Sipping Pretty

MANILA, Philippines - They say it’s champagne that loosens tongues. I beg to differ. Bubbly brings out giggly musings, flirtatious small talk that no one really remembers the day after. If you want serious conversation — or at least an exchange that doesn’t involve flash-in-the-pan reflections — do it over a cup of coffee. Maybe it’s the stimulating effects of caffeine, or the slow sipping required to drink in a hot cup of cappuccino, but I can only imagine how many philosophical exchanges Starbucks has hosted, verbal interactions on life-changing issues.

Like, you know, fashion. What a person wore, let’s say to the Presidential Inauguration a few weeks ago, the shebang that could’ve been a red carpet awards show with all the entertainment celebs that attended. For days, probably over espresso and some green tea frappucino, everyone proffered an opinion, almost judging political prowess by the cut of a barong or the silhouette of a terno.

HSBC indulged these (very serious) dissertations by putting together a Coffee Talk session on the inaugural who-wore-what. This second HSBC Coffee Talk (“a forum for some very interesting individuals to share their unique perspectives on current events and trends”) put together a panel of fashion specialists to dissect, over frappucinos and lattés, the sartorial fray when Aquino was sworn in. Moderated by RJ Ledesma, the cast of critics in the second HSBC Coffee Talk,“Glam or Sham,” included events director Robby Carmona, fashion designers Mich Dulce and Rajo Laurel, image consultant and magazine editor RominaUrra-Gonzalez and style icon Tessa Prieto-Valdes.

By now, Facebook, Twitter and blogs are saturated with opinions on P-Noy’s barong, Kris’ canary yellow catastrophe and Pokwang’s abortive attempt at looking understated (yes, that frippery mermaid’s tail is still quite inconspicuous for a woman who does lunchtime in cabbage rose-adorned headpieces). Facebook comments also favored Kim Chiu’s age-appropriate terno and Baby James’ yellow barong. The panel only had to affirm the consensus on the blogosphere (some probably laptop-written one afternoon while drinking mocha frap in Starbucks), but also added their own suggestions and expert pundit points.

Robby Carmona, for one, thinks the newly-elected prez would do well to straighten up and improve his posture. Rajo Laurel revealed that V-nay’s inaugural choice, a full pichera (a barong buttoned all the way down), is actually the informal version of the national dress. Mich Dulce passed on commenting on the yellow triumvirate of Ballsy, Viel and Pinky Aquino, who all wore the same dress style. And Romina Urra stated she’s seen Kris, who left her tresses down, with even more formal updos on The Buzz. Regine Velasquez’s floral choice got the thumbs down (not just the virtual kind) while Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia gained good rep for her Mindanao-inspired ensemble,

What Coffee Talk has, however, that Facebook threads don’t have are inaugural followups. HSBC asked the panel how they would dress and accessorize the key attendees.

Laurel sketched barong ideas for Aquino and Binay, suggesting traditional styles and not “barongs that are overly-creative.” Earlier, he had also briefed the coffee-drinking audience on the rule of thumb of making barongs: where your thumb ends, that’s where the barong should fall.

Mich Dulce, focusing on women in politics and first ladies, brought out two models that gave ideas for what Valenzuela second District Councilor Shalani Soledad and Kris Aquino should wear to official events and cocktail functions. “I want to show that you can add a little bit of bravery into your regular items,” Dulce said, showing off unconventional business wear: a structured white blouse with ends tied into an oversized bow at the waist for Soledad, and a streamlined khaki dress for Kris.

Tessa Valdes, for her part, brought out her statement accessories — sizeable necklaces, cuffs and cocktail rings that can be used to pep up pragmatic political garb — or else, camouflage a bad hair and makeup job.

After the bash-a-thon, Johanna Garcia, HSBC’s senior vice-president for group communications, capped it off by ending the panel discussion but not the coffee interactions. “I’m sure you’ll all still be discussing this later on, so go ahead and have more of these conversations at Starbucks outlets everywhere. The conversation may be up to you, but your coffee’s on us!” Up until the end of August, HSBC credit card swipers can present any single HSBC credit card receipt worth at least P2,000 to get a tall handcrafted drink of their choice at any Starbucks outlet.

And if you get tired of talking about fashion, then maybe you could move on to life, love and lipstick.

Valdes said Dr. Elenita Binay’s blue terno stood out in a sea of yellow, but later added that her dress was a tiny bit too short. “Rajo taught me that if you’re wearing a formal gown, you should never show your shoes. The dress should be long enough to cover your feet when you’re standing.” 

The panel agreed that the Paul Cabral-designed Maria Clara numbers worn by the Aquino sisters were too busy and too similar to each other, especially in light of the fact that Kris opted for something completely different. “There were too many horizontal lines on the older sisters’ dresses, which can be unflattering,” said Laurel. The panel also found Kris’s yellow Randy Ortiz dress overly busy, although Dulce added, “The bottom treatment was actually cool. If it was flat on top and she kept the bottom, it would have been so much better.” 

When a photo of Baby James was flashed onscreen, the panel agreed that his yellow barong was a winner, especially on such a cute little boy, but that colored barongs were inappropriate for anyone beyond the age of 12, especially at such an event.

The group, which requested beforehand not to critique photos of panelists who attended the inauguration (Tessa Prieto-Valdes) or people who wore gowns designed by any of them (Shalani Soledad in a gown by Rajo Laurel), was also critical of Sharon Cuneta’s dress, wondering why she tends to wear the same cut over and over and over again when there are designs out there that could flatter her even more. The panel and audience were also unanimous in their “failing” of Pokwang’s and Charice Pempengco’s outfits.

Other personalities critiqued and voted on by the panel and audience members were:

Kim Chiu: Beautiful, flattering and age-appropriate dress, but “her butterfly sleeves could have used just a little more starching.”

DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman: “No to purses in the same fabric as your dress unless you’re 15 and going to a prom.”

Presidential Management Chief of Staff Julia Abad: Beautiful dress, but horribly accessorized. “You never wear a wristwatch with a formal gown, especially one with a black leather strap!”

Regine Velasquez: Too old-fashioned. “That fabric looks like my couch!”

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HSBC credit card holders can present any single HSBC credit card receipt worth P2,000 and up, and get a tall drink of their choice at any of Starbucks’ 179 outlets nationwide.

HSBC Red MasterCard credit card holders also have the option of presenting up to two Red MasterCard credit card receipts with a combined worth of P6,000 at Dashing Diva nail salons to get a free basic manicure.

The promo period has been extended until Aug. 31, with redemptions honored until Oct. 31.