Happy birthday, Jojie!

My good friend Jojie Dingcong recently celebrated his birthday bash at the new Congo Grille along Jupiter Street in Makati City. The jungle-themed party was hosted by Raymond Yap, the new maverick of the fast-food business.

The sound of beating drums welcomed the guests as they arrived in their animal print outfits. The buffet was set with some of Congo Grille’s delicious signature dishes such as prawn thermidor, sisig, seafood pasta, dynamite chili and various desserts. Champagne was overflowing for all to enjoy throughout the night.

The highlight of the event was the parade of Brazilian models who looked stunning with hand-painted body art as they paraded in flowing gowns created just for the evening’s jungle theme. 

It was a unique and successful party. That night was certainly an event to remember.

Happy birthday, Jojie!

The legacy of Ben Sherman

For 50 years now, Ben Sherman has been known as Britain’s top men’s clothing line because of its understated class and style. The brand was a brainchild of Ben Sherman, who spent two decades in North America and was inspired by the fashion of the Ivy League, particularly with the shirts worn by Polo players of the time.

Upon his return to England in 1963, Sherman turned the underwhelming British menswear to an exciting mix of preppy styles, drawing inspiration from collegiate America.

The brand presents a full clothing lifestyle offered in its retail stores in key cities across the world and sold in over 200 countries today. For its 50th year in the market, the brand opens its newest store in Robinsons Magnolia with its latest collection and its newest store concept, the Shirt Bar, a counter dedicated to making the task of finding the perfect shirt both easy and enjoyable.

The talented DJane duo of Sanya Smith and Ornusa Cadness of the Zombettes provided the indie-rock and modern rock mash-ups of the night. Pupil and The Oktaves’ main man Ely Buendia also jammed in while guests enjoyed their cocktails.

(Robinsons Specialty Stores, Inc. is the exclusive franchisee of Ben Sherman in the Philippines. Visit the brand’s newly opened concept store at the upper ground level of Robinsons Magnolia and at the third level of Shangri-La Plaza.)

Hail the new Dutch King!

As the streets in the Netherlands were filled with revelers celebrating the Queen’s Day, the Dutch community in the Philippines also welcomed the investiture of the new King.

Queen’s Day or Koninginnedag marks the anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Beatrix’s own inauguration in 1980. This year, she relinquished her throne to her eldest son, 48-year-old Prince Willem-Alexander, who rose to the throne with popular Argentinean wife Princess Máxima Zorreguieta, and daughters Princess Alexia, Princess Ariane and heiress apparent Princess Catharina-Amalia.

Guests gathered at The Peninsula Manila’s Rigodon Ballroom where they were welcomed by Dutch Ambassador Ton Boon von Ochssée and his wife Martine.

The business sector was well represented by top executives from Dutch companies with presence in the Philippines, such as Alaska, Unilever, Philips, Shell, KLM and Spliethoff Group.

As they watched the investiture happening 7,000 miles away on a giant screen, guests were treated to Dutch specialties — from Leiden, Edam and Gouda cheeses to sausages and slabs of meat. The surprise of the evening is a flash mob led by the Dutch Ambassador, which was participated in by around 50 guests, including US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. and other diplomats from Europe and the Philippines.