Fashion Week EL Paseo selects Oliver Tolentino as Marquee Designer
29 Dec '10
4 min read
Fashion Week El Paseo organizers have announced the 2011 marquee “Designer of the Week”: Philippine-born Oliver Tolentino, who wows red-carpet watchers with his intricately constructed and ravishing dresses that fashionistas seek around the world. The emerging L.A.-based designer will present his new collection at the sixth annual Palm Desert event, March 20-28, 2011.
Tolentino, a noted wedding dress and evening gown designer, has taken his place on the global runway, so to speak, and will bring his designs to Fashion Week El Paseo for a glamorous runway show on Saturday, March 26, 2011 at Palm Desert, CA. “We are thrilled to have Oliver Tolentino as our 'Designer of the Week' to bring his international flair and star power to Fashion Week El Paseo,” says Susan Stein, producer of the event and fashion editor of Palm Springs Life.
Fashion Week El Paseo (March 20-28, 2011) features a week of fashion-related events showcasing luxury brands and more than 50 participating merchants that will host a variety of in-store events including trunk shows, informal modeling, fashion seminars, champagne receptions and more.
Fashion Week El Paseo has become one of Southern California's most popular annual events. Fashion Week El Paseo is produced by Palm Springs Life and numerous sponsors, including the City of Palm Desert, El Paseo Merchants Association, The Gardens on El Paseo, El Paseo Village, and El Paseo Jewelers.
Tolentino, the favorite designer of Imelda Marcos, is a rising star known for his meticulous attention to detail in his designs. Among the Hollywood celebrities who have worn Tolentino creations are Niecy Nash (Dancing with the Stars, Clean House, The Insider) for her 2010 Emmy win; recording artist Macy Gray, Grammy winner Patti Austin, Tony winner Leah Salonga. Kimora Lee Simmons, and Vivica Fox.
Tolentino, who has been called the Filipino Valentino, became the first Philippine-based designer to establish a presence in the United States, launching his Melrose Avenue boutique in West Hollywood in 2009.
Within a year of opening his Melrose Avenue boutique, he was asked to present at Downtown Los Angeles Fashion Week and was selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as one of nine finalists for the Oscars Designer Challenge.
This young international talent has dazzled the fashion world with his designs and led the eco-fashion industry by developing and incorporating in his collections indigenous Philippines fibers derived from pineapple fibers and raw silk cocoon. “The Philippines has been turning pineapple leaves and abaca plant leaves into fabric for hundreds of years; so out of national pride, I want to show how elegant 'green' can be. Piña, what we call the fabric from pineapple fiber, is naturally off-white with an organza texture. It creates vintage-looking gowns, but also can be dyed vibrant colors.”
As 2011 “Designer of the Week” at Fashion Week El Paseo, Tolentino plans to bring couture with a Filipino flair to the desert. “I love playing with colors and flowy fabrics like chiffon,” he says. “My design philosophy is bringing colors and prints and the labor-intensive finishings of the East to the timeless elegance of silhouettes from the West. I love playing with prints and manipulating fabrics that you initially would think won't work but ultimately come together in beautiful creations.”
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