Patis Tesoro
A few weeks ago, before the mini fashion show began and before lunch was served, Patis Tesoro posed for photos and talked with guests at the preview of Filipiniana is Forever at the Yuchengco Museum at RCBC.
She regaled us with tales: “In my day, if you weren’t married by 21, you were an old maid. When I met my husband, he was going to Columbia (University). And he said, ‘Will you wait for me?’ I said, ‘No, I’m not going to do that for you.’ Then he came back and he said, ‘Will you marry me?’ Now, that’s a commitment. That’s why I got married.”
She also mentioned she has a new male friend, and somebody commented, “Imagine being kilig at your age!” Tesoro laughed, and said he was a friend and nothing more.
Patis Tesoro with Kathleen Liechtenstein and Annie Tangco
When asked if the event on November 4 could be the ultimate, last, and grandest one for her renowned brand, Tesoro told TheDiarist.ph, “I’m thinking about it. After all, I am 74. But you just keep on growing. And while you’re able to do things, God willing, will keep on going. I think that we have to give inspiration to the next generation to continue the culture of our hand embroidery and handwoven things.”
The collection, which could go up to 100 pieces and aims for a more realistic number of 75, “is my first after many years,” she told the crowd in attendance. “So it’s a lot of stress, and I thought I would not have that stress at my age anymore. My choreographer for decades, Ogee Atos, is in charge, and all my trust is with him. The show is based on why ‘Filipiniana is forever.’ It is part of our culture to wear embellished clothes. Our culture is full of borloloy. Even our houses are that way, we cannot get away from that, okay? So we have to continue it because basically, it gives a lot of work to our people.”
Presented by the Zonta Club of Alabang, the benefit fashion show honors the contributions of Tesoro in empowering women. It will also help raise funds for the initiatives of the Zonta Club of Alabang.
“Zonta is a community service club dedicated to empowering young women and girls,” Kathleen Liechtenstein, chapter president of Zonta Alabang, told TheDiarist.ph. “Patis embodies the essence of being a Zontian. She resurrected the dying piña weaving industry and continues to educate women and girls in the arts of the Filipiniana, including beading, embroidery, cutting and sewing. In doing so, she uplifts their lives. She inspires them to be better and do better for themselves and their families. She carries the industry with her artistry and craft. What could be a more perfect fit for us to collaborate?”
The proceeds from the show will sustain the Club’s projects, including Working for a Free Hepatitis B Philippines by 2030 and Breast Hugs, an early breast cancer detection program.
The clothes presented in the preview were classic Patis Tesoro, and with a modern twist. These were clothes for any age, any persuasion—as long as you like embroidery, piña and handcrafted details. Beadwork and a multitude of other techniques made for highly embellished clothing from head to toe. It was the opposite of minimalist. Colors ran the gamut.
“Today, with the world going back to sustainability and to the environment, we’re ‘in,’ we’re very ‘in,’” said Tesoro during her brief speech. “But it takes decades and generations to continue this culture. We’ve lost it for a while. So how do we bring it back? We bring it back by supporting it in all of you. Women here today are all very, very involved in it, and I think it’s fabulous. The interest in continuing our dress is very important. Of course, without it, who are we that we show the world?…This has to be revived. It has to continue, even in a small way. It cannot just be in museums. One day, all of your clothes here will be in museums. I suggest that you do not be buried in piña. It’s just too expensive. You can show your body in piña before you get buried.”
Filipiniana is Forever will be held the Grand Hyatt Ballroom on Nov. 4, 2025. Tickets to the show are at P6,000. An exhibit of the same name is ongoing at the Iloilo Museum of Contemporary Art until January 2026. For inquiries, email zontaclubofalabang@gmail.com, call tel. no. (0968) 114-8532, or visit https://qlickpass.com.
