Flying in to attend these festivities was none other than Asia’s queen of fashion, Joyce Ma. She is credited with introducing to Hong Kong and Asia the major brands like Gucci, Armani and Prada, as well as the Japanese and Belgian designers.
She was accompanied by her sister, HK’s equally talented and stylish icon Bonnie Gokson. Bonnie owns one of HK’s most popular restaurants, Sevva, as well as Ms B’s cake shop and the recently opened C’est la B. Another of Asia’s most stylish ladies, the fashion queen of Malaysia Farah Khan, was also in town, as well as Marina Mahathir, the daughter of the former prime minister of Malaysia, who champions nongovernment organizations and socio-civic causes and is also a newspaper columnist.
All these high-powered women were here to attend the birthday party of one of the Philippines’ most inspiring and selfless ladies, Doris Ho, as she celebrated her 60th.
Her birthday at Whitespace was a show-stopper, overflowing with friends and family from here and abroad. Organizing this momentous occasion were her children Alexandra Maxwell-Cecala, Jesse and Patrick Maxwell; sisters Linda McAfee and Helen Delgado; and friends Ricco and Tina Ocampo and Monique Villonco.
The fantastic décor was done by Junie Rodriguez, and the superb food was catered by a powerhouse of culinary geniuses—Glenda Barretto, Claude Tayag, Margarita Fores and Gilbert Pangilinan of Kai. Instead of gifts, friends and family gave generously to Habitat for Humanity Philippines, chaired in the Philippines by Fernando Zobel.
The party started with opening spiels by Karen Davila and myself, emcees for the night. The program included a special and heartwarming video about Doris produced by her sister Helen and James Fortaleza of Steps. A special musical number was done by Kit Zobel, Piki Lopez, Annabel Alejandrino, Racqui Garcia, Bobby Cuenca, Ernest Escaler and Monique as they took up the mic to sing Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are.”
Alexandra changed the words around to refer to her mother. Family and friends joined in the singing as the three-tiered cake, designed by Bonnie, was rolled out. Jesse, Alexandra and her husband Joey, and Patrick led the toast to their mother.
Entertainment was provided by Aileen Sison of the Guarana Band, Pete Canzon and his jazz quartet, sensational singer Jed Madela, stand-up comedian Mitch Valdez, the Mulatto band, and Mr. Pure Energy himself, Gary Valenciano.
The highlight for everyone was a video acknowledging and thanking the donors of “Project Doris,” which will soon rise as a Habitat community in Navotas for homeless families affected by the series of devastating typhoons. The donations raised that evening will build a school, a community center, a daycare center, and over 130 homes costing over P15 million.
Josie Natori and Porcelanosa
Most of the guests who came for Doris’ birthday stayed for about five days; thus, they were treated left and right to lunches and meriendas. One was hosted by Bea Zobel Jr. at her parents’ home, and the other at Fe Rodriguez’s new home which, I must say, is one of the most beautiful homes I have ever seen in Manila.
These special guests were also able to attend Josie Natori’s fashion show at Salon de Ning, Peninsula Manila, where she showed her Resort Wear S/S 2012 collection. It was great to see Josie’s collection, which is available in Rustan’s, in a full presentation here in Manila. In the major US department stores like Saks or Neiman Marcus, she is given prominence and a huge space. It’s about time she gets the same here at home.
The guest list included the top architects in the country, from Ramon Antonio, Budji Layug and Royal Pineda, to Manny Minaña and Conrad Onglao, to name a few. It was great to see the banter of these top architects, who normally do not socialize but are, of course, on friendly terms.
Porcelanosa’s principal endorser is our very own Isabel Preysler. Its partners in the Philippines are Menardo Jimenez and Jay Ong. The prestigious Spanish company will be opening in March 2012 at The Fort and, who knows, La Preysler, as she is called by the Spanish media, may just be here to open the store.
10 overwhelming years
And then there was the 10th Philippine Tatler Ball held at the Makati Shangri-La. I will leave Maurice Arcache and Tessa Prieto-Valdes to write about this in great detail, but what makes this particular ball special to me is the knowledge and the blessing that the Philippine Tatler has come so far.
I can still recall when we started in 2001, when a lot of naysayers said a society magazine would not work in the Philippines. But we persevered with this dream. Thanks as well to the vision of the late publisher, Dondi Almario, the former owners Dr Mohindar, the Edipresse group, the fantastic Tatler team, the advertisers, friends and family, and of course, our managing director, Irene Martel Francisco.
Ten years is a baby in publishing terms, but to reach this point would need a lot of perseverance, tenacity, creativity, and grace from above. I see all the work that has been done for the last 10 years, and I am quite overwhelmed.
My journey with the Tatler has been replete with fulfillment and gratitude. Here’s looking forward to more years to come, and to endless possibilities.