The 2022 State of the Nation Address is the first SONA of the recently elected President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and the first SONA with a full face-to-face set up since the pandemic began.
Although the president’s speech is the main event, it is hard to ignore the striking fashion looks donned by politicians and celebrities on the red carpet.
From the most beautiful Filipinianas to contemporary reimaginings of Barong, here are some of the attendees who stood out during SONA 2022:
1. Heart Evangelista
First on the list is none other than the social elite herself, Heart Evangelista. Evangelista, wife of re-elected senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, was wearing an all—white elegant modern Filipiniana by Mark Bumgarner. Adding class, she wore her cream Hermes Kelly bag, a pearl necklace as well as gold bracelets and rings, proving once more that wherever she goes, may it be at the Paris Fashion Shows or in Congress, she will remain a fashion icon.
2. Vice President Sara Duterte
She was said to pay tribute to the Bagobo tribe in Davao City. Vice President Sara Duterte was wearing a tribal dress that she personally borrowed from the tribe’s leader since the ensemble would take over a month to create. The tribal dress is heavily embroidered and beaded abaca clothing.
3. Senator Risa Hontiveros
Wearing a dress made with piña textile from Aklan and featuring the hand embroideries of Lumban, Laguna, LGBTQ+ and women’s right advocate Senator Risa Hontiveros pays homage to the baro’t saya with Joel Acebuche’s Filipiniana look. She complimented the dress with her handmade Tikog clutch from Samar and beige pumps made in Marikina.
4. Senator Imee Marcos
Aims to show the Marcoses’ heart for Agriculture, Senator Imee Marcos wears an Edgar Buyan contrasting royal blue terno and pants on the red carpet made by Jan Garcia. The Senator then changed to gray Terno with butterfly sleeves for the SONA proper.
5. Marga Nograles
Another stunning Filipiniana that represents Philippine fashion is worn by Marga Morales, wife of the renominated Civil Service Commission chair Karlo Nograles. She wore a custom Kaayo terno handwoven by the Maguindanao Tribe in South Cotabato and hand beaded by the T’BOLI tribe of Lake Sebu, pairing it with her Beatriz minaudière.
6. Senator Nancy Binay
Wearing a dress made out of all-piña fabric from Aklan, Senator Nancy Binay was in full glamor with her Filipiniana that had Callado embroidery on the sleeves and sampaguita cut outs from front to back. In her last years in the Senate, she said that she would focus on protecting and promoting the local clothing industry.
7. Lawmakers Brosas, Castro, & Manuel
Despite the prohibition on clothes with political messages, Representative France Castro of ACT Teachers, Arlene Brosas of Gabriela and Raouel Manuel of Kabataan still wore clothes that portrayed the struggle of the people during the Marcos Regime.
France Castro wore a design made by an ACT Teachers Partylist volunteer which involves a black shawl representing the darkness of the regime.
Arlene Brosas of Gabriela Partylist wore an outfit depicting Filipino women’s struggle against inflation during the era of golden prices.
And Rouel Manuel of Kabataan wore a barong designed by himself that shows the two hands converging into a phoenix, symbolizing the never-ending rebirth of generational struggle.
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/iamhearte/, https://www.instagram.com/officialimeemarcos/, https://www.facebook.com/MayorIndaySaraDuterteOfficial, https://www.facebook.com/hontiverosrisa
