Loving the loom

Loving the Loom: The Filipino Creator of Beauty, a project of the Ayala Foundation, Inc. (AFI), celebrated Philippine beauty, craftsmanship and ingenuity. Opening the festival of Filipino talent at the Ayala Center’s Greenbelt 3, were guests of honor Patsy Zobel-Halffter; Lizzie Zobel; AFI president Vicky Garchitorena; and Fashion and Design Council of the Philippines (FDCP) president Randy Ortiz.

FDCP’s 30 most sought-after fashion designers were tasked to transform beautiful handmade fabrics woven in Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental into fashionable creations. Meanwhile, lifestyle designers displayed how the exquisite fabrics can be used in the home as accents and accessories. The participating designers were Randy; Rhett Eala; JC Buendia; Jojie Lloren; Lulu Tan Gan; Patrice Ramos-Diaz; Dennis Lustico; Mel Vergel de Dios; Frederick Peralta; Avel Bacudio; Tippi Ocampo; Vittorio; Robi Lolin; Len Nepomuceno Guiao; Gerry Katigbak; Arcy Gayatin; Larry Espinosa; Edwin Ao; Jun Escario; Bobby Novenario; Ivarluski Aseron; Ricci Lizaso; Oj Hofer; Joey Samson; Alex Pigao; Nono Palmos; Anthony Nocom; Ramon Esteban; Dong Omaga Diaz; and Rajo Laurel.  Lifestyle designers who showcased their creations were Anton Barretto; PJ Aranador; Joey Enriquez; and Arnel Papa.

Ayala was well-represented by Ayala Land’s VP for Commercial Centers Group Winnie Nazareth and Rowena Tomeldan and other Ayala officials, Cristy Comia, Myrna Fernandez and Cathy Bengzon. Archie and Anna Castillo of Haiku were responsible for the night’s lovely setup. Also seen were Ces Drilon; Stores Specialists, Inc.’s Anton Huang; Albert Martinez; Star columnist Lucy Torres-Gomez; Wendy Puyat-Hotung, Star columnist Celine Lopez; Shu Uemura’s Tina Tinio; party king Louie Ysmael; Michael Salientes; DJ Montano; and Ayala’s Ariston Estrada

Dive in with the fun and fabulous

Johnson & Johnson recently hosted a poolside party at the Hotel InterContinental Manila to launch ob Tampons. The event was the first ever "Water Disco" where swimsuit-clad and fantastic women of Manila shed their worries and dove into a night of fun and free celebration.

Enjoying the aquatic-inspired fare and atmosphere were models Avi Siwa, Raya Mananquil, and Nicolette Bell. Minelli Bautista, Pierra Calasanz, and Terrie Gutierrez arrived escorted by the very lucky photographer Paolo Pineda. Fashion designer Tippi Ocampo; Trish Briones; Liz Almoro; Globe’s Joy Arkoncel; and Luxasia’s Vanessa Mayuga were also spotted. Guys were not to be left out as hip designer Dennis Lustico, makeup master Patrick Rosas and director Jackie Aquino enjoyed the music by DJ Trinity of Halo. Guests were truly entertained by the bubble-glam meets Euro disco atmosphere created by candy colored lights, neon bubbles and funky inflatable floaters on the pool. Tricia Chiongbian and Shannen Torres did a great job of hosting the affair, helping everyone to forget their worries, anxieties and just have a night of fabulous fun!

A very Elit dinner

Have you ever wondered what type of vodka the czars of Russia drank? With the opulence of imperial Russia, no doubt it was the world’s finest. Now there is a renaissance of this imperial privilege as Stolichnaya introduces Elit. 

Thanks to the studies of respected Russian historians and the skills of vodka production specialists, Stolichnaya has been able to revive this imperial tradition with Elit, a vodka of unmatched purity and smoothness.

In the traditional Russian filtration process, 40 percent of water-alcohol liquid is filtered through the carbon of a coal column at a controlled rate. Elit is different from any other vodka in the world because of its patented "freezing" filtration process. The expensive, time and labor-consuming procedure filters the mixtures at temperatures reaching -18 C so the liquid’s density increases, causing impurities to freeze. Unwanted crystalline substances are then discarded through another special filtration process.

Philippine Wine Merchants president Ralph Joseph held a special dinner in the chic restaurant Nuvo to welcome Andreas Ioannides, principal of Vodka Elit, and other vodka aficionados. The dinner was meant to introduce the unique vodka to those who would appreciate it the most. 

The accompanying drink before, during and after dinner was Stolichnaya Elit. It was so smooth that majority of the guests opted to take it neat, chilled with no ice. No doubt with the reaction that night, the new, light, fresh, and silky vodka will be a big hit for those who are willing to pay a premium for an extraordinary vodka.

Decléor has arrived

Decléor, the famed specialist in aroma-skincare products from Paris, is finally in Manila. The even better news is that the men’s line is also available here! The women’s line has products for facial skincare, body care and sun care. The men’s line specializes in shaving and after-shaving care and skin fitness.

My personal favorites are the rasage express, a shaving gel that transforms into a mousse upon contact with skin and the coupe feu, an excellent calming after-shave gel to help soothe micro-cuts and redness. Aromessence may be used before and after shaving. It is a shave concentrate made up of natural essential oils from almond, jojoba, clove, and eucalyptus. The men’s line also has a line called "The Specialists" which controls the shiny skin, wrinkles and a specialized eye contour treatment, all specially formulated for men.

It’s about time men had products specifically created for them. Some men are vain, too! 

Decléor is available in Rustan’s Makati and Rustan’s Shangri-La Plaza.

(For more inquiries, check out www.decleor.com.)

(E-mail me at peppertstar@yahoo.com)