Shalani to wear a Rajo Laurel creation on Noynoy's inaugural

Valenzuela City councilor Shalani Soledad is all set for June 30, the day her boyfriend, President-elect Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III, will take his oath as the 15th president of the Philippines. A report in GMA Network’s “24 Oras" said it was Aquino himself who personally picked noted fashion designer Rajo Laurel to make Soledad’s gown for the event. It also said Aquino chose a “simple, yellow gown" from a list of four designs for his girlfriend. Laurel said he was honored to be chosen to create Soledad’s gown for the occasion. “May halo akong kaba. Prestige and honor 'yan para sa akin (I feel nervous and also honored to be chosen)," he said.

Yellow Laurel said he tried suggesting other colors to Soledad from the four designs he made. “I said, 'Maybe you'd like to try another color because I have a feeling many will wear yellow'," he recalled telling Soledad. Soledad, however, just smiled and said she doesn’t want to stand out that much, according to Laurel. It is unclear yet whether Soledad will wear the gown during the inauguration ceremonies at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila. Excited tweet Laurel admitted that due to his excitement, he posted a message on his Twitter account about Soledad trying on the gown on Monday morning. He, however, had to take it down later after he was informed that Soledad did not like it being tweeted. “Due to my excitement, I tweeted and I apologize. Maybe I shouldn't have tweeted about it because she's a very private person. Sorry for tweeting," Laurel explained. Little was known about Soledad outside her district in Valenzuela before she was thrust into limelight for being the girlfriend of the country's next top leader, but Soledad said she is not ruing the attention. "Most people react to me now. They see me as an extension of Noy. So if they see me even outside Valenzuela and there is a treatment of respect, maybe it's because they see Noy in me," Soledad said. - Jerrie Abella/KBK, GMANews.TV