This story began one day many months ago, when the Pineda family came up with the idea of “Terno 80: Celebrating a Legacy Forged from Design and Art.”

Family matriarch Maritess M. Pineda was poring over her archive of gowns, many of which were by in preparation for a special exhibit in celebration of her 80th birthday. Couture creations by Ramon Valera, Steve de Leon and Patis Tesoro served as the inspiration for the showcase.

“These gowns or dresses were chosen because they were a part of my life’s milestones. They also represent my style journey, and how my mother influenced that,” Pineda said.

As Pineda was curating the pieces that would ultimately go on display, she reflected on the impact that her mother, Dellie Rodriguez Mendoza, had on her own style evolution.

“It was my mother who shaped me and my preferences in fashion,” she notes. “She would keep her clothes in bauls. We discovered all these beautiful gowns and dresses. She never discarded them.”

Even in her formative years, she was constantly exposed to the impeccable style and elegance that her mother embodied, setting the standards that she lives by to this day.

When it’s a special occasion, choose no less than the best.

Back in the day, designer Ramon Valera was a close friend of the family. “He was my mother’s barkada. She would have him make even her everyday dresses,” she recalls. When it was time for Pineda’s debut, “It had to be a Valera.”

Many years later, when Pineda was preparing for her wedding, she had only one mandate to her husband-to-be: “He was free to decide on everything else, but my gown had to be a Valera.” And it was so, with her mother working with Valera for the perfect gown and train for the big day.