If you follow as many “fashion people” as I do (and I say that with utmost love for the editors and personalities on the coveted front row), then your Instagram feed has been blowing up. New York Fashion Week has kicked off the festivities, and it’s brought with it a plethora of content. There are the obsessively staged candid shots, close-up photos of accessories, and IG stories of models walking down the runway in slow-mo or Boomerang, whichever the preference.
Although the crowds at the shows are just as Pinterest-worthy, the best inspiration is still on the runway. The Fall-Winter 2018 looks might not fit too well with our tropical climate–although I’ve seen many shearling jackets I am dying to wear–but we’ve found more than a few details that could spruce up our closets.
Fall-Winter 2018 looks from A.L.C., Jeremy Scott, Oscar de la Renta, and Tory Burch
The Pink Ranger
If last year’s color du jour was the sweet and subtle Millenial Pink, this year is all about fuchsia. The hue is unapologetically feminine, and gets a nice visual contrast in a tailored pantsuit like at A.L.C. Tory Burch and Oscar de la Renta embraced the girliness with A-line skirts and flowy fabric. A fun favorite, though, is the Jem and the Holograms-esque looks at Jeremy Scott–we’re totally getting purple tights now!
Fall-Winter 2018 looks from Badgley Mishka, Bottega Venetta, Michael Kors, and Victoria Beckham
Animal Instincts
New York felt more than just an urban jungle on Fashion Week, where a slew of animal prints hit the runway. The look is more Vogue than va-va-voom though, with head-to-toe looks done in more boxy silhouettes–the Victoria Beckham coat is on our must-have list! One look we’ll definitely be copying though is from Bottega Venetta’s menswear collection. A hint of a tiger print under a monochrome pantsuit serves the perfect peek of the animal inside.
Fall-Winter 2018 looks from Red Valentino, Oscar de la Renta, Kate Spade New York, and Grey Jason Wu
Sweater Weather
It seems our cold weather favorite is finally fashionable. We’re loving the oversized sweater and ultra-feminine skirt combo for its cute, cozy and completely wearable appeal. There’s nothing wrong with going for a dark-colored ensemble (the all-black Grey Jason Wu look is perfect for the gloomy days of typhoon season), but floral details as in Oscar de la Renta add a certain sweetness factor.
Fall-Winter 2018 looks from Mara Hoffman, Tom Ford, Norma Kamali, and See by Chloe
The Perfect Puff
True, there’s really no need for thick coats when you’re in the Philippines, but that’s what our year-end international exoduses are for. If you’re traveling to colder climes this year, make sure you’ve got some statement outerwear to keep warm but look cool. New York Fashion Week saw some exaggerated shapes, such as the super poofy long coat from Norma Kamali. Tom Ford’s patched jacket might be more up my alley though–it’s the perfect way to add some personality to our basic travel looks.
Fall-Winter 2018 looks from Diane von Furstenberg
Line We Love: Diane von Furstenberg
We don’t have to explain why DVF is a fashion icon–the wrap dress remains one of the most flattering and chic shapes today. This season, though, we’re raving about the pantsuits. The fashion house sent out a series of printed coordinates that somehow look put-together and effortless at the same time, and I’m thinking this could easily be my new work day uniform. Who else is with me?
Photo source
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Zee Lifestyle‘s December-January 2016 Style Issue: Jennifer Helen Weigel-Sarmiento (Photography: Mark Philip Dales/Sittings Editor: Melo Esguerra/Production Manager: Shari Quimbo/Makeup: Ramil Solis/Hair: Ariel Tatoy/Locale: UVNS)
Gracing the cover is Jennifer Helen Weigel-Sarmiento. Known as Penny to her family and close friends, this businesswoman, philantrophist, mother, and Mrs. Asia International Metropolitan titleholder proves that when it comes to style, age is but a number.
Jennifer joins a bevy of Cebu’s most stylish personalities. Abigail “Bombom” Ngo, Carla Larrazabal-del Prado, Michelle Mulet-Yu, Raquel Choa, Alyssa Lao, Ayana Jimenez, Vanessa East, Timmy Gomez, Michael Karlo Lim, Jacob Pimentel, Stuart Violanda and Allan Ong Jr. showcase their individuality in looks that are entirely their own.
THE HIT LIST: Cebu’s Most Stylish Personalities (Photography: Dan Douglas Ong/Hair and Makeup: Kimberly Lam, Hollie Damaolao, Janice Barillo and Nicko dela Peña)
Beyond its people, Cebu as a city is also known for being stylish. The visual flair of the city’s newest destinations Unos Design, The Chocolate Chamber Boutique, Pigafetta and HoliCOW proves that Cebu is home to the creative entrepreneur—well deserving of being part of the Southeast Asian Creative Cities Network.
With the opening of new malls in Cebu, new lifestyle brands such as H&M, Pull&Bear and Sfera have made their way to our shores, bringing their latest collections for the locales to go crazy over. This issue also provides a backstage pass to the Fashion Weeks in Milan, London, Paris and New York. Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Burberry, Hugo Boss, Marc Jacobs, Tory Burch and Kate Spade are just some of the well-known names that unveiled their Spring/Summer 2016 collections
Read more in Zee Lifestyle’s Style Issue, out on stands this month. Grab your copies at National Bookstore and Fully Booked. For subscriptions, click here, or download the Magzter app on your device and search for ‘Zee Lifestyle’.
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Silver leather jacket, black and white geometric pattern dress shirt, scarf, black trousers and bag, all from RAOUL
Niya wears a golden tassled evening gown by JUN ESCARIO. All accessories from JEWELMER. Rafael wears tuxedo suit by JC BUENDIA.
Rafael wears a blue suit by M BARRETO. Gingham shirt from ZARA. Niya wears a rust ball skirt and crepe turtleneck jersey top by JUN ESCARIO.
From the Swan collection: earrings with two golden South Sea pearls set in 18-karat yellow gold from Jewelmer. A pearl strand necklace with 369 golden South Sea pearls from Jewelmer. A pearl strand necklace with 42 golden South Sea pearls from Jewelmer.
Niya wears an orange and black houndstooth coat and silk top over a black wool skirt with zipper detail, all from RAOUL. Her accessories: A pearl strand necklace with 93 white South Sea pearls from Jewelmer. From the Rosone collection: a ring with a white South Sea pearl set with diamonds in 18-karat white gold from Jewelmer.
Niya wears a rust ball skirt and crepe turtleneck jersey top by JUN ESCARIO.
Niya wears a vintage lace little black dress, shoulder bag and shoes all from TORY BURCH.
Red leather gloves, stylist’s own. A pearl strand necklace with 369 golden South Sea pearls from Jewelmer.
Niya wears a gray wool coat with a beaded collar, an embellished gray dress, and shoulder bag from TORY BURCH, neckpiece by JUN ESCARIO.
Emerald green tunic dress with leather detail and green leather flats from RAOUL. Bag from TORY BURCH. From the Lautitia collection: Ostrea ring with a white South Sea pearl set with 12.75 carat diamonds in 18-karat white gold from Jewelmer.
From the Rosone collection: earrings with two white South Sea pearls set with 1.65 carat diamonds in 18-karat white gold from Jewelmer.
Blue leather tailored top and knee-length skirt, and shoes, all from TORY BURCH.
Niya wears a handmade leather jacket with knit sleeves, orange silk top, silk scarf and white trousers, all from HERMÉS. Earrings and watch from BULGARI. Rafael wears printed cotton shirt, rust colored scarf and shorts, all from HERMÉS. Watch from Bulgari.
Rafael wears a blue cotton shirt from TYLER. Dark gray jacket by JC Buendia.
Rafael wears a blue suit by M BARRETO. Gingham shirt from ZARA.
- creative direction Melo Esguerra
- photography Gonzalo Mena
- styling Charmagne Palermo and Vanessa Johnson
- hair and makeup Eric Maningat
- models Rafael and Niya of Elite Manila
- locale Makati Shangri-La, Manila
Filipino women can’t get enough of Tory Burch. The American designer’s kaftans and ballerina flats are staples in the closets of every chic and well-travelled Pinay. She has a soft spot for the Philippines, having visited the country as a student, and now finding a trusted and ardent Filipino collaborator in Daniel Romualdez, the interior designer of her Manhattan home and stores all over the world.
I had the privilege of meeting Tory and Daniel at the opening of the Tory Burch flagship store in Madison Avenue in Manhattan, New York. In a recent interview with the dynamic design tandem, Tory tells me about her inspirations, the future plans for her eponymous label and her commitment in empowering women beyond charity, while Daniel shares some of the secrets behind the chic and stylish look of Tory’s home and store interiors.
MELO ESGUERRA: The Philippines loves Tory Burch. I see so many Filipino women who are comfortably walking in your signature flats and tunics. But who is really the Tory Burch woman and how is she similar (or different) to the lady behind the brand?
TORY BURCH: Our customers are women of all ages and personal styles who live busy, multi-faceted lives. We want to make getting dressed in the morning effortless, so we focus on designing pieces that will help our customer feel pulled together — a trench, a cashmere t-shirt, a cigarette pant — but that also have unexpected elements. My design team and I also think about what we’re missing in our closets and hope that other women are looking for some of the same things too.
ME: When we learned about your creative partnership with Filipino interior designer Daniel Romualdez, we loved you even more. How did your collaboration with Daniel begin?
DANIEL ROMUALDEZ: We met while Tory and I were working on her apartment in the city and she showed me the work she was beginning to do on her brand. Initially we agreed it made sense for her to work with an interiors person who specialized in boutiques. But as she got deeper into the process of attempting to translate her brand into an actual retail space, Tory asked me to get involved; she felt that I understood her aesthetic. Since then I have worked with the company on all 73 stores.
ME: I thought your Spring/Summer 2012 collection was so beautiful. What are the inspirations behind your collections? What inspired your latest Fall/Winter line?
TB: Thank you! We draw inspiration from many places each season, whether it’s photographs of my parents from the ’70s, a painting by Gerhard Richter or a great song. For fall, one of our inspirations was Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love. The looks are polished but with subversive undertones — nipped waists, slim cuts and a lot of leather.
ME: I fell in love with the old townhouse that is now your Madison flagship store in New York, which has a fantasy and heritage element that ignites nostalgia and imagination, and you mentioned that you were eyeing it before it was even on the market. Tell us about the history of the house, and how relevant and significant is the house it is to Tory Burch.
TB: It’s a townhouse that was built in the 19th-century. The space has had special significance for me for many years; I used to go to the diner that was on the ground floor with my boys when they were little, and there was a hairdresser above it. When Daniel and I saw the gutted space years later, we were drawn to it instantly. We thought of it as a restoration rather than a renovation, keeping many of the special details from the 1800s and adding references that spoke to the aesthetic of our brand. We also embraced new inspirations, like the work of the (late) renowned French interior designer Madeleine Castaing — we share a love of bold colors with her — and ideas from our feng shui master to bring great energy to the space.
DR: We saw the space together for the first time after it had been gutted; only the perimeter walls and the raw space were left. We reconstructed it to largely resemble what the building most likely looked like when it was originally built, but it was more our fantasy of that than an academically correct restoration. We took some liberties to make it very Tory.
ME: You both did a fantastic job in mixing different elements of design to the interiors to make it look like a collection of a world traveller and adventurer. I saw Asian touches amidst a European grandeur in the forms of the wooden boxes with mother of pearl details and some Chinese antique ceramics. What was the design philosophy behind it?
TB: I collect Imari and Ming china, vintage books and artisanal finds from antique stores and markets as I travel. I love the idea of mixing pieces that don’t seemingly go together and making them work, like the green velvet walls with gypsum accents in the Madison Avenue living room.
DR: Tory loves to travel and has toured extensively in Asia. She had even spent some time in the Philippines as a student. When she comes home from a trip she always brings back a few treasures, like the Chinese and Japan porcelain she collects. Since the stores are a reflection of Tory’s homes, we make it a point to include such objects in them as well.
ME: Please share with us the future plans of the brand. Will there be expansion of the brand? Will there be Tory Burch Home one day?
TB: We recently signed a partnership with Estee Lauder and are thrilled to be launching our first fragrance in 2013. We are developing the scent and bottle design now. Creating a home collection is on my wish list, but we’re taking our time. In terms of our stores, we are expanding in Brazil, China, Southeast Asia and the U.S. in the next few months.
ME: What are the causes and advocacies closest to your heart, and the contributions and efforts you’ve done to advance these causes?
TB: We launched the Tory Burch Foundation three years ago. As a working mother and someone who firmly believes in empowering women, I wanted to start a foundation to help women and their families. We are currently focused on microfinance and mentoring for female entrepreneurs in the U.S., and we hope to eventually diversify our programs and expand internationally. We have given over 50 loans of $8,000 each on average, and we have hosted mentorship events in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Hawaii where entrepreneurs can get the advice they need to grow their businesses. It’s important to me that the Foundation is not a charity; it’s helping women help themselves. That’s incredibly exciting.
ME: Allow us to understand your thoughts on style. As one of the world’s most stylish women, how do you define style? For those who aspire to emulate your style, any specific advice for them?
TB: Great style comes from trusting your instincts about what’s right for you. It’s about finding pieces that look great and help you feel like the best and chicest version of yourself. When women ask for style advice, something I always go back to is, “Try not to follow trends too literally.” Look for timeless pieces you not only love but that work for your life, and feel free to put your own spin on them.
ME: You love to travel and you mentioned that you’ve been to the Philippines before. What was your experience like?
TB: I went for the first time during Semester at Sea, a college program that allowed a group of us to travel the world for six months, experiencing new cultures. I was a life-altering trip; the program truly gave me a global sensibility and awareness of issues facing people in other countries. I would love to visit again with family.
by Melo Esguerra photography Noa Griffel
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