Farewell, Tita Fanny
FROM female impersonation to makeup artistry, acting, celebrity styling, to fashion design and interior decoration, Fanny Serrano scaled…
The potent power of pink
PINK continues to captivate. Since its role as the color of activism during the 2020 US elections, pink…
Bellissima! Celeste Cortesi is Miss Universe Philippines 2022
THERE was an event years back when Catriona Gray, still the reigning Miss Universe Philippines, was photographed with…
Bellissima! Celeste Cortesi is Miss Universe Philippines 2022
There was an event years back when Catriona Gray, still the reigning Miss Universe Philippines, was photographed with…
Binibining Pilipinas 2022 bets
THE Binibining Pilipinas Class of 2022 brings me back to the fabled batch of 2011, won by Shamcey…
Miss Universe Philippines 2022: The 10 standouts
WHOEVER wins Miss Universe Philippines 2022 will be crowned in the presence of pageant royalty. Miss Universe titleholders…
Edgar San Diego’s holy couture
TAGOLOAN, Misamis Oriental—In this first-class municipality, 19 kilometers east of Cagayan de Oro City, is the Church of…
The Oscars’ non-toxic stylish men
HAVING grown up with seven brothers who are mostly named after kings and czars (Sulpicio Henry Jr., Richard,…
Who runs the world?
MODEL-QUEENS: After a controversial postponement, the 70th Miss World pageant was finally staged on March 17 in San…
#PrayForUkraine
WE are all connected. What’s happening in Ukraine impacts all of us. Almost a month after Vladimir Putin…
Philanthropy is always in fashion
AS we observe National Women’s Month, I’d like to celebrate one of the women I most admire: Rose…
The prime of PamPinay
A proudly Pinay visual artist is creating a fashionable blitz in Switzerland. She is Pamela Gotangco Hupp, the…
Where the heart is
WEAR your heart on your sleeve this Valentine’s Day. Literally. That’s what the Dutch wunderkind Viktor & Rolf…
Hannah Arnold: TELAmbassadress
Hannah Consencino Arnold, 25, representing Masbate, won the top title of Binibining Pilipinas International 2021 on the strength…
Catriona Gray for National Arts Month 2022
You can’t quarantine the artist,” declares theater stalwart Dr. Felimon B. Blanco, “because they will always find ways…
‘Immeasurable losses’
Grief sucks. But as Kahlil Gibran says, “The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy…
Princess of the Universe 2021
The second edition of Princess of the Universe, an online modeling competition for kids five to 17 years…
Women of Asian descent in American ‘Vogue’
When the US Vogue cover of South Korean model-actress Hoyeon Jung came out, fashion observers rejoiced. The star…
The gift of knowledge
Here’s a humble-brag to start a Happy New Year. Over the years, fashion provocateurs have graciously gifted me…
Make the Yuletide Gay
‘It’s the most wonderful time of the year! With the kids jingle-belling! And everyone telling you be of…
Miss Universe 2021 most likely
IN the land of Gal Gadot, Bar Rafaeli and Natalie Portman, 80 awesome women are competing today to…
The Feisty Chie Filomeno
Chie Filomeno is a far cry from the “sweet Calendar Girl” that Neil Sedaka sang about in the…
Wedding Belles
TIME to bring out my inner Maritess (a rather generic, barangay version of Gossip Girl) and relish on…
That Pinoy fighting spirit
THE Philippines is currently set into an intensely competitive mode. No doubt we’re killing it at our international…
The Miss Globe 2021: Maureen the Marvelous
After Ann Lorraine Colis in 2015, the Philippines now has a second The Miss Globe winner in Maureen…
Miss Intercontinental 2021: ‘A Cinderella Story’
The Philippines proves yet again that when in comes to pageantry, our international campaigners are unstoppable. On October…
Gino Gonzales, a musical, historical accuracy, and modern aesthetics
ON its 90th year, the Manila Metropolitan Theater (Tanghalang Pangkalakhan ng Maynila; informally the MET, officially the NCCA…
Think pink!
‘NOW, I wouldn’t presume to tell a woman/What a woman oughtta think/But tell her if she’s gotta think,…
Beatrice Luigi Gomez: Trailblazer
A DAY after her triumph as the new Miss Universe Philippines 2021, Beatrice Luigi Gomez gained widespread (though…
Prewar Pageantry
IT was all about “gaiety, laughter and gossip” when the Manila Carnival festivities were held during the American…
For designers, Hollywood is no longer just a dream
‘YOU shouldn’t stare,” Dr. Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux) says flirtatiously. “Well, you shouldn’t look like that,” a smitten…
Homme sweet homme
Cata Figueroa Jr., one of the country’s esteemed fashion directors, hopes that by the first quarter of 2022,…
Ko Llab: Vocal for local
IN 2015, Jared Servano placed second in Project Runway Philippines Season 4. With this huge triumph, fashionistas expected…
Miss Universe Philippines 2021: The stunning 16
WITH only one crown in contention, the Miss Universe Philippines pageant is the most thrilling of them all.…
‘We’re all born naked and the rest is drag’
Cheer. Clap. Shout. We are going to be blessed with not one but two queer spaces of love.…
Models 1991/2021
THIRTY years ago, Gianni Versace unleashed his Fall 1991 Ready-to-Wear collection with Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell…
Fashion designers in film
I WILL have to read my copy of The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness,…
Tokyo 2020 Olympic cuties
THAT Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo, the reigning world champion, failed to advance to the floor exercise finals doesn’t…
Miss World Philippines 2021 Winnables
THE thrill of winning a beauty title—and the privilege of raising the flag of the Philippines internationally—is at…
In reboots and revivals, a fashion renewal
TOO early to tell if the 2021 Gossip Girl iteration has the style, vibe and essence of the…
Binibining Pilipinas 2021 bets
It’s at Miss International that our beauty queens excel the most. At the first edition in 1960, Edita…
The 2021 Misses of Misamis Oriental
Almost 40 years ago, Maria Isabel Lopez was crowned Binibining Pilipinas Universe 1982. A University of the Philippines…
Pride 2021: ‘Gender Mysterious’
Here’s the T: “[LGBT] Pride was not born of a need to celebrate being [LGBT], but our right…
Panasonic Manila Fashion Festival Season 12: The reboot begins
THE first big sign that local fashion is getting back on its feet is the staging of the…
Best (and worst) of Miss Universe 2020
THE biggest beauty pageant in the globe recently held its most boring production yet. But because it’s Miss…
Miss Universe 2020 most likely
It’s a truth universally acknowledged: Filipinos expect more from their beauty queens than their politicians. Rabiya Occeña Mateo,…
Flores de Mayo 2021: ‘Kabanalan’
The beloved Mang Ben Farrales may be gone and we may still be languishing amid a pandemic, but…
Jan Garcia: strength, introspection and conviction
Picture this. Manila, 2007: Ford Supermodel of the Philippines 1987 Tweetie de Leon-Gonzalez as photographer, Elite Look of the Year 1989 Philippines Lou Bunyi-Pareja as hair and makeup artist, and Binibining Pilipinas Universe 1990 Gem Padilla and Binibining Pilipinas International 1991 Patty Betita as models for the couture creations of Bodyshots 1986 Ramp Model of the Year (Pro Division)-turned-designer Jan Garcia. That all-supermodel production was my high-school high-fashion fantasy made flesh, and is one of the most unforgettable editorials I’ve ever done. Having such top-calibre talent in one setting is hard to replicate nowadays.
Thanks for everything, Alan Turing
BESIDES an apology, the world owes Alan Turing a tremendous amount of gratitude. Sir Winston Churchill, as historical…
Bea Bianca Mackey: Bringing glamour to TV
AS early as her high school days in Cagayan de Oro (CDO), Bea Bianca Mackey designed clothes for…
Menswear master Anthony Nocom takes on women
ONE of the country’s foremost menswear designers, Anthony Nocom, is wading into womenswear territory. It was no less…
Bea Bianca Mackey: Bringing glamour to TV
AS early as her high school days in Cagayan de Oro (CDO), Bea Bianca Mackey designed clothes for…
Menswear master Anthony Nocom takes on women
ONE of the country’s foremost menswear designers, Anthony Nocom, is wading into womenswear territory. It was no less…
Davao Fashion Design Council: A dynamic pandemic response
LIKE most fashion groups still grappling with the ravages of Covid-19, the Davao Fashion Design Council (DFDC) is…
‘Asian excellence’
TO #StopAsianHate, let’s celebrate Asian Excellence with the following examples. STEVEN YEUN AND RIZ AHMED. The last time…
Rocky Gathercole: A radical career
IN a very Rocky Gathercole way, his worldly exit is similar to his otherworldly designs—pasabog! Explosive news of…
In a painterly fashion
February is National Arts Month. This is an annual fete that started in 1991 with the signing of…
Pinoy panache, Khmer charisma
WHAT the fashion capitals still can’t do, an emerging market is now successfully mounting: a fashion spectacle with…
Let your eyes do the talking
CLEAR, consistent and comfortable—these are the promises of Air Optix breathable contact lenses, a family of products that…
7th Filipino Footwear Design Competition: Gaining a foothold in the global marketplace
Filipinos are fabled for handcrafting beautiful things. Like in fashion design, the footwear industry has its fair share…
Mitzie Go Gil: Her heartfelt mission
IN just two years, Mitzie Go Gil and her MMG Queen of Hearts Foundation Inc. has assisted countless…
’21
IN 1521, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who organized the Spanish expedition to the East Indies, reached the…
‘In Masks Outrageous and Austere’
I’m brazenly borrowing this title from the last full-length play of Tennessee Williams (1911-1983). The prolific American playwright…
Rose Santiago Licup: Glamour and generosity
Rose Santiago Licup, a rising mover of the country’s philanthropic class, is relentless. She makes use of her…
Jor-el Mendez Espina: Indigenous ingenuity
ONE of the most refreshing fashion talents I met in recent years is Jor-el Mendez Espina, laboring out…
Pablo Galicia Mendez III: Flipping the fashion switch
WHEN the whole world seemed to have stopped, fashion designer Pablo Galicia Mendez III adapted and turned on…
Batch 1990
‘MUCH has happened.Nothing has changed.” I can’t recall if I heard that from a TV show or read…
Miss Universe Philippines 2020 most likely
Whoever gets crowned on October 25 will have the honor of being called the first-ever Miss Universe Philippines.…
An abundance of Catherines
I HAVE a winsome niece named Katherine Rose, the first-born of my sister Elizabeth. “My dad had a…
Veluz’s inner Venus
FOR richer and for better, Philippine fashion forges on. As the most prominent female wedding designer in the…
Milan fashion returning to runway in September—in part
By Colleen Barry | The Associated Press MILAN—Giorgio Armani, Fendi, Prada and Versace are all returning to the…
The pivotal September 2020 issues
IT used to be that by mid-August, the September issues of fashion magazines would already be out in…
Legends and icons
CAUGHT as we all are by the menacing Covid-19 pandemic, we barely have a moment to grieve the…
The vintage advantage
IN 1947, the world was still reeling from the aftermath of World War II. So, when Princess Elizabeth,…
How fashion schools are responding to the Covid-19 pandemic
WITH the education directives in the country as confusing as its Covid-19 policies, fashion designers and the fashion…
‘Pride is a protest’
‘PRIDE is not a sin,” Darren Stehle wrote in July 2019 in Medium, referring to Pride celebrations by…
Pivot or pause: How Pinoy global designers are responding to the pandemic
OUR local fashion designers have adapted as well as they could during this pandemic. But what of their…
‘Wonder Gals’
It’s supposed to be pageant season. But Covid-19 derailed all of our plans. Not to fret, pop culture…
The ‘Shelter Fund’ for photographers
THE lockdown has also hit our freelance professional photographers the hardest. There are no weddings, no fashion shows,…
A virtual Flores de Mayo 2020
AFTER its spectacular 40th anniversary in 2019, it will be a rather sedate observance this year of the…
Fashion Revolution: No one should die for fashion
ON April 24, 2013, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the Rana Plaza collapsed. The worst-ever industrial incident to hit the…
Saving lives, serving glamour
THE coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is ravaging the fashion industry in terms of lives and revenue. The loss…
TernoCon 2020: Revitalizing the Terno
AFTER the Taal Volcano eruption but before the Covid-19 quarantine, there was TernoCon. Like the first edition in…
‘Caremongering’
FIRST, our gratitude to the heath workers and all those in the frontlines of fighting Covid-19. Almost half…
The ‘Ibong Adarna’ and its interpretations in fashion
NAGA CITY, Camarines Sur—Filmmakers, critics and enthusiasts from across the regions trooped to this pilgrim city for the…
Woman, you’re awesome!
WE’RE a matriarchal society. Whatever our mothers say is the rule of the day. We’ve had two female…
The 2020 crown contenders
WHILE the rest of the world is gripped by the coronavirus, the Philippines is focused on another korona—the…
Zardo Austria’s ‘Obra Maestra’
IN April 2018, self-styled fashion and arts impresario Zardo A. Austria staged Marawing Salamat: The Best of Opera…
Miss Universe Philippines 2020: Should a beauty queen also be a fashion icon?
Iris Mittenaere, Miss Universe 2016 from France, sashayed alongside supermodels Erin O’Connor, Coco Rocha, Gigi Hadid, Jourdan Dunn,…
National Arts Month 2020: Catriona’s grace
PUERTO PRINCESA, Palawan—With her infectious enthusiasm, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray galvanized the 5,000-strong crowd at the city…
Queen Isabela 2020 is a belle
CAUAYAN CITY, Isabela—I’ve never experienced the famous Bambanti Festival in this province, and I’ve always loved the feminine…
Miss Philippines UK: A milestone 40th year
LONDON, United Kingdom—Throwback to 1973. Picture this: Miss Philippines Evangeline Pascual at the Miss World 1973 competition at…
Tim Walker’s wonderful world
LONDON, United Kingdom—Any cynic who says London is drab, gray or sullen should step into the Victoria &…
Radiating French ‘savoir faire’
AT 22, Marc Rancy was a designer to watch, and was deservedly featured in the pages of this…
New yearnings
CALL yourself indulgent, even if you’ve acquired enough in 2019, when you still wish for some items that…
‘The Vogue Bunch’: Onin Lorente shoots for ‘Vogue Portugal’
LONDON, United Kingdom—Photographer Onin Lorente finally realized a dream he had been harboring for a long time: a…
‘Black Girl Magic’
IN a bittersweet moment, our own Catriona Magnayon Gray glided onstage as her farewell speech as Miss Universe…
Miss Universe 2019 most likely
Being racially ambiguous is the new universal look. Just consider the front-runners at the 68th Miss Universe pageant:…
Marahuyo: Enchanting pieces of practical luxury
Basking on the success of the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Go Lokal! program, which helps the…
‘Angels’ of mine
EVERY generation since the 1970s deserves its own Charlie’s Angels. The current one, taking flight but not really…