Monday, January 24, 2011

FINALLY, A PINAY SUPERMODEL OF THE WORLD!

After Venus Raj, Pinoy gays and fashion enthusiasts likewise have another reason to feel proud and go ga-ga as a Filipina recently bagged the Ford Supermodel of the World title - finally!

Held at New York City, Danica Magpantay becomes the first Pinay to ever win the said modelling contest, besting contestants from 40+ different countries around the globe. She won a $250,000 modelling contract with Ford Models.


(Photo from IM Agency website)


The exotic, towering Danica is also the daughter of top-calibre makeup artist Lala Flores, who herself was the winner of the Supermodel of the World Philippines in 1990. Wow, true beauty certainly runs in the blood!

(Danica with mom Lala - photo from adventuresofabeautyqueen.com)


I first heard the buzz about Danica thru Clyde Rivera and her aunt, May Flores of IM Agency while watching F&H/Jellybean's fashion show held last Philippine Fashion Week in October 2010, wherein she was one of the models.


Last year, another Pinay came close to winning the title through Charlene Almarvez. Luckily for all of us, now is the right time that the beauty of the Philippines comes shining through - in the global fashion and modelling scene!

Congratulations Danica!

Friday, January 14, 2011

DOG LOVE

I talk to him when I'm lonesome like, and in his eyes, it seems he understands. He looks at me so attentively, and gently licks my hands... Then he rubs his wet nose against my wrinkled sleeves, I just know he feels for me. Heck, I can buy more clothes that I want, but never a friend like that!

I was devastated when Bogart (pictured with me above), my pekingese, died a few years ago. He was a beloved pet, a loyal bestfriend, and of most of all, a good son. I cried relentlessly when he took a last breath lying in my arms. Few could not understand that instinctual dog-human connection. Until now, I long for my furry, little dragonball... In my heart, know he's up there - having sunshine days in doggie heavenland! 

Just like fashion, my love for dogs is boundless. But unlike clothes and stuff, dogs offer unconditional love and companionship. For everyone - dog owners and non-dog owners alike - loving human beings is difficult, unpredictable, and often disappointing. Dog love is safer, perhaps more satisfying: dogs can't betray us, undermine us, tell us they're angry or bored. Dogs can't leave.

The great pleasure of having a canine friend is that you can also make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too. Eventhough Bogart is no longer with me, the love continues as I now own 6 pets of various breeds in the household.

Tall & Beautiful: STEFFI, the Golden Retriever is the leader and the most gifted of the pack. VALERIE, the black Labrador Retriever, is the biggest and the most stubborn.

Mini Playboys: MARCUS, the chocolate mini pinscher, is heaven-sent - I found him lurking around somewhere. BRYANBOY, the chihuahua, unlike his fashion namesake, is a stud machine. He was given to us by photographer-friend Ken Go.

Small but Terrible: IMAN, the black dachshund, shows she can also be a black supermodel. On the other hand, VIVIENNE, the red toy poodle, is the newest canine baby addition to our family.


Our voiceless companions, dogs are like a blank canvas on which we can paint anything we wish. There are various kinds of dog love. Together with some friends who work in the fashion industry, we all agree that dogs are miracles that come with paws.


TANYA & HEKO:  Pretty model Tanya Scaife-Quirino is the third owner of Heko. According to her, he was abused by his past owners. He was found in a cage sitting in his urine and feces in a cage about his size. It was estimated by the SPCA that he was in his cage for the first year of his life! Says Tanya, "He is beautiful and has so much love to give! I have another dog now, Chloe, whom I was able to save from euthanasia from the shelter because she was not getting adopted. They both have so much love to give and surely unconditional love!"


LOUIS & YOHJI: I rarely see a Chinese crested dog... with blings, to add. Louis Claparols, aside from being a fashion designer and president of YDG, is a proud daddy of fashionista Yohji. Together with his partner Bobby Carlos, they own 3 more poodles that have starred in many pictorials and were inspirations for their former brands, Stella and Marni's Room. Louis, by the way, is also an active participant of PAWS.


CHERRY WITH DIEGO & SIENNA: Certain people treat their dogs like family members rather than pets - like the case of our good friend and makeup artist Cherry Pacheco (of Paul & Joe). She lavishes all the toys, food, activities, and affection on Diego (toy poodle) and Sienna (maltese), as if her children. I wouldn't mind this at all - these dogs are terrific and awesome, not to mention chic! In fact, these cuddly duo have made their way in the previous SM ad campaigns we did.


ANN & TOTS: Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. As for fashion model Ann Casas, she finds enough joy with her tiny chihuahua. Tots, according to her, is so loving and so kulit. He would often climb the bed and make siksik himself between her pillows!


ROBSON & BILLY: With the exception of women, there is nothing on earth so agreeable or necessary to the comfort of man as the dog. Take the case of this uber-hot, handsome Brazilian model Robson Mendes with his jaw-dropping St. Bernard puppy named Billy.


CEZ & PEPPER: One reason a dog can be such a comfort when you're feeling blue is that he doesn't try to find out why. Androgynous photographer Cez Jarlyn Young shown here with her adorable dachshund named Pepper. She looks like my pet Iman, don't you think?


JOUBERT WITH LYKA & DIESEL: According to research, men usually love dogs because they don't talk, which makes them the perfect pals. Ask PR guy Joubert Yao with his lhasa apso cuties, Lyka and Diesel. I hope to see the pair produce wonderful pups someday.


DIANA & PEACHES: Women are more likely to see dogs as emotionally complex creatures; it's disturbingly common to hear them say their dogs understand their moods better than their boyfriends. Beautifully exotic Diana Santos, one of our fave models, seem to agree as shown here with Peaches, her grumpy, lion-like Chow-chow buddy.


NATALIE & ELLA: Our dogs will love and admire the meanest of us, and feed our colossal vanity with their uncritical homage. Natalie Gaston (fashion merchandiser for Boys Teens Wear at SM Department Store) shows her affection for Ella, her 5-year old Chinese Crested dog.


ARA & ZEUS: Happiness is like hugging a warm doggie. Makeup artist Ara Fernando thinks so, together in this picture with Zeus, a 3-year old Finnish Lapphund.


KENNETH'S PRINCE & DIMSUM: Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot little puppies. Fashion designer Kenneth Chua must be all agog with these snappy creatures - Prince (a party-colored pomeranian) playing cards with Mr.Dimsum (salt&pepper mini schnauzer).


VALERIE & CALIMERO: There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face. Stunningly beautiful model Valerie Weigmann poses with her favorite companion, Calimero, a 6-month old pomeranian.



LILIAN & YOKO: Huhuhu, I suddenly missed Bogart! Just like me, makeup artist Lilian Yeung believes that little pekes are a heartbeat playing at our feet. White as a cottonball, Yoko is her sunchild and a carefree little dragon!


Now people, if you can look at a dog and not feel vicarious excitement and affection, then you must be a cat! :-)



Saturday, January 8, 2011

TICKLE YOUR NOSE: BATTLE OF THE FRAGRANCE ADS

A different kind of scent-sation still lingers in the air this chilly, post-holiday season!

How bungga (to borrow from Monday Mag's editor Sir Ric Gindap) it is to see celebrity goddesses on high, looking heaven-sent to endorsing scents as depicted in big billboards across the buzzling EDSA. Enough of Joel Cruz parading himself for his brand Aficionado - self-love and self-image doesn't seem to be the right resolution for 2011, especially if you don't possess that heavenly kind of charm and ethereal beauty!

I am always delighted everytime I pass by ANNE CURTIS' oozing ad campaign for FOLDED&HUNG Fragrances. Dubbed as PARTYPHILE Eau de Toilette, Anne screams sexy hotness in a slinky faux animal skin bustier dress, and seemingly ready to party while smelling good from dusk till dawn. Now I feel like I wanna dance!


(Photo from f&h multiply account)


On the other hand, I was surprised to see iconic GRETCHEN BARRETTO crossing over to HERBENCH for her own line of perfume, GRETA Eau de Toilette. Goddess in a bottle, as they call it, is a mildly elegant approach to fragrances. But knowing Gretchen's penchant for the expensive, I wonder if she ever uses this. Nevertheless, her beautiful face and intriguing persona make GRETA pretty interesting.


(Photo from www.femalenetwork.com)


Last December while shopping for gifts at Trinoma Mall, Geo and I were witnesses to HAYDEN KHO being back with a vengeance, rather fragrance. Surprisingly, eager fans, despite of the scandals he've been through, circled around his booth for fragrance test, and of course some photo ops.





The last picture is the billboard material I saw along EDSA. The fragrance was designed and concocted daw by Hayden himself while in Paris, therefore the HAYDEN PARIS tagline. I wonder how Parisiennes would react to such ambitious, oftentimes feign brand name. Even more, would the the scent be fragrant enough for the public to simply forgive and forget? Let's stand by for a moment and wait for Katrina Halili to dare test this cologne product by a man struggling hard to score a second chance!


Wednesday, January 5, 2011

JANUARY 2011 COVER OF THE MONTH: A Fierce Melai Cantiveros for Mega Magazine

How we love great transformations!

MEGA Magazine starts the new year right with a metamorphosed MELAI CANTIVEROS donning fur and animal print for its January 2011 cover. It was a delight to see the comedienne, who was a Pinoy Big Brother grand winner last year, looking meow-wow and high-fasyon. Kudos to our friend Bobby Carlos who did the makeup of Melai, and as Geo told me, she channeled foreign supermodel Chanel Iman!

Photography: Xander Angeles (Edge of Light)
Art Direction: Suki Salvador
Styling: Teej Nepomuceno
Makeup: Bobby Carlos
Hair: Bren Sales


On the other hand, I cannot let this pass by without mentioning PREVIEW Magazine's equally interesting cover with fashion editor and stylist to celebrities, LIZ UY. One of the few style mavens I look up to, Liz steps from the background and poses in front of the lens in a multi-patterned robe dress (by Marlon Rivera), looking like a model herself in this issue.


Photography: Marc Nicdao
Makeup: Gela laurel-Stehmeier
Hair: Raymond Santiago

A NEW BEGINNING

I know, all the fireworks have gone kaboom already. The chill-to-the-bone weather and the post-holiday syndrome made me feeling lazy that it took me days to gather enough inspiration and urge to write again. Nevertheless, I deserve the rest after all the hardwork for 2010.

And what spectacular year it was! George and I are so inspeakably blessed that we don't know how to thank God for everything. It was certainly a year full of growth, achievements and success. For a duo trying to make their mark in the fashion industry, MGP is more humbly attuned to doing very good visuals, producing effective campaigns, satisfying clients and making the styling work. Although I would have love to buy my first LV now, I thank God we have projects - for at the end of the day, more to flashing expensive labels or signature brands to create sudden statement, it's the effort and output that matter most!

Thanks to all those people who have been part of this blessed year. Thanks to our clients who have trusted their brands to us. Thanks to the editors, MUAs, hairstylists, photographers we've worked with in coming up with kabugan editorials. Thanks to our friends for always being there, as well as new people who have become dear to us. Thanks Geo for having stood by me. Thanks to my family - my ultimate source of inspiration!

With the new year already here, I wish everybody good health, success, peace and prosperity (sounds like a pageant line). Seriously, hurray to 2011 and let's all pray for another fabulous year! Bawal ang mga nega-star!



Noche Buena: We'll miss Cate again!


Santa Geo and I while giving away Xmas gifts :-)

Oh my, kawawang piglet!

Our lovely Xmas tree! (Photo courtesy of Ryan Mach)

New Year's Eve: My beloved family together with Steffi (Golden Retriever) and our newest addition, Vivienne (Toy Poodle)


My sister Bea and her torotot!


Me and my tiny lucis!

Sabugan na!

My pamangkin Kenneth makes his presence heard (photo courtesy of Ryan Mach)

My mom signals prosperity in bright red on a bed of hundred peso bills

Prosperity candles - someone took away the purple one. Grrrrr!!! (photo from Ryan Mach)

A kiat-kiat lies on the floor for wealth and abundance (photo from Ryan Mach)

One of the many reasons for being overweight! (photo from Ryan Mach)

Jump for joy: My Tita Lyn, Bea and Kenneth

A reason to celebrate: Jan. 1 reunion @ Cavite