By Yvette Ferreol
Bloomberg

IN SPARKLING scarlet shoes and jewels, Imelda Marcos sits on a gilt and red-velvet throne surrounded by more gilt and red velvet.

Behind her stands a golden bust of her late husband, former President Ferdinand Marcos, and in front of her a Chihuahua in jeweled collar bares its teeth.

The portrait is part of the ?Imelda Collection,? a set of five photographs by Steve Tirona being shown by the Manila-based Silverlens Gallery at Manhattan?s Pulse Contemporary Art Fair on March 5 to 8.

The fair, at Pier 40 on the West Side Highway, features more than 100 exhibitors representing 26 countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Marcos?s daughter Imee Marcos commissioned Filipino photographer Tirona, 33, to do a shoot for an accessories line created by Imee?s eldest son, Martin, 25, a fashion model.

?We decided to take a lighter approach to the whole thing, nothing serious,? Tirona said in a telephone interview from Manila.

?The concept is to always be ?Imeldific? no matter what?s going on around her?on the brink of disaster, or almost catastrophe.?

?Imeldific? might be translated as leaning toward excess: Never use less gilt and sparkle when more will do. The word has entered the Merriam-Webster online open dictionary, which defines ?Imeldific? as ?characterized by ostentatious extravagance to a point of vulgarity.?

Marcos, 79, reigned as first lady for 20 years until her husband was overthrown in 1986. He died in Hawaii in 1989 and she returned to Manila in 1991. She has been involved in numerous court cases over allegations of corruption and illegally maintaining Swiss bank accounts holding more than $500 million.

In other photos, we see Imelda in a restaurant kitchen wearing a dignified teal gown with a ladle in one hand while the other holds a red snapper as long as her arm. In the background, two frantic chefs battle a raging stove fire.

The most fabulous picture combines two iconic Imelda elements, her love of public singing and of shoes. She lounges in shark-infested waters on an inflatable raft belting out the song on the sheet music in her hand. On the tiny island behind her stands a giant gilt high-heeled shoe.

?I was intimidated when I first started shooting her,? Tirona said. ?But then I was surprised at how comfortable it was. She was game, really easy to work with.?

He says she made sure his crew was fed well and joked about his bossiness:

?She told me, ?People called my husband a dictator, but the real dictator here is the photographer, telling me to do this, do that, do this, do that.??