Lulu Tan Gan’s fun personal style
March 3, 2007 | 12:00am
She has weathered the test of time. Many RTW designers have already thrown in the towel in exasperation over the fickle tastes of consumers. But not Lulu Tan Gan. She has found her niche in knitwear, stuck to it, but did not get stuck on one look. She figured out early in the game the demanding needs of her customers and the constantly changing fashion trends, and she has evolved with the times. Like a chemist, she concocted the perfect solution on how to stay on top of her trade by constantly reinventing herself.
I look back to 23 years ago when Lulu Tan Gan and I bumped into each other at the crowded Champs Elysees in Paris. She was with our mutual friend Jojo Banaag of the UNESCO, who introduced us to each other. It was love at first sight for both of us and since then the friendship has never strayed. We were inseparable for the rest of her stay in Paris and I replaced Jojo B. as her tour guide. At that time, I was living in Paris to study French, which was a good excuse to stay in this fabulous metropolis of fashion and the arts. Needless to say, my French was practiced by my daily exercise of going to the fashionable boutiques and haggling with the sales girls.
I brought Lulu to all my favorite boutiques but her favorite was that of Azzedine Alaia, an up-and-coming designer who specialized in slinky knitwear. I will never forget that we bought identical Alaia outfits in different colors. They were so chic and fun. And timeless. To this day, I still use my Alaia outfits, which is what Tan Gan’s clients say about their own Tan Gan outfits. They are still using their vintage TGs!
Chic, fun and timeless  these three words describe her designs. She is the epitome of chic without looking contrived and stuck-up. Think of someone baking a pie without a recipe. She throws in some ingredients without having to measure them and then comes out with a delicious concoction. That’s Lulu Tan Gan ‘s sense of style. She mixes and matches and the result is always chic.
Recently, she gave us a sneak preview of her new collection for her new boutique L. Ltd. at Greenbelt. For this collection, she has chosen a new palette of colors, ranging from caramels to yellows, purples and mints. Subtle colors but not boring when mixed together.
Lulu Tan Gan is introducing bridalwear in her new collection. With more and more people getting married in resorts, she developed a line of fun bridal dresses that are easy to pack and perfect for traveling because they are crease-free. She infuses materials like abaca and linen into her woven knits, creating a rare and indigenous fabric. Perfect for those Filipiniana wedding gowns that don’t look so formal; perfect for resort and beach weddings.
Lulu realized that more and more people are looking for clothes that they can bring during their holidays  a wardrobe that needs no pressing, pieces that one can wear from morning till night without looking like a crumpled doll, and fashionably chic. She uses knits in a broad range of threads, cool cotton for day and rayon for dressy evenings. She calls her new collection "luxe resort wear." The look is elegant and polished but still true to the designer’s fun personal style.
L. Ltd is set to open in Greenbelt 5 sometime this year.
I look back to 23 years ago when Lulu Tan Gan and I bumped into each other at the crowded Champs Elysees in Paris. She was with our mutual friend Jojo Banaag of the UNESCO, who introduced us to each other. It was love at first sight for both of us and since then the friendship has never strayed. We were inseparable for the rest of her stay in Paris and I replaced Jojo B. as her tour guide. At that time, I was living in Paris to study French, which was a good excuse to stay in this fabulous metropolis of fashion and the arts. Needless to say, my French was practiced by my daily exercise of going to the fashionable boutiques and haggling with the sales girls.
I brought Lulu to all my favorite boutiques but her favorite was that of Azzedine Alaia, an up-and-coming designer who specialized in slinky knitwear. I will never forget that we bought identical Alaia outfits in different colors. They were so chic and fun. And timeless. To this day, I still use my Alaia outfits, which is what Tan Gan’s clients say about their own Tan Gan outfits. They are still using their vintage TGs!
Chic, fun and timeless  these three words describe her designs. She is the epitome of chic without looking contrived and stuck-up. Think of someone baking a pie without a recipe. She throws in some ingredients without having to measure them and then comes out with a delicious concoction. That’s Lulu Tan Gan ‘s sense of style. She mixes and matches and the result is always chic.
Recently, she gave us a sneak preview of her new collection for her new boutique L. Ltd. at Greenbelt. For this collection, she has chosen a new palette of colors, ranging from caramels to yellows, purples and mints. Subtle colors but not boring when mixed together.
Lulu Tan Gan is introducing bridalwear in her new collection. With more and more people getting married in resorts, she developed a line of fun bridal dresses that are easy to pack and perfect for traveling because they are crease-free. She infuses materials like abaca and linen into her woven knits, creating a rare and indigenous fabric. Perfect for those Filipiniana wedding gowns that don’t look so formal; perfect for resort and beach weddings.
Lulu realized that more and more people are looking for clothes that they can bring during their holidays  a wardrobe that needs no pressing, pieces that one can wear from morning till night without looking like a crumpled doll, and fashionably chic. She uses knits in a broad range of threads, cool cotton for day and rayon for dressy evenings. She calls her new collection "luxe resort wear." The look is elegant and polished but still true to the designer’s fun personal style.
L. Ltd is set to open in Greenbelt 5 sometime this year.
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