Designer Ezra Santos Showcases Filipino Style Innovation on Dubai Runway

Photos by Eros Goze

The iconic Filipino national fashion treasure – the terno, particularly its distinctive butterfly sleeves, seems to have been an untouchable element of Filipino fashion for such a long time. Despite innovations on the Philippine’s national dress in the last couple of decades, the terno, particularly its distinctive butterfly sleeves, seemed forever consigned to the limitations of its form and construction, as well as the grand and traditional occasions that command its wear.

Not anymore.

Enter Dubai-based designer Ezra Santos whose first solo gala couture show in Dubai at the glamorous Madinat Jumeirah on the 27th of April 2010, attended by no less than the country’s glitterati, showcased the revolutionary incarnation of the butterfly sleeves; a style reinvention fit to prowl international fashion ramps, initiating a bold and credible trend with a distinctly sophisticated and edgy global appeal, beyond Philippine borders.

The beauty of fashion is that it is perennially fickle. Seasons change. Silhouettes evolve. Hemlines rise and fall. The shoulder lines soften or sharpen. And the sleeves either disappear or metamorphose. But sleeves are an essential part of a dress. It even signifies modesty in a woman especially in these parts of the world. The sleeves are an endless source of inspiration to couturiers worth their scissors and tape measures. Like the butterfly sleeves. It evolves and revolves. And yet one particular version lingers.

Ezra, in his early outings as a fashion designer in the Philippines, was so enamoured by the butterfly sleeves, so aptly immortalized by the social butterfly of her own era, the legendary Imelda Marcos. It is stiff and protrudes where the shoulder blades end. The fabric is often made of pineapple fiber indigenous to the Philippines, and lined with “cana maso” for the standing effect. The complete ensemble is usually cut empire to achieve a soft, voluminous draping in the bodice, perhaps to contradict the sharpness of the sleeves. It became de rigueur for the flamboyant erstwhile Filipino First Lady to wear to state dinners and official foreign visits in her more than two decades of rule that it became her trademark look. Needless to say, it is reminiscent of the halcyon days of a not so distant past, of pomp and pageantry, of an almost mythical era that exuded sinful decadence, and excesses and intrigues.

And in true renaissance form, Ezra takes pride as he reprises the iconic sleeves, albeit subtly. In his trademark masterful cutting and precision tailoring, he has done away with the cumbersome pleats that stiffen and form the semi oval sleeves and make it appear seamless. He adroitly softens the look and gives it a much more feminine edge and a universal look.

“I adore the butterfly sleeves and it’s been a challenge for me to create something that will be wearable at this time and be remarkable internationally, and it’s the right time because big shoulders are so in fashion at the moment. I just want to see it being worn not only in formal affairs, as it can be worn at the office or for semi-formal occasions in a smaller scale version. That’s why I combined these sleeves with more structured jackets and viola! They came out really nice. Interestingly enough, my Imeldific collection was widely appreciated by the fashionistas in Dubai. So much so that we have already received orders from this collection straight from the catwalk.”

Ezra Santos’ fashion is only second to quality and “more about quality than fashion,” says the designer. The Philippine Women’s University graduate who trained at the Central St. Martins in London has honed his fashion skills from the Philippines to Saudi Arabia, and now in the UAE particularly Dubai. Always done in good taste and refined style, his pieces do not attempt to make extreme style statements. They are innovative, yes, but with a distinct sense of muted elegance and subtle aesthetics. This gracious style ethos has earned Ezra an enviable list of royals and prominent ladies in the region who wear his distinctly feminine and elegantly luxurious creations.

His love for fashion is deeply rooted and runs in his blood. For the perfectionist that he is, Ezra is undoubtedly one of the top fashion designers in the Middle East. His collection: “In the Beginning” took him almost a year to put together, as the designer cannot rest until everything is just right – from designs to cutting and execution, fabrics to embellishments.

And true to form, Ezra never disappoints. He has truly mastered his craft. He is a purveyor of good taste and all things elegant. He creates. He trailblazes. He invents and reinvents. And no wonder, as he has revolutionized a national treasure, the butterfly sleeves, albeit with his modest persona and tastefully restrained style values, Ezra has once again created a thing of exquisite beauty, that is actually immense and daring on all other accounts.