Ito is constantly amazed by Tippi's fresh perspective in life and in her craft.

Their love story was something straight out of a teenage romantic movie. Ito Ocampo was San Agustin College’s resident delinquent student whose naughty antics were the bane of Tippi Lacson’s role as class monitor.

The class bad boy and model student were ironically seatmates in high school, and while any romantic involvement was the least of their thoughts then, the two definitely noticed each other. In fact, Tippi made it a point to religiously record Ito’s tardiness and absences (which were aplenty).

“We were in totally different groups, but I thought she was cute,” remembers Ito. Tippi adds, “I thought he was cute too, but he’s so different from me. Instead of going to class, he’d go playing billiards. All the trouble in class, more often than not, was caused by him.”

After high school, Ito went to UST, while Tippi studied at UP. They weren’t really close friends, but Ito and Tippi shared something which helped them get close: common friends. “Because we were classmates in high school, we had common friends so we’d all hang out together,” explains Ito.

Through their common friends, Ito and Tippi became close friends themselves. “We became each other’s confidantes,” shares Tippi. “If he’s going to see this girl, he’d tell me all about her. If I had problems with my boyfriend, I’d go to him for advice.”

Without realizing it, Ito and Tippi began developing feelings for each other. When Ito began hinting that he was interested in a certain someone, Tippi became incredibly curious. “She’d fish around a lot!” says Ito. When he finally mustered the courage to confess his feelings, Ito wrote Tippi a poem.

“He named this girl he likes Miss X,” shares Tippi. “And his poem goes, ‘Miss X is known by few; you’d turn in your grave if you knew. By now you’re wondering who, I want you to know Miss X is you.’” Tippi was naturally overwhelmed, but she reeled in her feelings and her reaction was a simple, “Ah, okay.”

“It’s awkward because we’re friends and it’s not out and out ligaw,” she confesses. “With us, I’m not sure. Maybe he’s not serious or maybe he’s just fooling around.”

But Ito was serious. “The transition from being friends to boyfriend and girlfriend scared her,” he says. That is why he didn’t pressure Tippi into jumping into a new relationship, and courted her patiently until she said yes.

“I was nervous,” Tippi admits. “We were friends, and I wasn’t sure whether to pursue it or not. I was so worried if things wouldn’t work out between us, then the friendship might get ruined.”

But her fear was later proven unfounded as they made their relationship work far better than they did their friendship. Ito and Tippi might be complete opposites, but because they knew each other so well, they learned to adjust to each other. “We knew each other prior to our relationship, so she already knew all my kalokohan,” Ito shares.

“We are completely accepting of each other,” adds Tippi. “He would let me try things he likes, and I would let him try things I like.”

Ito is maalaga as a boyfriend, and his being sweet eventually rubbed off on Tippi. Valentines’ are especially memorable for the couple.  “I find it ridiculous that every Valentines’ day, all the restaurants would have this set package menu that’s so expensive, and the only thing that’s different about it is that it comes with a rose,” complains Ito.

So he would think of more creative ways to declare his love. Tippi recalls, “On my way to school and coming out of the village, I came across this huge streamer that he put up in the service road, and written across it was ‘Happy Valentines’ Day, Tippi!’ When I got to UP, there was another streamer which he put up in our college. Even months after that, people would still remember the streamer he put up. That’s Ito. He’s always out to do something different.”

But despite Ito’s penchant for unique ways of surprising Tippi, his proposal was simple and sweet. He proposed to her during dinner at Manila Hotel, and they got married in 1997. The couple both had steady jobs at the time, and they have long decided on getting married in Italy.

“We want to remember everything about our wedding,” says Ito. So they brought their immediate families to Italy with them to witness their marriage.

The couple has been married for 12 years and they keep things fun by having “little adventures.” The couple tries to be creative with their dates. Instead of just going out and having dinner and go drinking afterwards, they’d go on a road trip and visit someplace new.

“One of the things Ito taught me is that we should always prioritize our marriage over everything,” says Tippi. This is why, despite their jobs, they always find time for each other.

Tippi is a fashion designer who is known for her trademark hook-and-eye closure. Her first foray into the industry started when she was still in college. “There was a time in college when they had a fair and she sold her own creations, which were one-of-a-kind tank tops, and she called these Tip Tops,” remembers Ito. “Her tank tops were sold out and girls were still ordering from her even after the fair.”

But Tippi wasn’t serious about it until she joined the Young Designers Paris Competition and won. From there, she and her husband opened Prêt-a-Party and launched a book on fashion design entitled “Not By the Book.”

“It’s fun, but there’s also a level of stress involved,” relates Tippi. “Because the better you do, the more you have to outdo yourself.”

Ito, on the other hand, is more of an entrepreneur. Together, the couple creates the perfect partnership: Tippi designs the clothes, while Ito manages the business side of Prêt-a-Party.

“We get along,” says Ito. “Plus, we’re good friends. We disagree on certain things, but when it comes to the things that matter, we try to talk about them and solve the problem.” Another thing that’s unique about the couple is that they don’t conform to the standard.

“We don’t have a template like at this certain age, we have to have kids,” Tippi explains. It’s amusing to think that the couple entitled their book on fashion design “Not By the Book”, for their relationship mirrors the title so well. Ito and Tippi do things “Not By the Book,” and eventually they have more fun with their marriage because they treat it as an adventure.

On their Differences

He said: We’re really opposites. She’s organized and neat. I’m messy. She designs and creates the clothes, while I handle the retail side of Prêt-a-Party.

She said: We’re opposites in most ways. His family is into the crazy-gimik scene. They’re the type who would go up to Baguio at 2 a.m. just because they feel like going. My family is different. We’re maayos. We’re the type that sleeps at 11 p.m. and we like everything in its place. I’m super daldal, and he’s quiet. But personality-wise, he’s more extroverted than I am.

On Travelling

He said: Even up to now, when we have free time, we’d go travel. We don’t plan things. Most of the time kasi, you’ll never find time to do it. You’ll always have work, and something will always come up to keep you from taking a vacation. When we feel like it, bahala na. So if it’s time to go, then it’s time to go.

She said: We travel a lot, but one of our most memorable travels was the time we went to this island in Cebu. It was the first time that we went out of Manila together. I’m also from Cebu, and I got to show him where I spent the first few years of my life and where I spent my summers. I got to show him a side of me outside of San Agustin.

On Marriage

He said: Our marriage was disorganized. There was one time we both came home and found out we had no electricity because we both forgot to pay the bill. And I think it’s our being disorganized which makes our marriage work in its own weird way.

She said: When we first got married, it felt like we were just camping. We had gotten so used to doing things non-traditionally, so for example, when we’d run out of groceries, we’d simply decide to go out of town for the weekend after work. Our marriage was disorganized but it was a lot of fun.