She's a 10

Hindy Tantoco is a bad influence. She taught me how to appreciate menthol cigarettes. (If I’m not mistaken it’s called West Ice.) She got me addicted to karaoke and gave me the gumption to daringly belt out No Doubt, in which I incidentally sounded like an alley cat in heat. Then, of course, there were the clothes.

I remember when U in Rustan’s was just opening. Hindy and her in-laws, Katrina and Joel were all scrambling to launch this youth-oriented brand that was housed on the fourth floor of Rustan’s. For some reason the friends also got involved. We helped do everything for the brand from the billboards to the calendars. We did U sales in our parties (you may call it a drunk sale) and even during several Easters at Boracay.

The U days were in tandem with the birth of YStyle. I can attest that Hindy was our de facto model. She was on call even at midnight when I needed to release a beauty or fashion story the following day. We would often shoot in Kat and Joel’s house in Makati. My then boyfriend was conveniently a photographer. We were a little like Andy Warhol’s Factory except more wholesome.

Hindy is perhaps one of the most beautiful people I know. Seriously, I’ve known her for more than a decade and the bitch still looks good even when she’s harassed Almodovar style. She’s a hot mess. She has never — I promise you all — had an ugly day. She even made her own makeup at some point. She wore eye gloss even before Stila thought about doing it. The girl knows style!

Aside from that she is a devoted mother, loyal friend and a total MILF (forever). When everything gets a little crazy, I try to see Hindy for some normal time.

I love Hindy because even when I lost her son, Lucas, in Boracay she still forgave me. She also created the dress I wore for the cover of Asia’s Most Stylish for Tatler magazine. She dressed me, basically, during my entire 20s. She had the most memorable wedding. Everyone cried, and in true trendsetter form, everyone wanted to be Hindy and Gippy. She has the most memorable Preview (yes, the hot armpit cover that got everyone dazzled) and Rogue covers. She just has… “it.”

I remember we were even together when she was naming Culte Femme. It was originally going be called (strangely enough) Pepper. Ah, the sleight of hand of destiny.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years. Three kids later, West Ice gone, she’s still Hindy though. Congratulations, bitch.