Ex-seminarian first to leave on ‘Project Runway Philippines’
I know very little about fashion. I'm more interested in the models rather than the clothes they're wearing. When Hollywood stars drop the names of fashion icons on the red carpet at the Oscars, most of the names don't ring a bell. So when I went to the launch of "Project Runway Philippines" on March 25 at the Genting Club, I didn't really expect much. Solar TV, which produces the show, gave us a peek into the premiere episode which aired Sunday, March 25 at 8 p.m. on ETC (Channel 9 on free TV, 14 on Sky and Global Destiny)
Before that, the emcee introduced Tweetie de Leon-Gonzalez, program host, Jojie Lloren, mentor, Rajo Laurel and Apples Aberin, judges. What's a contest without attractive prizes? The winner will get half a million pesos, an all-expense paid trip to Paris to witness Paris Fashion Week, sewing machines worth P300,000, an Intuos 4 Wacom tablet and many more goodies.
To my utter surprise, watching "PRP" was an engrossing experience, thanks to the artistry of French director Henri de Lorme. It was a fast-paced show that introduced the 15 finalists who were chosen from a field of over a 100 designers who auditioned in Metro Manila and key cities of the Philippines. Because of the skillful editing and carefully chosen shots, I never took my eyes off the screen.
Henri told me later that he used seven cameras running 20 hours a day. Each contestant had to wear a lapel mike. Since he started shooting, he now has 5,000 hours on tape that he needs to edit. He also used a drone hovering 150 feet in the air to take dramatic overhead shots.
What spoiled my enjoyment of the show was the decision of Solar, the producer of "PRP," not to show the crucial final minutes of the show when the judges, Rajo, Apples and guest judge Inno Sotto, would comment on the creations of the designers. I had heard that Apples, in particular, is known for her catty remarks. Someone called her the female version of Simon Cowell.
More important, we didn't find out who was eliminated in the premiere episode. The judges send home one or two contestants each week. In fairness to Solar, I can understand why they didn't show the final minutes of the show. Those who attended the launch would have to watch on Sunday to find out who was eliminated.
All of the competing designers were present at the launch. After the screening, there was a mini-fashion show featuring the designs of the 15 finalists that they had to come up in less than 24 hours for the premiere episode. I could not get any clue from their body language who was eliminated in Sunday's show. In fact, it's probable that more of them have already been eliminated because the show started taping late last year.
Before the screening, we wanted to interview some of the finalists but the publicists initially did not agree because the designers might inadvertently reveal who were sent home. I told them that I was not interested in their experiences on the show. I wanted to focus on their backgrounds and get human interest stories.
In the show's brochure, I learned that among the finalists are an ex-seminarian (Normanie Santos), a visually impaired individual (Glenn Gonzales), a Muslim (Fatima Guerrero), a former banker (Milka Redoble), a former Physics major (Lenvil Paneda) and a call center agent (Enzo Libo-on). The oldest (Joseph Montelibano) is 35 years old while the youngest, (Ionica Abrahan, Lenvil and Fatima) are 21 years old. The other contestants are Jenno Gacasan, Karla Galang, MJ Alimanza, Nel Claveria, Amor Albano, Yves Camingue and Cheetah Rivera,
When the second episode of "Project Runway Philippines" airs on Sunday, only 14 will be left. Ex-seminarian Normanie Santos was sent home last night.
