Pinoy designer wins award for work in Imelda Marcos musical

For merging the historic opulence of Imelda Marcos and the tackiness of disco, a Filipino costume designer for "Here Lies Love," a musical about the former Philippine First Lady, was honored by an Off-Broadway theater body in New York.

Clint Ramos took home the Lucille Lortel Awards for costume design in May, tying with Paloma Young for her work on "Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812," according to Variety.

Ramos' award was only one of the four received by "Here Lies Love" this year. Ruthie Ann Miles, Justin Townsend, and M.L. Dogg and Cody Spencer took home the awards for best lead musical actress, lights, and sound, respectively.

Ramos was no stranger to international recognition. A graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, he received the Obie Award for Sustained Exc?ellence of Costume Design in 2013.

As a kid in Cebu, Ramos briefly met Mrs. Marcos whom he based his award-winning designs on. He told New York Times in an interview that his extravagant designs were made to be intentionally tacky, but still deserving of the glamor the erstwhile First Lady exuded.

"I wanted to have fun with image of Imelda but at the same time not demonize her," he said.

In the show, Miles, who plays Mrs. Marcos, wore gowns directly inspired by the former First Lady's real wardrobe, but touched with disco affectations such as gold and a pure plastic frock.

Ramos is the current costume designer for the Off-Broadway play "The Village Bike" and the "The Elephant Man," which stars two-time Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News