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A love letter to a friend
By Laurel Fantauzzo I want to pluck the chill from cold gardenias and place it in your hair. I will be what you want of me—shadows of clock hands, the remaining drop in a coffee spoon. Anything, except cruel. — Hossannah Dear Hossannah, I’m writing this letter to you the week of Valentine’s Day. But […]
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SOCIAL CLIMBER: Dita Sandico Ong unwraps the fabric of her unique style
By Elton Lugay If you asked Fe Cabactulan what she was wearing, her cheeky reply would be, “Fruit salad.” At the February 17 cocktail before Dita Sandico Ong was to present her latest wrap collection, Cabactulan, the wife of the Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations, wore a white pina dress topped by an […]
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How in Manhattan in 2002, Doreen Fernandez was ‘ready’
By Tony Joaquin Long before she became known for her critical writing on food which later led to several distinctive books on Philippine cuisine, writer, educator and critic Doreen Fernandez was a fellow jazz aficionado. Café Indonesia in the 1950s was our jazz oasis for after-hours dining and singing. She and I became regular habitués […]
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SOCIAL CLIMBER: Danelle Dungca, inspired by The Other Woman
By Elton Lugay Maverick Danelle Dungca’s fashion philosophy is simple: “Whatever comes to my heart and in my mind that I wanted to design is what I would do.” For this FilAm designer’s Fall ‘12 collection unveiled Feb 16 at Nickel Spa in Midtown Manhattan, the inspiration was Filipina actress Anne Curtis, who portrays the […]
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SOCIAL CLIMBER: Suits Norisol Ferrari just fine
By Elton Lugay My next stop at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week was this Venezuelan-born designer noted for her fine handcrafted leathers and furs. For Norisol Ferrari, fur is akin to “second skin.” It must flawlessly fit the wearer and complement her personality and style. For Ferrari’s February 14 preview, 19 display mannequins were presented, thus […]
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New England student clubs to host March 9 comedy tour
For the first time on the East Coast, three FilAm funnymen will bring a mixed bag of ethnic and mainstream comedy to college campuses via the Pacific Punchlines Comedy Tour. The show to benefit Sendong Typhoon victims in the Philippines is being organized by FilAm student clubs from Harvard, MIT and Boston University and throughout […]
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SOCIAL CLIMBER: Josie Natori’s free-spirit, nomadic chic
By Elton Lugay Talk about art and fashion colliding nicely on a fragrant Valentine’s Day afternoon. I’m talking about Josie Natori’s press preview where she unveiled her Fall ‘12 ready-to-wear collection inspired by Tibetan serenity and held at the Rubin Museum bathed in graceful Himalayan art. “This collection has been an evolution for us,” said […]
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SOCIAL CLIMBER: Nice girls wear Emilio Cavallini’s tempting tights
By Elton Lugay Hanes may have introduced hosiery to Americans, but it took Italian designer Emilio Cavallini to transform simple stockings into a fashion statement that is stunning and chic and screams: Peel me. Legendary legwear designer Cavallini, who once produced stockings for Dior, Balenciaga and the late Alexander McQueen, presented his Fall/Winter ‘12 collection […]
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‘It will always be red roses’
By Cristina DC Pastor A Manhattan man sending a flower arrangement to each of his 24 girlfriends. A wife wondering if the husband she was divorcing truly sent her flowers. Sexually graphic messages. Owner Dennis Josue of Fantasia Floral Design on the Upper East Side has seen and heard everything. Nothing more will shock him, […]