Mely Concepcion Hechanova celebrated another year of her exciting life, dahlings.
Known for her perfectly styled lunches, Mely threw a double bash. The first was an awesome affair for women. There were only four men—the celebrator’s son-in-law, businessman Ed Angeles; well-known cardiologist Dr. Randy Francisco; Boysie Villavicencio; and Mely’s husband, hotshot Rotarian and Iloilo’s pride Paing Hechanova. The affair, palanggas, lasted till 5 p.m.
Sooner than you could bat an eyelash, Mely was fresh and ready again in a stunning Inno Sotto gown to welcome another set of 120 chosen invitees to an excellent buffet dinner, catered by La Tasca, naturellement.
During dinner, one lady guest told moi, “It’s a good thing Mely entertains like this only once a year, otherwise I’d run out of jewelry to wear as my accessories.”
Another lady, who was jewelry-watching, was sorting out which was real, which was fancy. “That one is wearing the real thing,” she said. “That one there is wearing fakes.”
With such a running commentary, it was time for me to table-hop till we said our “thank yous” to Mely Concepcion Hechanova, but of course, dahlings.
Islamic fashion show
An awesome spectacle of fabrics and designs showing glamour and sophistication without a lot of skin was the 2012 Islamic Fashion Festival (IFF), presented by the Embassy of Malaysia at the Grand Ballroom of InterContinental Manila, dahlings.
The festival was launched in 2006 by Dato Raja Rezza Shah, a Renaissance man of royal descent. It aimed to show the gentle side of Islam and the beauty of diversity through fashion.
The festival has been presented to international acclaim in key cities around the world.
The Manila show served as the curtain raiser to this year’s series. The top-of-the-line guests of honor were Raja Puan Muda Perak Raja Nor Mahani and Malaysian Tourism Minister Dato Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen.
Also present were Malaysian cabinet ministers’ wives.
Top fashion designers from Kuala Lumpur and Indonesia Melinda Looi, Syaiful Baharim, Tom Abang Saufi and Milo Migliavaccca were joined by our very own talented designers—JC Buendia, Jun Escario and Veejay Floresca—in the fashion show.
Welsh-Malay television and stage personality Stephen Rahman Hughes jetted in from London to sing two musical numbers to the delight of the audience, palanggas.
On hand to warmly welcome guests were Dato Seri Dr. Ibrahim Saad, ambassador of Malaysia to the Philippines, and his wife, Datin Seri Dato Zainab Abdul Kader.
Also welcoming guests were the members of the IFF Manila organizing committee—Tina Maristela-Ocampo, Doris Magsaysay-Ho, Consul Fortune Aleta-Ledesma and Tingting de los Reyes-Cojuangco, no less.
During the fashion show, executive chef Alisdair Bletcher and his team laid out a four-course Malaysian dinner, dahlings.
The event generated funds for Filipino scholars at the Allianze University College of Medical Sciences in Malaysia. It also raised funds for the Museo Pambata, Philippine Public Safety College and Virlanie Foundation Inc.
FCCP fashion show
The Friends for Cultural Concerns of the Philippines (FCCP) presented “Fashion With A Vision,” featuring members of the FCCP as well as top models wearing exotic creations by Dita Sandico Ong, Patis Tesoro and Malu Veloso.
The designs were made from indigenous fibers such as abaca and piña.
Also included in the show were eye-catching creations by talented young designers from the UP BS Clothing Technology Batch 2012.
The fashion show organizing committee was headed by FCCP president Nene Santos Leonor, no less. Members include Rose Marie Lazaro, Karen Macasaet, Tessie Rodrigo, Lulu Castañeda, Letty Hahnn, Rosita Lesaca, Chloe Romulo Periquet and Glecy Mojares.
The show raised funds for the scholarship program and other projects of FCCP, dahlings.
Among FCCP’s sponsors were Golden Lion Films International, Cats Motors Inc., Vibal Publishing House, Asia Textile Mills Inc. and F.E. Zuellig Inc.