Fashion & Film: Pat Kay Laudencia
Dressing characters in Philippine independent cinema
Pat Kay Laudencia. Photo by Noah Del Rosario.
Before Pat Kay Laudencia focused on costume styling, she worked across film sets as a cinematographer, director and editor. The range has shaped how she dresses a character. For her, costume is how a character’s history and inner life become visible.
She is among the stylists shaping the look of contemporary Philippine independent cinema, having styled two recent films from Studio Dalaga, the Manila-based practice of filmmaker sister duo Gabriela and Mariana Serrano: Elenita Elena Elaine (2025), a retro-future pop star drama, and Surface Tension (2025), a magical realist retelling of the siren legend and winner of Best Short at the 2026 QCShorts Competition.
Working within the constraints of indie production, Pat Kay is a whiz at making things work. She sources through thrift and local labels, and handles most of the work herself, from coordinating with brands to the endless steaming on set. She is now turning toward costume design, with plans to make garments of her own. She speaks to us about her process from script to screen, her collaborations with directors and crew and her move from styling toward costume design.
Behind-the-scenes of Elenita Elena Elaine (2025). Photo by Aaliyah Reodica.
Hello, Pat Kay! Could you please introduce yourself and your creative practice? How did you come to costume styling for film?
My name is Pat Kay and I am an all-around film worker. I have been a cinematographer, director and editor. It was only later that I got into styling for film. I am a fan of fashion but I did not think it was something I could focus on until a friend who was a director asked me to style for one of her short films. I have been doing it ever since.
What draws you to film as a medium, and what does dressing a character let you do that other kinds of styling do not?
I am drawn to film as a medium because every aspect of it has a goal of telling a story. It is such a creative process that you can mold to be anything. With dressing characters, I am able to show their personality, their history and who they are with pieces of clothing. It is the art of showing and not showing things they wear that create the fabric of a character’s being. I love that I get to play a part in building that visual narrative.
“It is the art of showing and not showing things they wear that create the fabric of a character’s being. I love that I get to play a part in building that visual narrative.”
Necklace from Jos mundo. Dress from Zoo Label. Film still from Surface Tension (2025). Image courtesy of Studio Dalaga.
Dress from Zoo Label. Film still from Surface Tension (2025). Image courtesy of Studio Dalaga.
Please walk us through your process from script to screen: how you read a story, build a character’s look, and arrive at something that feels right.
The first thing I look at when I read a script is the era it is set in. Then I try to understand the world the characters live in. I look at the economic standing too: are they upper middle class or middle class? There are nuances to everything, and it is so fascinating. I like to collaborate closely with the director to find out the type of personality each character has. The process entails putting myself in their shoes and thinking, what would this character pick based on their personality and history?
Costume styling is so integral to the creative process of world-building in film. When I get a better sense of the character, I try to research people in real life, as well as characters in film and television who are like them. From there, I try to map out all the possible wardrobe pieces this character has and start conceptualising the looks.
“Costume styling is so integral to the creative process of world-building in film.”
How do you collaborate with directors, cast and the wider crew to land on a look for a scene or character?
I have been fortunate to work with the talented director-sister duo, Gaby and Sam Serrano several times. They are very clear in their vision for their characters. They leave it up to me to find pieces that resonate with the characters to help drive the story. Aside from the directors, it is also important for me to work with the hair and make-up artist because their work adds to the characters. Together, we create a harmonious and consistent look to suit the narrative. It is inspiring to work with fellow creatives who are masters in what they do and it becomes equally fulfilling to see the entire look put together. I also talk to the production designer and note the colour palette and materials used on set so I am aware of the fabric colours and textures that would make sense in the films’ milieu.
Film still from Elenita Elena Elaine (2025). Image courtesy of Studio Dalaga.
Film still from Elenita Elena Elaine (2025). Image courtesy of Studio Dalaga.
Elenita Elena Elaine (2025) and Surface Tension (2025) are different worlds, one steeped in magic realism, the other moving in and around water. How did the world of each film guide your styling decisions?
Elenita Elena Elaine (2025) has interesting time jumps and eras. The main era I had to work on the most was the early 1990s. I researched the wardrobes of Filipino pop stars of the 1990s, such as Regine Velasquez and Jaya. I also looked into Western pop stars like Mariah Carey, Sade and Selena for inspiration. I had the honour of borrowing pieces from Souvenir, a vintage jewellery shop run by Sam Potenciano, to make the looks in Elenita Elena Elaine (2025) look realistically from that era.
With Surface Tension (2025), the directors took inspiration from Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid. Water was an integral consideration in picking the right fabric and colour for the main character’s look. I was inspired by mermaids and thought about the flow of the dress, how it would look underwater and how the clothes moved when submerged.
What feeds your practice when it comes to costume styling? What are the influences you keep returning to?
What feeds my practice is the excitement to keep inventing and creating characters with clothing. I love making use of my imagination to contribute to the world-building experience. I am inspired by people that I see on the street or even people I know in my own life, as well as the work of other stylists like Shirley Kurata.
Film still from Surface Tension (2025). Image courtesy of Studio Dalaga.
Wedding dress from Francis Libiran. Film still from Surface Tension (2025). Image courtesy of Studio Dalaga.
What are the challenges you have met in this work and how have you overcome them? What have been the milestones that carried you forward?
Budget is one of the biggest challenges in costume styling. I overcome this by thrifting and borrowing from friends. I am a fan of thrifting, and I find that it is more exciting to have a specific goal for thrifting other than doing it for myself.
Additionally, local brands have been generous and kind enough to lend their pieces for me to use. I do not use a lot of expensive designer brands. Most of the pieces I have used in styling characters have been a mix of local brands and thrifted pieces. Apart from making the budget work for the costumes, there is not much budget for a styling team and I have to do things myself. There is also a lot of logistical work that goes behind costume styling like coordinating with brands, and lots and lots of steaming!
A fun challenge is also styling with specific eras of clothing in mind. It requires research specific to the country and time the film is set. Everything is contextual and this is where I feel that the devil is in the details.
I played an extra as a bridesmaid. Dress from Hey Heleyna. Shoes from Jos mundo. Behind-the-scenes of Surface Tension (2025). Photo by Aaliyah Reodica.
What trends or shifts do you see in costume and styling across Southeast Asian film right now and what feels most exciting to you?
Each film has its own context and is so dependent on world-building. I cannot imagine putting it into just one category.
Although I am excited about the possibilities for every film to expand its visual language depending on the genre. I would love to see how a tropical sci-fi dystopian Filipino world would be styled.
Lastly, do you have any upcoming projects you would like to share with our readers
You might see me making my own clothes soon! I want to start shifting from just costume styling to costume designing.
Follow Pat Kay for more information here.