With the return of the annual Preview Ball, September 2023 has been an eventful month for the Preview team. The same can be said for Preview's Best Filipino Fashion Designers honorees, who were all tasked to create customized white pieces for this month’s cover starring Julia Barretto.
In fact, the particular dress that Julia wore on the cover actually took 120 hours (yes, five whole days!) to craft. Prince Padilla, the designer behind the dress and the label Novel, divulged to Preview that the piece was representative of Novel’s constantly evolving techniques.
Although he initially envisioned the dress to be an elegant and traditional piece, he eventually changed his mind and went for something that called for more time and handwork. “For our September body of work with Preview, we wanted to incorporate technique and the importance of technique in our own craft, which can be seen consistently in our brand from the initial jewelry offerings to the garments,” he shared. “This [dress] was a way of pushing myself and the team into what feels like organic growth for Novel.”
A padded wrap dress punctuated with intricate chain links, the elaborate number was what Prince described as an unconventional take on a chainmail armament. Made of deadstock buttons, glass, and aluminum beads, the piece captured both the shoot’s ethereal theme and the designer’s fantastical style.
“We subverted this into something quite fragile in materiality by the intentional use of unconventional things. If anything, it was a perfect case study for material potential and pushing certain objects beyond its assumed use and quality,” Prince explained.
As for the dress itself, he used stretch canvas to craft a soft wrap frock that contrasted the hardware of the armor. He said, “I liked the harsh contrast between the hardness of the chains and the softness of what laid underneath. I think we found a good balance.”
“The canvas dress was symbolic of the Preview Ball, a clean slate which we may start anew in navigating the fashion landscape and the optimism for our future,” he concluded.
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