Look Magazine + Thanksgiving!

I am going to be a little sentimental today so please bear with me. It’s not often that I would dedicate a full post on “thank yous”, but today I feel I ought to 🙂

Of late, I have so much to be thankful for especially after two of the Philippines’ top magazines, CELEBRITY LIVING and LOOK MAGAZINE, featured me on their pages this month. It actually made me feel very special, very “celebrated”. *Snicker… ok wait, before you roll your eyes or yawn, please hear me out first*. 🙂 

Being featured in these magazines is actually something I have to thank you all for– you, dear reader, have made this blog into what it is today. And because of you, I shall continue to write and try to keep you entertained. Thank you very much! *Now, if you feel sick after reading the first few sentences of this post, please don’t continue reading anymore. Go find something else to look at  or you might hurl in a bit hahaha– don’t say I didn’t warn you :D*

LOOK Magazine celebrated her 2nd year anniversary at The Establishment last October 26 by holding a  show which featured the works of talented (new) young designers, one of whom will be going to Central St. Martins. There was also a photo exhibit celebrating the featured women like Daphne Paez, Ann Curtis, Bea Soriano, Georgina Wilson, Lulu Tan Gan, Janina Dizon Hoschka, Crickette Tantoco, Nikki Luna, Kaye Luym, Nicole Whisenhunt, Anne Gonzales — and yessss, as unchic as I was (oye  many have attested to my being unstylish– I have proof hahaha), I was one of them 🙂 *Look away now if you don’t want to hurl :D*

3…2….1…. here’s one of the photos Sara Black took of me, which is published in the magazine.

I was asked by fashion editor Kat Cruz to wear this dress by Francis Libiran, a local fashion designer whom I’d love to meet one day *I’m just happy the dress fit!*. The shoot was especially memorable because I was sick at that time too *boo*. Now I only wished I was a more deserving subject. I look like a mail- order bride hahaha! Sorry guys, but it’s hard to eliminate the problem if the problem is my face 😀*.

Congratulations and Happy Anniversary, LOOK MAGAZINE! Grab a copy of their Anniversary Special issue now (with covergirls Bea Soriano, Ann Curtis, Georgina Wilson) at your nearest newsstand and bookstore!

After the magazine shoots, I headed to Paris for fashion week. To my sponsors, especially to LUISAVIAROMA who has given me this unique opportunity to attend shows as well as work with their wonderful team of buyers, THANK YOU SO MUCH! And to my sweetest flatmate in Paris, Bryanboy, thank you so much for your selflessness by bringing me to after- parties and introducing me  to your friends and colleagues in the fashion industry– it was really incredible to have met them!

Now, how I ended up in the front row of one show is something I will just share in my story for the Philippine Daily Inquirer *soon*. And yes, it was an overwhelming experience 🙂 I think once you are at the show venue, you will never refuse a front row seat when you get offered *you’d honestly be stupid if you did :D*.

If anything though, it made me realize I’m just a very small fish microscopic organism in this huge fashion Pacific Ocean. Confession: So I made an effort to dress up for the first 2 or 3 days in Paris. It was quite the experience because for one, there were so many street style photographers and bloggers outside the shows waiting to photograph people who were going to the shows. I won’t deny that it felt good to be photographed and “appreciated”. And then you have Bill Cunningham 🙂

Photos that Bill took of me for 2 days will probably never get published *hahaha loser* because honestly, there were SO many people who were so well- dressed and I definitely did not count myself as one of them– but I tried though 😀 Anyway after moving around the city in 5 inch heels, I ended up realizing that I was in Paris Fashion Week for one thing only– for WORK. I was not there to strut around and be photographed. Besides, I’m not a celebrity *I’d be delusional to think I was!* . So I exchanged my high heels for comfortable flats (brandless and proudly China- made  leopard prints with a blinged- out skull detail which I bought at one of those souvenir boutiques at the Las Vegas McCarran airport hahaha… how’s that for “stylish” *Not!*), and I alternated those flats with my red suede boots (which made me look like an elf hahaha). I admire women who can “work” and wear the most stylish outfits with sky- high heels. Because I don’t think I really can. *Boo!*

Towards the end of Paris Fashion Week, I realized I do have a pretty serious passion for photography.  It’s now my dream to stand in the photographers’ pit  just so I can get the best angles and photos 🙂 Hmm… I think I’d be ashamed though because next to those photographers with huge telephoto lens, my camera looks rather… shabby hahaha. Oh yes, and that one important detail about my camera (which I love) which merits a place in the photog pit’s hall of shame? My camera’s broken glass “display” *haha wait, doesn’t that add “character” to my camera? Hahaha* !

Anyway, it has given me great joy to share my photos with you all on the blog, and also through The  Philippine Daily Inquirer 🙂

My LV feature (photos published are from Louis Vuitton Malletier)

My Ann Demeulemeester and Rick Owens SS 2011 feature

My Viktor and Rolf  SS2011 feature

So once more, I just want to say THANK YOU to all of you who have been so supportive of this blog 🙂  These blessings, criticisms, and yes, even moments of adversity are there for one thing– to allow for change (hopefully for the better hahaha). So I will make it a point to be gracious, to stay grounded, and to continue to be respectful of others (or my family and friends will personally thwap me– you can count on that hahaha :D). I truly appreciate where this blog has taken me and I will continue to try to entertain you all. 

P.S. Special thanks to: Gabby, Thons, Jed, Teresa, Zac, and Mel, Joy, Ronna, Sara, Jovel, Kat for the honor of being featured in your pages! And thank you, Philippine Daily Inquirer for continuing to find value in my work 🙂