"Mugnâ x Neil Felipp"

CEBU, Philippines - Exquisitely crafted minaudières and home accent pieces by award-winning jewelry and accessories designer Neil Felipp (Neil Suarez San Pedro) bannered the most recent Shangri-la's Mactan Resort and Spa's "Mugnâ Series" installment on Saturday, September 24.

Transforming the resort's lobby lounge into a one-day-only exhibition venue, the event - dubbed "Mugnâ x Neil Felipp" - drew a number of the metro's fashionistas, with the pieces made of brass, shell and colored resin catching their attention.  Everything with intricate details aligned with the collection's design theme.

Featuring the Niel Felipp "Siren", "Persephone", "Suzy Wong", "Anita", "Halcyon", "Antoinette", "Medusa and Midas" and "Simian" collections, the show revealed what the young Cebuano designer is intending to train the spotlight on in his designs - infusing fantasy and myth nuances into his pieces. More than exquisite fashion accessories, his creations are engaging conversation pieces as well.

This designer's creative talent has been polished with internship at Kenneth Cobonpue's design house and a scholarship grant to the United Kingdom by the British Council of the Philippines. This was quite apparent in last Saturday's "Mugna x Niel Felipp."

A minaudière is a type of evening bag which is a dainty fashion accessory for women, a

fashionably sophisticated or high-end variant of the handbag. These are mostly identified as a jewelry piece - some embellished with precious gemstones; others crafted with precious metals as finishes. Generally compact in size and rigid in form, the origin of the minaudière is attributed to Charles Arpels of Van Cleef & Arpels, an 1896 French watch, jewelry and perfume company. (FREEMAN)