THE House of Herrera is celebrating the first anniversary of its CH Carolina Herrera store in the Philippines.
“I have a responsibility to the woman of today—to make her feel confident, modern and, above all else, beautiful,” goes the mantra of the ravishing Venezuelan Carolina Herrera, who, encouraged by legendary Vogue editor Diana Vreeland, showed her first collection at the Metropolitan Club in New York in 1981.
After 72 shows and 37 years at the helm of her empire, Herrera took her final bow after showcasing her Fall 2018 collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and appointed the American Wes Gordon as the new creative director.
When it opened last year at Greenbelt 5 at Ayala Center Makati, one of the highlights was the Insignia Collection of bags, which bears the iconic CH logo as an integral part of the design. This collection commemorated the brand’s 35th year.
But the celebration still continues, as the brand recently mounted the CH Carolina Herrera Insignia Exhibition at the Maybank Performing Arts Theater at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. The visual project, spotlighting “diversity as well as authenticity and incorporates the unique essence of the House of Herrera,” had celebrity stylist Pam Quiñones as creative director for the photo shoot, with Artu Nepomuceno as photographer and the makeup team of Estee Lauder Philippines..
Carefully selected Filipino tastemakers posed for stark black-and-white portraits wearing white shirts with pieces from the Insignia Collection, the objective being “about revisiting your wardrobe staples—the items that have crafted your style and shaped how you present yourself to the world—while discovering new pieces to complement your existing look.”
As Coco Chanel has the LBD (Little Black Dress), Carolina Herrera lays claim to the Crisp White Shirt (CWS), an eight-style collection made of the same crisp cotton that was launched in 2013.
“I love white shirts because they feel like a security blanket. You can wear them with anything. It’s the person and the way that they wear it that makes it different. I have been designing white shirts forever, but I don’t get tired of it,” Herrera told vogue.uk of the classic item.
The participating tastemakers are architecture and design firm tandem Budji Layug and Royal Pineda, educator Candice Gotianuy, actress Heart Evangelista, restaurateurs Jae Pickrell and Bruce Ricketts, chef Josh Boutwood, accessories designer Ken Samudio, furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue, Internet darling Mari Jasmine, indie director Sam Lee, DJ Tina Badkiss and GMA star Lovi Poe.
Lovi looked lovely in a red lace CH Carolina Herrera shirtdress. “I went to the store and I had this opportunity to choose whatever it is I wanted to wear, and this is the one that I chose. It was tough to choose one dress but eventually, of course, lace always wins. And red. So, I’m a Lady in Red tonight,” said the acclaimed actress, whose “insignia” is being her most authentic self.
“The brand has been generous to us and just to be a part of this exhibit is a huge thing, because we all know that Carolina Herrera is one of the most amazing brands,” added the dusky beauty, who is taking a break from doing TV shows and is busy shooting The Annulment under Regal Films with Joem Bascon. “It would be amazing if we get a chance to meet Carolina Herrera herself.”
Lovi says she owns one of the brand’s bags but is trying to be more prudent with her shopping nowadays: “I can’t say I’ve been very smart with my recent purchases but maybe I could say that. Because before, I would just pick whatever it is that
I wanted and just grab anything that caught my eye. But right now, I really make sure that I choose the classics. I would choose something classic over something that’s trendy because I feel like I could use it more. A timeless piece would always go with anything. I’m trying to be smart about things. I’m a very proud outfit repeater. So, whatever it is I buy, I get to mix and match.”
Image credits: Artu Nepomuceno