Beauty and madness

It is so refreshing to see the scene in full throttle — and after a dreary spell of post Valentine’s bliss, we are now right smack center of the summer heat.

 March brings forth so many events, product launches, not to mention a mad rush to the gym (or cosmetic surgeon’s clinic) to get that beach-ready body, it is easy to be swept away by all the excitement.  Breezing through the events of late, there’s been a lot of charity work being done, which is of course, a great thing to bestow upon the next generation, a sense of giving back by those who are blessed. A lot of beauty happenings have been quite happening as well.

 Last Sunday’s Vantage book launch drew the industry’s A list on a Sunday night out at Greenbelt 5’s Fashion Walk, to witness young master Mark Nicdao exhibit his work and launch his 180 page collection of photographs (which you saw here first in Supreme last week) by ABS CBN Publishing. Mark came straight from the hospital, after some migraine attacks, but any signs of pain were gone as soon as he saw the crowd that had gathered to support one of Manila’s most well-loved visual snipers. Kris Aquino was a sight to behold in white, as she showcased the latest collection of Philip Stein watches she was endorsing. “We couldn’t have picked a better event to launch this collection. You see we all came here because we love you,” said Kris, a loyal devotee of Mark’s work. A big majority of Kris’ billboards all over the metro were shot by Mark himself.

 KC Concepcion and I shared hosting duties. I looked at the audience and it was a stellar one: Be a Alonzo, Ruffa Gutierrez, Georgina Wilson, Jericho Rosales, Lovi Poe, Kim Chiu (I get so giddily happy whenever I see this girl), Richard and Raymond Gutierrez, Solenn Heussaff, Anne Curtis, Carla Humphries, Angel Locsin (who looked smashing in a green Martin Bautista number) and many more stars and their fans who bid for the Mark Nicdao masterpieces, proceeds of which went to the star’s chosen charity. What a mark for Mark! (I just had to say that.)

In 2003, when Mark was beginning his career, I first heard of this young new photographer and I saw some of his works. One of our first collaborations was the 20-page special supplement for Metro magazine. It was very coherent. It was something very beautiful and there was magic in it. “For a long time we’ve been wanting to showcase Mark’s work in a more permanent platform,” said ABS-CBN Publishing’s Carlo Tadiar, who’s also the Content Unit Head of Vantage.

Vision in white: Kris Aquino

“There are so many people to thank for this project. I wanna thank first the one who gave me this luck—having to work with the most talented, the most beautiful, the most honest and the most real people here in Manila. I wanna thank everyone… Well, I just got out of the hospital due to stress. I had a huge migraine and now, I feel better, seeinh everyone here. This is my medicine,” said Mark after he was introduced.

 The collector’s edition of Vantage had a limited run—only 150 numbered copies printed per cover—and was exclusively available in all Fully Booked outlets. The regular newsstand edition will be available in leading newsstands and bookstores nationwide on March 20. If you don’t have your Vantage copy yet, better run to Fully Booked and grab a copy. It is a visual feast meant to be enjoyed and shared.

Won’t Shu Forget About Me

A few nights before, the starry-eyed and the stylish came together for another reason. This time, Shu Uemura sent the message that when it comes to art and beauty, they are the ones that occupy the top shelf billing. ROBOT Supper Lounge on Makati Avenue across the Peninsula Manila, was the melting pot for all the action and Shu Uemura’s Nina Solano, L’Oreal’s main man Luc Olivier Marquet and PR maven Pam Picazo were the pied pipers for all the commotion.

Vantage vixens: Solenn Heusaff, Bianca King and Lovi Poe

 It was perfect timing—Shu Uemura was launching their 2011 Summer Collection of colors plus their latest whitening line while, ROBOT was unveiling their new cocktail list by London-based master mixologist Rod Eslamieh, a mixture of drinks named after Lady Gaga (“Born This Way” has a base of egg whites and is actually yummy!)  and other signature pieces you must try yourself to further appreciate.  Now while revelers were salivating by the bar, the stylistas’ eyes were on the prize—the collaboration between the scene’s pace-setters and the iconic beauty brand. Specially imported wines from Jock Tulloch himself, one of the two Tulloch twins behind the Hunter Valley prized brand, were served all night.

 One by one, as hostess and one of the brand’s biggest patrons Tessa Prieto-Valdes called on the avant-guardians who derived inspiration from the beauty of moisture, nature and other elements that Shu Uemura used to create their latest collection. Sounds a bit Zoolander-ish, but if you were there, you’d feel the sense of wonder seeing the puritanical approach of people doing what they love. The make up artists of the Shu Uemura team were also featured. These are people whose names you always see on the credits list for Supreme shoots, among other newspaper editorials and magazine cover shoots—experts working behind the scenes, people you should know. Shu veteran and my favorite John Pagaduan, husband and wife team Ricky and Claire Seelin-Diokno, Robbie Pinera, Omar Ermita, Qua and their fans, the stars themselves, made their presence count by cheering on their favorite Shu artists. In a way, these make up artists are the true ambassadors of the brand. Utmost respect goes to this hard-working and dedicated team.

Primetime timing: Will Stein, Kim Chiu and Emerson Yao

 That night was an aural and visual feast. From the quirky videos of Jujiin Samonte to the artful style musings of Lotho Lotho, the photographs of Jo Ann Bitagcol, down to the music of Sanya Smith, Ornusa Cadness and Mia Ayesa behind the decks, the late Mr. Shu himself and Tina Tinio, (now based in Tokyo, Japan, a.k.a. the lady who was responsible for helping us become more intimate with the brand, as product manager when the brand was introduced to the Philippines) would have been proud. I know I was.

Company Of Players

 Interesting to note that at the two above-mentioned events, scene players like Jujiin Samonte and Lotho Lotho played key roles. Both wear many hats, literally and figuratively, and both are not known by mainstream audiences but are widely respected and loved by industry. Their contributions to our scene is priceless, opening our minds to endless possibilities in terms of installations, styling, music, video and performance arts. We need more people like them.

Music royalty: Nina Solano, Elmo Magalona, Pepe Smith and Tim Yap

 It is Supreme’s mission and vision to continue tapping these talents and honing those in the woodwork. We have boundless talent and we need to pursue what we love in order to survive. If there’s anything we’ve learned from the people we’ve encountered this week, it’s just a re-affirmation of what we’ve always believed in: Work hard, play harder.

 Cheers to beauty and madness.

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And that’s the beauty of it all. Follow me at twitter.com/iamtimyap.