Here comes the bride and she doesn’t know what to wear
July 23, 2003 | 12:00am
HI, TINGTING!
I’m getting married this September in a bayside hotel, like Karen Davila’s wedding in Hong Kong. The rites will be officiated by a priest in a suite with only 50 guests composed of 20 family members, 28 close friends and two government officials as sponsors. A three-course sit-down dinner follows at the grand ballroom with 200 attendees.
Everything is all set, it seems, except maybe for what I’m going to wear. Do I have to wear a traditional wedding gown with a long train and veil with matching bouquet of fresh flowers? Or can I wear my beaded halter top waist white dress with book leaf detail by Vera Wang or my turquoise strapless gown by Colombian designer Oscar Barraza with pleats accented by crystals and white feathers, and which goes well with my turquoise-gold motif?
DANA
You don’t have to wear the traditional wedding gown with the long train, a veil and a bouquet of fresh flowers. A wedding day is very special for the bride and anything she chooses to wear, she can. Ideally, no one should criticize her and concede that the bride knows best.
Your motif is turquoise and gold and you have a turquoise strapless gown of crystals and white feathers. That sounds extraordinary to me and quite attractive. It also seems to be a very elaborate dress, for 50 guests in a hotel suite. But then, you’re the bride and can get away with it. What bothers me actually is that it is strapless. You might want to choose a veil that covers your shoulders ever so slightly to make you look like a bride, be it a suite or church ceremony. The second item I’m worried about is the turquoise color, which might be too striking or shocking especially with glittering gold. The bold colors could outdo how you look. The feathers and the crystals should not be too outlandish – they should be just tasteful enough to complement your bridal appearance in the small suite and the bigger ballroom.
Your halter top waist white dress sounds dainty and pretty to me, which is quite the opposite of the vampy turquoise one. The halter top seems conservative enough, compared with the strapless turquoise gown. I’m a little bit conservative about wedding ceremonies and would want you again to wear a veil that falls in front of your shoulders, starting from your nape or the back of your head. The white dress sounds like a regular wedding gown and you’ll probably end up holding a bouquet, which is not going to be any different from the traditional gown you don’t want to wear.
So go ahead with the turquoise gown, but be sure the feathers and the crystals don’t try to upstage each other and leave the guests staring at the gown and not at you, the bride.
In fact, I have a splendid idea. Call up Jojo of the Life Section of The STAR if you want me to take a look at them.
TINGTING
DEAR MARY,
My problem is about my thinning hair. I always envy women with luxuriant hair. I’m in my 50s and they say it’s normal for women in their menopausal years to lose hair. I don’t want to go bald. Please help!
MELANIE
It is about this time in life that women’s hair starts to thin. I suggest you get a hot oil treatment weekly and get some hair tonic such as nioxin treatment for the hair, available at Landmark, to strengthen the hair that you have left. After shampooing your hair, set it or have it set with a gel instead of a mousse. Gel thickens the hair and gives the illusion of a lot of hair. Use only the best products.
MARY
Hi Lucy!
I’m one of your biggest fans. You’re definitely one of the most beautiful faces in town. I don’t know how you manage to keep looking beautiful on top of your busy schedule. My problem concerns makeup. I can never seem to find the right shade of lipstick to match my rather dark skin. When I wear a dark red lipstick, I look like a whore. But when I use a light shade, I end up looking pale as a ghost. What shade do you recommend for a morena like me?
BETTY
You can use both dark and pale colors and the only thing you really have to be choosy with is the specific shade – make sure to pick one that will best match your skintone. For a morena like you, offhand I would say you would look best in dark hues that have brown/orange/berry undertones – stay away from pink-reds.You can also get away with pale hues for a modern look.
Makeup artist Juan Sarte says that pale or nude lips will look very pretty on morenas, but the texture has to be glossy or metallic so as to catch more light. Also, you can enhance this particular look with dramatic or defined eyes to avoid looking washed-out.
Don’t be afraid to experiment or to combine colors – you could come up with surprising yet wonderful results.
There are so many lipglosses available on the market now and I guess their greatest come-on is that they color your lips without making them look overpowering and dry, that is, as opposed to purely matte lipsticks. Good lipcolors for you to invest in: MAC spice lipliner, Flirt Herbench lipgloss, MAC gleam lipgloss, Origins caramel candy lipgloss, Bobbi Brown cherry lip tint, and Herbench lipgloss twist pen in ballerina.
I hope I’ve given you enough reasons to smile.
LUCY
DEAR TINGTING,
Does a pearl choker always have to be worn with pearl earrings? If not, what would be a good alternative?
LEE
A pearl choker can be worn with a matching pair of pearl earrings, a diamond pair of earrings or no earrings at all. When you wear a pearl choker, I presume it’s 16-1/2 inches long. That makes it quite close to the face that if you wore ruby or emerald earrings with diamonds as part of the setting, the white pearl and colored stones would clash for attention. It would also be distracting and too decorative. Which is why I would prefer a colorless stone.
TINGTING
Dear Lucy,
Thank you for giving your readers useful tips.
I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for the past years and now that my babies are all grown-up, I find myself doing less than I used to. I am wondering if you can help me get information on reputable schools that teach formal dining arrangements, flower arrangements and other interesting classes that you are aware of. It would certainly help take my mind off worrying about my children.
BORED MOM
The best person for you to contact is Portia Leuterio who runs a delightful craft center called Endearments. She is a wonderful lady who will surely tap and bring out the creative spirit in you. Last year, I took up a creative wrapping and gift packaging course under her and it was so much fun. She also has beading classes, among many, many other things. Portia can be contacted at 895-2148.
LUCY
For your fashion/beauty problems, e-mail Mary, Tingting and Lucy at style_sos@yahoo.com. Or send fax to 301-9732 or write to Style SOS, Life Section, Philippine STAR, 13th and Railroad Sts., Port Area, Manila.
I’m getting married this September in a bayside hotel, like Karen Davila’s wedding in Hong Kong. The rites will be officiated by a priest in a suite with only 50 guests composed of 20 family members, 28 close friends and two government officials as sponsors. A three-course sit-down dinner follows at the grand ballroom with 200 attendees.
Everything is all set, it seems, except maybe for what I’m going to wear. Do I have to wear a traditional wedding gown with a long train and veil with matching bouquet of fresh flowers? Or can I wear my beaded halter top waist white dress with book leaf detail by Vera Wang or my turquoise strapless gown by Colombian designer Oscar Barraza with pleats accented by crystals and white feathers, and which goes well with my turquoise-gold motif?
DANA
You don’t have to wear the traditional wedding gown with the long train, a veil and a bouquet of fresh flowers. A wedding day is very special for the bride and anything she chooses to wear, she can. Ideally, no one should criticize her and concede that the bride knows best.
Your motif is turquoise and gold and you have a turquoise strapless gown of crystals and white feathers. That sounds extraordinary to me and quite attractive. It also seems to be a very elaborate dress, for 50 guests in a hotel suite. But then, you’re the bride and can get away with it. What bothers me actually is that it is strapless. You might want to choose a veil that covers your shoulders ever so slightly to make you look like a bride, be it a suite or church ceremony. The second item I’m worried about is the turquoise color, which might be too striking or shocking especially with glittering gold. The bold colors could outdo how you look. The feathers and the crystals should not be too outlandish – they should be just tasteful enough to complement your bridal appearance in the small suite and the bigger ballroom.
Your halter top waist white dress sounds dainty and pretty to me, which is quite the opposite of the vampy turquoise one. The halter top seems conservative enough, compared with the strapless turquoise gown. I’m a little bit conservative about wedding ceremonies and would want you again to wear a veil that falls in front of your shoulders, starting from your nape or the back of your head. The white dress sounds like a regular wedding gown and you’ll probably end up holding a bouquet, which is not going to be any different from the traditional gown you don’t want to wear.
So go ahead with the turquoise gown, but be sure the feathers and the crystals don’t try to upstage each other and leave the guests staring at the gown and not at you, the bride.
In fact, I have a splendid idea. Call up Jojo of the Life Section of The STAR if you want me to take a look at them.
TINGTING
My problem is about my thinning hair. I always envy women with luxuriant hair. I’m in my 50s and they say it’s normal for women in their menopausal years to lose hair. I don’t want to go bald. Please help!
MELANIE
It is about this time in life that women’s hair starts to thin. I suggest you get a hot oil treatment weekly and get some hair tonic such as nioxin treatment for the hair, available at Landmark, to strengthen the hair that you have left. After shampooing your hair, set it or have it set with a gel instead of a mousse. Gel thickens the hair and gives the illusion of a lot of hair. Use only the best products.
MARY
I’m one of your biggest fans. You’re definitely one of the most beautiful faces in town. I don’t know how you manage to keep looking beautiful on top of your busy schedule. My problem concerns makeup. I can never seem to find the right shade of lipstick to match my rather dark skin. When I wear a dark red lipstick, I look like a whore. But when I use a light shade, I end up looking pale as a ghost. What shade do you recommend for a morena like me?
BETTY
You can use both dark and pale colors and the only thing you really have to be choosy with is the specific shade – make sure to pick one that will best match your skintone. For a morena like you, offhand I would say you would look best in dark hues that have brown/orange/berry undertones – stay away from pink-reds.You can also get away with pale hues for a modern look.
Makeup artist Juan Sarte says that pale or nude lips will look very pretty on morenas, but the texture has to be glossy or metallic so as to catch more light. Also, you can enhance this particular look with dramatic or defined eyes to avoid looking washed-out.
Don’t be afraid to experiment or to combine colors – you could come up with surprising yet wonderful results.
There are so many lipglosses available on the market now and I guess their greatest come-on is that they color your lips without making them look overpowering and dry, that is, as opposed to purely matte lipsticks. Good lipcolors for you to invest in: MAC spice lipliner, Flirt Herbench lipgloss, MAC gleam lipgloss, Origins caramel candy lipgloss, Bobbi Brown cherry lip tint, and Herbench lipgloss twist pen in ballerina.
I hope I’ve given you enough reasons to smile.
LUCY
Does a pearl choker always have to be worn with pearl earrings? If not, what would be a good alternative?
LEE
A pearl choker can be worn with a matching pair of pearl earrings, a diamond pair of earrings or no earrings at all. When you wear a pearl choker, I presume it’s 16-1/2 inches long. That makes it quite close to the face that if you wore ruby or emerald earrings with diamonds as part of the setting, the white pearl and colored stones would clash for attention. It would also be distracting and too decorative. Which is why I would prefer a colorless stone.
TINGTING
Thank you for giving your readers useful tips.
I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for the past years and now that my babies are all grown-up, I find myself doing less than I used to. I am wondering if you can help me get information on reputable schools that teach formal dining arrangements, flower arrangements and other interesting classes that you are aware of. It would certainly help take my mind off worrying about my children.
BORED MOM
The best person for you to contact is Portia Leuterio who runs a delightful craft center called Endearments. She is a wonderful lady who will surely tap and bring out the creative spirit in you. Last year, I took up a creative wrapping and gift packaging course under her and it was so much fun. She also has beading classes, among many, many other things. Portia can be contacted at 895-2148.
LUCY
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