“I imagine that from the morning she would wear it to the evening, it would beautifully absorb the story.” Photographed by Karl King Aguña
Vogue Philippines got an exclusive closer look at Siobhan Moylan’s one-of-kind wedding dress
There are wedding dresses that follow tradition, and there are those that tell stories. Siobhan Moylan’s wedding dress wasn’t born out of a single sketch, nor a moment of inspiration; it was born from a connection. From conversations, trust, and the subtle language of knowing someone deeply. For designer Carl Jan Cruz, this wasn’t just about creating a beautiful dress. It was about translating a bond, a spirit, into cloth.
“I’ve known Siobhan for years. I knew her and Christian even before they were a couple,” Cruz shares in his atelier. While the brand had largely paused bespoke work to focus on ready-to-wear, this was different. “There were only a few [requests] we said yes to this year, and it wasn’t about the project. It was about the relationship,” he says. Siobhan didn’t walk in with a vision; she walked in with trust, and what followed was an eight-to-twelve-month journey of deconstruction and reconstruction.
“It felt like painting an image using their words,” says Cruz, who had long discussions with the couple in the studio. Speaking not of fashion, but of the stories of how they met, what they loved to do on mundane days, how they envisioned moving through the world, and, eventually, down the aisle. “They’re not people who speak in definitive visual terms. They’re more about feeling, so it became about capturing that feeling.”
Over many months, the dress was developed through gestures, lines on paper that mimicked posture, sketches that read more like choreography than clothing, and began to crystallize into something physical. Composed of three layers, and despite the softness, the dress weighs five kilograms from its internal architecture. “It wears light, but it’s heavy,” Cruz declares.
“That duality was important.” The base of the dress is a corseted mini, sculpted but not symmetrical, draped on the moulage of her body. “The bust isn’t identical side to side, and that was intentional. We wanted to find the beauty in the nuance of the natural form.” The corset, however, breaks convention without the outdated severity of historical boning. Sam, the in-house corsetry expert, led the charge. “We obsessed over the differences between corsets,” such as Mr. Pearl focuses on the waist, Westwood emphasizes the ribcage, and Galliano pushes into the abdomen.
The effect is almost invisible in photographs, but deeply intentional, a discreet radicalism in bridal wear. Incorporating tension and relief, structure and fluidity, letting Siobhan feel supported without being constricted. From that base, the dress blooms into layers. “We were trying to combine fabrics that weren’t compatible,” he explains, using shirting poplin for the understructure, with duchess satin, and layers of tea-dyed organza and silk chiffon on top.
Like water, oil, and slime entwined, each fabric flows with its own rhythm. When combined, they resist and respond to one another, creating tension and harmony. To tame this dynamic movement without sacrificing lightness, the team crafted custom finishings: seams are bound with precision, fittings tucked out of sight. From this foundation, a silhouette bloomed – tulip-shaped, cocoon-like, strapless, yet grounded in structure.
Freshwater pearls embellish the dress, paying homage to the brand’s panukot-style and referencing the custom intricacy found in the works by Filipino designers like Ramón Valera, Pitoy Moreno, and Rajo Laurel with randomized, asymmetrical, stardust-like ornamentation. Some areas are distressed and darted, intentionally frayed or peeled back to reveal the fabrics underneath, aligning with Carl Jan Cruz’s signature design identity. “It’s a lot of construction, deconstruction, construction, deconstruction,” he laments. “That’s how we work…layering, stripping, rebuilding.”
The design was made to shift, literally. Every week, the hemline moved as the fabric settled, and even on the wedding day, a “dress butler” was assigned to the bride to make the final adjustments before walking to a classical rendition of Grimes’ hit song Genesis. The veil, too, tells a story. Inspired by how Siobhan casually wears her hair, it was born from the simplicity of Filipino church veils, worn by women going to mass with fabric simply plopped over their heads, which evolved into a beaded bonnet.
Around the dress, an entire collection has silently formed. Christian’s look was developed with similar care: a barong tailored like a soft blazer; an intersection of traditional and modern menswear. “Christian looks really good in a shirt and a blazer,” he explains. ” Even Christian’s parents, Donnie and Crickette, were dressed by the brand.
Ultimately, Siobhan’s wedding dress was less about appearance and more about legacy. This nuptial marked a significant milestone for the brand, being Carl Jan Cruz’s first full church wedding commission, setting it apart from his previous bridal projects. From dawn until dusk, the custom design wove together the narrative of the ceremony and the essence of who Siobhan is. “She’s just beautiful and pristine, you know, just like a doll,” Cruz shares. She wore more than a dress; she wore the story of her relationship, not only with her partner, but also with the community of people who helped shape this unforgettable day at St. James the Great Parish Church.
By LAWRENCE ALBA. Photographs by KARL KING AGUÑA. Wedding photographs by Colin Dancel, courtesy of Siobhan Moylan. Digital Associate Editor: Chelsea Sarabia. Producer: Julian Rodriguez. Shot on location at the Carl Jan Cruz 45 Bayani atelier.
