EDSA Day, Feb. 25, is a romantically important day for me. My hubby Dennis and I first met on this historic day 23 years ago.

 

Living in Hong Kong, Dennis flew to Manila for a business trip. With the Edsa holiday moving his meetings, we ended up scuba diving in Anilao, arranged by my instructor Gigi Santos. That’s how the Sea Princess met her HK Pirate, and the rest is history.

 

Fast-forward today, we fondly remember our diving days and, more importantly, of course, the peaceful revolution that happened three decades ago.

 

Last Thursday, our focus was diverted by another kind of rebel—Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour stop at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

 

Thanks to Globe Platinum, my daughter Annika Valdes and I were able to score VIP seats and be within arm’s reach of Madonna. As the concert’s major sponsor, Globe gave away tickets to lucky subscribers and access to the Globe Lounge at the MOA Arena.

 

Before the show, we enjoyed cocktails at the Globe Lounge while watching my #InspiringWorld video.

 

Spotted at the concert was my Globe Platinum coambassador, chef JP Anglo, as well as Bikram Yoga Manila owner Ollay Aninion and Bakers Maison’s Digzy Umali.

 

Pop queen Madonna performed for more than two hours, combining eight costume changes, 28 performers including dancers, background singers and a full band.

 

The audience was dotted with fully costumed, ready-to-party people of all genders.

 

For my own attire, I thought of Madonna’s “Harlem-flapper-meets-Paris-in-the-Twenties” look but ended up with a Spanish matador outfit with matching Swarovski crystal accessories and long, fringed gloves.

 

Feeling the “Material Girl” vibe, I considered having a costume change during intermission but decided the logistics would be impossible.

 

Best known as Madonna’s stylist, American costume designer Arianne Phillips has the most creative job, as the designer and stylist of Madonna’s last five concert tours. She says that Madonna cares more about the performance than just looking beautiful.

 

Madonna gave an all-out, high-energy performance while engaging her packed audience during the entire show. The Rebel Heart Tour is clearly one of her most sensational concerts ever.

 

Showing little sign of her age, Madonna shone in a number of sequences with flamenco, hip-hop and pole dancing against an elaborate set adorned with dancers carrying giant props.

 

As an additional treat for People Power Day, Madonna sang “Crazy For You,” saying she has not performed it onstage for quite some time.

 

On “Unapologetic Bitch,” Madonna picked Pat Cusi-Ramos from the audience and gifted her with a banana after Pat’s instant fame stint onstage.

 

The show ended with “Holiday,” the Queen wrapped in the Philippine flag while energetically dancing.

 

Montreal-based multimedia company Moment Factor worked closely with Madonna and developed new backdrops and video content for the show. Three large screens were used to give the theatrical effects and visual content on a large scale.

 

Bench shows

 

Watching the visually stunning sequences, I am reminded of the Bench shows throughout these years.

 

At the Bench Spring/Summer 2016 launch, an intimate affair was held at the Blackbird at the Nielson Tower featuring the hottest summer looks of its local brands, namely Bench, Bench Body, Human and Kashieca.

 

The event also served as the official launch of two new brand ambassadors—Michelle Dee for Bench and Kelsey Merritt for Kashieca.

 

Supermodel Chad White was also exclusively flown in from New York as the front-liner for Bench Body. Presented together with the most buff hunks wearing only Bench underwear, Chad and the Bench Body segment were most applauded.

 

The Showroom presentation gathered editors from the country’s leading publications, as well as Bench board chair Ben Chan’s nearest and dearest, to witness the private viewing of the brands’ latest collections.

 

Charming Michelle Dee is but an obvious choice for Bench, as she is the daughter of Melanie Marquez. Bench has a long history of tapping into “undiscovered” talents as well as those from celebrity families, making Michelle a perfect fit for the brand’s growing roster of endorsers.

 

Now considered everyone’s favorite muse, student-model Kelsey Merritt is the newest face of Kashieca. Like a true it-girl, Kelsey is statuesque and stunning, but also with substance. She takes her work seriously, flying to and from New York to balance her modeling and her academic responsibilities in Ateneo.

 

All set for Red Charity Gala

 

Looking forward to Bench’s generous annual support, we are all set for this year’s Red Charity Gala on Oct. 8. We have been grateful to Ben and his team’s generosity in supporting Philippine fashion.

 

Another annual sponsor is Gardenia Bread. I was invited last weekend to cut the ribbon of a new specialty bakeshop, Bakers Maison at SM North Edsa. Bakers Maison is entering the local market with the technology and bread-making expertise of Gardenia Bakeries Philippines and its collaboration with various industry experts.

 

From artisan bread, cookies and muffins to snack breads and sandwiches, Bakers Maison offers a taste of mouth-watering products fresh off the oven.

 

In the future, this bread retail store is targeting to open 100 more branches.

 

Aside from world-class confections, Bakers Maison also created an interactive mobile application featuring a complete list of its product line, a section on promos and rewards, a feedback page, and an augmented-reality feature.

 

First established in New South Wales, Bakers Maison has been serving Australia’s foodservice sector with authentic French-style breads and pastries since 1998.

 

Now, on its latest expansion, Bakers Maison enters the Philippine market as a one-stop bread shop.

 

Tomorrow, enjoy the extra day of this leap year!

 

 

Follow @tessavaldes on Twitter and @seaprincess888 on Instagram.