2009 January | Rajo's Blog

Archive for January, 2009

The RED Fort!

Saturday, January 31st, 2009

The Red Fort is a MUST visit place when you get to New Delhi! It’s a magical place and a great place to walk away a heavy lunch! I loved the splendor and the drama of this 16th century beauty. When I get to visit places this beautiful, I go on a photographic orgy of sorts and I just click away. Each photo is a memory captured in time! I feel really blessed that I am here! Enjoy the photos!

Nix and I doing the touristy thang!

A couple of views of the red fort!

I played with the color setting - it's like viewing the world with rose-tinted eye glasses.

There was a small bazaar in the fort, it featured a few lovely stores.

There was a small bazaar in the fort, featuring a few lovely stores.

Thinking I should get my nieces these puppets.

Can you imagine, this was like a place where the previous owners would have tea! Quite fancy eh!?

Yoya strikes a pose!

More PINK! It's really the navy blue of India! PROMISE!

LOVE THE BLUE BLUE SKY!

HUGS!
RAJO!

Tags: Fashion Insider, india, photography, rajo laurel, travel
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Let’s Do Lunch!

Saturday, January 31st, 2009

As you might know by now, food is important to me! Half my entries here on my blog are about food! LOL! I was very pleased that we decided to eat a local lunch place today. The place is called “Haldirams.” It’s probably like their Goldilocks or Red Ribbon, since they are really known for their cakes and pastries. (Funny though, as we did not order any cake!)

See how pretty the Raj Kachori looks! Its quite delish! I ate this all!

Nix and I with an assortment of lovely Indian dishes!

At the start, I was a tiny bit apprehensive, as I am terrified of having the dreaded “Delhi belly.” However, once I saw how clean the place was and how the open kitchen gave me a view of how the food was prepared, I immediately tucked in and enjoyed! My favorite is the Raj Kachori. It’s like a yogurt salad with a cucumber filling inside a puffy and crunchy pastry dome. It’s like nothing I have ever tasted! I really enjoyed the texture and the lovely fragrant flavor.

Another yummy dish is the Choley Bhature. It’s another puff pastry with the consistency of a thin crispy tikoy. This bread was eaten with a very flavorful side dip of cheese and chickpeas. Finally we had some of the best dosa in the world! This dosa was quite large, think and crispy. It came with a potato salad with a heavy turmeric flavor. We ended the meal a most unusual dessert! A carrot stew laced with honey and syrup then drizzled with sliced almonds and green squash seeds! I was pleasantly surprised, as I enjoyed this dessert very much. Nix had the same dessert but in the yellow squash version

This is the Choley Bhature. I had to write the names of these foods as they are so exotic!

The biggest Dosa I have ever seen!

New desserts to awaken my palette! A warm squash and carrot honey/sugar stew laced with almonds and squash seeds! they actually taste really really good!

New desserts to awaken my palate: a warm squash and carrot honey/sugar stew laced with almonds and squash seeds. They actually taste really, really good!

It was a lovely Indian meal to start this fabulous adventure!

HUGS!

RAJO!

Tags: Fashion Insider, food, india, rajo laurel, travel
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Old Delhi

Friday, January 30th, 2009

I have always been advised that the best time to visit India is from the months of November till mid-February. After that, the heat becomes an issue and it is quite challenging. If you’re anything like me – I love traveling in the cooler months – you’ll find that the weather here is just beautiful. A comfortable 24 degrees and the sun shining brightly.

The thing that I love most about India are the colors! I have never been to a place that has real saturated, intense colors. The people dress up with a declaration of the love of color. Even the lowly street sweeper is dressed up in the richest hues. I am having a color orgasm! LOL!

My friend Amit brought us to the old part of Delhi. This could not have been more perfect, as I really felt like I experienced the real India. We went to the Kinari Bazaar. I totally recommend that if you do decide to come (I think you all should!), this is the place to visit. It’s like a labyrinth of assorted shops, selling everything from home decor, the most colorful fruit, local toys, strings, flowers, buttons….the list can go on forever. It’s like the Divisoria of my dreams! With each corner I pass I kept on seeing and capturing beautiful images.

I was sooooooo happy! This was really what I was looking for!!! I’m excited to show you my photos! ( A big THANK YOU to my Nix for the best Christmas gift ever! He gave me the most awesome camera: the G10 Canon!!!)

I was enthralled by bikes today, I kept on taking photos of them. Feeling the sartorialist, diba he likes bikes!?

I was enthralled by bikes today, soI kept on taking photos of them. Feeling the sartorialist - diba he likes bikes!?

The most beautiful colors!

I love how the pomegranate fruit looks like! Its so sensous!

I love how the pomegranate fruit looks like! It's so sensuous!

The most colorful and exotic fruits!

A close up of the pomegranate! It's so clear that it looks gross na! LOL!

Bean vendor!

LOLA Chica! Love the way everyone here in layers so effortlessly.

LOLA Chica! Love the way everyone here layers so effortlessly.

Colorful blooms!

These string and twine remind me of the colors we will be doing for our summer collection.

Yoya and Nix in the market! PINK IS ALL OVER INDIA! Diana Vreeland is so correct!

These string and twine remind me of the colors we will be doing for our summer collection.

Nix in front of a home decor store.

Bright and shiny things

Happy me at the Kinari bazaar.

More bike photos. Not sure why I was into it that day.

Banana and vegetable sellers.

I love the textures.

Yoya playing with the shaft of light.

A daily Indian scene

The local school bus.

We found lots of animals lurking around - there were parrots, squirrels and massive MONKEYS! This freaked me out a bit, as they were, like, crossing the electric wires above us! YIKES!

A beautiful courtyard.

Ironing lady does her daily chore.

I can't wait to get to ride these rickshaws!

Another bike photo.

A beautiful door.

Big hugs!
RAJO!

Tags: colors, Fashion Insider, friends, india, Inspiration, photography, rajo laurel, travel
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Breakfast in a space shuttle!

Friday, January 30th, 2009

On Day One of my India adventure, I woke up excited and well-rested. I love breakfast! It’s probably my favorite meal of the day. I also love breakfast at hotels with a full buffet! LOL!

I walked into the breakfast place of our hotel and the outer space theme is consistent with the place. I would love having breakfast here if I was like 8 years old! However, the place is cool and the buffet needs work. LOL! What do you think of the space cafe?

Is it only me who like, thinks this a set for the Andromeda Strain? Mali yata ang movie reference ko?

Actually....after staring at it for a few minutes its growing on me.

Another day...another lei! LOVE INDIA!

HUGS!
RAJO

Tags: Fashion Insider, food, hotels, rajo laurel, travel
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India here we come!

Thursday, January 29th, 2009

Greetings from “INCREDIBLE INDIA!” I arrived last night and it’s been wonderful! I decided to visit India once more to get inspired. The last time I was here was like a good 8 years ago, and I totally fell in love with India.

I took Singapore Airlines this time, and it was everything and more than what I expected. The hype is real, people! They do have the largest business class seats in the biz! I LOVE IT! For the first time I really felt LUXURY in the air. It actually feels like a pod station, filled with tiny compartments for like books, eyeglasses, a cool pull-out cocktail tray and my favorite: a large mirror! (Now you can see how you actually look like before heading to the loo!) LOL!

My seat/pod station: for once, feeling ko and liit ng waistline ko! It's really SPACIOUS!

There were lots of space in that fiight!

There were lots of space on that flight!

The entertainment system is the best! I counted more than 600 channels! WOW! I had a hard time choosing what I wanted to watch. LOL! I found myself trying to keep up because the movies and shows were all so wonderful. The best thing about the seats is that they transform into a real comfortable bed. I got few hours of real sleep, and before I knew it, we landed in New Delhi, INDIA!

I am traveling with Nix and Yoya (I consider her my third eye/ right hand). We were met by my friend Amit. Amit has been my Indian connection for a good 10 or 12 years now, and he was kind enough to arrange my trip.

Travel twins YOYA & NIX! They look adorable with their coordinated outfits!

Waiting for our sundo. I remember the airport not looking this pristine.

I think the airport was just renovated. It's so clean!

When we arrived we had flower lay's placed on us!

When we arrived we had flower leis placed on us!

Nix and I get our leis!

May matching gifts pa! We really have the kindest supplier in India!

Amit chose the ultra modern Le Meridien. Coming into its lobby is like entering a white space station. It even has a massive glass tower-like sculpture at the end of the lobby, reminding me of Star Trek’s “Beam me up Scotty” scene HA HA HA!!! Nix says it’s tacky but it works, while I am on the fence about the interiors. But I like the rooms, as they’re nice and clean, plus the dark wood is very soothing. We were all really tired from the trip so we all crashed immediately!

A view of the lobby of the Le Meridien in New Delhi, India

The lobby of our hotel. Does it not remind you of some space station?

Beam me up to our room, Scotty!

The hotel's floors open into this gargantuan inner space. Good thing I do not have vertigo, as it's nakakalula!

We're on the 18th floor! How come it feels higher?

I feel really good about this adventure!

OUR ROOM! Check out the mood wall! You can choose what color you like.

I am so excited to share with you the rest of our new adventure! ABANGAN! LOL!

HUGS!
RAJO!

Tags: airports, Fashion Insider, friends, hotels, india, interior design, rajo laurel, travel
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MAGIC PRIMARIES

Wednesday, January 28th, 2009

I would like to share with you the mood board of the House of Laurel for Spring/Summer ’09! Our collection is called MAGIC PRIMARIES. It is an innocent take on dressmaking, so we wanted it to become almost elementary. We are using very basic block patterns, but using it in a very childlike manner. We wanted to have a feeling of fun and lightness to the collection. Our goal was pieces that looked accidental, a lot easier said than done. LOL!

In terms of coloring, we have two palettes: obviously, we will be having real primary colors like red, yellow and blue, and then we will also be having a more muted palette of soft grays, nude and lots of white. The shapes that we concentrated on are ovoid, egg shapes with soft folds using right angles. Most of the designs are cut away from the body and very, very comfortable! Our fabrics are cotton/silk voile, silk linen, washed silk, cotton organdy, silk satin organza, silk mesh tulle and a double-ply silk shantung.

Our mood board for spring/summer 2009

A childlike way of making clothes is what I am trying to achieve. It's much harder than I thought!

Loving this primary green!

The collection will be launched on March 7! I will be updating you on the progress of the collection every now and then. I am quite excited, as the samples are looking really lovely!

See you all soon!
HUGS!
RAJO!

Tags: colors, fashion, Fashion Insider, house of laurel, Inspiration, mood board, plans, rajo laurel
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J’ADORE

Tuesday, January 27th, 2009

Every now and then I have one of those “fashion moments.” These moments do not come so often, but when they do happen, it’s like manna from heaven. I am happy to let you know that I just had a fashion moment today.

A week ago, we received a call from a young lady wanting to show us her jewelry. I am always open to see and look at young designers work and I encourage them to show their work as often as possible. This gives them more information as to how to improve their craft and provide viable feedback. We set up a meeting this morning and she brought in samples! Me and my entire design team were so impressed with her work!

Her name is Joyce Makitalo, 27 years old, and I think she is someone to watch! (She won the top prize in the Guild of Philippine jewelry design competition last year.) I kept on trying to keep a poker face when she was having her meeting with my team, but I am not good at poker and I am so transparent! I was so excited that she chose my store to sell her gorgeous jewelry. Her style is raw, chunky and just glamorous! She uses a lot of rough semi-precious stones and brass and double-dipped gold casings. I AM IN LOVE with her stuff!

The good news is that they are so well-priced! (Pieces begin at around 6,000 pesos) Her items are already in the store!!! Please call 8955688 local 808 and look for Lay or Matet. Everything is just one of a kind ,so come fast. I have a feeling they will get sold out fast. Her full collection for the House of Laurel will debut on the first week of March!!! In the meantime, drool over these babies and come over and see it for yourselves! They are FABULOUS!

See you soon!
HUGS!
RAJO!

Tags: Fashion Insider, house of laurel, jewelry
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A Fashion Miracle!

Sunday, January 25th, 2009

Let me share with you a cute little fashion story! I was admiring the shoes of my friend Leah Puyat, so she started telling me how she acquired them.

Is this not a photo of utter chicness! LOL!

Her friend Mela went up to Baguio and gave her a call. She said that there were these JIL SANDER shoes at the UKAY-UKAY! They were size 36 (Leah’s size) and they cost…hold on to your chairs people! 600 Pesos, as in SIX HUNDRED!!!! OMG!!!!

She told Mela to get them immediately. When the shoes arrived, they fit like a glove! They were like brand new, hardly a scuff mark on the lovely acrylic/lucite platform heel. The true miracle of all this is that Leah was at ADORA the other day and the exact shoe was there! It’s the current Fall/Winter 08-09 Jil Sander shoe THIS SEASON! OMG! Now that is what I call a true fashion miracle! LOL!

Another view of the Jil Sander miracle shoe!

See you all soon!
HUGS!
RAJO!

Tags: Fashion Insider, rajo laurel, shopping, ukay
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ARISTO-YUM!

Saturday, January 24th, 2009

I am a huge fan of comfort food! There is nothing more satisfying than something that brings back loads of beautiful memories. My grandparents lived in Malate, Manila till the mid ’80s. I remember hearing mass with my grandmother in Malate church, and her taking me to the Aristocrat restaurant across the street.

I was very impressed by the fact that the Aristocrat has been around for 73 years! That's amazing!

Memories just flooded my mind as I walked through the doors. The smoky smell of the grilled chicken, the bright fluorescent light and the buzzing sound of the people enjoying their food. My friends and I decided to gather at the Aristocrat after the I-LAND opening night.

It was the perfect choice! We all had our own BBQ chicken and an assortment of delicious treats, like the pancit canton and the most tender caldereta. My favorite was the lumpiang shanghai. The crunch of the wanton wrapper enveloping the juicy, meaty filling and then dipped into a sweet and sour sauce spelled nirvana to me! My friend Keren ordered the flying saucer sandwich. I forgot about those, they are so retro cool that they should bring it back in fashion!

Happiness on a plate! This was really so good! I suggest you order extra atchara. Just looking at this makes me hungry.

This is the honest-to-goodness truth!!!

One of our recent finds at the place were the bite-size ensaimadas. They are the perfect pasalubong! It was really, really good! I mean, we just inhaled the entire box! LOL! We all left the place satisfied and really happy.

Our new love: bite-size ensaimadas. I kid you not, this disappeared in less that 10 seconds! LOL!

Look at how happy we all are!

SARAP talaga sa Aristocrat!
HUGS!
RAJO!

Tags: Fashion Insider, food, friends, rajo laurel
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I-LAND Opening Night!

Friday, January 23rd, 2009

It was the opening night of I-LAND at the CCP last night. For those of you wanting a taste of HawaiIan culture, this is the show to see! I found myself gyrating my hips and doing the hula after the show.

The show is all about the life of Keo Woolford. He is the star of this one man show. It showcases his journey from a troubled past, all the way to HULA enlightenment.

I was so happy that my friends came to see opening night! We all had a fantastic time! A big bonus is the fact that we had the chance to see more of the art that decorated the lobby of the little theater at the CCP. We all were in love with the space and we all kept on imagining different events that could take place there. I, for one, would want to have a fun party with a great DJ! LOL!

I am in love with this mural! I think it is by Arturo Luz? It's so graphically beautiful!

The most fashionable TRIO that evening! Junie, Nix and Robby!

Ktty, Angellette and Malu strike a pose!

Kitty, Angellette and Malu strike a pose!

Malu, Anton and Mela grace the evening!

Leah Puyat flanks the Tarp!

BFF'S! Leah and Junie

The best PR man in town, Keren, with Robby.

The gang's all here!

One of my personal icons, Gilda! I love her aura!

All the way for NYC! Trystan being sandwiched by his gorgeous cousins Vicky and Liz! Thank you for coming!

All the way from NYC! Trystan being sandwiched by his gorgeous cousins Vicky and Liz! Thank you for coming!

Keo with the lovely ladies! Ms. Tantoco, Mrs. Luz and Ms. Lopez!

Keo rocking the ladies! WOO HOO!

I encourage all of you to see the show. It’s something different and it opens your mind to a culture that seems so similar, but is really quite different. The show will be ongoing till this Sunday, January 25. The proceeds of the show will be benefiting the scholarship program of the Asian Cultural Council. Do call the CCP and catch I-LAND!