Rome if you want to

Can I tell you about ...my weekend in Rome. Last year the HBO series Rome really reignited my affection for this ancient metropolis. The writing, the cast, the sets and the costumes were brilliant. I hadn't been in a few years so this past March while in Milan, I decided it was now or never. I needed some inspiration and weekends in Milano can be awfully dull. I convinced Steffanie, my partner in crime in all things design related, to join me. I had to twist her arm (not)!I warned her that we would 'do' Rome in a weekend. That meant a lot of walking...and I mean a LOT of walking. I wanted to see as much as I could in 3 days. Fortunately, the city is great for walking around. The Colliseum and the excavated grounds around it are closed off from traffic on weekends so that was perfect. No tourist album is complete without photos with the gladiators so I hammed it up with one of them and took photos of his sandal as well. You never know right?The Vatican was a hop and a skip from our hotel so we got there bright and early. Those ceilings gave my neck a cramp. Incredible works of art and so over the top.Campo de Fiori is a really picturesque part of town. Every weekend food and flower vendors take over the piazza. It reminded us of Union Square market here in New York. The sun was out so all the cafe's were packed. It was great people watching.We also walked around the Ghetto, Rome's equivalent to the East Village. We hit Piazza Navona, the Spanish Steps, Piazza del Popolo, the Pantheon and across the river to Trastevere. We had high tea at Babingtons and pizza at Gusto. Hundreds of photos later and a few pounds lighter (yes, all that walking was bound to benefit us in some way), we managed to see quite a bit of Rome. I even got to make a wish at the Trevi. It's compulsory for all tourists. All we needed was a little Vespa to scoot around in and our weekend would have been the ultimate Roman holiday!

Forever Young..Ish!

Can I tell you...about my birthday. Last February 21, I turned 40. As you can imagine there was a lot of pressure leading up to the day itself for reasons too tedious to enumerate. Most of it came from friends asking me what I was planning to do because apparently 'everybody' does something major. I certainly witnessed that with Sophie's uber glam party in Paris when she flew me in just for the weekend. I'm more inclined to do smaller gatherings and that's exactly what I did. This way I get to celebrate and make a wish several times over. I don't see anything wrong with that, do you?First of, dinner with the family. We went to Danal, one of our favorite restaurants in the city. We've been going there for years; for brunch, for dinner and even for our company Holiday parties. In fact, I designed my first collection in Danal back when they were still an antique store serving tea and sandwiches on the side. Danny, the proprietor, always throws in a few cookies or dessert at the end of every meal. We love freebies. A few days later, I went to Zampa, my new favorite enoteca in the West Village. It's the perfect place for a small crowd. David invited all my closest friends and it was a really lovely and intimate evening. We were only supposed to stay a few hours but we ended up staying all night and drinking more than our share of wine. The problem with cocktails is that once you get started you can never seem to stop.The next day, I had some more cake at Rafe (the company), where every birthday is celebrated with everybody singing and having a slice or two of cake sometime after lunch. It's what we call "merienda" in the Philippines. Mine was no exception except instead of cake, Mom got me my favorite Mixed fruit tarts from Ceci-Cela. Perfect with coffee. Soooo good!
I left for Paris several days later for my bi-annual trip to attend Premiere Vision, the biggest and most important trade show for designers. My girfriend Sophie Albou treated me to a very special dinner at L'Atelier du Joel Robuchon. You must know that it is virtually impossible to get a reservation at this restaurant especially during PV but Sophie knows all the right people. I've indulged at his other outposts in Hong Kong and Tokyo but this was my first time here in Paris. In a word...Wow! What a feast that was.
An unforgettable gastronomic bacchanalia. Adolphe Besnard, the designer of Paul & Joe, who I've known for years and my other girlfriend, interior and fashion designer Roseanne de Pampelonne came as well. Each dish was better than the next. I've never eaten so well in my life. Okay, a hyperbole but you get the point.That Sunday, Adolphe and his partner Didier Bertrand invited me to their home in Montemarte for another intimate dinner. Every time I'm in Paris I have dinner chez Adolphe so this was a tradition but with the extra bonus of celebrating my birthday. More cake for me. Yay!
My last celebration was with my friend Victor Magsaysay and his partner Raymond in their domicile in the Marais. It was actually Raymond's birthday dinner.Coincidentally Raymond and I are a few days apart so Victor decided to celebrate mine as well. More cake, but for the last time...really!
If turning 40 is this much fun, I think I'll turn forty again next year. All kidding aside, as far as I'm concerned I'll be forever young...ish! LOL

Back to the Future

Can I tell you...about the Rafe store opening in Manila. Last March 27, my store officially opened to a huge crowd of friends, family, fans and fashionistas. It was a much anticipated event especially for me because I was coming home. When I left the Philippines in 1989, I had to give up a lot that was dear to me. It isn't often in life that you get to regain what you had to sacrifice. Through the store, I have. Tesa, my sister and Sales Director, flew in from New York to oversee the final details and make sure that the store was up to my expectations. She hadn't been home in 10 years! What a homecoming it was for both of us! A whirlwind of a trip filled with dinner parties, press interviews, fashion events, mini-reunions and late nights out pigging out (mostly lechon kawali)on Pinoy food. Phew!My best friends / muses Audrey Puckett Chiu and Myrza Sison along with Manila fashion plates Ting Ting Cojuangco, Mons Romulo Tantoco and Sofia Elizalde cut the ribbon to begin the festivities. As soon as the ribbon was out of the way, the feeding frenzy began. Guests poured in and shopped til they dropped. I signed so many inside linings of the bags and soles of the shoes that the ink ran out. Everybody wanted my signature! Everybody wore their Rafes, some from past seasons and some current. I was flying high, as you can imagine.Mia Borrommeo kept the crowd flowing and introduced me to everybody. Mia knows everybody!. Tina Ocampo held court outside, making sure everybody had a cocktail or a nibble.Even local heartthrob Marc Nelson dropped by much to the delight of all the girls. Bulbs were flashing, drinks were flowing and people were shopping. By the end of the evening certain styles were totally sold out and there was a long list of special orders for some very desperate girls.
The store is conveniently located on the ground floor in the new Greenbelt 5 Ayala Mall in Makati. It's a gorgeous mall with a built in park in the middle so it's airy and great for strolling around in the afternoons.There's lots of restaurants and a wing in th mall dedicated to Filipino designers which makes this mall extra special as far as I'm concerned. You get a real flavor for Philippine design and craftsmanship by having these designers available in one section. Kudos to the Ayala group for doing this.The store wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for Ricco and Tina Ocampo. They've carried my designs in their Mix stores for several years now and have really built a following for my brand. We go way back as well in the late 80's when I used to sell my ready-to-wear collection in their Sari-Sari stores. Now that's history. They followed the look of my showroom with my baby blue damask walls and dark brown floors plus my eclectic mix of design books, vintage furniture and objects gathered from my travels around the world and flea market finds. It's a jewel of a store and I'm so pleased with the outcome. Friends who know me felt that the store captured the essence of my brand.Several nights after, Ricco and Tina threw us an intimate dinner in their home and invited friends to feast and celebrate the success of the opening. Thank you Ricco and Tina, not only for the past, but also for the present and the future.

Back-Blogged

Can I tell you...I'm so back-blogged! I just got back from a long trip in Europe (Paris, Milan & Rome) last Friday and I'm off again tomorrow to Hong Kong and the Philippines. This week was such a scramble to get everything done that I haven't had the time to sit down, write and post new stories. I call it "back-blogged". You'll have to be patient until I get back from Asia three weeks from now.
I have exciting news to share though. I'm opening my first Rafe store in Manila this coming March 27. Actually the store has been open for about a month but I'm coming, along with my sister Tesa for the official opening. It's going to be a weekend worth of parties, dinners, press interviews and possibly even a private audience with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo(keep your fingers crossed). Attached is the invite we're sending to everybody who's anybody in Manila. "Halika na!", means "Come on over!" in Tagalog. I'll have even more stories to tell when I get back. Stay tuned.