At Helen Ong’s Philippine Cancer Society annual fund-raising ball held at Makati Shangri-La, sophisticated ladies wore ball gowns. The more arresting looks were those designed by Ito Curata, Rhett Eala and Rajo Laurel.
Each gown upstaged the previous one with blinding bling-bling. Ten were named in the Best Dressed List and given each the title “Ambassador for Life,” all of them stylish achievers in the fight against cancer.
Across town at the Diamond Hotel, those on Tingting Cojuangco’s Most Elegant List were proclaimed. They included the usual suspects including Lucy Torres, Bea Valdes, and Ching Cruz, all unimpeachable in their respective personal style.
Meanwhile, Inquirer Lifestyle editor Thelma San Juan was at the Marie France 30th anniversary shindig and our BFF went to Olivia Limpe’s liquor launch.
All these happening on a Tuesday night in Manila? Definitely an increase of social events where a woman has to be in formal frocks many times in a week.
This new breed of women of substance and means is helping fuel the dynamism of the fashion industry, which provides them with marvelous gowns and cocktail dresses and other designs for the many socials that will climax this December, especially New Year’s Eve at The Peninsula Manila.
Our designers are challenged to outdo themselves. Their greatest fear is for two female clients wearing similar designs at the same corporate or society event. That would be a disaster!
And yet there is healthy competition among designers—each new gown they create will try to be the star of the affair. We like this one-upmanship because standards are raised, drama is created, everyone looks good.
Fashion is a wheel, up and down, round and round.
Oh, there was also Tessa Valdes and Kaye Tinga’s Red Gala and Goulee Gorospe’s Polo Club fashion soiree on the same night.
If only we had a fairy godmother and with a twirl of her magic wand, we become a Cinderella till the stroke of midnight.