Hail the knit queen's summer line

My friendship with designer Lulu Tan-Gan has endured for two and a half decades. I have known her since she was an ingénue designer specializing in knitwear 25 years ago, if memory serves me right.  She had her boutique at the newly opened Greenbelt 1 and a space at Shoemart Makati.

Whenever Lulu Tan-Gan wore her creations, she herself was her own best advertisement. She carried her designs with such élan that I bought everything that she wore because I wanted to look as chic as she did. Problem was I did not have her lean proportions and her clothes did not hang as well on me as it did on her. But I persevered in wearing her designs in the hope that one day her excellent fashion sense would rub off on me. Truth is, Lulu could get away with wearing a sack of rice and still look like a million bucks, what with her knack for choosing the right accessories, not to mention her age-defying model’s physique.

Last week, we had a jogging date at the Polo Club and she appeared with a baseball cap worn backwards, knee-high biker shorts and one of her Tan-Gan tank tops. She had a light knit jacket wrapped around her waist and she looked so utterly chic, like she was about to win a marathon. On my next jogging date, I copied her look, complete with baseball cap worn backwards and my trainer said I looked so “trying hard”! I almost killed him with my dagger looks.

Today, the Tan-Gan label has found a new home at Greenbelt 5. Lulu still specializes in knitwear but to keep up with fickle fashion trends, she has made some remarkable changes in her organization.

Moving forward with a new twist to an established brand, Lulu Tan-Gan places a high value on the sustainability, not only of her designs, but also of her vision. Staying put as the creative director of Tan-Gan, Lulu has found in young designer Solenn Heussaff the perfect collaborator she can work with to preserve the vision she has had for over 25 years. 

“Solenn has a substantial design sense that is universal,” Lulu says. “She is quick to understand the technical weaknesses and strengths of materials, which is a strong basic skill needed by designers. She has maintained the house’s signature look of easy chic, timeless and travel-friendly knit dressing and adding on her cutting-edge freshness.”

Stone Beads For Summer

Though everyone is going for a decidedly grownup accessory — the bib neckpiece — the brand Tan-Gan has come up with its version of stone-bead dressing, rather fluid and easy. House designer Heussaff has innovated sashes and neckpieces that can easily be worn layered over simple or laced separates and dresses.

Summer RTW 2010 is eclectic in its styles — a mixed range of sportiness and romanticism. Tan-Gan pieces are timeless knit pieces, Solenn being able to maintain the house brand’s feel of knit dressing. Heussaff started composing these contemporary, create-your-own-coordinates pieces back in late September, when she was preparing the line for this summer.

Classic, simple silhouettes are updated through layering, draping and accessorizing. Knit materials are rayon-blended, lustrous and sheer, creating a lingerie-like feel yet crisp in structure. Lace and lace-like openwork knit stitches are combined, fusing elegance and boldness through the layering and draping of simple coordinates.

The palette is a mélange of metal shades, from tin and graphite to burning-iron shades of purplish blue and burnt orange. The inspiration is tribal, choosing metal studs and stones instead of beads and sequins.

What’s great about these summer pieces is that they are spontaneously casual and yet glamorously bohemian. Easily worn with great results, they make a great wardrobe, simple and chic for day or night dressing.

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Tan-Gan is available at L Manila, 2/F, Greenbelt 5.