Once a year, on fashion designer Randy Ortiz’s birthday, we get to enjoy his cozy digs and his adobo which, after all these years, has won critical acclaim among his famished and not-so-famished friends.
His urban place—where sometimes he also receives his clients—is in a perpetual state of reinvention, so that a visit there is always a delightful experience. One learns style just by seeing how Ortiz redefines his home, and adds an accent or two.
The dining table and the modular furniture in the open-space layout have stayed the same. Ortiz creates the illusion of greater space by sticking to neutral and earth colors, so that everything’s easy on the eyes. The gray upholstered sofa and the gray curtains form a visual continuity, giving the living room an airy atmosphere.
Ortiz curtained off the windows. Interestingly, this is one condo unit that feels bright and airy even without windows precisely because of Ortiz’s use of neutrals, glass and crystal accessories. His only concession to “color” are the bronze and pewter accents.
A huge gold-framed mirror, made to lean on the wall, also gives an illusion of bigger space. Beside it is an oil portrait of the designer by Ronald Caringal.
Scattered about are ottomans and Kenneth Cobonpue’s Chiquita stools.
Ortiz celebrates his 30th anniversary in November with the showing of his 70-piece collection for men and women, around a denim theme. That’s something his good friends are all looking forward to.
Around his birthday dining table that night two weeks ago were longtime friends, fashion director Jackie Aquino who’s directing Ortiz’s anniversary show; his signature model Trishan Cuaso; hotelier Marco Protacio who’s running his family-owned Protacio Hospital which has gone beyond basic hospital services into child development program and wellness program; marketing consultant Pen Roque who’s also focused on Bright Halls Children’s Foundation; PR consultant Annie Ringor who, like Roque, is committed to Bright Halls.
The foundation, which coddles orphans, will launch “The Age Beautifully Cookbook” by Grace Ouano of California on Sept. 13 at City Club Ballroom, Alphaland, Makati.
Also around that night were model-turned-fitness icon Tweetie Gonzalez who traded mothering notes with us—her daughter is also going into modeling—and hairstyling icon Henri Calayag.
No nasty weather or nastier traffic could keep that company from coming together and having adobo, kare-kare, chicken relleno, molo soup, and sapin-sapin, understandably.
