Remember Chona Kasten, dahlings? For the high society people who knew her, as well as those who have the faintest idea who she was, let me tell you about “La Divina: The Life and Style of Chona Recto-Kasten,” a coffee-table book on the life and times of the late fashion icon, written by her only daughter Techie Ysmael-Bilbao, edited by Jose Mari Ugarte, and published by National Book Store/Anvil.
Techie took three years to finish the book, in between a hectic schedule and trips to Florida, before finally receiving word that it would be formally launched at the Ayala Museum with support from Filipinas Heritage Library and Raffles and Fairmont Makati, as well as Moet Hennessy Philippines.
Among the guest speakers at the book launch were Philippine Airlines president Jaime Bautista, Rustan Commercial Corp. chair and CEO Nedy Tantoco, Patty Araneta, Criselda Lontok, Techie and her brother Louie Ysmael.
Louie, speaking on behalf of the family, thanked everyone who worked on the book.
Argentine tango maestro Cecil Go, also an artist and furniture designer, took time out from setting up his own art exhibit, his fourth solo show at the Ayala Museumís Artist Space, to attend the book launch.
Having personally known Chona and her children all these years, I felt nostalgic at the recollection of elegance, style and gracious living of a long gone period.
Bravo, Techie!
For SUVs, pickup trucks
Meanwhile, palangga, Caltex took the opportunity to launch its newest line of Havoline and Delo lubricants by sponsoring a promotional event for “X-Men: Apocalypse,” the latest installment in the blockbuster franchise, held at the Atrium of SM Mall of Asia (MOA).
The new products included the Delo Sports with ISOSYN Technology, Delo Sports Fully Synthetic SAE 5W-40, and Delo Sports Synthetic Blend SAE 10W-30.
These products aim to benefit SUVs and pickup trucks, providing enhanced engine protection and increased power even in the most trying of driving conditions.
“At Caltex, our customers are the cornerstone of our business. Every bottle of Havoline and Delo engine oil is imbued with the power to protect their engines and deliver optimized performance of their diesel engines in their everyday drive,” said Joe Bronfman, Chevron Philippines Inc. (CPI) area business manager for lubricants.
Lifestyle sneakers
After Caltex’s presentation, we dashed over to another event, Elro Retail Corp. (ERC) which unveiled its new lifestyle sneakers, Gola from the United Kingdom.
In attendance were ERC president Francisco R. Elizalde, chair Francisco Elizalde Sr., and Roxaco Land Corp. president and CEO Santiago Elizalde.
“We are delighted to welcome Gola to the Philippine market. It is truly an iconic brand that fuses the classic style with the modern and upbeat fashion sense of today’s market,” said Cecille Loretizo, ERC head of marketing.
Gorgeous models wearing Gola footwear with London street style fashion walked down the runway, accompanied by the latest hits of British music artists.
Earning applause from the guests were four Gola shoe styles: Classic, Trendy, Sporty and Edgy.
