BENCH BODY SHOW BRINGS SEXY BACK AND ‘KILIG' WHISPERS ON A NEW LOVE TEAM

Experience limitless empowerment at the Philippine STAR and YoungSTAR's She Slays 2025: GirlCoded Convention from March 28 to 30, 2025, at Concourse, One Ayala in Makati City.

- ANTHEA GRAPE

When the Bench "Body of Work" show was announced after an eight-year hiatus, it easily became the most coveted ticket for a fashion event this season and the long lines last Friday outside the SM Mall of Asia Arena—with scalpers to boot—confirmed it as hot as the most-awaited pop concerts in the venue's history. The country's leading fashion and lifestyle brand, after all, has been presenting the most spectacular, star-studded underwear and denim shows since the late '90s.

Ben Chan, Bench founder and Suyen Corporation chairman and CEO, related during a preview at Bench Fashion Week last year how they have been preparing for this major comeback for a long time: "As things normalized post-pandemic, our eagerness to uphold the tradition of delivering a most unforgettable show for our loyal patrons only grew stronger."

As creative director, Ben assembled a dream team: Gypsy Snider, the Canadian-American artistic director and choreographer of Les 7 Doigts which also did the lights, music, video, and acrobatic performances; fashion show director Robby Carmona; creative consultant and head stylist Noel Manapat; and stage designer Gino Gonzales.

The patrons who filled the venue to the brim that evening were certainly not disappointed — if the incessant screaming was any indication manifested early on — as photos of their favorite stars flashed on the LED screen for the prelude to the show. By the time Box-Office King Alden Richards came out, it was absolute hysteria.

THE ART OF THE TEASE, HEARTTHROBS, AND LOVE TEAMS

Alden may have a wholesome façade but he was ready for the grand tease: First taking off his denim jacket to reveal overalls with straps that he dropped with a smile, revealing a tank top, an updated version of the famous one