Showcase of catwalk disaster

THE upscale exclusive Members Only in Fort Bonifacio was dazzling with personalities during the launch of Nokia Standard Chartered Credit Card, palanggas.

So I had to witness the grand unveiling of the elegant and sleek black matte credit card, dahlings. It was done by Simon Yuen, StanChart consumer banking head, who stressed, “This is part of StanChart’s continuing commitment to the Philippine market. And despite the global economic meltdown, StanChart believes the Philippines will remain a robust market that will grow tremendously in the next few years.”

Next speaker was Nokia Philippines’ brilliant general manager William Hamilton-Whyte, who expressed optimism about this partnership.

“With this new Nokia Standard Chartered Card, we hope consumers will appreciate and enjoy its myriad benefits.”

Circulating with us were gorgeous bikini models in chic Jun Escario outfits, grabbing attention by holding bigger versions of the new credit card, dahlings.

Supratim Pandey concluded, “With such good credit-card benefits, it makes sense for anyone who has a phone to avail of this card, which can provide customers with savings and solutions to their evolving needs.”

By the end of the event around 10 p.m., a raffle of fantastic prizes, which included overnight stays, round-trip tickets to local and international destinations and Nokia phones like the latest Nokia E66, was held, palanggas.

Then our groupie dashed to Le Soufflé resto, where we had a late, yummy dinner before going to a friend’s house for a nightcap, dahlings.

Après the fun time we all had, I woke up to the reality that I’m addicted to credit cards which make my shopping so much easier, but paying (oh wow!) so much harder. Oh well.

Enchanting wine dinner

For the true connoisseur of excellent wines and food, the fabulous degustation dinner of Arboleda Wines of Seña produced in Colchagua Valley in Chile had the chosen ones mingle together in a très prive dining room at Ascott Makati Café on the 6th.

The event was organized by residence manager Lew Yen Ping in collaboration with Tita Trillo, who has the best winery at Titania Wine Cellar Inc., and with the master planning of chef Cartailler’s creations of degustation dinner, where a fantastic selection of wines to go with the meals, dahlings, was presented.

Dinner started with Pomelo Asian Shrimp Cocktail and Smoked Salmon, downed with Arboleda Sauvignon Blanc 2007, which won the International Value Awards 2008. Next was Tomato Soup with juniper berry and pesto foccacia, sipped with Arboleda Chardonnay 2006, another trophy and gold-medal winner at the International Wine Challenge. Then came the incredible Seared Duck Foie Gras with Espelette Piment on Carmenere Risotto served with the ultimate favorite, Arboleda Carmenere 2006, a wine so deep and intensely violet in color that won the Best Carmenere by International Value Wine Awards 2008. Coffee-crusted pork mignon and crispy belly, scented with star anis, with whipped potato was served next with Arboleda Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, a full-bodied wine rated 89 points by Robert Parker, no less, dahlings.

We ended this unforgettable dinner with old-fashioned chocolate mousse, paired with Natalie Sweet Chardonnay. All of us who landed early departed at the end with songs in our hearts and smiles on our faces, palanggas.

Celebrating Randy Ortiz

When you have some of the most beautiful, internet models and name droppable faces all packed into a grand ballroom, without even batting an eyelash, you can be sure it is a grand gala of a high-end fashion show, dahlings. And that’s how it was, when Samsung Metrowear featured Randy Ortiz’s ’50s and ’70s stylish collection, après cocktails and a buffet of delicacies at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel lobby.

Statuesque Romina Urra Gonzales of Metro Weddings superbly hosted the event before Ortiz bedazzled the fashionable pack with his holiday collection “Aspirer,” directed by close pal Jackie Aquino.

The highlights were definitely the TV stars and models like Dingdong Dantes, Diether Ocampo, Apples Aberin-Sadhwani, Marina Benipayo, Annette Coronel. The awful, disastrous catwalk mishaps left a bad taste in everyone who felt so sorry for the models who fell, slipped or wobbled on the ramp. Mega model Suyen Chi fell on the ramp. But being the professional gal she is, Suyen stood up and continued to model to the thunderous applause of the shocked invitees.

But as the saying goes, “The show must go on,” palanggas, but not before many of the invitees had to rush for a drink to the nearest bar to calm their tension throughout the entire show.

Moral of the story, check out the ramp and don’t make your model wear shoes with heels taller than the Eiffel Tower, nest ces pas? After all, it’s not the shoes that they should showcase but the clothes, palanggas.

Showcase of luxurious lifestyle

Leave it to SM’s vast conglomerates in the world of retail, land and resort development to come up with something different, palanggas, during the Philippine Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2009 held at SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia Complex, in partnership with Runway Productions. Fun summer outfits and elegant nightwear were shown by loads of our country’s new gang of designers, including the Vision and Trends group with designs inspired by Hamilo Coast, Tagaytay Highlands and SM Residences.

Heading the pack of tons of viewers was taipan Henry Sy Sr., no less, dahlings.

Without even batting an eyelash, one can see how SM Land’s incredible vast development projects are made for a luxurious, nature-friendly living which took shape through the super creations of our upcoming talented designers, highlighted during the très successful Philippine Fashion Week, dahlings.

News Sources:-
By Maurice Arcache
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:27:00 12/09/2008
http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/lifestyle/lifestyle/view/20081209-177065/Showcase-of-catwalk-disaster