September 1, 2013

Designer Meeting # 4: Paolo Blanco

I've been hearing a lot of raves about Paolo Blanco, a relatively new wedding gown designer. I fell in love with his sketches when I browsed through his Facebook account, and since he quoted me P30,000 for the peg that I had sent him, I decided to set a meeting with him.

I visited him at his newly opened shop near SM North. His location is actually a plus point for me because his shop is only 20 minutes away from my place, so it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to travel there whenever we would have fittings, if ever I would book him. His shop is also very easy to find; just look for the boutique with two red gowns on display at the front of the store. Haha.

What I love about Paolo is that he is always so pleasant, even through our Facebook exchanges. And he is even nicer in person,When we arrived at his shop, he immediately greeted us with a smile and made some small talk to make us feel comfortable. There was no moment of awkwardness between us; he's like your typical becky best friend. Haha!

I did ask him to make a sketch of my wedding gown, but maybe we distracted him too much by our chika that he wasn't able to draw and explain the sketch properly. Although from what I've seen in his shop, his real forte is making long, elegant gowns. Just look at the two gowns that he had on display:


I fell in love with the turquoise gown on the left. It's so fun, cute and quirky! This would serve as a great prenup gown. If only I were thin, I would probably buy this gown on the spot. Haha! 

Paolo also designs suits for the groom, which cost P10,000 for the complete set. I forgot though what fabric he uses for the suit. All I know is it is not Armani, which sounds pretty expensive based on the name, but is actually one of the cheaper fabrics used for suits. Here is a sample of a groom's suit that he had made.


Eventually, I decided not to get him to do my wedding gown since I felt that he needs more experience in that department, but because I love his other creations so much, I booked him to do my mother's gown and my gown for my brother's wedding this October. My mother will also wear the same outfit for my wedding, so might as well get her a designer-made gown diba?

I didn't have any pegs to show him for my long gown; I just told him that I wanted a pleated bodice and covered back. And he came up with this design.


I loved it! It was exactly what I had in mind. I actually understood this sketch more than the sketch that he made for my wedding gown. See, I told you his forte is making long gowns! The fabric that he will use for this is called Power Knit (if that is the correct spelling), which is the fabric used in the turquoise gown that I love so much.  It's softer and stretchier than chiffon, so it drapes over the body more gracefully and can hide all those bulges and bilbils successfully.

Now my mother is not an easy woman to please, especially when it comes to her outfits. She didn't bring any pegs, but she already has specific instructions for her gown. Luckily, Paolo was able to understood all her "demands" and came up with a design that my mother loves. She even praised him on his drawing skills. Haha.


And his rates for the gowns are really affordable! My gown starts at P3,000 and my mother's gown costs only P3,500. That is actually cheaper than most of the designers out there, who usually charge around P4,000-P8,000 for the mothers' gowns. In fact, Mox now wants his mother to wear a Paolo Blanco creation for our wedding. Oh diba, bongga na rin si future mother-in-law. Haha!

Since my brother's wedding is just a month away, we had our measurements taken as soon as we paid the reservation fee, and our first fitting is set for this Saturday already! I hope our gowns will be as beautiful in person as they are in paper. Hehe. Don't worry, I'll post pictures soon! :)

PAOLO BLANCO
70-A Corregidor St., Quezon City
0917-9693773

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