BABY COUTURE: Tea Time at Emma's First Birthday!

What could be cuter than a one-year-old swimming in layers upon layers of ruffled tulle with peony pink flowers to match? The answer is nothing, nothing at all, as is clearly evident from photos of darling Emma during her first birthday bash which she celebrated with her parents Kristjan and Macy Kuurme and their close family and friends.

MOMMY MACY, DAD KRISTJAN, & EMMA. PHOTO BY PERFECT GREY PHOTOGRAPHY.

A little bit of a background is that my parents and Macy's parents have been friends for decades, so I basically grew up with the Pascual family. They're a big loving bunch and even if we aren't linked by blood, they feel like family to me. Plus, they're truly supportive of my fashion career, and since they're always in the US, my shopping addiction as well.

Mommy Macy wanted a super cute dress for her daughter's English tea party themed birthday, and gave me complete artistic freedom to create something for Emma. As always, I wanted this dress to be different than the ones I've done before. But then, there are just so many ways you could make a tutu dress and I've made quite a few. I was stumped for a while, until in a spark of genius (ahem!) I thought of using a ruffle technique usually reserved for wedding gowns. And voila! A true-blue "gigil" moment!

DAD KRISTJAN WITH EMMA; EMMA AND HER TEACUP CAKE. PHOTO BY PERFECT GREY PHOTOGRAPHY.

DAD KRISTJAN, MOM MACY AND EMMA. PHOTO BY PERFECT GREY PHOTOGRAPHY. 

I loved how despite being in such a "couture" piece, Emma's baby-ness was still front and center. I hear a lot of moms and dads sigh at how fast time flies and how quickly their babies grow, so I think it's quite precious to have photos of your little ones acting like tots. She looked quite at home in this sea of pomelo pink and I think having it pool all around her was a truly nice touch.  

BEHIND THE SCENES AT EMMA'S MINI PHOTO SHOOT. PHOTO BY MARILENE PEREZ. 

And also, can someone answer me as to why babies like playing with tissue paper? I don't think she's the only one, but the cute thing is that she "shares" her precious torn-up tissue! 

PHOTO BY MARILENE PEREZ. 

Actually, I know I just said there's nothing cuter than a baby in a sea of tulle. But there is actually something better, which is ANOTHER cute baby! Say hello to Emma's cousin Isabel, who was seven months old at this time and equally adorable. I also made a nice party dress for her to wear, with embroidered lace, a rhinestone belt, and a tiny rose. Darling Isabel is also my one and only inaanak and truly a joy to her parents May and Rico, and her entire family as well. 

BABY ISABEL WITH DAD RICO, MOM MAY AND COUSIN ROBIN. PHOTO BY MARILENE PEREZ. 

BABY ISABEL AND DAD RICO. PHOTO BY MARILENE PEREZ. 

A LITTLE WALDROBE MALFUNCTION BUT STILL SO CUTE. PHOTO BY MARILENE PEREZ. 

And here are their dresses side by side. They're both quite tiny, and while I'm working on the garments I sometimes get worried at how small the dresses are. Childrenswear was not my major in fashion school so I am learning this as I go along. But when we try them on the babies, they fit just right! So I guess having a waistline of 18 and an armhole of 9 is totally normal! 

I am truly honoured to have been able to be a part of this intimate family celebration and enjoy seeing their family grow bigger and bigger with each new baby! 

THREE GENERATIONS IN ONE LOVELY PIC. PHOTO BY MARILENE PEREZ. 

I always enjoy making baby dresses as I am able to bombard one tiny garment with all the cuteness I can muster. Hopefully someday when the girls look at their baby pictures, they would be quite pleased as well! 

BRIDAL BLISS: Seaside Splendour at Simon & Maja's Boracay Wedding

SIMON & MAJA MANNION. PHOTO BY MAYAD STUDIOS. 

There's a certain dreaminess inherent in beach weddings – the gentle sunrise that colours the sky as you wake up to one of the biggest days of your life, the soft breeze that gives your hair a little flutter, the sound of the lapping waves mimicking the beat of your ecstatic heart. Such sparkling, fairytale romance was what defined the wedding of Maja and Simon Mannion held in the white sands of Boracay. I was truly fortunate to be able to work with the gorgeous bride in creating her seashell inspired wedding gown, and become a part of her intimate beachside soiree. 

THE WEDDING GOWN AND MAJA MANNION AS SHE WALKED TO THE ALTAR. PHOTO BY MAYAD STUDIOS. 

Maja wanted a gown that had intricate beading and a couture feel befitting any stylish bride, but  was also carefree and sweet to pay homage to the rustic beauty of her surroundings. Given her vision, I wanted to create a gown that had both delicate details but also an airy lightness that would allow Maja to have lots of fun with her husband and her family during their intimate beach affair. I do think the creamy, beaded confection we made did justice to their love affair and enhanced Maja's radiant glow. 

MAJA'S BEAUTIFUL BOUQUET WAS MADE BY HER BRIDESMAIDS (FLOWERS FROM FLORISTA). PHOTO BY MAYAD STUDIOS. 

MAJA MANNION. PHOTO BY MAYAD STUDIOS. 

MAJA & HER BRIDESMAIDS IN DRESSES FROM EVER NEW. PHOTO BY MAYAD STUDIOS. 

MAJA & SIMON. PHOTO BY MAYAD STUDIOS. 

The gown was composed of a strapless mini with intricate tulle ruching in the bodice giving the garment a lovely base texture with which to work our beaded magic. It was a bit of trial and error at first to get the draping perfect, but I think the finished design was quite flattering. Three-dimensional embroidered flowers and leaves were added in trailing fashion to give it a fairytale feel. The ivory blooms were further enhanced by the sprinkling of crystals and beads, and of course freshwater pearls which was the perfect nod to her beachside bash, and also a great homage to our Filipino culture. Both the bride and the groom had been based in Doha, Qatar so I thought it was a lovely touch to her gown. 

I thought the mix of textures gave the gown a found-object feel, like an artist creating compositions from the beautiful randomness of nature. I love how the fine pleated tulle, was the perfect foil to the beaded flowers, giving the garment a truly graceful finish. 

And for the big reveal, we added an organdy petal skirt to finish off her look. The ball gown skirt has layers of sheer fabric draped over each other to give it the fluttery feel and add a natural slit that would open up softly when the bride walked. Why else would one have a beach wedding other than to twirl around in a fluttery gown? I also thought the layers and the warm shade was reminiscent of seashells, which I thought was a lovely addition to the concept of her gown. 

Since Maja was based in Qatar, we had limited fittings while working on her gown. But I do think we pulled it off beautifully and were blessed that Maja loved her gown. 

MAJA'S GOWN WAS MADE FOR FLYING! PHOTO BY MAYAD STUDIOS. 

We also made a matching lace robe for the bride as she prepared for her walk down the aisle. The swirling details of the lace I thought was a great match to her wedding gown. 

MAJA IN HER MARIANE PEREZ WEDDING GOWN AND LACE BRIDAL ROBE. PHOTO BY MAYAD STUDIOS. 

Her wedding accessories were also made with her gown in mind, and we enjoyed creating an embellished veil, ring and arrhae pillows, and also a shimmery bridal clutch. I always love mixing textures and creating dimension with my work, even with little crafty details!

And if you notice, Maja's gown for her ceremony, with its off-shoulder lace sleeves and ball gown skirt, is going to be a little different for the after party. When the sun sets and the music starts, Maja's gown converts into a strapless number with a fifties-inspired circle skirt all the better to dance the night away with her beau! 

MAJA AND SIMON DURING THE CEREMONY. PHOTO BY MAYAD STUDIOS. 

MAJA & SIMON DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY. PHOTO BY MAYAD STUDIOS. 

Looking at these photos of our bride and her husband beaming as they pledged to spend their life together truly makes my job as a fashion designer meaningful. I am honoured to be entrusted with such an important once-in-a-lifetime gown, and am privileged to be part of so much love! Thanks Maja and Simon and wishing you continued prosperity!

DESIGN DOSSIER: Goddess Goals on Solenn Heussaff for FHM August 2016

With an innate sultriness, a disarming charm, and of course the newlywed glow, Solenn Heussaff is easily one of the most alluring women in the Philippines. The Filipina-French beauty has long been making people fall for her sexy-kooky persona, and self-effacing humour. So when I was contacted by Maita Baello & Melville Sy of Qurator Studio to make a dress or two for her to wear to FHM's August cover shoot, and they told me the gorgeous concept, I was beyond ecstatic. Even if "sexy" wasn't really my go-to look, I knew I had to be a part of the dreamy, Renaissance-inspired shoot.



There's always a thin line between something being sexy and a little pushing the envelope, and just a bit too much. And yet with Solenn giving the style time carte blanche to go crazy, I knew we hand to make the dress a little bit scandalous. Hence, a down-to-there plunge held precariously together by slivers of a strap, finished off with a diaphanous tulle skirt. In creating the bodice, I wanted to make the tulle haphazardly drape over the bosom, be a little messy, but still flatter her gorgeous figure.

As a designer, I'm always excited about the process, and love sharing #BehindtheSeams commentary on my blog. I think it's important to always have conversations about fashion and its inspirations. For more pics & tidbits head on to marianeperez.blogspot.com (link in bio) !!! ✨👸🏻🖼 #MarianePerez #SolennHeussaff #FHM

A photo posted by Mariane 🦄 ✨ (@marianeperez) on Aug 12, 2016 at 3:18am PDT

Since the concept of the shoot were Renaissance paintings, I wanted to give the garment an effortless feel, with a certain diaphanous softness. I couldn't help but be inspired by The Birth of Venus by Botticelli, the eerie romanticism of John William Waterhouse, and the goddesses of John William Godward. At first glance, this photograph of of a woman caught lounging at a private moment truly feels right at home with these rich paintings. The mood is intimate, romantic, and artistic, with Solenn altogether fearless and vulnerable. Truly a visionary concept from FHM and the entire team, of Maita and Melville of Qurator, assisted by Sharmaine Tanael & Alexine Castillo,  photographer Mark Nicdao, makeup artist Robbie Pinera, and hairstylist RJ dela Cruz.

I couldn't be more pleased at how these photos turned out and am truly excited to be able to flex my design muscles and come up with more creative projects! Some my usual brand of feminine, and some a little bit over the edge and out of the box, which I think every artist ought to do once in a while.