CONG TRI shoes and dress. Photographed by Mark Nicdao for the October 2025 Issue of Vogue Philippines
Bella Poarch returns to the landscapes of her childhood in Pangasinan, weaving a pastoral narrative that gracefully bridges her roots with modernity.
When Bella Poarch came back to the Philippines earlier this year, it was more than just a trip back home. It was a return to the soil where her roots first germinated. The internet star, born and raised in San Fabian, Pangasinan, revisited the fields where she once sang among the trees and carabaos, retracing her earliest memories. For the cover story, Vogue Philippines fashion editor David Milan built the creative direction around this powerful homecoming. “She hasn’t been back here since she left,” Milan shares. “This was her first time returning to her hometown in San Fabian, where she grew up with her family of farmers.”
The shoot drew inspiration from Dalagang Bukid, a beloved Filipino folk song from the 1950s and 1960s that translates to “a girl in the farm.” The melody became the narrative anchor: Bella as the farm girl returning, not in her childhood clothes but in couture. “We worked around the idea of her as a farm girl,” Milan explains. “We wanted to use natural materials, flowers, and create something that felt like a garden, while staying true to Bella’s personal style.”
Known for her cosplay and love of avant-garde looks, Bella’s digital persona is thoughtfully reimagined within a distinctly local framework. “She’s used to wearing statement pieces,” Milan adds. “But we wanted to reinterpret that through a more Filipino lens.” The production is completed over two days, with sessions in both Manila and San Fabian. After the hometown shoot wrapped, Bella asked to extend her stay. “She wanted to reconnect with relatives and visit the places where she grew up,” Milan recalls. “It was really touching to witness her homecoming, to see how far she’s come, from a little kid in the Philippines to a global internet personality.”
Through fashion, Bella emerges as a contemporary figure wrapped in the dreamy cadence of a Disney fairytale. In the editorial, Bella wears a sculptural Richard Quinn gown adorned with distorted, retro-inspired blooms and foliage. “It’s regal with the opera gloves,” Milan says. “The contrast against the Bukid backdrop is beautiful. It’s one of my favorites.”
Other looks included a Collina Strada top and trousers, Cong Tri bodysuits and gowns, a Harris Reed dress, a Steph Verano skirt, a Yasha Rosales skirt, and Erik Charlotte separates. Milan recalls lively discussions with Bella’s styling team, led by Katie Qian, to balance her brash aesthetic with Vogue Philippines’ softer, more localized vision.
“For example, in the Cong Tri look, a long green dress, we added a farmer’s hat to make it feel more rooted,” he explains. Beyond fashion, the production became a personal journey. “She remembered, for example, the library she used to visit,” Milan says. “She even tried to find the mango tree she planted when she was young. Hearing her stories as she retraced these places was really special.”
The cover story also highlights Bella’s resilience. Adopted as a child and having faced a difficult upbringing, she has built a global career entirely on her own terms. “I really admire how she faced everything she experienced in her life,” Milan reflects. “She didn’t grow up in a typical way. Coming out of that, she’s become such a strong, tough woman.”
For Bella Poarch, this homecoming is more than just cathartic; it’s a reclamation of her origins. Her journey, from the rice fields of Pangasinan to becoming an international star, mirrors the folk song that inspired the shoot: a girl from the bukid who now stands at the world’s forefront.
See more exclusive photographs from this story in the October 2025 Issue of Vogue Philippines, available at the link below.
By TICIA ALMAZAN. Photographs by MARK NICDAO. Deputy Editor PAM QUIÑONES. Fashion Editor DAVID MILAN. Styling by KATIE QIAN. Talent: Bella Poarch. Media Channels Editor: Anz Hizon. Producer: Bianca Zaragoza. Makeup: Pam Robes. Hair: Mong Amado. Nails: Extraordinail. Styling Assistants: Neil xade Guzman and Ticia Almazan. Video Team: MV Isip and Ara May Tanagon. Photography Assistants: Villie James Bautista, John Phillip Nicdao, Arsan Sulser Hofileña, Crisaldo Soco, and Alex Capongco. Special thanks to Explore PD4, Christopher de Venecia, Marty Ian Gideon Flores, Khrismae Dy, Christian Sajea Dalioan, Matthew Lewis Gutierrez, Tourism Office of San Fabian Pangasinan, Cups & Berry Dagupan, and Marcel Jon Mendoza of Farmville Eco-Farm.
