THE IMELDA MARCOS COLLECTION vs. THE MRS.T CONNECTION

BUSTED! We got 2 text messages later this evening, asking us if our client was Madame Imelda Marcos.

The truth comes out in 3…2…1… YES, she is! 😀 Now we are admitting it because we got cornered! We are currently handling media relations (at least we are attempting to haha) for THE IMELDA COLLECTION, an accessories line by Imelda Romualdez Marcos.

THERE. The secret is out. (So I have truly social climbed past Mount Everest already. If the Marianna’s Trench were tall *and not deep*, then I’ve reached its pinnacle *muwahahaha* )
Thanks also to the news that came out early this evening about it– that really did it for us. So much for keeping this all hush hush. After the LA Times published an article yesterday about this (they were the first to break the news), practically every news organization managed to tracked down Mrs. Marcos today for ambush interviews.

Mrs. Marcos was in the midst of a “funky” photo shoot by photographer ST when all of the press zeroed in on her. It was quite a spectacle, I was told. We were not there. Yours truly was all over town, picking up the invitation cd from our very able graphic artist JS, meeting with our wonderful invitation supplier (which I will gladly divulge info about after the event passes– they’re the best in town by the way)

Anyway, here’s the Official Press Release and your peek into “THE IMELDA COLLECTION“

Former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Romualdez Marcos continues to influence in fashion in more ways than one. Her infamous collection of shoes has inspired a number of advertising campaign slogans for foreign shoe brands, as well as a quote in the popular TV show Sex and the City. Her signature look, the terno, is now enjoying a revival in local formal events. Her iconic image, that of a perfectly coiffed woman with pearl studs and a single diamond, has become the standard of Asian women – the “Asian girl look.” Now even Imelda’s old photographs are being used, not simply as inspiration but also as unauthorized reprints in entire collections of bolero jackets, gowns and accessories by local fashion designers.

Enter The Imelda Collection — a line of fashion accessories for the stylish but practical woman with the penchant for owning a piece of history. The fashion line is composed of pieces from Mrs. Marcos’ personal collection discovered in old trunks in Leyte — baubles which may not be of real value to anyone, but remains treasured and invaluable to Imelda herself due to the history that each piece holds. The components include Swarovski crystals, pearls and mother-of-pearl from Mindanao, malachite beads from her pioneering trips to Russia, cloisonné charms from the first visits to China, leftover buttons from her suits worn at important events, partly damaged antique Ilocano tamburins, and even single costume earrings whose pairs were long lost in past political campaigns.

Behind The Imelda Collection is Mrs. Marcos’ eldest daughter Rep. Imee Marcos. As the producer of the line, it was Imee who convinced her mother to go public with her interest in creating accessories. Imee says her mother had always been an “accessories maven to the first order.” She explains, “when she left Leyte for Manila to study at the Philippine Women’s University, she stayed in the hectic household of her cousin, the then- Speaker of the House of Representatives, Speaker Daniel Z. Romualdez. She didn’t have the dresses appropriate for the many social occasions she suddenly had to attend, hence became very inventive with belts, and flower pins, and scarves and shoes.” Mrs. Marcos’ interest in accessories continued on during her years as First Lady, when she had to constantly change outfits for many occasions throughout the day. Mrs. Marcos would “recycle” her ternos to look new and different following each photo opportunity, and she executed new looks through the magic of accessories.

In addition to launching the accessories line, a new image of Imelda Marcos will be released through the photographs of Steve Tirona under the art direction of Mrs. Marcos’ grandson, Martin “Borgy” Manotoc. These photos, featuring images of Mrs. Marcos with her pet dog wearing accessories or in the midst of a comical “catastrophe” in an ornate bathtub, have a tongue-in-cheek humour that will appeal to the younger generation that Borgy represents. This is the same spirit carried by each piece in The Imelda Collection– designed with Imelda’s elegant style, but with a little bit of a whimsical twist – a button here, an organza ribbon there. True to form, Mrs. Marcos says, “You don’t have to be rich to be beautiful. Sometimes I have been rich, sometimes I haven’t. But there is beauty still out there– it may cost the earth, it may be quite cheap, in nature it might even be free!”

The Imelda Collection includes necklaces, earrings, brooches, cuff bracelets and hair combs. While some larger pieces reflect the “Imeldific” spirit to be worn for special events, most of the pieces are practical and can be worn in many different ways. Because each piece has a little bit of Imelda in it — a button, a pearl, a Swarovski crystal, a butterfly or a mini shoe – it essentially carries with it a part of history. The Imelda Collection will appeal not only to the modern fashionista but also to an avid collector. Imee says of the collection, “It is not fashion that she would like to propagate, nor is she by any means claiming to be a designer of any sort. It is a way of life, an attitude, a manner of being that is essentially her, and our, own. In the end, the Filipino is perhaps not a scientist, or a businessman, or an athlete, hardly a politician- but the Filipino without doubt is an artist.”

I have attached a teaser photo of one of the pieces to be sold in the premiere collection *sorry about the grainy photo– I took it!* 🙂 Hope that peaked your interest 😀

Hags, yours truly needs to hop to bed now. Didn’t realize how my frenetic schedule today got me soooo tired. And oh so sad, my baby is sick too with some viral infection– fever coupled with cough and colds 🙁 *sigh* Hope this revelation was enough for this post! Sorry no bagtalk this time!! Will make it all up to you as soon as we get past the launch 😀 Meanwhile, we have more work ahead of us!

P.S. Full credit goes out to my multi-tasking partner *who wishes to remain anonymous for now* for putting together the press release 🙂 *I kiss the ground you walk on :D*

xo