Here comes bridal designer Joe Salazar

For better or for worse, in sickness and in health, Joe Salazar, top-notch designer to celebrity brides, has never failed to come up with dream wedding gowns that are talked about long after they’ve been stashed away in mothballs.

Wedding gowns and Joe Salazar: It’s a match made in heaven.

Only last year, he did the bridal gown of Charlene Gonzales (and those of her entourage) when the beauty queen-turned-actress kept her altar date with Aga Muhlach in Baguio. Guests were doubly surprised when they found out later that the bride was pregnant with twins.

This year, when the engagement of First Son Mikey Arroyo to his second cousin Angela Montenegro was announced amid media hoopla, Joe Salazar was the hands-down choice.

"I was introduced to Angela by Mons Romulo-Tantoco," a smiling Joe recounts. "I made a gown for Angela as some kind of a trial. It was a purple bustier and she liked it."

Thus started a beautiful friendship. "It’s easy to like Angela – she’s very down-to-earth and friendly," says Joe.

Before he knew it, Mikey and Angela were knocking on the door of his shop shaded by palm fronds on Vasquez Street, Malate.

"They were a happy couple, they kept laughing and joking each other," Joe relates.

Then the trio buckled down to serious business. Angela presented Joe with the couple’s budget. Joe recalls, "Angela told me, ‘Joe, eto lang ang budget. Can you work around it?’"

Joe would have wanted to make a modern gown for Angela to suit her cosmopolitan personality. But he was told that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo wanted a Filipiniana motif, to promote our very own piña (pineapple fabric).

Other than that – and Angela’s ardent request for Joe not to make her look fat – Joe was given a free hand in choosing the color motif and design. "I chose green, it’s my lucky color," Joe gushes. "I’ve done over a hundred weddings with a green motif since I started in fashion designing in 1969."

And so, it’s going to be celadon green for the bridal entourage while it’ll be peach for the ninangs.

Scene at Joe’s shop a few months after Mikey and Angela’s visit: The basic bustier gown is already draped on a mannequin, waiting for deft hands to embellish it. The draped piña is twisted at different angles. The three-meter train, sprinkled with bits of Swarovski crystal, is ready to go. And so with the embroidered, beaded panuelo.

Angela will wear something old as well: an heirloom tiara to hold her brushed-up hair and veil, which is twice as long as her train.

Lila Almario, shoemaker to celebrities, is doing Angela’s bridal shoes. Patrick Rosas will do Angela’a hair and makeup.

Angela has had several fittings. Yes, she fitted the whole gown, not just the lining. This would have unsettled the superstitious old folks. "But the Arroyos and Montenegros are not at all superstitious," Joe observes.

Since the day she came for her first fitting, the happy bride-to-be has put on some pounds. "It’s not really a problem as with most brides because she got bigger only around the arms, especially after she took a vacation in Baltimore," says Joe. "She’s maintained her waistline."

Joe is also doing another gown for Angela which she’d be wearing to the reception in Malacañang. "Piña crumples easily so I made Angela a white silk organza gown that’s very modern for the Palace reception," says Joe.

The gowns of the other members of the wedding party can be seen in different stages of completion at Joe’s shop that’s forever humming with activity.

There’s the gown of the mother of the bridegroom, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. It’s an empire-cut terno of pure Thai silk in chartreuse, with a tapered skirt with an overlapping design. From the gown’s silhouette, you can tell that GMA has put on a few pounds.

"Any color would fit her; it’s the cut that’s crucial," Joe points out.

No, GMA did not give Joe any presidential directive. "Since I started doing her clothes, she’s never dictated, she’d always give me a free rein," says Joe. "The Arroyos are very easy to talk to. It’s plain to see that clothes are the least of their priorities."

For First Daughter Luli Arroyo, who’s maid of honor, Joe made a one-inch strap empire-cut gown in celadon green accented only by Swarovski studs. The gown has a matching detachable panuelo with a modern flair.

Like the President, the mother of the bride Charito Montenegro will wear a terno but of a different fabric and design. Joe describes, "It’s made of crushed silk chiffon gradually draping downwards, with one-sided decor consisting of beadwork and Swarovski crystals."

Then there’s the ready-to-be-worn gown of Cory Aquino, who’s one of the ninangs. The former President came in for fitting this week and came out of the dressing room with a beatific smile. "Oops, mukha yatang payat ako dito," she told Joe.

Cory will wear a kimona with peach embroidery on the neckline and hemline of the blouse. "It’s so simple so I added some beads to give it a little shimmer," says Joe.

Joe is likewise doing the gowns of two other ninangs Loren Legarda and Gina de Venecia. Senator Legarda will wear a modern Maria Clara while Gina will wear a modern kimona.

No, Joe didn’t have to go abroad to buy the fabric and other materials. "These imported materials are already available here," he says. "I also got from my collection of materials I’ve had on stock over the years."

With barely a week to go before the wedding, Joe’s workers are as busy as bees working till midnight every day.

"I want everything finished at least three days before the wedding so I have time to rest and I’m not so pressured," explains Joe, who’s looking forward to joining Angela in Pampanga to assist her.

He adds, "The workers whom I’m bringing with me are just as excited. They enjoy hobnobbing with celebrities, especially movie stars."

The stars must have been smiling when Joe Salazar was born on Dec. 25, 1944 in Lemery, Batangas. It was Christmas day. A procession of the image of the Blessed Mother was passing by the Salazar house as Isabel Salazar was giving birth to her firstborn, assisted by her mother and husband Juanito.

Juanito would have wanted his son named Jesus but thought, "If I scolded him, I would be cursing the Lord."

Joe grew up amid a deeply religious environment. According to Joe, he’s had spiritual guidance since age 4. He sought to unravel God’s great design for him via the world of fashion.

"As early as in high school, I was already doing sketches," he remembers fondly. "I wanted to go to a fashion design school. I wanted to be like my mother who was a sewer. But my father wanted me to be an architect so I took up architecture. Later, I followed my heart and shifted to fashion designing at Slim’s."

Joe’s first-ever client, believe it or not, was Nora Aunor at the height of her superstardom.

As they say, the rest is (local fashion) history.

Joe looks up to fashion greats like Ramon Valera. He simply admires Jackie Kennedy, not just for her style but also for her courage and grace under pressure and pain.

"She’s a shining example for all of us; like her, we should try to face everything in life with dignity," says Joe, remembering how Jackie O helped him through his own bruising battle with life.

"I’m good," Joe tells us as he takes a sip of ice-cold water to ease a migraine. "I’ve turned vegetarian, but my doctor tells me my system can’t take just vegetables."

Business can’t be better. He’s booked solid for weddings till next year. Joe usually does three weddings per month. And more during the marry-est months of June, December and January.

So exactly how many weddings has Joe done?

"I don’t keep a record," he tells us. "There are no records of my weddings. So I don’t have anything to show when a client asks, ‘Joe, patingin naman ng file mo.’ The reason is I don’t want them to base their choice on what I’ve done before because I always want to do something different. It’s going to be boring if I just keep copying myself. Besides, I believe every gown should fit the unique personality of the bride."

Joe is also not one to compromise his art. "Sometimes, a designer is limited by the client’s budget," he asserts. "But I’d rather spend for my own art than sacrifice my name and reputation.Tinanggap mo yung trabaho kaya pangatawan mo."

Certainly, Joe would want to be remembered in the local fashion world as an artist who shared his artistry with the young ones. Of the young ones, he especially admires Jojie Lloren for his creativity.

He’s quick to add, "I’d like to be remembered not only as a good designer but also as a good person."

Away from the whirring of sewing machines, Joe enjoys nothing better than communing with nature. He enthuses, "I like seeing beautiful things, beautiful landscapes, a river flowing, sunrise, sunset. If God would give me extra hours, I’d like to be a landscape artist."

Joe can’t wait to find out God’s other grand designs for him.