Moi had a most pleasurable stay in Paris recently, dahlings.
Two of my closest pals, Tatler editor Anton San Diego, and fave starmaker and marketing expert Jojie Dingcong welcomed moi. With them was beautiful Rose Anne de Pampelonne, no less.
Yes, the trio had politely and hurriedly excused themselves from a lunch hosted by the world-class Asian fashion doyenne, Joyce Ma, at the Shangri-La Paris to meet me!
They met and welcomed moi at the tastefully decorated flat of another close pal who generously offered the use of her so chi-chi place for my Parisian holiday. It is literally just a skip and a hop away from the famous high-end brands found at Faubourg-Saint-Honore, the chic-est place “to see and be seen” in Paris!
After a short welcome chat, Rose Anne said her goodbye as she was off to another appointment. She was busy as a bee, being one of the top 10 interior designers invited to exhibit at the annual show. This is where the French interior designing elite showcases its best for the world to see. It was such a thrill to find our very own Rose Anne standing side by side with the best of the best!
Meanwhile, Anton, Jojie and I decided to cure my jetlag by walking the whole stretch of Fauborg-S-H, with the intention of taking a leisurely snack at the courtyard of Hotel Costes since I suddenly felt famished. Though Paris was a long 16-hour flight from Manila, my energy was fueled by the exciting vibe of the City of Light.
On our leisurely walk, we encountered a horde of high-flying and well-dressed shoppers.
The scent of Paris Fashion Week was truly in the air. The latest collections of the fashion houses—Hermès, Lanvin, Christian Louboutin, Chanel, YSL, Gucci, Goyard, Moynat, Colette and my latest favorite must-buy, Comme des Garçons—were on view.
At the Hotel Costes, we ordered cappuccinos and I ate a gargantuan salmon baguette at the packed courtyard, which is the hot ticket to take a break après shopping.
Après I had my fill, we decided to do a bit more walking on the mile of fashion heaven, and enjoyed another break at the world-famous Laduree! Yes, a trip to Paris is incomplete if you fail to enjoy Laduree’s delightfully delicious macarons.
That evening we were off to the gorgeous home of my dearest friend, Babette Aquino-Benoit, who most graciously hosted a welcome dinner for moi.
Guests included Joyce Ma, natch!
Babette’s private chef prepared a Pinoy-French fusion dinner. Joyce commented about my beautiful skin, I told her that world-class doctor, Vicki Belo, has been responsible for my youthful look. I told her, only Belo touches my skin, approximating the advertising copy of the famous clinic.
Needless to say it was a truly enjoyable dinner—superb, I must say! And a memorable one as well, as Joyce shared with us her wit, charm, grace and style. She was the epitome of a dignified, but fun, woman of substance and stature, dahlings.
The most perceptive and intelligent thing she shared with us that night is, “At the end of the day, everything and anything is not worth of worry.” That and “It doesn’t matter!”—simple things and simple joys are the true essence of a happy existence. What a woman! Truly what a joy her company was!
The following day, I woke to the sound of movement in the living room to find Jojie doing some yoga exercises, while Anton was off to an early morning run. Jojie told moi that he decided to host a small lunch in a bistro recommended by another dear Ilonggo pal, Edward Garcia, who has made Paris his second home.
Our chauffeur Andy collected us for lunch, and we headed to Chez Janou, a small must-go-to French bistro in the Marais, noted for its excellent French home-style cuisine. The canard and escargots were to die for!
The place was in such high demand that at one point, the waiter approached our table and requested if we could share it with two more customers who were waiting. We were in a table for eight; however two of the other guests took a little longer time in arriving. We got a little frantic as the waiter insisted that it was the bistro’s policy to exercise such an option. We were almost about to surrender the seats, but finally the two other guests arrived.
Après lunch we headed to the rockin’ hot Abercrombie & Fitch store on Champs-Elysees where young gorgeous French “eye candies”—gorgeous hunky men and beautiful women—were the sales crew. Wow, what an experience it was! As I entered the place to the beat of club music, dancing models/sales crew welcomed me! I ended up buying an armful of shirts as pasalubong for friends and our house help.
That evening, Edward G. hosted a Moroccan dinner at L’Argainer that had been noted as “one of the best in Paris.” The hummus was nothing but the best. Hosting with Edward was longtime best friend and buddy, top barrister Herve Page.
(To be continued)