Love according to Ayen

Ayen Laurel is a beautiful woman inside and out. For some, Ayen Laurel and the "Prince thing" of her past was mythical. Some called it magical while others said ‘sayang’. Sayang daw because being married to a royalty is "swerte’ especially when you come from a third world country like the Philippines. For all and sundry – she was once married to a Prince. That by now, everybody knows. But some Cinderella like stories are not made to last. And Ayen’s was one of them. But Ayen is still princess to her prince – husband Franco Laurel and her three children. Beneath that much talked about ‘royal’ coating is an Ayen – devoted and loving wife, mother, singer and producer, in that order.

As a celebrity, she is used to being written about and sometimes ogled at. She sometimes feels though that she is living in a fish bowl. Always impeccably dressed, Ayen, lately, was in the news after she was chosen as one of the best dressed women in the country. She comes in the list that includes, Gretchen Oppen-Cojuangco, Emily Lopez, Susan Reyes, Menchu Soriano, among others.

"My style of dressing is very classic. I am an investment dresser. I choose clothes that can be re-styled to look new later on. I don’t follow fashion trends. I like wearing classic clothes in my favorite black and give in to wearing bolder hues," says Ayen. She goes shopping at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue when she is in America, Harvey Nichols, Harrods and Bond Street when she is in London and Rustan’s Greenbelt, Powerplant and Shangri-La Mall. She may not follow fashion trends but she is a stylish traveler. Lately, we heard she went to London for a much needed vacation.

Ayen admits not having a style icon. Despite being called fabulous, stylish and beautiful, she still loves her favorite denims – Joe Jeans, 7 for all Mankind and Laurel Canyon. And she will not be caught wearing anything shiny, fully beaded and something that will show some flesh. As one of the most beautiful faces in town, Ayen maintains a strict beauty regimen: "Cleanse and moisturize, lots of sleep. I also make sure that I work out at least three times a week. I also go to the salon regularly to have my nails done and pamper myself." She will not go for surgical enhancement if it would mean being too "intrusive". She wishes though that she’s taller, like at least 5’8". And her favorite pieces of jewelry are those given to her by husband Franco.

Ayen has been married to singer Franco Laurel for several years now. She says that the best thing she ever did for love was fighting for the man she loves. And the worst? "I sacrificed my faith when I got married to my first husband." Here is a "love" conversation with Ayen.

What will you do for love?

I can sacrifice everything for the person I love. That says a lot.

If love has a tag price, how much would it be?

It’s priceless.

If love were a piece of stone, what would it be?

Diamonds – flawless and priceless

Of all the things you have done, what are you proudest of?

I am proudest of the renewal of my relationship with God. As a Christian, I believe that God should be the one in control of everything in my life.

How do you want Ayen Munji-Laurel to be remembered?

I want to be remembered as someone who invested in something lasting: my husband, my children, my ministry (God’s work) and my highest ideals.

Prada and Miu Miu

Yes, it’s true. The five mystical fairies of the Winx Club, Bloom, Stella, Flora, Tecna and Musa are stylishly decked in the creations of two world-renowned fashion design teams – Prada and Miu Miu.

A product of Italian studio Rainbow, the creators of the series had initially decided to put the fairies in very traditional, circa 1950’s costumes: capes, wings, antennae. However, Rainbow realized character designs and costumes needed to be punchier, more vibrant, and more in line with the hip, trendy fashions that attract tweens.

Rainbow approached Prada to design costumes and outfits for the fairies. The designers successfully came up with tons of fashionable clothing specifically for the fairies, tuned along the lines of a very specific color palette, with each fairy assigned her own set of colors and hues to go along with her personality. With Prada setting the style for the fairies’ costumes, Winx went on to tap Prada’s more eclectic label Miu Miu. With both labels on board, Winx now has a look to follow, with colors and designs picked all the way to 2010.

This au courant wardrobe carries over to the Winx Club magazine, a colorful comic treat and a rich informative wellspring of highly interesting topics.