New York Fashion Week and Emmys weekend was a busy one for Beverly Hills-based designer Oliver Tolentino. While Tolentino was presenting a major solo show at NYFW, three Emmy nominees were making appearances in his creations in Los Angeles at the same time.
Last September 12, New York’s fashion industry turned out to support the designer at his first solo NYFW show held at the Annex 417 on 5th avenue in Manhattan and produced by F/Row Productions. Tolentino presented a 36-piece Spring/Summer 2027 collection, titled “Gilded Dreams,” inspired by creations that appeared in the designer’s dream of a faraway party.
The collection brought a dreamlike gala to the runway. Jewel tones came to life through corseted silhouettes, richly embellished gowns, fluid draping, and detachable capes and boleros. Highlights included sequined column gowns with cascading beadwork, brocade ensembles with structured corsets, tulle dresses finished with floral appliqué, Art Deco embellishment, and mermaid silhouettes that caught the light with every movement. Artisan techniques shaped by Tolentino’s Philippine heritage gave the presentation its distinctive couture point of view.
Supporters among the standing-room-only crowd were designers Marc Bouwer, 10-year-old Max Alexander (@couture.to.the.max), Rafe Totengco, and other Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) members. Philanthropists Nanette Medved Po and Sheila Marcelo (founder of Care.com) were among those who supported from the Filipino community.
Notable fashion luminaries in the audience were the founder of NYFW and former CFDA executive director, Fern Mallis, former Vogue editor Marcus Teo, and the CEO of Fashion Group International (FGI), Maryanne Grisz. Grisz later posted on her Instagram: “There is something incredibly moving about watching a designer have their moment – the culmination of vision, perseverance, creativity and countless hours of work… Congratulations to the wonderfully talented (Oliver Tolentino) on a beautiful moment.”
Meanwhile in Hollywood…
Three-time Emmy nominee Jessica Williams, nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on “Shrinking,” stepped out in the designer’s couture red bugle bead structured dress to attend multiple Emmy after parties. Williams previously wore an Oliver Tolentino to last year’s Vanity Fair OSCAR party.
Actress Katherine LaNasa, nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work on “The Pitt” (winner in the drama series category), wore a beautiful off-shoulder black solihiya structured ankle length gown, embellished with beaded floral appliqué. She attended the Warner Bros Emmy Awards Nominees party.
For the Primetime Emmy Awards, director Hanelle Culpepper, nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for her work on “Paradise,” wore an Oliver Tolentino black sleeveless sequined column gown with balconette neckline and hand-beaded floral appliqué. The director, the second black woman ever to be nominated in the directing category, also chose a pink floral brocade dress by Tolentino to wear to the BAFTA Pre-Emmy Tea Party.
Tolentino, who also has an atelier in Manila and a showroom in San Francisco, next presents a new 18-piece collection in Paris during PFW.
