"I adore the butterfly sleeves and it's been a challenge for me to create something that will be wearable at this time and be remarkable internationally, and it's the right time because big shoulders are so in fashion at the moment,” said Ezra Santos of his use of voluminous sleeves in his recent couture collection.

The Filipino designer, who graduated from the Philippine Women's University and London's Central St. Martins is now making strident fashion waves in highly contemporized Dubai. He established Ezra Fashion House in Dubai in 2004 afer having worked at the House of Arushi, a premier fashion house in the country.

The collection he showcased at the Jowhara Ballroom, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai last April 27 was called “In the Beginning,” and it took him almost a year to put it together. Striking creations bear silhouettes of a minimalist adorned with the opulent accoutrements typical to the region. The butterfly-sleeves collection showed not only his fascination and reverence to the regal uniform of Imelda Marcos, but also sculptural skill in his reinvention of the sleeves' shape and style.