TWIST (The Way I See Things): L'Oreal caps Philippine Fashion Week with emotional runway show

Beauty brand L'Oreal put a big exclamation point to mark the end of the Philippine Fashion Week by staging a runway show many described as one of the "most emotional" runway events in the 14-year-history of the bi-annual fashion week.

Superstar Anne Curtis, who is also L'Oreal's brand ambassador in the country, opened the event with a hip, black long-sleeved top coupled with a gray, checkered skirt, complete with black boots. The young actress later returned to the runway with a one-piece red ensemble that looked hard to put on and harder to take off.

Every piece in the Louie Mamengco collection was on point--full of glamour, sophistication, and class--as if they were made for royals in the European region. While the collection was relatively short (models only came out one dress a piece, except for Anne who did two), it was very entertaining.

And the audience could use some entertainment after a small talk by Joey Espino, founder and executive producer of Philippine Fashion Week, before the show that put gave the show a sad tangent. Sadly, according to Espino, Mamengco--who designed the collection--passed away two months ago, while putting finishing touches for his designs for the fashion week. Mamengco never got to see his collection on the runway.

Espino continued on telling the crowd--who were all teary-eyed by then--about Mamengco in life. He joked that he was sure the late designer was somewhere in the audience that night. Indeed, Mamengco was there. The late designer made a bow after the runway show, his ashes in an urn carried by loving friends.

The tribute was meant to honor the designer, which made the runway show more meaningful than usual. Nevertheless, once the music came on and the show started, Mamengco lived once more--through his beautiful work.

After the show, guests attended the official afterparty of the Philippine Fashion Week, hosted also by L'Oreal, at the Fever Lounge of Sofitel Plaza, not too far away from the SMX Convention Center at the SM Mall of Asia (where the show ran).

Here are more photos from the fashion show last May 15: