Reinscribing the memory of Pitoy Moreno in the next gen

J. Moreno: Timeless exhibit runs at M Museum, BGC, until June 29, 2025.

The J. Moreno: Timeless exhibition at Metropolitan Museum (M Museum) in BGC is brief. 

There are videos of Luli Arroyo talking about how she fits perfectly into her grandmother’s Pitoy Moreno gowns, Charlene Muhlach introducing herself during the 1994 Miss Universe pageant decked in full Pitoy, and Cheche Lazaro for the Probe Team talking to some of the late designer’s clients. The videos are short and to the point, showing upper-crust society ladies who frequented Pitoy’s showroom and painting him with that aspirational glow that Hotdog sang about: you’re bongga if you wear Pitoy.

Throughout the exhibition, it’s evident that his clothes are bongga, and you don’t even need the proof that Hollywood icon Rita Moreno (no relation) wore a Pitoy Moreno to the 1962 Oscars, or that her Barbie likeness wears him, either. It’s apparent in the classic silhouettes, the obviously painstaking handcraftsmanship, and the one-of-a-kind designs. 

That he designed for the elite is a given: you’d have to be able to pay for this kind of quality fabrication, after all. If you wanted a perfectly executed gown for a fancy party, you wouldn’t have looked further than Pitoy Moreno. Ruffled dresses of lamé, chiffon, beads, sequins, and crystals, either in organza or piña and replete with shoulder sashes, were de rigueur Pitoy, especially for high society balls.  

According to the exhibition notes, Moreno designed for the royal houses of Malaysia, Belgium, and Britain. A gown he designed for Princess Margaret is on exhibit at Kensington Palace in the exhibition Dress Codes. 

Among the dresses in the Metropolitan Museum exhibition are ternos from the 1960s that Moreno created for then First Lady Eva Macapagal, socialite Maritess Pineda and former Second Lady Celia Diaz Laurel. The exhibition also features gowns he created for one of his favorite clients, the late Imelda Cojuangco.

Among the beautiful clothes in Timeless: J. Moreno are ternos with bubble hems and trains—the bubble hem first introduced by Pierre Cardin in 1954–made in the late 1990s. Many gowns are made with piña and calado (openwork embroidery), beads, sequins, and crystals. 

Among the standouts in the exhibition is a replica of Moreno’s 1959 Mazurka Boholana costume, inspired by Philippine folk dance, of which he was an avid fan. The costume is made of lace and satin with gauze, beads, and ribbon, and in black and copper–you can almost imagine the dress grazing the floor as the dancers moved to the Spanish-influenced dance. A wood and shell sarimanok (mythical bird figure) is on display. The sarimanok, usually seen on singkil ensembles’ headdresses, was one of Moreno’s favorite motifs. Many of his ternos come in bright, festive, feminine, and refined colors, and all textures and handiwork, such as velvet, tulle, net, chenille embroidery, and hand-painted appliques. 

He lasted half a century in an industry where designers come and go, with an ultra-professional know-how in making clothes. Those who knew him speak of a cariñoso character. He also had the ability to hobnob with powerful people around the globe with charm and ease. He had his network and his power—he was known as The Fashion Czar of Asia, dubbed by a French magazine–and even had detractors who protested that he shouldn’t be named National Artist. All these make him a legend in Philippine fashion.  

We sat down with Nina Baker, the exhibit’s curator and author of Timeless: J. Moreno, and asked her about the process and her journey in creating the exhibit. 

What was it like going through the archives, and why did you decide to exhibit those things specifically? 

Going through the archives at the Lopez Library and the Filipinas Heritage Library was fascinating. My co-authors, Ditas Samson, Sandra Castro, and I went through old newspapers and magazines as far back as the 1950s. It was interesting to trace how Pitoy rose in popularity from the 1950s and his use of movie stars like Gloria Romero, Susan Roces, Amalia Fuentes, and Barbara Perez as models, to the rise of professional models in the Bagong Anyo extravaganzas that he organized with other fashion designers and sponsored by former First Lady Imelda Marcos in the 1970s.

How did you choose the clothes and which to feature?

I chose the runway dresses that best exemplified various aspects of his work, and that were in good condition. For example, the exhibition includes dresses made of different fabrics he favored, such as piña, Maguindanao, and Tausug fabrics, Japanese obi silk, and Chantilly lace. 

I also wanted to represent his different decorative techniques, such as beadwork, hand painting, capiz shells, and his favorite motifs—the Chinese phoenix, Japanese crane, and Maranao sarimanok.

Although the original intent was to include only the runway dresses, it became clear that it was important to borrow strategically to make the chronology more robust. We were lucky that there were several generous offers from his former clients to loan their dresses. 

However, the selection had to be strategic and include only dresses that fit in with and strengthened the curatorial vision. 

Briefly, the curatorial narrative argues that contrary to the prevalent impression that the former First Lady Imelda Marcos was primarily responsible for Pitoy’s success, Pitoy’s early career from the 1950s-1960s was nurtured by three other powerful women: Isabel Santos (Bayanihan’s costume director), Conchita Sunico (founder of Karilagan fashion shows and tourism commissioner under then President Diosdado Macapagal), and former First Lady Eva Macapagal.

What is the exhibition truly about to you? 

 As curator, I had three goals: first, to reinscribe the memory of Pitoy Moreno in the consciousness of the younger generation who no longer know him; second, to situate the work of Pitoy Moreno in the context of global fashion studies as an example of hybridized fashion in a formerly colonized nation; third, to present fashion as art and give it the same space and respect as what we give paintings and sculpture.

 I hope that we’ve succeeded in all three goals. I recently gave a curator talk at the M and was pleased to engage with DLS-College of Saint Benilde and PWU fashion students. 

The book of the same title, Timeless: J. Moreno, plants the seeds for more serious research and writing about clothing and fashion. 

What did you discover about Pitoy in this exhibition? 

I was a teenager and a member of Bayanihan when Pitoy was at his zenith. So, doing the research for the exhibit was especially meaningful and illuminating for me. It made me realize that I was on the margins of history being made and that people around me at the time, whom I only knew as “Tita” so and so, like prominent socialite Conchita Sunico and Bayanihan costume director Isabel Santos, played key roles in Pitoy’s ascent to prominence.

What is your favorite part of the exhibition and why? 

I love the entire exhibition and how well it came together. 

If I were to cite any favorite parts, I would say the Bayanihan section because I used to be a member of the Bayanihan Dance Company, and Pitoy created a maria clara for one of my dances. It’s included in the book, but I decided not to include it in the exhibition since it’s not in the best condition. 

I’m very pleased that I could track down the Bayanihan performances with dancers wearing costumes designed by Moreno in the Ed Sullivan show in 1964, and obtain license to show them in the exhibition.

I also love the section Timeless Terno, which shows an array of terno designs that one could wear even today. A lot of visitors favor the black section, which mimics a runway with a dramatic installation of black gowns and ternos. 

And who doesn’t love a bridal section with exquisite wedding gowns worn by 1964 Miss International Gemma Cruz Araneta, former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and other high-profile brides?

I’m also happy with how the exhibition designer, Stanley Ruiz, interpreted my curatorial vision by incorporating fabric scrims and avoiding hard walls so that the visitor navigates the different sections of the exhibit in graceful, undulating curves. I wanted to incorporate strategies to make the viewer look at the beadwork and fabric details more closely, hence the enlarged projections of beadings and lace. 

My co-curator, Ditas Samson, was indispensable in consolidating timelines and conceptualizing appropriate horizons for different stages of Pitoy’s career, which really makes the exhibition visitor-friendly.

The exhibition “Timeless: J. Moreno” is on view until June 29, 2025 at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila, Bonifacio Global City.