Rosanna Ocampo in Full Bloom

‘The RO aesthetic accentuates a woman’s curves rather than masking them, and more than the romance, it’s really about a woman embracing her femininity and sensuality,’ says Rosanna Ocampo.

MANILA, Philippines — The designer Rosanna Ocampo celebrates a decade as a fashion designer in a fittingly flirty, fun and unapologetically sensual anniversary holiday collection as part of her year-round Rosannax10 series.

Envisioned as a line for everyone to wear — excluding the shy and the wallflowers, perhaps —  it’s party-ready dresses and coordinates in varying lengths and silhouettes.

The pieces are tinged with sunset floral notes on sweetheart necklines, tweeds with flirty tiers and lush, deep velvets with contrast piping. While the collection hints at nostalgia, Rosanna’s trademark embroidery and pops of color are still very pronounced. Her fans can expect to find her signature detailing in each carefully crafted piece such as pleats in the tops and feathers in the necklines. Wear them for a surge of confidence.

Rosanna started out as the go-to designer for flirty mini frocks, spotted on many an it-girl in the hippest nightspots of the early 2000s, which was also the period when she was going out. When she became a mom, it was all about easy yet statement-making tops paired with well-worn jeans. Winged creatures feature prominently in her pieces. Rosanna surmises her affinity for them came from growing up in a garden, surrounded by dragonflies as she played, perhaps imbibing their feeling of weightless joy.

Wanderlust and the exotic discoveries of travel inspire much of Rosanna’s work. As part of her Rosannax10 series, she made lace midis, ruffled blouses and wide-leg pants and sleeveless blouse coordinates in a palette of ivory, royal blue, cherry red, blush and chartreuse for summer. Last month, it was a line of both slouchy and tailored outerwear aptly called Bon Voyage, featuring a waterproof gabardine double-breasted coat and a trench coat, a reversible coat, and a wool and cashmere blend vest, all available in neutral colorways like midnight, pine green, burnt sienna and camel. Both prove that vacation days are no excuse to be sloppy as they’re meant for effortless chic dressing. For holiday, Rosanna's gratefulness for a fruitful ten years radiates in how it's a collection of looks to celebrate in. The RO girl will be the center of attention this season — but she won’t be caught fidgeting. Ease plays a part in Rosanna’s festive collection, too.

YSTYLE: You’re always traveling. Was Rosannax10 inspired by a particular place or trip that you recently took?

ROSANNA OCAMPO: Paris will always inspire me and I recently came from there but this collection is really about the high of emotions I wanted to convey in celebrating my milestone year — the giddy, butterflies-in-your-stomach kind of love mixed with joy, gratitude for reaching this point.

Did you experiment with new silhouettes or fabrics in this collection?

I’ve actually never done long-sleeved tops with closed necklines. I always prefer to show the arms, but for this particular collection it seemed fitting, as we wanted to evoke that romanticism and Old World nostalgia.

Rosannax10 anniversary holiday collection is tinged with sunset fl oral notes on sweetheart necklines, tweeds with fl irty tiers and lush, deep velvets with contrast piping.

What are the qualities the Rosanna Ocampo woman will consistently ask for through the years?

Romance and sensuality are two aspects that are prevalent in the life of an RO woman. The RO aesthetic accentuates a woman’s curves rather than masking them, and more than the romance, it’s really about a woman embracing her femininity and sensuality. My clients often come to me wanting something fun. I don’t like to take fashion too seriously. I just let go and enjoy.

What was the process like, finding your signature style as a designer?

When I started designing a decade ago, my hemlines were much shorter and my silhouettes were much tighter but I’d like to say that I have evolved as my lifestyle has also changed since then. This has made a big impact on my designs as I no longer only cater to the woman who goes out at night. The one thing that has remained very constant through the years is my deep love for color, prints and textures. My collections are almost always inspired by gardens and more often than not, you’ll see winged creatures and hybrids embroidered on my pieces. Travel plays a big part in my process and I leave as often as I can. It’s like a reset button, and it’s when I am most creative.

There’s a notion that the Filipinas’ relationship with fashion designers is built on a made-to-order model and usually for formalwear — it’s changed now, and you were one of the first few to break away from that model and shift to RTW. How were you able to achieve it?

It was all very organic and it was a turn in my business model that I didn’t expect to make. I truly enjoyed my first seven years doing only custom for my clients. I loved the friendships borne from those dresses being part of their milestones. The reason I decided to try a capsule collection during an off-season was purely out of personal need. I was already a mom of two and barely went out at night. I still enjoyed long lunches and dinners with girlfriends but no longer wanted to be in a party dress so I came up with these heavily handcrafted tops that I could just pull out from my closet without thinking and wear over jeans. I never thought it would take over my custom line and reach a much wider demographic. I’m very grateful for the reception we continue to receive from this line and that’s the direction we are focusing on in the next few years to come.

Celebrating your 10th year, how would you describe the Filipina’s style evolution in the past decade?

I recently joined the Artefino fair earlier this year and had the opportunity to be alongside some really amazing talented designers with excellent skill and craftsmanship in home, jewelry and fashion design. The sudden surge of usage of local looms and resources in recent years has created a deeper sense of pride in wearing local.

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The Rosannax10 Anniversary Collection is available in her Palm Village showroom. Contact Lucy for appointments at +63 915 769 1279. For more information, follow @Rosannaocampo_rod on Instagram.