Louis Vuitton pulled out all stops for the opening of its very chic expanded store at Makati’s high-end shopping arcade, Greenbelt 4. “The expansion of the store is an affirmation of the malletier’s confidence in the Philippine retail market,”said Jean Baptise Debains, president of LV Asia-Pacific.

Entering the refurbished store with its unique façade inspired by the house’s signature Damier pattern, moi could only exclaim, “Wow!”

The shop is a showcase of the Louis Vuitton flair for combining innovative retail concepts with savoir-faire.

“The interiors of the store have been transformed to reinforce the art of travel, the spirit that Louis Vuitton has always been known for,” said Debains.

The store’s main entrance opens up to a remarkable travel area and expansive leather goods section featuring well-loved icons and fab pieces, dahlings.

A few stairs up lead you to the mezzanine floor dedicated for the men of style and, naturellement, money. Here you’ll see fine men’s leather goods, shoes and accessories plus the new “Damier Infini” collection, consisting of a men’s weekend bag and a briefcase crafted from embossed calf-skin, no less.

Then there is a lower-floor extension that houses women’s favorites such as leather goods, shoes and accessories, especially LV’s totally rare and exceptional pieces, such as the must-have iconic bag Lockit and Brea, which come in exquisite crocodile-skin.

Also in the lower level you’ll find the private salon, the ultimate in personal shopping experience.

In cooperation with Galleria Duemila, a painting titled “Blossom 1,” by acclaimed local artist Roberto Robles, hangs on the wall of the private salon, dahlings.

One should check out the incredibly popular Empriente collection available in two new colors, aubergine and orient, and the Citadine, which is a tote-style bag that comes with a mirrored pouch.

Empriente also has the classy wallet, Petillante.

“We are very proud of the expanded Louis Vuitton store in the Philippines,” Debains said. “Our business in the Philippines has grown year after year since we opened at the Greenbelt in 2003, allowing us to totally welcome our guests and showcase in the best way, the quality and variety of our products.”

“We will also continue to support efforts of the SOS Children’s Villages in the Philippines, as we feel it is important to give back to the local communities in which we operate, following Louis Vuitton’s global CSR actions,” Debains added.

In line with the global partnership between SOS Children’s Villages and Louis Vuitton, a special grant was given by the latter to support the “Family Strengthening Program” of three SOS Children’s Villages in the Philippines located in Lipa, Davao and Tacloban.

The program keeps families—at risk of separation due to poverty—together, by providing for the education of the kids, as well as livelihood and other basic necessities.

Unique partying style

The ribbon-snipping ceremony was led by Kitkat Zobel, Debains, the très-très charmant Edouard Faure, LV general manager for Micronesia and the Philippines, and Rhea de Vera-Aguirre and Vanessa Mayuga Santos, country manager and PR manager, respectively, of LV Philippines.

Then the celebration began as guests were treated to LV’s unique way of partying, dahlings.

The pathway to the venue was made to look like an airport runway, leading to a set of Louis Vuitton trunk doors that invitees walked through.

We were mesmerized by the whimsical “World of Flight” showcase, filled with hot-air balloons and vintage model airplanes floating from the ceiling against the cool ambience of clear blue skies.

The DJ’s booth, seemingly atop a floating cloud above the dance floor, housed international DJ Simon Washford and DJ Janva, no less. Their playing definitely added to the high energy of this wow! happening.

French magician Stefan Leyschon had everyone’s full attention with his extraordinary illusions, while world-class mixologist Joseph Boroski, from New York, created specially designed martini concoctions. Champagne poured endlessly.

No wonder, many guests became inebriated and had to practically be  carried out to their cars.

Meanwhile, several women ignored another group of women like the plague, although those who had not been on speaking terms for some time became friends again.

It was also an occasion for flirtation, especially among the men, who vied for the attention of several women. But, hey! that’s what makes a great memorable bash, n’est pas?

Regardless whether it’s opening in Hong Kong, China or Manila, an LV opening is one of a kind and hard to beat, dahlings.