Timeless Criselda

MANILA, Philippines - In a genteel and charmed past, style icon Criselda Lontok was already dressing up women who belonged to society’s uppermost crust. Criselda was — and still is — undoubtedly the favorite of many society women. Elegant and sophisticated women like Mary Prieto, Chito Madrigal, Elvira Manahan, Ambassador Isabel Caro Wilson, Meldy Cojuangco, and Josie Lichauco wore Criselda’s clothes with amazing grace. Back then and now, there are Loi Ejercito, Conchitina Sevilla-Bernardo, Menchu Concepcion, Dr. Elenita Binay, Marixi Prieto, Beng Fores, Karen Macasaet, Chloe Romulo-Periquet, and Nedy Tantoco.

But of course, Criselda Lontok, the beauty and brains behind Criselda at Rustan’s and herself a society figure, loves fashion with a consummate passion. “I focus on what my clients like, I give them what’s flattering to them so they wear it with confidence,” says Criselda. “And I’m always in the store, talking to my clients, finding out what they don’t like.” 

Designing for women of substance

Through the years, the Criselda brand has grown — and we don’t just mean in clothes’ size, as it carries from size 8 to size 22 (for big-size, mostly rich women who know what they want and have the money to buy what they want).

Shoebiz queen: Criselda Lontok is bringing back her elegant shoes, which will soon be available at Rustan’s Department Stores.

“Having been a merchandise manager for many years, I’m always concerned with sales quotas so that I always monitor the sales. Thank God, sales are generally good,” Criselda notes.

Although Criselda’s loyal clientele belongs to the 40s-and-up age bracket, she does have regulars in their 30s like Chat Fores Lozada. “She knows how to wear my clothes and how to accessorize,” Criselda points out. “She wears it with oomph. Some people ask her, ‘How come you’re buying from Criselda?’ Once, Chat was at a Roberto Cavalli store in Paris and one of the staff asked her if she wanted to trade her top for a Cavalli top. She said no way. She was wearing a Criselda blouse, which was a last piece.”

Trust that Criselda doesn’t make too many pieces per item on her ready-to-wear collection. “But when you bump into somebody wearing the same Criselda outfit, you can always say, ‘Oh, we have the same good taste,’” Criselda says with a giggle.

Then and now, Criselda has been designing for women who lunch (they probably have breakfast in bed), politicians’ wives, and women of leisure who belong to assorted clubs or love clubbing and ballroom dancing. Criselda does have regular balikbayan customers who go to her whenever they come, much like those who seek out Vicki Belo for any beauty procedure everytime they visit the country.

“We keep a record of their names and their sizes, and my sales staff knows what they want and can reserve styles for them,” says Criselda. “Like there was a customer who was just widowed and needed a black dress right away, so we made some mourning clothes and sent them to her.”

Most of these matrons go for comfortable clothes (like loose tops), but at the same time, they also want to be noticed. “Yung bongga ka, ’day,” Criselda relates. “But if they want something that I think does not suit them, like something tight-fitting that would enhance their bulges, I tactfully tell them, ‘Why don’t you try this? This would be nicer. Maybe we should loosen this a little.’ But if they still insist on what they want, there’s nothing I can do, but this rarely happens.”

Criselda loved dressing up her good friends, the late Josie Lichauco and Mary Prieto. “Mary and Josie both loved colorful prints. Mary loved loose, conservative blouses with nice prints,” she shares warm memories of the way they wore.

A current customer who shares Mary’s love of color is controversial showbiz mom Annabelle Rama. She likes nice, colorful prints. She’s a good customer, she pays right away. 

Fashion advice for women over 50

A gem of fashion wisdom from the legendary style icon Mary Prieto: Women over 50 should never wear a mini. Mary lamented that some women don’t know when to stop. For women over 50, should they insist on wearing a short skirt, the length should stop at two to three inches above the knee at the maximum.

Criselda believes that “a woman over 50 should never wear too-haltered tops that show her armpits, tight-fitting clothes that make her look like suman or like she’s trying to seduce somebody, plunging necklines that show her wrinkled cleavage.”

A big fashion booboo committed by some women over 50, says Criselda, is that they try too hard to look young, ”nagmumurang kamatis. So I offer them styles that are meant for their age.”

A important footnote from Criselda: Women over 50 should never wear very high heels — or nothing higher than three-and-a-half inches. “At a certain age, women shouldn’t think so much of glamour; they must face reality, baka sila matapilok, what with their brittle bones. They should go for adjusted glamour instead.”

For Criselda, a truly stylish woman is one who is not a fashion victim. “Being stylish is knowing what fits your personality, having a style of your own. It’s really the whole personality. You can wear the best clothes in the world, but if you have no manners, bungangera ka, tsismosa ka, you’re nothing.”

From Mary, Criselda certainly learned a lot — and not just about fashion. “With Mary, you should always be punctual, she was always on time,” Criselda shares. 

Of ‘Sosyaleras’ and the Crème de la creme

Mary lived in a bygone graceful era when women were prim and proper and the men opened doors for women. Compared to today’s sosyaleras, they were the crème de la crème. “Mary Prieto, Chona Kasten, Chito Madrigal, they all had the proper breeding and manners,” says Criselda. “They came from good families, went to good schools here and abroad, were well-traveled.”

Criselda fondly recalls, “Chona Kasten was always so prim and proper even when she laughed. Hindi sya humahalakhak, she was always so soft-spoken. She had no mean bone in her body; she had no bad word about anyone, and no one had a bad word about her. All the ladies at the store would gush, ‘Ang bait-bait ni Ma’am Chona!’”

And there was something about Mary. “She was always so full of life, so full of stories. Never a dull moment with her. She never had dementia,” Criselda lovingly remembers Mary who was like an older sister to her.

Fashion trends may come and go, but one thing that will never go out of fashion, as far as Criselda is concerned, is doing good work for others. She devotes ample time to her assorted religious affiliations, such as the Cofradia de la Inmaculada Concepcion, Handmaids of the Lord, and Mary’s Way. Once, she brought the image of Our Lady of Fatima from Portugal with some Portuguese priests to the inmates of the Bilibid Prison. One time, she visited this orphanage where she talked to an eight-year-old girl who was raped by her stepfather.

“Share, pray, treat each other fairly,” says Criselda. “I hate people who are mayabang. I’m pretty content with my life. I’ve become more spiritual.”

Criselda begins her day at 4 a.m. with prayers. She walks for exercise, eats a hearty breakfast (champorado or chicken arroz caldo or rice with chorizo or tuyo) because she has lost a lot of weight, goes to Mass on certain days, goes to work, and goes home to watch her favorite TV drama Walang Hanggan. She confesses, “I don’t play mahjong; they say that if you do, you won’t get Alzheimer’s. I stay home and watch my teleserye, nakakalibang. Ang mga sosyal ngayon, nagteteleserye.”

Criselda has pretty much kept her provincial values (she hails from Lipa, Batangas) intact. Asked what she thinks about cougars falling for younger men, she shakes her head in disapproval. “You really can’t say because if you fall, you fall. But you have to think hard because the younger guy might have an ulterior motive.”

These days, what Criselda fervently prays for are as follows: good weather, good guests, a good show, and good health.

Yes, it will be more than a happy birthday when Criselda presents her 2012 holiday collection at an invitational fashion show on her birthday on Friday, Aug. 10 at The Gallerie, Rustan’s Makati. She will showcase her latest creations using exquisite materials like jersey, satin jacquard, lace, and chiffon with fine beads and embellishments.

“This time, my show will have more blouses and skirts, some dresses in vibrant colors, the usual loose tops, and long gowns,” says Criselda. “They will be modeled by my señora models Tweetie de Leon Gonzales, Issa Gonzales, Marina Benipayo, and Patty Betita.”

Good or foul weather, we predict a deluge of guests coming to see Criselda’s timeless creations.