Charity, one of the greatest Christian virtues, was the motivating factor of the annual Best Dressed Women of the Philippines (BDWP) Awards recently held at the grand ballroom of Makati Shangri-La.
Now on its 10th year, the BDWP raises funds for the Philippine Cancer Society. It is an initiative of BDWP honorary chair and fashion icon Imelda Ongsiako-Cojuangco.
This year’s 14 awardees were: Germany-based couture designer Joyce Peñas Pilarsky; Crossover 105.1 and other Villar companies executive Elaine Rojas Villar; Philippine correspondent for the Nature and Conservation desk of Asian Scientist Chua Copok; fashion store owner Mags Cue; Rotary Club of Makati San Lorenzo president Maila M. Garcia; Zamboanga Sibugay 2nd district Rep. Ann K. Hofer; Dedon Island Resort owner Marites Gonzales Lampert; Mercado Builders, Inc. executive vice president Carol Mercado; Mandaluyong City councilor Charisse Marie Abalos; I Am the Issue foundation head Jerika Ejercito; TayoPH co-founder Lauren Lior Liechtenstein; urban planner Jacqueline Michelle Cañiza Lim; DermAsia Corp. managing director Nikki Tang; and the Violago family’s youngest member, Princess Violago-Dee.
Some of the past awardees agreed to have their Awards Ball gowns displayed at the ballroom foyer as part of the retrospective exhibit, “10 Fabulous Years of Best Dressed Gallery.” Some of the pieces were worth seeing, while a few others should have been mothballed in the closet. Oh, well.
The parade of this year’s awardees was followed by an auction of Hug Me Tight—a rare crystal sculpture by Ramon Orlina that went for an incredible sum of… oops, sorry, my lips are sealed, palangga.
In my humble opinion, dahlings, the standouts among the awardees were Dee, Ejercito, Cue and Villar.
I stayed on till the end. It was all worth it, this event for a great cause.
Beyond trends
Positive vibes guided the recent Philippine launch of American jewelry brand Alex and Ani.
In her welcome speech, Alex and Ani creator and designer Carolyn Rafaelian said: “We believe in creating accessories that speak to every person. The brand taps into universal symbolism to emphasize each individual personality and embody a part of her soul. A sliding mechanism also replaces traditional clasps using an exclusive patented technology.”
And she was right, dahlings, because Alex and Ani—founded in 2004 and named after Rafaelian’s first two daughters—goes beyond the fashion of the moment to match any style or taste with a good dose of positive energy.
Kristel Cue and Celine Tang, founders of Three Point Retail Concepts (the exclusive distributor of Alex and Ani in the Philippines), were also present to explain their plans for the brand, palangga.
At the end of the event, guests walked away with Alex and Ani pieces to start their collections, one bangle at a time.
Alex and Ari is available at Counter 2, Level 2 of SM Aura Premier.