Proving that Filipino talent is truly world-class, the Puey Quiñones dress will be showcased alongside the iconic creations of Christian Dior and Alexander McQueen.
After being in the fashion scene for 20 years now, it’s safe to say that Filipino designer Puey Quiñones is well acquainted with fame. Not only has he done countless shows in his home country, but he has also done successful shows abroad as well, especially now that he’s based in Los Angeles.
While fame and fashion aren’t mutually exclusive, what caught our attention is another milestone for the designer. No, he’s not doing a grandiose show for fashion week. In fact, it’s better than that. Recently, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) purchased a dress from Puey Quiñones and wanted to preserve it to be part of the museum’s very own heritage collection.
Sharon Takeda, Senior Curator and Head of the Department of Costumes and Textiles at LACMA attended his fashion show at the Cardinal’s Quarters, Redbird, in Downtown Los Angeles last summer. After seeing the majestic creation, she selected the mini dress of printed silk gazar with draped pouf sleeves for the museum.
“I am thrilled to be part of LACMA’s historic collection,” he shares. “The idea of having my work preserved alongside greats such as Christian Dior, Madame Grès, and Alexander McQueen gives me goosebumps. I am so grateful that it happened during my lifetime.”
Now, if you’ll look at Puey’s masterpiece closely, it may seem familiar for some. And that’s primarily because he also showcased the dress during his show for MEGA Fashion Week 2019. But what’s really interesting and heartwarming about this piece is it’s part of the collection that Puey dedicated to MEGA’s Founding Editor, Sari Yap.
In our interview backstage before his show started, Puey explained that when Sari visited him in the City of Angels last year, she told him “not to forget [his] DNA in fashion.” So, lo and behold, as he followed Sari’s advice and highlighted monastic pieces that impeccably gave us drama, many visitors from around the world—generations after generations—will all see the brilliance and creativity of Puey Quiñones.
However, even if we want to see this breathtaking piece once again that’s now in LACMA, we must have to wait patiently for the time being. The museum announced it is temporarily closed to show solidarity in making sure that the spread of COVID-19 will be slowed, and hopefully, eradicated.
