What if bridal gowns no longer shimmer with embellishments? Michael Leyva has done the unthinkable: he’s stripped away the Swarovski. Gone are the usual crystal confetti showers and pearl parades—this time, the designer walks his audience into a room of silence. No shimmer to distract, no glitter to lean on. Only sculpted silhouettes, cutouts, treatments, and fabric moving with thought, in a couture collection named, Memoria ng Hardin.
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For the first time, he’s stepped away from the embellishments that have defined his work. “I’m very, very, very nervous,” he admitted before the show, a moment of vulnerability from someone whose dresses have lit up aisle after aisle (bridal and runway alike).
“It’s the first collection I’m doing without beadwork. No crystals, no Swarovskis. I wanted to showcase something different this time.”
Michael Leyva on “Memoria ng Hardin”
Different, yes—but not directionless. Instead of sparkle, Leyva leaned into technique: laser-cut appliqués, precise manipulation, and a kind of quiet that dares you to look closer. The gowns realized there’s life beyond embellishment.
There were two collections shown—bridal and couture—though Leyva sees no hard line between them. “Bridal is couture, couture is couture,” he said. “Every time I do bridal, it has to be extra special.” A wedding gown isn’t just a moodboard fantasy, but a ceremony of craftsmanship, cut, and commitment.
It was a rare opportunity to see the duality of a designer who could create the ethereal delicacy of a bridal gown and the sculptural strength of couture, all while retaining timelessness. “I wanted to show the versatility of it as a designer,” he said. “I can do Bridal, but I can do Couture too.” A quiet sweep across the board—measured, assured, complete.
It’s important to note this isn’t simplicity. The gowns speak in the language of design. There’s no need for excess; depth emerges from structure alone. Raw, intelligent beauty comes beneath the fabric, through the fold. Innovation captivates with curves, seams, and the art of restraint.
Though the sparkle was packed away, the star power remained. Heart Evangelista—his muse, his fashion week fantasy, his eternal front-row woman—hovered in the background of each design like a ghost in pearls. “I envisioned every piece like she’d be wearing it for Paris Fashion Week or New York Fashion Week,” he said.
It makes sense. This wasn’t a show meant for aisle-bound brides alone. These gowns had places to be—runways, palaces, red carpets, maybe even the occasional gala thrown in a Manila mansion.
In Leyva fashion, it wasn’t subtraction—it was revelation. Like marble freed from stone, each silhouette emerged with nothing to distract, nothing to prove. Michael Leyva’s bride no longer shimmers, at least in a literal sense. Instead, she stands as testament to thoughtfulness, to exude an aura with no noise but power in herself. No sparkle. Still shining.
For inquiries or appointments, contact 0977 825 1571 or visit the Michael Leyva atelier at 618, The Peninsula Manila
Photographed by GRANT BABIA
