Hadid it

Can I tell you...about the Chanel Mobile Art exhibition. I had read about the latest Chanel marketing coup several months ago and was intrigued by it. Karl and Zaha, what a combination! I'm a fan of Zaha Hadid's work and the idea of a self contained traveling art exhibit of all things Chanel was definitely worth seeing. Coincidentally, I happened to be in Hong Kong where they debuted the structure.The Chanel Contemporary Art Container was erected on the Star Ferry Carpark in Central,the business district of Hong Kong. It looked like an alien space ship (7,500 square feet) had landed with chic little UFOs milling about dressed in...you guessed it...Chanel. The structure's organic and fluid lines was such a stark contrast to the geometric and angular skyscrapers, it was stunning. My bff and Hong Kong man-about-town Choy Urra reserved several tickets to see the exhibit. It's only by appointment so you can't just go on a whim. You reserve tickets on line and they messenger the tickets to your address...for free! Can you just imagine what kind of marketing budget they have to go to this extreme?!We got there right after lunch so we avoided the after work crowd. Each guest is given an MP3 player to listen to. The soundtrack was created by the American label Soundwalk in collaboration with the artists. You had the choice of Chinese, French or English. Once I pressed play I was hypnotized. It was French icon Jeanne Moreau speaking to me as well as some ambient sound effects and original music. I can listen to that raspy voice all day. She told me to go, stop, sit, look into a well, in boxes, peek inside a little S&M room, to listen and to dream.I was transported into a Chanel acid trip. I've actually never done acid but I have an active imagination and this is as surreal as it gets. The whole experience was like being in a "3-D film" going from section to section, each featuring different artist's vision of Chanel's iconic 2.55 quilted bag."2.55" signifies February 1955 when the bag was designed by Coco Chanel. There were a total of 20 artists such as Yoko Ono, Sylvie Fleury, photographers Nobuyoshi Araki and Stephen Shore and the Russian collective Blue Noses hand picked for this project by curator Fabrice Bousteau. The 'trip' lasts for about 50 minutes. At the exit they give you a magazine as memorabilia.The magazine contained the artist's bios and the concept behind the whole exhibit just in case you walked out of there a little confused and wondering if you should be rushing over to the Chanel store across the street to buy something...a lipstick, Chanel No.5 perfume or preferably the everlasting Chanel 2.55 quilted bag. Some of the women from our group did exactly just that. Now that's successful marketing! I had friends who weren't crazy about the whole experience, finding it self consciously hip and condescending. Fashionistas can be jaded. Personally I enjoyed it. It takes a lot of guts (and cash) to be able to poke fun at your brand at this massive scale. But then again, when you're Karl Lagerfeld, it seems like anything is possible. With Karl at the driver seat, I'm happy to go along for the ride.
This 'gallery-to-go' will be on the road for the next 2 years going to Tokyo this May, New York in September, London in June '09, Moscow in September '09 and finally Paris in February '10. Catch it where you can, this is one experience you don't want to miss. Thanks Karl, that was fun!

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.

All the Raj

Can I tell you...about the people of Rajasthan. I know you have India coming out of your ears at this point but I warned you. This is my last blog entry about India...at least for this year. Be grateful that this is an edited version of my trip. Whenever and wherever I travel, what ultimately interests me are the people. Looking, observing, taking snapshots of them, and absorbing the details. I imagine what their lives are like, who they are, their hopes and dreams. I create these stories in my head. This is also why I like reading autobiographies. During my trip I bought "A Princess Remembers" written by the Maharani Devi Gayatri of Jaipur and I was completely absorbed in the details of her rich and colorful life. I highly recommend this book if you're headed to Jaipur. I took hundreds of photos but I chose my favorites. Here you can see the endless variety of dress, color, beauty and individuality of the people of Rajasthan. Enjoy!

Party People

Can I tell you...about the Prada party. During New York fashion week, my schedule is packed with attending shows of friends and going to parties. I saw Peter Som, Tracy Reese, Tibi, Shipley Halmos and Monique Lhuillier which was more than enough to keep me out of the office.
The party I was lookng forward to most was the Prada party at their Soho flagship store. They were going to unveil a short animation film Trembled Blossoms by LA illustrator James Jean. The film is a collaborative effort by NYC design firm 2x4 and James. Prada covered the store with James' illustrations that feature lush landscapes and nymph-like figures. You can see his illustrations on some of the bags and in the ad campaigns as well. Fantasy mixed with fashion via Miucca Prada. Perfetto!
Everybody was there. Actors Chace Crawford, Dylan McDermott, Rose McGowan, Ginnifer Goodwin and Amy Smart were all dressed in Prada of course.

Fashion editors and stylists from Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Paris and Milan added to the mix.
Not to be outdone New York editors came out en mass: Meredith Melling Burke, Sarah Cristobal, Anne Christensen and Anne Slowey.

Went with friends from Hong Kong who also knew people at Prada. The drinks flowed, the nibbles kept coming served by a beautifully casted wait staff (all actors/models) and the music was great with a DJ and a live performance by CocoRosie.

We stayed there until the crowd thinned and moved the party to Soho house for a nightcap. You know how when you're on a roll and having such a good time that you don't want it to end, ever. All of sudden the lights in the Club room went bright and the party was over in a New York minute. C'est la vie.

Dream Team

Can I tell you...about our Spring 08 ad campaign. Every season I conjure up images of how my ads should look like and the feeling they should convey. This is one of my favorite things to do. My visual bank has a million references to pull from and quite a library of coffee table books that inspire the visualization process. I brainstorm with my dream team: Inigo Elizalde( my in-house super talented graphic designer/art director)and Micaela Rossato(our visionaire par excellence). It takes team effort to have a successful photo shoot.
This season, Inigo and I were dreaming of striped cabanas in St. Tropez, Vargas pin up girls, Guy Bourdin, Ava Gardner. Sensuous, sultry, seductive, alluring, and chic!
Mica cast a fabulous Russian girl named Aleks Martynyuk who studied ballet and gymnastics at a young age(don't they all?). She was made it look so easy with her innate grace, she was a pro all the way. We love her.
We borrowed clothing from my designer friends: Paul and Joe, Tracy Reese, Tibi and Shoshanna swim wear. Inigo ordered awning fabric and constructed the 'set' in the photo studio in Brooklyn the day of the shoot.
Mica is like a painter of a photographer. She has definite ideas of how the shot should look like, the lighting, the mood, the poses down to how the photo is cropped. It's fascinating to watch her work. She constantly checks back and forth between her screen where she downloads the photos simultaneously to see if the pose needs to change or if the lighting needs adjusting.
As you can see from these striking images, I got exactly what I wanted. I just love it when that happens. Go shop now!

Boys Club

Can I tell you...about the GQ party. Last Wednesday, Jan.30, GQ and the CFDA held a party to celebrate The Best New Menswear Designers in America project, which aims to promote and recognize the rising stars of men's fashions. The winner will receive $50,000 in cash and the chance to create a capsule collection for Levi's around its original 501 button-fly jeans. You can see these designers in the February issue of GQ. Now, if you've ever been to a GQ party, it's not a party you want to miss. The music, the venue, the food and drink, the scene: always spot on. And can we talk about the models?
At this event, they had them all lined up on a platform. There was no runway show, just a tableau vivant. They just stood there while the crowd scrutinized their outfits or admired their hotness. Yes, they were hot! Someone commented that it was like a going to a really well dressed all 'boys club'. I dragged my bff: super talented graphic designer, illustrator and fashionista George Gozum. He was also designated paparazzi for the evening since my camera decided to go AWOL.

The party ushered the start of NY fashion week and boy was it fun. I mingled with fellow designers Sam Shipley and Jeff Halmos from Shipley Halmos, Daiki Suzuki and Angelo Urrutia from Engineered Garments, Johnny Crocco of Perry Ellis and Steven Alan.
It also gave me a chance to pre-shop the collections and take note of things that I would want to wear for next season. There were some items at Engineered Garments that had my name written all over them.
Thank God I'm friendly with these guys, wholesale shopping is the way to go because, well, it allows you to buy more and I always end up buying more than I need. But then again, fashion isn't about buying what you need is it? It's about buying what you want. Yes, I know, I'm totally justifying my vice. Voila!

T ' Udaipur

Can I tell you about...Udaipur. This was our last stop in Rajasthan and we were spending New Years eve here. We drove almost 8 hours from Jaipur to Udaipur with a side trip to visit the Jain temples in Rankapur. If you can fly there, fly!We stayed at an 18th century fort palace converted into a luxury boutique hotel called the Devigarh. I had seen it in travel magazines and had heard rave reviews from friends who had stayed there previously. It's nestled in the Aravali Hills, in the village of Delwara and has been restored using local marble and semi- precious stones. The fort palace was built in the 1760s originally to protect Udaipur from invaders. Eventually, it was abandoned like most palace forts all over India. Now it plays host to fashionable nomads and spa junkies.What we liked about the hotel is that it's away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Udaipur, about 20 minutes away from the city center. It's tranquil and quiet. The only sounds you here are the daily Muslim call to prayer that echoes through the hills. The call to prayer is heard five times a day; at dawn, at the midday, about the middle of the afternoon, just after sunset, and at night fall about two hours after sunset. There is still a village around it and the hotel offers great views of scenes of daily life.Our trips into the city comprised of seeing the City Palace and a boat cruise on Lake Pichola. This palace is enormous and towers over the lake.Legend has it that the Maharana met a sage who told him to find a city at the exact location that is now known as the Rajya Angan(royal courtyard).The rooms of the palace are spectacular; decorated with mirror tiles and paintings.I was really looking forward to seeing the Lake Palace(of Octopussy fame) but unfortunately, because of the New Year's eve celebration and other security reasons, they weren't allowing non guests in the premises. We got to see it from a distance when we took a lake cruise. I'm determined to come back and stay at this palace one day. We always want what we can't have.The Lake palace was built in the 17th century on a natural foundation of 4 acres of rock. It was built in 1743 by Maharana Jagat Singh for the sole purpose of being a cool escape for the royal family during the summer. Constructed from white marble and employing the same techniques and essentially copying elements from the Taj Mahal, it is a stunning visual statement surrounded by the blue waters of the lake. It is so white, it looks as if someone poured bleach all over the palace.On New Year's eve, a gorgeous buffet was set up by the poolside as well as stage for a live Rajasthani song and dance performance. They put braziers near the tables because it was a little chilly to be dining outdoors. I had to eat fast because the food only stayed warm for a few minutes. It was winter after all. After the variety show guests were ushered into the courtyard that had been converted to a dancefloor. At the stroke of midnight, a firework display lit up the sky and guests took to the dancefloor.


The best part about the evening was when the DJ suddenly switched to Indian Pop music. All the waiters and hotel staff hit the dance floor and I was in transported to a Bollywood extravaganza. The sang, jumped, danced, held hands with such euphoria it was infectuous.
One of the waiters dragged me out of my chair and all of a sudden I was dancing in my own music video complete with a choreographed ensemble. It was T'Udaipur!