Her voice can get on your nerves, but you can’t live without it. She seems tough but is really a marshmallow inside. She watches and seems to have memorized everything — from what you wear and what you eat. She’s frank as frank can be, unafraid to tell you straight to your face if you’ve made a mistake. But she’ll also be the first to rejoice when someone she loves wins. If she loves you, then you are one of the luckiest people on earth because she will be by your side, no matter what obstacles you face.
I am not talking about my mother, but close.
Jenni Epperson has been the official madz of our closely knit (and not just knit — linen, cotton, silk and metallics, too!) group that spans generations, goes beyond parties (even if you just see us at parties and events, we really lead quiet lives you know), and encompasses what we do. We know each other for who-we-really-are.
Her favorite pastime is Facebook and blogging — thus, quite in theme with our “Virtual Reality” theme for this week’s Supreme. But for Jenni, what is virtual one day, she makes into reality the next.
Our favorite pastime, aside from fashion, is life coaching. Jenni and I share a passion for takings things to the next level. And she’s more than passionate about it, especially with her friends. If someone has hurt you, she’ll be the one who’ll never forget what that person did — she’s really a mother, a best friend, a guidance counselor, a partner in crime, blogger, Facebook gift giver, and a principal (she knows how to enforce — stress on the “force” — but I love it!) to the highest level.
And now, aside from being a most-sought-after fashion stylist, the Philippine version of Pop editor Katie Grand-slash-Rachel Zoe, Hollywood star stylist has come out of her zebra-printed closet to launch her eponymous line of eco-friendly bags. Her battlecry? “Say no to plastic.”
Eco-Eppersonification
I once got into a discussion on which industry is more plastic — society or showbiz. “With showbiz, they mud-sling right in front of you, or right smack center of a tabloid TV segment. With society, you’ll never know what’s being said behind your back,” said my long-time friend, a former editor of a fashion magazine.
I’m never one to stereotype, but one thing I’ve realized: plastic is everywhere. Once again, I agree with Jenni’s “Eppersonification.”
Mabuhay!
Yes, it is jumping on the “eco-system” bandwagon. Yes, Rustan’s has an eco-friendly grocery bag, too. And others will, too, I’m sure.
But does it come in fuchsia, aqua, lime and salmon? (And that’s just the beginning.) With “Shopaholics Anonymous” as tagline with an illustration by graphic designer AJ Omandac, the bags are friendly (eco), feisty and fun!
“It’s perfect for those days when you need more space in the shopping bag, while being just right for those when you don’t need much. The bags come with different designs that will truly unleash the shoppingera in everyone,” says the Queen of Retail Therapy while she hobnobbed among guests at The Ramp at The Podium where her exclusive line of bags are being sold. We then raised our champagne flutes for the first in a series of limited edition eco-friendly bags bearing the name Jenni Epperson.
Carmina Sanchez, the prettiest and sassiest PR lady this side of town, was also abuzz estimating the fashion A-listers and bag crazy ladies (and gents!) that attended the event. Among the front row seaters for the mini E-couture show with bag dresses made by Puey Quiñones were Celine Lopez, Cecile Zamora and Mons Romulo-Tantoco — all fashion muses from different spectrums of the style rainbow.
I looked around and saw a lot of Birkins, LVs and Gucci’s — but these women still ran towards The Ramp cash register to grab a Jenni Epperson bag — and why not? When proceeds will go to Bantay Kalikasan a foundation for mothers — I meant Mother Earth.
“Saving the environment sounds more unimaginable than it seems. You can take a step closer today or choose to stay where you stand, seeing it vaguely as ever. Making a change has never been this easy. This is a shout out to all shopaholics out there who have unknowingly used so many plastics, truly damaging to the environment, and this is a shout out to the world. This time, make a difference.”
If fashion is about the future, then with peeps like Mother Jens, the future is indeed bright.