I think I am living in a fashion dream!   Almost a week after Fashion ICON Sarah Jessica Parker visits Manila and a full day after Wallpaper creator and Monocle Tyler Brûlé comes to Manila via his pop up store at UNIVERS. (Read more about it here. http://chuvaness.com/13671/events/monocle-visits-manila/)   Another  important style arbiter visits our beautiful shores.  Brought in my JAG for their JAG ORIGINS  project none other than  Ms. Nina Garcia.

I was so excited when I heard that she was coming and even more excited when I was invited to a small dinner to welcome her to our city.  We were all in all  an intimate group of around 12 people and it was held at the Strip restaurant of  the Fabulous Solaire restaurant.

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This is part 2 of my unforgettable experience with one of the most wonderful famous person that I can now call a friend!  NAKS!!!!  I  just wanted to share a few more photos from the past few days!  She was here for a shoot and I played a bit of a game of what if?  What if I was asked to dress her up? I went up to my archives and thought how wonderful she would look in a vintage Ramon Valera?  I kept a few of my grandmother’s Valera’s and thought since SJP loves vintage something like a National artist’s work for Fashion would be quite appropriate. Then I thought what if she wears something Filipino but modern?  Like some of my Pintado’s pieces?

I guess there the thought of what if?  Was on some of my friends mind.  Like when my friend Matt Gozun dressed up as Carrie Bradshaw?  LOL!  During our Dampa lunch I told SJP about HALO-HALO our now famous dessert made even more famous by Anthony Bourdain.  She has never tried it and I told her that she should try it at Milky Way as they do have the best Halo-Halo there.  We then discussed more about home cooking and told her that the closest thing  to Home cooking other than eating in someone’s home is Milky Way.

So imagine my surprise when we got a message from SJP’s assistant saying lets go to Milky Way? So right after the event we went straight to Milky Way but Malu decided that Cirkulo would be a good choice.  So there we were in one long table just chatting away.  SJP sat beside Nix and immediately they talked about interior design and what not. Malu served up a storm from her signature beef belly dish  and the baby lamb ribs that SJP really loved!  Finally it was time for the HALO-HALO and just like the trooper that SJP was mixed away and said that she liked it very much.

Before we knew it the time had passed and SJP had to go because of her 3am flight!   She told me that she will be back and see more of our beautiful country.  After a lengthy good bye we hugged and promised to keep in touch. Thank you Malu for an amazing meal!  I still cannot get over how one of my personal ICONS spent time with me in our city!  I am still on a HIGH!!!!

HUGS TO ALL!

RAJO!

The last two days have been so surreal!  To say that it was like a dream coming true was not enough as I was able to meet one of personal style heroes Ms. Sarah Jessica Parker.  It was one of those serendipitous  moments that just pure luck!

All I wanted was to have a photograph.  I just wanted to have a photo with SJP.  My dear friend Pam Quinones  was styling SJP for SM-AURA!  It was a huge moment for Pam and I am extremely very proud of her.  I joined Pam for a night cap after work and stepped out for a smoke. From the corner of my eye I spotted Sarah Jessica Parker.  I took a chance and went up to her and ask for a photo.  I mean the worst thing that can happen is she tells me no.  So I approached her and  then I started trembling!  My whole body was shaking and nothing was coming out of my mouth.

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I am so proud to inform all of you that Nix’s furniture and home accessories are now available at CROSSINGS department store in the Shangri-La mall.  He had a lovely intimate opening with dear friends and family over the weekend where he had a conversation with Crossings Xandra Ramos and we all were privy to the design process and mindset of Nix.

I for one am obviously a huge fan but I think that all of you should check out his collection for the store as they are so well made and really well priced.  The last time I checked the items were flying off the floor but there are still lots of amazing finds for everyone to take home.  I just want to congratulate Nix for an amazing job and I am really so proud and happy for you!

Please come over and see for yourselves his new collection!  Make your homes beautiful with Phoenix home!

HUGS,

RAJO!

I would like to personally invite you to experience our newest collection called MALI!   I am so excited to share with all of you what me and my team have been working on for the several months now.  The collection is really a celebration of summer!   I personally loving all the amazing prints that echo the exotic patterns on an African safari adventure.  The whole story in my mind is having these amazingly beautiful Scandinavian vibe going on an African adventure set in the 70′s!

The collection will be unveiled on March 9 at my studio and I would love for all of you to come and visit us and join me as we welcome the bright, happy, joyful summer of 2013!  See you all!

HUGS,

RAJO!

In a few weeks The House of Laurel will be launching it’s Spring/Summer collection for 2013. My design team and I have been working on this for several months now and I would like to share with all you how it all began. I picked up a book in San Francisco several years ago called Memories of Mali. It was a very visual interesting diary of a photographers collection of the people of Mali from the early 70′s to the early 80′s. I loved the book and I loved the images that came from it.

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I wanted to create a collection based on the images of that book but adding to that the memories of my 70′s childhood. I wanted to recall that period of time and the memories that I had from that era. What my mom and what my grand mother used to wear. From this mix I asked my self and my team what if we added a Scandinavian sensibility to the collection? That streamlined, paired down aesthetic?

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I am very proud to present the final campaign image for my newest collaboration for the SM group!  It is so gratifying to be able to see what was just originally lived only in my head.  It is moments like this when I know that I indeed very blessed because I am able to do what I really love.

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We were able to create two distinct campaigns  working on the duality of black and white.  Both of which are extremely strong so It was really so hard to decide on what to chose as the main image. These images I hear will be posted all over the metropolis as huge bill boards!  I am so excited for this.  These images will also be in magazines, newspapers and in the SM stores as well.  I would like to thank everyone involved in the making this all happen!  I am deeply grateful and thankful to everyone in the SM team headed by Eugene Saw!  Thank you also to my creative team who has always never failed to amaze me!  Please enjoy the images as these are all brought to you truly via a labor of LOVE!

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I am deeply grateful to my Stylebible family!  It has been almost 5 years  since I started my blog with them and because of this I have grown in so many ways. I have fully embraced technology and it has been an invaluable tool for my work and my craft.