The permutation of Puey Quiñones

Even though he’s pint-sized, it’s not difficult to spot designer Puey (pronounced "puy") Quiñones at fashion events. Mostly because of his look, which varies as he plays with the following permutations: the Hare Krishna look, a sarong, a turban, a cape, the Hogwarts look, the hunchback look, a long skirt, Jesus sandals, a button-down shirt, a vest, bleached hair, a Mohawk.

What’s even more surprising than his wardrobe is finding out how diverse his clientele is, supposedly ranging from the Tim Yaps to the Tingting Cojuangcos. I didn’t realize how many fans/clients he had until I went to his fashion show entitled "Swell," held recently at the A. Venue Residences showroom near Makati Avenue. So many – from writers and stylists to editors and jewelry designers – were wearing Puey.

The place was not your usual fashion venue and not very big. About 150 chairs faced a wall covered in white drapes, while a hundred or more stood in the back. It felt like we were attending a lecture or demo of some sort.

The show did turn out to be like a demo, because there was no catwalking. Puey didn’t want to stage a regular fashion show of models walking in and out of a ramp.

At first, models came out one by one in gowns by Puey and jewelry by Jul B. Dizon, holding up cards to announce sponsors and creative people behind the show such as Patrick Rosas for makeup and 360 Degrees for art direction.

There was a pause, then a second batch of models came out in twos and stood there, while the designer himself came in and performed a transformation or switcheroo on their outfits: Nicolette Bell’s jacket became Rissa Samson’s pants; Rissa’s dress became Nicolette’s skirt.

None of the clothes looked like Puey’s own wardrobe or had the usual deconstructed finishing. Instead he showed a "mature" or "grown-up" collection with some pieces that worked and some that didn’t.

It was mostly formal wear in evening dresses down to the floor and drapy tops over slim pants. He made use of Koryo silk, both in plains and a lot of which had wallpaper prints.

Not a minimalist, Puey used shredded fabric layered into voluminous skirts and dresses. Shawls and capelets resembling padded blankets accented red-carpet-looking evening dresses.

At first Puey looked a little nervous demonstrating to an audience, but later on he seemed to get the hang of it, as some of his admiring fans applauded at each transformation.

You can check out Puey’s new ready-to-wear line called Vado at Crossings department store or contact him at (0916)776-3098 or e-mail pueyq@yahoo.com.