Maniolas

Vandana Dhoot, global director of House of Salon, Dorothy Dee-Ching, marketing director for Hair Philippines, Sandrine Conseiller, global VP for Sunsilk, and Julien Barraux, global VP for House of Care at the Dove Go Play exhibit at Mind Museum Every time I go to a salon, usually for something as minimal as a half-inch trim, I get suckered into getting hair treatments I don’t really want or need. For someone who thinks she has a steadfast idea of how she wants her hair to look, I am, unfortunately, a very easy sell. Over the past 10 years I’ve had my hair rebonded, relaxed, shaved off, blackened, bleached, treated with masques and serums and what not…and it has never turned out as good as when I do my hair myself. No disrespect to previous stylists — it’s just that my hair has a mind of its own and it never reacts the way you expect it to. Color it a fiery #666 red and it turns burgundy. Straighten it and it tenses up, like a Slinky, and ends up even curlier the next day. Over time I’ve learned to tame the rebel beast with a steady rotation of products. Go play At the recent Dove Go Play event held at the Mind Museum last week, the subject of hair damage was discussed. Dove’s Intense Repair Haircare range (which includes Dove Daily Hair Vitamin, a post-shower must that my mother swears by — “Touch my hair, it’s so smooth,” she always says), Read More …

Julianne Moore Therese: Despite her winning performance in Still Alice, this is not a winning dress. But Karl Lagerfeld designed it especially for her, and she carries it off with her customary grace. Celine: This Chanel dress cuts her body with awkward lines. AP MANILA, Philippines – In seeming tribute to the most-tittered-about movie of the year, there was a lot of gray on the red carpet, sported by Oscar host Neil Patrick Harris and the likes of Laura Dern and Chrissy Teigen, but bolder colors ruled the Oscar runway, most notably red, white, black, and a surprise entry: green. (Or maybe not so surprising, considering that America’s been in the grip of a bitter winter and they’re probably longing to see signs of spring.) Watching the red carpet was more fun than watching the ceremony itself, which was a politically correct snooze-fest, the highlights of which were John Travolta’s “my bad, let’s put it behind us” moment with Idina Menzel, and NPH coming out (pun not intended) onstage clad in nothing but his tighty whities, putting a whole new spin on doing a “Birdman.” But, even if some of the dresses were not our tempo, “everything is awesome” in Hollywood, Jack Black’s gloom-and-doom song number notwithstanding.

Helena Benitez and former PWU student and Jewish refugee Margot Cassel Pins reunite after more than seven decades. Seven-year-old Margot Cassel Pins came to the Philippines with her parents and 1,300 Jewish refugees who were given safe passage by President Manuel Quezon in 1940. He was one of very few heads of state who not only was courageous enough to go against the tide of anti-Semitism, but also did the right thing by offering  “open door” visas to Jews being persecuted in Europe in the years leading up to World War II.  In fact, most of the world turned a blind eye to the atrocities that were being committed in Europe, when being a Jew meant losing one’s home, business, and even one’s life as hundreds of thousands were carted off to concentration camps. Margot and her cousin Lotte entered the Philippine Women’s University as grade 3 and grade 7 students respectively, because it was known as the first progressive and non-traditional school in the country.  The pair was received with open arms by their classmates; not once were they bullied or insulted for being Jewish. They learned English, Philippine history, folk songs and native dances together with their classmates. Margot  vividly remembers that it was her 27-year-old teacher and grade school principal, Naty Osorio, together with the other PWU teachers, who not only made her feel welcome but also treated her lovingly. Bahay Kubo was the first song she learned and it introduced her to the local vegetables.  Her first hero was our very own Jose Rizal. Furthermore, the educator made Read More …

Robinsons Department Store style muse Maricar Reyes wears Stella. MANILA, Philippines – Stella, a fashion label of Robinsons Department Store, presents bolder colors and prints, easy mixing and matching, and versatile pieces that seamlessly go from day to night. Start the season of romance in carefree, sleeved dresses with A-line silhouettes emblazoned with floral prints. Seen with the year’s hottest colors of crimson and tangerine in easy, breezy cuts, these dresses go with the rosy season of love. For cocktail dressing, opt for the electrifying shade of blue. Best worn with a scallop neckline, a tapered waist, and just the right hint of sophisticated color-blocking, blue becomes the coolest hue for those sizzling nights. Garbed in these season’s finest threads from Stella  is Robinsons Department Store’s style muse Maricar Reyes.  Just as the brand breaks the boundaries of fast fashion and short-lived styles, Stella offers plenty of lasting practical, style-savvy pieces.

MANILA, Philippines – A grand fashion show featuring from 70 to 90 of the works of Ben Farrales will be held at the Rizal Ballroom of the Makati Shangri-La Hotel on Jan. 31, Saturday, 6 p.m. The gala fashion show is a tribute staged by Friends of “Mang Ben” led by business woman and agriculture advocate, Dr. Milagros Ong-How, for the Dean of the Philippine Fashion Industry. The show, which will feature Farrales’ couture creations, highlights more than 50 years of his discipline and dedication to the Philippine fashion scene. Described as the definitive tribute to the master designer, the show is divided into three parts and will feature the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra led by conductor Olivier Ochanine. The first part, “Pais Tropicale,” highlights island-living fashion, showcasing resort collections from swimsuits to lounge wear, to cocktail outfits inspired by tropical island moods. The second part, “Moda Maynila,” shows off the draped gowns that the designer is famous for — chic, contemporary and cosmopolitan fashion, with fluid lines and simplicity that spell “classic.” The third part is “Farrales Filipiñiana” and consists of Muslim-inspired gowns, traditional ternos and Maria Claras, with two wedding gowns as the piece de resistance in the finale. Around 30 models and beauty queens like Justine Gabionza, April Love Jordan, Maricarl Tolosa, Jennifer Barrientos, Stephanie Malibiran, Aya Abesamis, JP Abinuman Cox, Patty Betita, Gem Padilla, Sara Jane Paez, Izza Gonzalez, Marina Benipayo, Annette Coronel, Suyen Chi and Dez Verdadero will model the Farrales creations. Lifestyle Feature ( Article Read More …