Glorietta: Shopping, glorious shopping

Tis the glorious season of all. Christmas may well be the best excuse to shop until you drop (but who really needs an excuse to shop?). Shopaholics, unite! There’s one place that’s synonymous with glorious shopping and, yes, glorious dining, too: Glorietta. Why do people love shopping at Glorietta? Let us count the reasons:

• Rustan’s, where shoppers like you and me can really enjoy the difference. We love the merchandise mix – from the pricey foreign designer labels to the affordable, high-quality local brands, including furniture and the finest Filipiniana section that showcases the best of Filipino creativity and craftsmanship. This year, Rustan’s Glorietta takes on a crisp British accent by bringing in popular UK brand Debenhams to double everyone’s shopping pleasure. And yes, I like the very personalized and warm service that’s been Rustan’s trademark through the decades. Then of course, there’s Essenses with its scent-sational offerings – makeup, personal care/hair care (think Phyto) and antiaging products (think Murad) women the world over swear by, balms and salves to soothe body and soul, and all those little things that warm the heart and delight the senses. Go ahead and smell the roses or the orange blossoms at L’Occitane that’s redolent of the colors, scents, and rich traditions of Provence.

To complete one’s shopping experience, Rustan’s Supermarket recently underwent a face-lift (now it’s Rustan’s Supermarket Fresh, under new management, Shopwise).

• Shoemart, where they’ve really got it all – and they mean all – from goods to goodies, from the tiniest of safety pins to home and office furniture and everything in between. Fact is, whenever I shop at SM, I leave the store lugging an armful of stuff I really didn’t intend to buy.

• Landmark, which has become a shopping landmark for people of all ages, sizes, and fashion persuasions. Of course, your shopping itinerary just ain’t complete without a pit stop at Via Mare for its popular pancit palabok and halo-halo.

• Clothes, clothes, and more clothes! Indeed, Glorietta is fashion heaven where the clothing gods have conspired to offer an array of goods to suit different tastes and different budgets. A hands-down favorite is the internationally renowned Bench that’s become a benchmark in trendy fashion for the young, thanks to Ben Chan and his dynamic, innovative team. And here’s another delightful reason to shop at Bench: Bench Bytes. Oh, yes, it was love at first Byte for us when we tried the caramel popcorn, the green mango candies, the marshmallows, peanuts, etc. From tees to toothsome treats, what more can you ask for? Oh, yes, Bench’s also got Bench Body for to-die-for undies and Herbench, especially for her and everything to make her truly scent-sational. Other clothing labels worth checking out: Human (after all, to be a clotheshorse is human), Kashieca, Penshoppe, Cinderella, Folded & Hung, Bayo, Tango, Memo, Plains & Prints, People R People, The Black Shop, Sari-Sari, YRYS, Lulu Castagnette. I also love those very Pinoy Pidro T-shirts that make great pasalubong for family and friends abroad.

• For the brand name-conscious, there are enough labels you can drop. To name some: Marks & Spencer, A/X Armani, Nine West, Lacoste, Florsheim, Girbaud, Furla, G.H. Bass & Co., Tag Heuer, Rockport, Naturalizer, Kickers, Cole Haan, Nautica, Top Shop, Mango, Zara, Terranova, Esprit, U2, Dorothy Perkins,

• Fashion strictly for kids. Expectant moms can expect to find a wide selection of baby things. There’s a lot in store for kids at the second floor of Glorietta, from clothes to shoes to toys. Dressing up the little ones is certainly no kidstuff. Check out Baby Guess, Baby Land, Basics for Kids, Big & Small, Orange Juice, Enfant, Osh Kosh B’Gosh, and Meet my Feet (for footwear for those little feet).

• Shoeper-duper shoes for those who are forever sole-searching. You’ll certainly find something that’s good for your sole. Among our favorites: Itti shoes for all-weather leather shoes that are always a step ahead in fashion; SO! Fab, where the footwear selection is simply fab; Manel’s; Confetti; and Via Venetto. Shoe, what else is new? Well, soon to open is Charles & Keith, those fashion-forward shoes that Pinoys often bring home by the boxes from their trip to Singapore.

• Footwear and athletic wear that give more mileage to those with an active lifestyle. Glorietta’s got Adidas, Fila, Nike, Toby’s, And 1, Puma, Planet Sports, New Balance, Athlete’s Foot, among others.

• Beauty booties for your kikay kit. Glorietta’s a haven for makeup junkies. It’s got The Body Shop, Avon, Beauty Bar, PCX, among others. And now, there’s The Face Shop, that famous Korean brand whose image model is quite a familiar face to Filipino telenovela fans: Kwon Sang Woo, more popularly known as Cholo on Stairway to Heaven.

• Hair’s more. For your mane needs and more, Glorietta is home to beauty salons like Bench Fix Salon (need an eyebrow fix?), Lucy Britanico Salon, and Ricky Reyes Hair Salon.

• Hello Kitty cuties and more at Gift Gate. Truly, Hello Kitty items – clothes, bags, accessories, etc. – still make purr-fect gifts that you’d love to receive yourself.

• Have luggage, will travel. If you’re planning a trip someday soon, check out the Travel Club, where the luggage comes in eye-catching neon colors, making it easy for you to identify your luggage on the conveyor belt amid a sea of blues and blacks. There’s also Segue, which carries a no-nonsense collection of bags and baggage.

• Dream gems. Those shopping for jewelry can check out Just Jewels (where jewelry costs just this much and is sold by the gram), My Diamond, Ding Velayo, Miladay, DG Alahas, Moissanite, among other jewelry shops that add a glow to shopping at Glorietta.

• Watch up? It’s time you checked out the latest Swatch watches. There are assorted styles to suit different pocketbooks. Timex’s latest pieces are something to keep a close watch on, too.

• Home is where the art is. Assorted homemakers will find their comfort zone at Glorietta’s Homezone that’s got furniture and furnishings galore. For your home needs, there are also Dimensione, Play & Display, and Muebles Italiano, among others. Also at the third floor of Glorietta are the art galleries.

And for your home appliance needs, try Abenson or Automatic Center.

• Yes, here, you can catch a movie, too. The Glorietta cinemas have some of the latest movies and you can text your reservations.

• Fun and games, too. Make time for some fun and games with family and friends at Timezone. You can exchange your winning points for prizes, too.

• There’s more under one roof. Many others go to Glorietta for the bookstores (National Book Store, Powerbooks, Goodwill), optical shops, photo shops, magazine shops, flower shops, music stores and, surely, the Globe Hub for cell phone addicts ever on the lookout for the latest objects of desire.

• Eat’s incredible. The dining options that Glorietta offers are simply overwhelming. From the fast-food outlets (like Jollibee, Goldilocks, Oody’s Express, McDonald’s, Chowking, Burger King, Maxim’s, Pizza Hut, Shakey’s, Greenwich, Auntie Anne’s, Red Ribbon, Hotshots, Saint Cinnamon, Sugarhouse) to casual dining restaurants (like Cabalen, Mangan, Dads/8 Treasures, Cibo, Kimpura, Peking Garden, TGI Friday’s, Super Bowl, Modern China, Kwang Tong, Tony Roma’s, Heaven & Eggs, Outback, Italianni’s, Dulcinea, California Pizza Kitchen). Then there’s Food Choices, which serves a variety of meal choices to warm the heart and the belly. For desserts and sweets-to-go, we’re drawn like ants to Mary Grace Ensaymada (the chocolate cake is to diet-for), Hungry Pac (try the moist chocolate cake, it’s truly yummy), and the House of Polvoron (HOPS).

And don’t forget Bizu and Bread Talk (located at the entrance, just before you head out for the basement parking) for your take-home daily breads and pastries.

• There’s never-ending activity at the Activity Center. Drop by any given day and you’re sure to catch a show, an event, an appliance madness sale, etc. at the Activity Center. For the holidays, Glorietta’s Activity Center is all decked out in yuletide colors. Glorietta’s way of adding color to your Christmas shopping – and perhaps your life, too.

Glorietta be!