Whippersnapper weekends
March 30, 2007 | 12:00am
The most wonderful thing about living in Manila is knowing that you’ll always be minutes away from your next adventure. The historic and progressive and the elegant and derelict meet in head-on collisions at practically every intersection, making the metropolis a jigsaw puzzle of contradictions just waiting to be discovered. If you look hard enough in a city like this, you’re guaranteed to find one hell of a way to pass the time, whether it’s to crash an upscale theme party (under a ridiculous alias, of course), clink beer bottles and slam dance at a rock concert or scrutinize performance art at a gallery opening. The countless cultures and subcultures that have permeated Manila assure every weekend warrior  no matter what their tastes  looking to make mischief, kick back or just have a rollicking good time that there’s a place just right for them, somewhere in this crowded little city.
After several weeks of succumbing to my reclusive tendencies, I finally decided to abandon my journal, primetime TV shows and growing pile of local fashion magazines for something more substantial and exciting. The summer heat finally arrived in full force and while I couldn’t just abandon the office to frolic maniacally on the beach, I still wanted to make the most of my absolute favorite season. I decided right then to forego my life as a hermit and give my weekend life the Pulp Fiction-style adrenaline shot to the heart that it so desperately needed. Naturally, the mischief and mayhem weren’t that difficult to find.
First activity on this Whippersnapper’s weekend list was Edsel Tupaz’s 30th birthday party in Piedra, overlooking the ultra-modern Makati skyline of Fort Bonifacio. Edsel is a lawyer by profession and teaches economics, agrarian reform and taxation at Ateneo de Manila University. As serious a job as it sounds, it’s not all work and no play for this guy. Edsel spends his weekends tearing it up with his Ultimate Frisbee team, the Makati Disc Devils (reigning champions to date), has a predilection for designer shoes (designer Brian Tenorio actually introduced me to him at a Tenorio Manila special shoe sale) and knows how to party like it’s everyone’s birthday.
The Piedra party kicked off promptly as guests kissed each other hello and clamored to the open bar. The guest list included Edsel’s close friends, including ETC’s darling host Sam Oh; one of Mega’s 10 Most Beautiful, Solenn Heussaff; designer sweetheart Kate Torralba; and Miss Mossimo ’05 Denise Montecillo. Rivermaya’s Rico Blanco even swung by to greet the happy bachelor, even if it was his birthday, too! Not a bad jumpstart for the weekend. The unusual mix of movers and shakers happily clinked their glasses and grooved to the deep house music till the wee hours of the morning. I think Edsel will agree with me when I say that the only thing better than having your cake and eating it too is sharing it with good friends and beautiful women. Party on, dude.
After an all-night rager like that, it’s nice to take some downtime the next day. This Whippersnapper decided to spend her Saturday evening checking out the I Love You store’s exhibit opening of "ARTEESANS," a tribute to the ancient art of screen-printing. The brilliant and quirky I Love You team of designers, artists, stylists and poets is renowned for nurturing the talent of underground prodigies and giving them a unique and formidable platform on which they can beatbox their visions to the mainstream. The results are wildly innovative and never fail to leave lasting marks on the fashion and art industries. Honestly, what’s not to love about the I Love You team?
"ARTEESANS" glorifies the T-shirt as the eternal and immortal fashion staple, hence the emphasis given to the art of screen-printing. The festivities in the store began with a mini-fashion show directed by Mike Lavarez, which featured screen-printed T-shirt ensembles stylized by different members of the I Love You team. Models clad only in underwear and tights strutted out from behind a curtain and clawed through I Love You’s racks for the featured pieces, then proceeded to dress themselves amidst the camera flashes and audience banter. I was particularly impressed that the designers used the T-shirt, the epitome of mass-produced fashion, to create these exceptionally delicate and edgy outfits. After demonstrating how to wear each particular ensemble, the models sashayed to the other end of the store to unveil framed screens of the featured artists. The exhibit featured silkscreen art by Kiko Escora, Tim Yap, Ornusa Cadness, Carlo Eustaquio, Corinne Ching, Bianca Holganza, Maria Taniguchi, Marvin Tojos, Sharon Atillo and Aeon Barrameda. Each of the artworks have been used to screen-print on T-shirts that are now for sale in the I Love You store. Needless to say, I left the party with no money in my wallet and two shirts for my closet.
The ARTEESANS exhibit runs till April 4, at the I Love You Store on 7840 Pilar Place, Makati Ave. Want your weekend haunts to be featured? E-mail me at whippersnappergirl@hotmail.com. Wisdom and wisecracks are always welcome.
After several weeks of succumbing to my reclusive tendencies, I finally decided to abandon my journal, primetime TV shows and growing pile of local fashion magazines for something more substantial and exciting. The summer heat finally arrived in full force and while I couldn’t just abandon the office to frolic maniacally on the beach, I still wanted to make the most of my absolute favorite season. I decided right then to forego my life as a hermit and give my weekend life the Pulp Fiction-style adrenaline shot to the heart that it so desperately needed. Naturally, the mischief and mayhem weren’t that difficult to find.
The Piedra party kicked off promptly as guests kissed each other hello and clamored to the open bar. The guest list included Edsel’s close friends, including ETC’s darling host Sam Oh; one of Mega’s 10 Most Beautiful, Solenn Heussaff; designer sweetheart Kate Torralba; and Miss Mossimo ’05 Denise Montecillo. Rivermaya’s Rico Blanco even swung by to greet the happy bachelor, even if it was his birthday, too! Not a bad jumpstart for the weekend. The unusual mix of movers and shakers happily clinked their glasses and grooved to the deep house music till the wee hours of the morning. I think Edsel will agree with me when I say that the only thing better than having your cake and eating it too is sharing it with good friends and beautiful women. Party on, dude.
"ARTEESANS" glorifies the T-shirt as the eternal and immortal fashion staple, hence the emphasis given to the art of screen-printing. The festivities in the store began with a mini-fashion show directed by Mike Lavarez, which featured screen-printed T-shirt ensembles stylized by different members of the I Love You team. Models clad only in underwear and tights strutted out from behind a curtain and clawed through I Love You’s racks for the featured pieces, then proceeded to dress themselves amidst the camera flashes and audience banter. I was particularly impressed that the designers used the T-shirt, the epitome of mass-produced fashion, to create these exceptionally delicate and edgy outfits. After demonstrating how to wear each particular ensemble, the models sashayed to the other end of the store to unveil framed screens of the featured artists. The exhibit featured silkscreen art by Kiko Escora, Tim Yap, Ornusa Cadness, Carlo Eustaquio, Corinne Ching, Bianca Holganza, Maria Taniguchi, Marvin Tojos, Sharon Atillo and Aeon Barrameda. Each of the artworks have been used to screen-print on T-shirts that are now for sale in the I Love You store. Needless to say, I left the party with no money in my wallet and two shirts for my closet.
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