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Dolly de Leon's ocean-inspired gown at the BAFTAs: Rajo Laurel shares beautiful story behind it
The story behind Dolly De Leon’s gown at the BAFTAs is just as beautiful as the gown itself.
On Instagram Tuesday, designer Rajo Laurel shared details behind the gown he likes to call Alon and recalled the whole process of its creation.
First off, Rajo said it was actress Iza Calzado who suggested reaching out to Dolly because of the buzz around “Triangle of Sadness.”
He reached out to Dolly in September 2022 and when they finally met, Rajo said, “I was immediately enthralled.”
According to Rajo, when Dolly “spoke about her love of the ocean and how she finds peace near the water," his first instinct was to create for her an azure blue gown.
"Which I did," he said laughing.
But then Dolly’s stylist, LJ Perez, further pushed Rajo’s creativity. “I cannot forget what he said to me. ‘What would I do if the entire world's eyes were on Dolly and what would she wear?’"
“From there I thought about Dolly's love of the ocean and I decided to fully embrace this by celebrating our Filipino culture in a modern light,” he said.
Rajo used an abaca, nylon silk material that he first developed in 2018 for his 25th anniversary show.
“I wanted to use that original material and create something deeply meaningful for Dolly,” he said.
These influences then resulted in Dolly’s gown “Alon,” which features wave-like elements while still presenting classic Filipiniana materials.
“She may not have won the BAFTA but she is already a winner! She is my winner and she is the winner of all us Filipinos. Dreaming, wanting, wishing for our dreams to come true,” Rajo added.
“Thank you Dolly for showing us all that it is possible! Pwedeng pwede matupad lahat ng ating mga pangarap.”
He also thanked his team at the House of Laurel.
Dolly is the first Filipina nominated for a BAFTA, which she said is “a huge honor for me.”
— LA, GMA Integrated News
