Bench Blackout

All roads led to Araneta Coliseum last July 25, as men and women alike (all above 18) promptly arrived for Blackout, the Bench Denim and Underwear Show. Nothing short of spectacular is expected whenever Bench holds its underwear and denim show which happens every two years. As always, the apparel giant did not disappoint the many lucky bearers of the hottest ticket in town.

True to its name, Blackout is dark and whimsical, drawing on the world of the arcane and the occult for its inspiration: models dressed as glamorous demons, interpretations of the underworld, masquerade-themed outfits, outer space concepts, and even a Japanese anime feel were the components of the night’s show. Yet despite the dark theme, Bench’s impressive lineup of celebrity endorsers still managed to shine their brightest that night. Some, however, shone more brightly than others.



It has been in the news since then that Annabel Rama has been complaining about her son Richard Gutierrez’ lack of introduction and extremely dark getup (he was sexily rugged, bearing a rough cape and wearing dark glasses), which she blames for the lack of response from the audience when he made his grand entrance. And this was in stark contrast to fellow GMA primetime idol Dingdong Dantes’ loud reception from the audience. As soon as Dingdong entered the stage, the audience started screaming, louder and louder with each piece of his outfit that he lets go of, until he eventually unzips his pants and lets them fall, as he basks in his underwear glory.



Other celebrities who made a statement in the show were PBB Teen Idols Gerald Anderson and Kim Chiu, who were among the first celebrities to make an entrance; JC de Vera, who wowed the crowd with his bare buffed torso; Jake Cuenca, who seemed really intense that night, with his raging entrances—at one point even kneeling as if in abandon and later showing off his buttocks in thongs; Sarah Geronimo, who gamely walked down the runway, smiling as she shakes her head; Rafael Rosell, who went “brief-less” behind a screen; Sam Milby, whose tanned lean body elicited screams from the crowd, which includes Anne Curtis; Diether Ocampo, whose body is still to die for; the ever-confident Alessandra de Rossi, who’s a natural in these underwear shows; hottie Marco Alcaraz, who removed one of the pairs of underwear he was wearing, which he threw to the crowd; Angelica Panganiban, who was glowing and glittering as she serenely walked down the stage; and a still-hot Jomari Yllana who quickly regained composure after slipping.



Some celebrities, however, blended into the background and did not shine as much as their fellow stars. The ever-pretty Shaina Magdayao, for one, seemed lost in her elaborate attire for the night; Rica Peralejo, was not so remarkable in her outfit and cropped do; FHM’s Precious Adona walked and posed awkwardly when she walked down the catwalk; and Ehra Madrigal, who elicited no reaction even as she strutted down the catwalk in bright yellow underwear. Conspicuously absent were Piolo Pascual and John Lloyd Cruz, whom a lot of women in the crowd anticipated that night.



Bench’s power couple Richard Gomez and Lucy Torres did not grace the ramp this year, except at the end of the show, with Bench mogul Ben Chan. Another big-time couple, Kris Aquino and James Yap, was spotted in the audience.

Which star shone the brightest in this Blackout? See for yourself in FemaleNetwork’s coverage of the show.











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Courtesy of FemaleNetwork.com