be enough to create the impact I wanted.?

No less than the slim Lizzie Zobel wanted to buy five of Santiago?s gowns right after the show. All he had to do was shorten the length so that the gowns would fit his newest high-profile client. But the designer promised to give her something even better.

?I told her that I?ll just make her new, if not improved versions of the same gowns,? he said. ?I now have a body form with Lizzie?s measurements. I?ll be flying in from Cebu tomorrow to see her and my other Manila-based clients.?