You can somehow determine the age group of the people around you based on the topic of their conversations. For the past week, there have been only two.
For millennials, the arrival of Brooklyn Beckham was the only thing of import. If you catch yourself asking, “Who?” you have just dated yourself.
Brooklyn is Bench’s newest international brand ambassador, one the brand calls a “global Benchsetter” to emphasize his trendsetting style. He is not only a student, a model, a style star and a budding photographer, he happens to be the son of David Beckham. He has already published a book, “What I See,” which gave everyone a peek into his life.
Although he takes after his superstar parents, Becks and Victoria (the former Posh Spice), Brooklyn has already come into his own. At 18, he continues to prove there’s a reason they call him Britain’s golden boy, and that there’s way more to him than just his famous surname.
Brooklyn was in Manila for a quick round of book signing events at the SM Mega Fashion Hall and SM Mall of Asia last week, and ended his day at the ribbon cutting and party for the Bench flagship store at Bonifacio High Street. Brooklyn’s official limousine for his Manila visit was courtesy of Mercedes-Benz Philippines.
Guest of honor
The ribbon cutting had Brooklyn as guest of honor. Present for the occasion were Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano; Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez; Leyte 4th District Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez; Ayala Malls head Rowena Tomeldan; and Suyen Corporation executives Virgilio Lim, Nenita Lim, Bryan Lim and Ben Chan.
The young charmer also graced the press preview for the soon-to-open Bench Café. Present were Bench endorsers Grae Fernandez, Gabbi Garcia, Ruru Madrid, Coleen Garcia, Marco Gumabao, Dominic Roque, Sanya Lopez, Ashley Ortega, David Licauco, Graham Caygill and Benchsetters Juliana Gomez, Leila Alcasid, Emil Khodaverdi, Mathew Custodio, Rhys Eugenio and LA Aguinaldo.
Located in Bonifacio High Street, the three-story flagship store is proof that Bench has evolved from a small clothing label to a complete lifestyle brand. Bench resident architect Miguel Pastor says the store’s overall layout was driven by the growing need to cater to the younger generation.
Aside from the Instagram-worthy neon signs and larger-than-life images of today’s hottest local and foreign celebs, the store has the Bench Design Studio, where customers can personalize their own T-shirts with vinyl prints, patches and emojis, or the graphic tee corner. There’s also a section for the all-new Bench Active line, a whole wall of scents and skincare necessities, and an entire area devoted to the good old Bench Overhauled Jeans.
A staircase situated at the right side of the store’s entrance leads to the first ever Bench Café, while the third floor has both a Bench Fix Salon and Bench Barbers waiting to pamper all the ladies and gents who walk in.
The Bench flagship store is on 9th Ave. corner Lane O, Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global Center, Taguig. Follow @benchtm on Instagram.
Looking half her age
The other hot topic du jour is Korina Sanchez-Roxas gracing the new Belo Thermage billboard. Her chiseled jawline and firmly toned arms have people wondering about the procedures Korina had at Dr. Vicki Belo’s clinic. Yes, she looks half her age!
At the Christmas party of Swatch grand dame Virgie Ramos, Korina told me about Belo Thermage, the only noninvasive treatment that delivers tighter skin, renewed facial contours and healthier collagen. The procedure employs a patented radio frequency technology called ThermaCool System.
It has been clinically proven to tighten and gently lift skin to smooth out wrinkles and define facial contours. The incision-free procedure is fast and easy, and requires no downtime from normal activities. Unlike lasers, the procedure can be performed on patients of all skin types.
Since this treatment is noninvasive, I told Dr. Vicki that I would give Belo Thermage a try. I had my intro procedure to Belo Beauty with Vicki herself, along with young singer Morissette.
Unfortunately, I didn’t transform like Korina, but I’m very happy with the results.
I found out Korina also had Embedded Protein Threads. These are special threads of varying lengths that are inserted into different points on the face to help improve facial contour with noted lifting and tightening. It is ideal for deep wrinkles on the face that are difficult to correct with Botox alone.
Lastly, Korina had Belo Vita, a new antiaging treatment that promotes skin regeneration and tissue repair leading to a more youthful, moisturized and fairer skin. The procedure involves the use of a specialized injector that accurately and safely delivers rejuvenating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glutathione and PDRN (polydeoxiribonucleotide), derived from salmon sperm likened to actual human DNA, which aids in cell proliferation or growth.
The trio Belo combination, plus Korina’s slimmer figure, makes for an incredibly beautiful transformation. We couldn’t help but talk about Korina at the thanksgiving dinner party of renowned Filipina jewelry designer and three-time Katha Awards winner Ann Ong.
Jewelry show in NYC
Among 40 family and friends, Ann celebrated her birthday with an intimate Chinese dinner at Canton Road in the Shangri-La at the Fort. She also displayed her 2018 collection for the New York Now Show.
Ann continues to make her mark on the global stage as she presents her newest collection of handcrafted, one-of-a-kind pieces titled “Surround Yourself with Nature.” If you’re in New York, catch her exhibit at Jacob Javits Center at Artisan Resource New York Now on Feb. 4-7.
Ann Ong’s store is at Shangri-La at the Fort, Taguig City. Visit www.annongjewelry.com.