MANILA, Philippines?Influenced perhaps by his long stint in the West Coast, Ito Curata played with contrasting silhouettes and volumes Tuesday afternoon to produce a 26-piece collection of updated cocktail dresses, swing coats, pantsuits and de rigueur red-carpet numbers in delicious fall colors ranging from currant to aubergine.

Strong colors?maroon, magenta and a lone fuchsia for finale?were ideal foil to his black and gunmetal gray pieces.

As this week?s featured designer in the Fashion Watch series at Makati Shangri-La, Curata displayed anew his penchant for drama by combining no-frills serpentine numbers with larger-than-life sleeves to maximum effect. To realize his vision, the designer used such staples as silk organza, tulle, chiffon and Thai silk.

Flawless

Curata?s expertise in fashioning impeccably tailored and fitted numbers, which Sharon Stone once cited for ?giving me the ass of a 20-year-old,? was again very much evident. Despite the fact that he and his team had less than three weeks to piece together everything, his paneled skirts and long dresses were flawless and figure-flattering.

Huge, tiered sleeves made of layers upon layers of cut-on-the-bias silk organza provided the slim silhouettes with an ideal counterpoint. The ruffled sleeves were actually detachable shrugs, which could allow the wearer to dress down or up depending on her mood.

We only wished he made some of his serpentine gowns a bit longer to allow them to fully glide across the floor as well as conceal those platform shoes. They may look cool with wide-leg pants and a good number of medium-length dresses, but platforms inspired by the 1970s tend to look a tad tacky when worn with the classic fishtail silhouette from the 1950s.

Curata also did formal separates, including a figure-skimming long-sleeve black top paired with maroon maxi skirt adorned with twisting strips of pleated ruffles and lace. The look, like most of his intricate pieces, exuded elegance and luxury?in the mode of Meldy Cojuangco and Tingting Cojuangco.

Indeed, if there?s one area where Curata enjoys an advantage over most of his contemporaries, it?s his ability to define and cater to his target market?sophisticated and affluent women.

For the bold and daring, he had see-through options. A maroon gown was reminiscent of the beaded see-through number with matching silk skirt designed by Elie Saab and worn by Halle Berry to the Oscars some years back.

Curata gave justice to the borrowed idea, again, through flawless construction, from the strategic beadwork that obscured the wearer?s chest down to the body-hugging fit.

This impeccable quality, however, eluded him in another see-through, also a beaded piece with a Venus neckline. The gown?s fit was a bit off so that one of the model?s nipple pads showed.

?It was supposed to be worn by another model, but she backed out at the last minute,? said Curata.
?Actually, there are few pieces I wasn?t happy about, which I plan to change next time.?

Produced by Inno Sotto and Joji Dingcong, Fashion Watch, sponsored by Nokia, is staged every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon at the hotel?s lobby lounge. Directed by Robby Carmona, with hair and makeup by Patrick Rosas, the ongoing series is supported by Belo Essentials, Globe Asiatique and Metrobank Femme Visa.

?I drew inspiration from Argentinean tango music for my collection,? said Curata. ?It?s all about shape and a bit of volume clustered in the right places.?

Famous client

Before he decided to move back to the Philippines years ago, the designer had a fashion career in San Francisco. Among his clients was the then very hot Sharon Stone, who wore his dresses to high-profile show-biz events.

The show was all about romance, glamour and a bit of sex. Curata would have none of the edgy styling some designers sometimes resort to in their vain attempt to conceal or make up for a weak collection. In contrast, his models were all dolled up and wore identical upswept hairdos and hair extensions to look like glamour girls of the defunct studio system.

Without doubt, one of the afternoon?s most noteworthy numbers was Curata?s finale, a floral-inspired strapless fuchsia gown with artificial rose petals clustered around the model?s neck and back. Like those previously shown layered sleeves, the designer?s bib bouquet was also detachable.

Curata was up the night before working on the bib. Judging from the audience?s warm reception, all those sleepless nights he had spent trying to perfect his collection were worth it.