Women of Style: Crickette, Nicole & Camille Tantoco: Bonding through fashion

Fashion has always been a bonding point between mothers and daughters. A daughter’s first fashion icon is usually her mother. While young, she tries on Mom’s heels, hobbling around in pumps inches too big. Steals her favorite tube of lipstick. Piles on her pearls, lets her dress trail on the floor. It’s Mom who dresses her up first, who buys her first pair of earrings, first training bra, prom dress; Mom’s designer choices that introduce the concept of luxury; Mom’s jewelry pieces that become valuable heirlooms.

Fashion has always been a bonding point between Shopwise’s former vice-president for merchandising and marketing Crickette Tantoco and her daughters, twin girls Camille and Nicole Tantoco, writers for The STAR’s Young Star section and now 19 years of age. She seems to know their clothes by heart, ticking off clothing options for the girls for the shoot off the top of her head. (“Camille, why don’t you wear your Banana Republic?” “Nicole, you wear your vest with your leggings, right?”). Crickette admits to how she used to give in to the whim of dressing up her near-identical daughters in matching clothes, but says that would be “cheesy” now. Besides, all grown up, Nicole, an English literature major at Ateneo and Camille, who is taking up humanities at the University of Asia and Pacific, have each developed their own personal style. “Were completely different,” they both enthuse. But, just like mom, they both agree that their styles aren’t directly supplanted from the catwalk.

“We’re not really fashionable people,” explains Crickette. “We’re just regular people.” “Regular” may be a bit understated. Crickette, though not one to over-exert when it comes to dressing up, does possess a classic, sophisticated style that exceeds trend and criticism and relies on quality branding rather than flashy labels. Her girls are as carefree about style as she is, preferring comfortable individuality over a magazine editorial replication.

PHILIPPINE STAR: Who’s the most stylish of the three of you?

Crickette: I think, when she puts her mind to it, Nicole is the most stylish of the three of us. She has no boundaries and doesn’t really care whether you like what she is wearing or not. That kind of attitude allows her to be really creative. She doesn’t follow trends or fads; she just wears what she wears.

Nicole: My mom, hands down!

Camille: Our mom is the most stylish and she has a classic fashion sense that surpasses any upcoming trend.

How would you briefly describe each other’s style.

Crickette: Nicole’s style is bohemian hippie. Camille’s style is sexy glam. Camille likes dressing up and really makes an effort to be appropriately dressed for the occasion. She will have an outfit for any possible situation especially on trips, which is why Nicole never feels the need to pack — Camille will have two or more extras to go for everyone. Next to them, my style has become definitively traditional and classic. 

Nicole: Mom’s is straight out of Sex and the City. Very glam, very chic. Camille’s is very girly, flirty and fun. Me? Identity crisis! I’m still trying to find my own style.

Camille: My mom’s style is classic, glamorous, neat and very well put together. Nicole’s style is laidback, creative and a little bit bohemian. My style is girly, colorful and a bit childlike at times.

Where do you go to shop?

CRICKETTE: I like Helmut Lang, Karen Millen, Nicole Miller, Tiger Lily and Culte Femme. I shop at Rustan’s, SSI stores, Intermix and Scoop. Actually, I just naturally get drawn into a store that has an attractive window and display.

NICOLE: Everywhere. The mall. Department stores. I’m not brand-conscious but I like good quality clothes.

CAMILLE: Zara, Abercrombie and Fitch, Old Navy and Urban Outfitters.

Do you all shop together?

CRICKETTE: We only shop together when we are out of town. In Manila we go our separate ways.

NICOLE: That is what shopping is all about. You’re not just buying clothes; it’s also a bonding experience!

CAMILLE: Sometimes, but our styles clash once in a while, which can make that a bit hard.

Style icons?

NICOLE: Katie Holmes and her baby Suri Cruise. So cute! What I’d give to be half as chic as that baby!

CAMILLE: Being a twin myself I look up to celebrity twins Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen for their unique, effortless-looking, funky dress sense. I’ve always liked Ashley more, though.

Are you sometimes surprised by the fashion choices your daughters make?

CRICKETTE: Yes, they are very different from mine. But due to budget constraints, they are constantly pulling out stuff from my closet.

Have you picked up a few things about fashion from your kids?

CRICKETTE: Yeah, but I wouldn’t have the guts to wear it out.

Is there anything that will make you flip if you see your mom wearing it?

NICOLE: Not really. I think my mom can pull off anything she wears. It’s all about confidence.

CAMILLE: If I saw my mom in a granny outfit, that would make me freak out since she always looks so young and hip. That’s one of the things that makes me proud of my mom. My friends and I all agreed that we want to be as glamorous and beautiful as her when we’re her age.

You say your styles are very different from each other’s, but is there a common thing you share when it comes to style?

NICOLE: We have a tendency to copy each other if we see an outfit on the other one that we like. There are times when Camille will look at me and she’ll say, “I like your outfit. Hey! You copied me!” and I’ll say, “Oh yeah, I know.” and she’ll be like, “Okay, I copied you too.” We’re twins. We think alike. We can be different but it takes a lot of work!

CAMILLE: Nicole and I are both really laidback when it comes to dressing up. We don’t really follow trends religiously and we like wearing what’s comfortable, usually summer wear and beach-inspired things since we love the sand and sun.

Ever done a switcheroo?

NICOLE: No, we don’t try. We don’t really look alike so nobody would fall for it. We’re not so good at acting like each other either. We’d just end up confusing ourselves more than anybody else.

CAMILLE: We’ve tried to do this so many times but our friends know us too well and they always catch us right away. This was much easier to pull off when we were younger. Even our parents couldn’t tell us apart sometimes.

What’s the best part about being a twin?

NICOLE: There’s just nobody who can understand you like your twin can!

CAMILLE: It’s like always having your best friend around. Other people will come and go in my life but I know that she’ll always be there. We know each other’s secrets and everything. I can’t imagine not being a twin.

What music are you into? Whose concert would you buy front-row tickets to?

CRICKETTE: I am not really a music person. I can’t even remember artists’ names or titles of songs. My iPod is a mishmash of (husband) Donnie’s and my kids’ music. I am not very fond of concerts. The last concert I saw was Janet Jackson in Hong Kong during the ‘80s. Sad, huh? Maybe if Madonna had one last concert, I would go see it.

NICOLE: I like all kinds of music, from classical to opera to hip-hop to alternative rock to pop music. As long as it’s fun and entertaining. I do especially love pop music and Broadway. And I like some of that Korean pop stuff too, and I’m not afraid to say it! When I was a kid, I used to really like country music. I don’t really know why. I loved Jewel and Shania Twain. Right now, I’d probably get front-row tickets to Britney Spears because she’s a great performer and I’d also love to watch the Wonder Girls! 

CAMILLE: I’ve loved pop music ever since the whole boy band/ girl band craze of the ‘90s when most of the Mickey Mouse Clubbers thrived. Generally, I can listen to anything and I don’t really have a specific preference. I really, really wish I could’ve had front-row tickets to any of Michael Jackson’s concerts but it’s too late for that now.

Who are your favorite authors?

CRICKETTE: I read all genres. Although I favor suspense, thrillers, biographies or anything historical. I am not too fond of love stories unless they are paranormal romance novels. I am currently reading Defector by Daniel De Silva and Survival of the Prettiest: The Science of Beauty by Nancy Etcoff.

NICOLE: In non-fiction, I like David Sedaris, Augusten Burroughs and Danton Remoto. Their essays and stories capture what I feel about love: We treat love like it’s a light thing, like it’s a joke, but at the same time we think it’s anything but. We’re constantly searching for it. We’re constantly trying to prove to ourselves that love does exist even if life tells us otherwise. I love female writers. I love Virginia Woolf and Margaret Atwood. Mrs. Dalloway is one of my favorite books of all time! Of the Latin American writers, I like Jose Saramago and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. And Julia Alvarez! I also love Modern fiction. I read Hemingway and Camus and Sartre. Filipino writers? Nick Joaquin, F. Sionil Jose, Paz Latorena, Jessica Zafra. But most of all I love poetry. My favorite poets are T.S. Eliot, Robert Frost, Pablo Neruda, Sylvia Plath, Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson… The list goes on and on. 

CAMILLE: I’ve always been a chick lit fan growing up and I used to read the Gossip Girl series, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and any Meg Cabot book. Now I’ve been trying to move on to “smarter” books, mostly classics.

Do you follow anyone on Twitter? Any favorite blogs or websites?

CRICKETTE: No, I don’t Tweet, Facebook or Multiply. But I do like the sites Market Manila, Chuvaness, Laney gossip, Susan Miller, Heart to Heart, and Remembrance of Things Gone Awry.

NICOLE: No, I don’t follow celebrities but I browse their Twitters every once in awhile. I like looking at Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez’ Twitters. Ha, ha!

CAMILLE: I follow Taylor Swift, Kaya Scodelario (from the Skins series), Aria from the Paradiso girls and PostSecret.com.

Do you collect anything?

CRICKETTE: When I was younger I used to collect stamps, coins and stationery. I really don’t collect anything but I seem to have lots and lots of books. That’s the closest to a collection, if I had to claim one.

NICOLE: Magazines. All of them. I love magazines!

CAMILLE: Let me answer this question in a cheesy way. I collect nothing but memories.

Do you have a signature accessory?

CRICKETTE: I have a lot of silver pieces only because I am too lazy to accessorize and silver seems to go with everything.

NICOLE: Quirky earrings, my Harajuku Lovers watch and a little, silver ring that I just love because it’s so simple and it goes with everything.

CAMILLE: I feel naked if I don’t wear long dangling earrings.

What is your dream destination? Would you like to go alone or with your family?

CRICKETTE: My dream would be to go on a one-year vacation with my family. The place is not as important as the amount of time. I think it would be great to just hang out in a totally different place for a whole year with each other and not have to go to work, study, etc. Just spontaneously do something fun and enjoyable every day without distractions.

NICOLE: New York! I definitely want to live out a portion of my life there one day. I’d want to go there with Camille. My twin’s the one thing I should never leave home without. I also want to go to Spain. I want to see the sights and absorb the culture, plus it’s just nice there because it’s not too cold and the people are really laidback. I’d go there with one of my best friends in the world, Quino de Jesus, because he loves Spain too.

CAMILLE: I’d love to go back to Europe, particularly Spain. I also want to visit Rome, Morocco and Greece. I can go by myself or with family although it would be nicer to go with my parents since they can cover all the expenses.