MANILA, Philippines - Halo-halo (from the Tagalog word halo which means "mix") is a mix of sliced fruits, cubed gelatin, sweet beans, boiled roots and colored small sago (tapioca) balls in sugar, milk and crushed ice topped with a spoonful of leche flan (Filipino custard) and ube (purple yam).

It's a well-loved dessert in the Philippines all year round, but it's particularly popular during the summer. Halo-halo effectively refreshes our palates and leaves a sweet taste in the mouth, making us feel good despite the scorching heat.

Like halo-halo, the recent Sassa summer collection fashion show in Makati City was a blend of the trendy, the comfy, and the exotic -- the event featured females in two-piece bikinis, hanging tops, and short shorts.

The show has whetted the audience's appetites, particularly that of the males, just like the popular Filipino dessert. The only difference is that unlike the ice-cold halo-halo, the fashion show was too hot to handle.

Beachy

This year, Sassa decided to have a "beachy" feel with bright solid colors and subtle print accents.

Resident designer Gertie Hermanos said this would make it easier for customers to mix and match their outfits as they enjoy the summer season.

"This is so you can buy a few pieces to make several unique outfits. It's not only one outfit for a couple of days in the pool or the beach, but a few different ones so you can look great every single time you're out," Hermanos said, adding that their outfits come in all sizes.

For her part, Sassa marketing manager Rossana Lammoglia Unson said they spent months working on the designs and the fashion show itself.

"We wanted to give the best glimpse of what the models would wear," she said.

Some of the models who wore Sassa's latest line were winners of Supermodel contests -- Fil-Indian Panemanglor, Emerald Villahermosa, Gisselle Paquio, and Mannete Mercado. Report and photos by Boy Villasanta, abs-cbnNEWS.com