The best ideas can come from conversations with people who know exactly what they want, especially when they feel at ease telling you so. For Filipino designer Mark Bumgarner, one such exchange with his longtime friend and muse Anne Curtis would eventually inspire After Hours, his Holiday 2026 collection.
“The idea began during a late-night fitting with my friend and muse Anne Curtis,” Bumgarner says. “She asked for pieces that suited the way she lives: easy to wear, comfortable to move in and ready for an impromptu dinner.”
RELATED: Jasmine Curtis-Smith’s New Movie Is Rom-Com Meets Asian Excellence
Known for his elaborate eveningwear and dramatic silhouettes, Bumgarner found a new direction for his signature design language through Curtis’s request, which soon developed into a collaborative process of sketches, samples, and fittings.
Anne Curtis and the Making of After Hours
“For Holiday 2026, I’m taking a more relaxed approach to evening and party dressing,” Bumgarner explains. “The signatures remain: shape, detail, femininity and a little drama, now with greater ease.” He and his team refined the garments with Curtis, whose feedback helped determine their fit and feel.
Thus, you see flowing dresses join tailored separates, while hand-cut fabric paillettes, hand-beaded fringe, embellished denim, and three-dimensional florals give the lineup more character. Textiles collected during his travels appear alongside textures revisited from earlier work, extending his exploration of materials into this latest offering.
For Bumgarner, After Hours is also the realization of a long-held ambition he shares with his partner, Earl Semitara: a ready-to-wear collection within their design universe: “Ready-to-wear has always been part of that dream. With Holiday 2026, it feels like we’re finally finding our voice.”
What Does Elegance Mean for Mark Bumgarner’s Now?
Having spent most of his career creating intricate gowns, the designer has seen his own understanding of elegance change. Now, he has the opportunity to demonstrate what glamour means to him on a personal level.
“I think my definition of elegance has evolved over the years. Today, I see glamour as a balance of absolute elegance and effortlessness. It’s less about looking perfectly put together and more about feeling confident and comfortable in what you wear.”
—MARK BUMGARNER
It’s a belief that Mark Bumgarner expresses through After Hours‘ less restrictive shapes and a touch of oversized dressing. That, in itself, is how he sees modern elegance, and it’s a perspective we can certainly get behind.
Mark Bumgarner’s After Hours Holiday 2026 collection is available at Power Plant Mall in Rockwell, Makati, until January 5, 2027.
Photos courtesy of MARK BUMGARNER, Photographed by JV RABANO
Frequently Asked Questions
After Hours began with a late-night fitting with his friend and muse Anne Curtis, who asked for pieces that suit how she lives: easy to wear, comfortable to move in, and ready for an impromptu dinner.
The collection pairs flowing dresses with tailored separates and adds hand-cut fabric paillettes, hand-beaded fringe, embellished denim, and three-dimensional florals. Textiles collected on Bumgarner’s travels appear alongside textures revisited from his earlier work.
Bumgarner says his definition has evolved: glamour is a balance of absolute elegance and effortlessness, less about looking perfectly put together and more about feeling confident and comfortable in what you wear.
The After Hours Holiday 2026 collection is available at Power Plant Mall in Rockwell, Makati, until January 5, 2027.
After Hours realizes a long-held ambition Bumgarner shares with his partner, Earl Semitara: a ready-to-wear collection within their design universe. He says that with Holiday 2026, it feels like they’re finally finding their voice.
