MANILA, Philippines?Philip Rodriguez. The name is as synonymous to Cebu fashion as Audrey Hepburn is to classic beauty. It's no wonder then that Cebu's supreme fashion designer considers her as one of his style icons, along with Jackie O. Just like both women, his gorgeous designs never go out of fashion.

Although his creations are considered classic pieces, they are by no means boring or unchanging. In fact, Philip is a visionary with a remarkable ability to take calculated risks-his clothes are always stylish and flattering, and are strikingly memorable pieces worth more than a second glance.

In his 2007 Holiday collection for Samsung Style Watch at the Waterfront, models flirtatiously sashayed the ramp in his wearable art ensembles-feminine palikpik or book-leaf bottom dresses, which were inspired by the Philippine parol, the Christmas star lantern. He has since rendered this collection into a range of cocktail dresses and formal gowns.

Describing his clothes as modern classics, his ultimate design goal is to create clothes that capture the personality, enhance the lifestyle and fit the physique of the wearer. The nicest thing about his outfits is they always delicately hide a body's flaws while making great bodies look even more deliriously perfect. His clothes can be confident and strong, innocent or playful, but they are always functional and timeless with fine fabrics and detailed construction.

Revered

Taking elements from the past and adapting them to present trends, his clothes exude a youthful exuberance without being over-the-top modern. Like make-up to enhance a face, his clothes enhance the person, not clutter the body. "Nothing too overwhelming. The person must wear the dress, not be worn by the dress," he insists. "Otherwise, it becomes a costume," he adds wryly.

On top of his regular clientele, Philip is the most revered designer to go to for weddings. His ability to develop expressive motifs and create outfits for a dazzling entourage while making the bride and groom shine as a couple are what set him apart from other designers. And just as people catch on to trends, talk about his wedding designs have spread, resulting in frequent inquiries from out-of-town brides-to-be. He gets a feel for their personality by asking them for their photo and measurements, details about their lifestyle and their wedding plans. These elements help him match his designs to fit the individual needs of the clients whom he has yet to meet.

Unlike Marc Jacobs and Monique Lhuillier -Philip used to dress her-who have always known that they wanted to be in the fashion industry, Philip was more inclined toward architecture or interior design. However, he chose to pursue a more pragmatic degree in business management from the University of the Philippines Cebu, and ended up managing his family's textile shop, Piere Angeli, right after college. While helping his clients choose fabrics, he ended up sketching designs for them, and later found himself to be a full-fledged fashion designer, acknowledging the influence of Valentino, Chanel and Oscar de la Renta in his creations.

Natural eye for beauty

Having first pick at a limitless selection of the best fabrics definitely help, but more than anything, his success can be attributed to his natural eye for beauty, his instinctive good taste and his impeccable character.

Balancing the passion and artistry of designing with the shrewdness and practicality of a businessman, he approaches his work with focus, discipline, professionalism and a great degree of personal attention to detail, which explains his loyal clientele and dedicated personnel.

He begins his day by checking on the progress of his workers, studying every thing-from the cutting of the cloth, to the final beadwork of the gowns. He then spends a few hours in the morning as well as the afternoon, sitting down with his clients, sketching new designs, or eyeing them in his clothes. He also checks on the inventory of his two other textile branches in the city, and he visits his ready-to-wear shop, Filippo, daily. A dressier version, the Filippo luxe, is set to open in the upscale SM Northwing within the month.

When he's not in his shops, he's studying fashion trends in magazines and movies, his source of inspiration aside from his regular trips to cosmopolitan cities. He's also hanging out in the Cebu social circuit, of which he is a very well integrated figure-almost like the Karl Lagerfeld of Cebu.

As a commissioner for the Cebu City Tourism Commission, Philip helps promote tourism, taking the lead in organizing the Miss Cebu pageant to become an annual sold-out crowd event. Philip is also involved in the Fashion Council of Cebu, an organization of fashion designers, whose vision is to advance the fashion industry in the city by improving the technical skills of its workers.

Though wary about spreading himself too thin, his success is in all the details, it seems. Just as his designs aren't the type to go out of fashion, he, too, is set to stay.