Uniqlo opens first Philippine store at SM Mall of Asia Today! (June 15)

Japan's mega retail brand Uniqlo officially opens its door to Filipino shoppers today at the 2nd floor of SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

Be the first 500 people in line on June 15 and get the Uniqlo Tote Bag for free!! 

A minimum P2000 single receipt purchase on June 15, 16 & 17 also gets you a free tote bag. Another exciting thing is that the first 500 people in the opening day on the 15th will also receive Mochiko Mochi Ice Cream in their new Oreo and Milk flavor.Visit UNIQLO to enjoy limited special offers!

DTI-NCR Permit no. A1- 0376 Series of 2012

Supermodel Tyra Banks wears Rajo Laurel for the finale of America's Next Top Model Cycle 18 (May 2012)

Multihyphenate supermodel and producer-host of America's Next Top Model Tyra Banks proudly wears a creation of renowned Filipino designer Rajo Laurel for the finale of ANTM's Cycle 18: The British Invasion. This photo came straight from a Tyra Banks Facebook Page showing the supermodel in what the caption describes as "Cinderella-style Random Act of Modeling".  A Rajo creation was also worn by Ms. Banks in a previous episode of the show (see photo below).

via Rajo Laurel's Blog

The Vampire Diaries' resident hunk Ian Somerhalder joins PENSHOPPE “All Stars" Line-Up

IT’S CONFIRMED: Popular star IAN SOMERHALDER, who plays the dashing vampire Damon Salvatore in the hit show “The Vampire Diaries” is now somewhere mid-flight on his way to Manila.

This piece of good news was relayed to us by PR Asia Worldwide’s lead publicist, Joyce A. Ramirez in an official statement: “We are pleased to confirm that actor Ian Somerhalder has accepted our offer and is now (officially) part of PENSHOPPE “All Stars.”

“Ian is now en route to Manila, Philippines joining the all star cast of Team PENSHOPPE.”

“PENSHOPPE is very excited to work with Ian and our team is doing everything to make this a truly memorable visit for him. He will be staying in the Philippines for a week to shoot his campaign at an environmental-friendly resort as well as participate in a press conference to be held in Manila.”

Ramirez adds: “Hopefully, Ian gets a chance to meet his adoring Filipino fans who have supported him in The Vampire Diaries for the last two top rating seasons. Fans can also look forward to as Ian visits a flagship PENSHOPPE store.”

The popular TV star now joins a stellar list of leading men for PENSHOPPE including Ed Westwick (who plays Chuck Bass in the popular series Gossip Girl), Thai superstar Mario Maurer (now in the Philippines shooting his first Filipino film under Star Cinema called ‘Suddenly Its Magic’) and A-list Hollywood movie star Zac Efron (star of High School Musical series, whose recent film ‘The Lucky One’ registered box office returns of more than U$76 Million worldwide).

For this special assignment, PENSHOPPE has once again secured the expertise of Hollywood A-List photographer, Darren Tieste, author of ‘The Beauty Book’ featuring some of the world’s biggest stars led by actress Scarlett Johansson on the cover to shoot the actor’s 2012/13 campaign for the leading local apparel brand.

Ian currently stars in the CW's "The Vampire Diaries" opposite Paul Wesley and Nina Dobrev. The show is returning for its third season in mid-September 2012. Based on the books by L.J. Smith the show centers around Elena Gilber, a high school girl torn between two vampire brothers. He plays Damon Salvatore, the elder and far more dangerous of the two brothers who share a long and bitter history.

It is the actor’s first trip to the Philippines. 

Jessica Sanchez in Oliver Tolentino gown singing Mariah Carey's "My All" on American Idol (Top 3)

FOX/Screen caps from YouTube

Escape to Luxury with Regatta!

This summer, Regatta brings you the grandest and most luxurious treat with Regatta Escape to Luxury Raffle Promo. Get a chance to win a luxury trip to Shangri-la Mactan with two friends or relatives by simply purchasing P1, 000 worth of Regatta items and registering on Facebook.

Check out Regatta's Spring/Summer 2012 Collection at all leading malls and Regatta outlets nationwide!

Click Regatta:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Regatta.Clothing

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/regatta_ph

Website: http://regatta.com.ph/

Let's Go One Day Without Shoes on April 10!

Millions of children around the world grow up without shoes and at risk of disease and infection. TOMS' One Day Without Shoes is the day we raise awareness of the impact a pair of shoes can have on a child's life.

TOMS Philippines is joining the rest of the world in heralding this cause on April 10 at Greenbelt 3 Park in Ayala Center, Makati. The Philippines is now a beneficiary country and thousands and thousands of children across the nation have already received shoes. By having your support, TOMS hope to encourage greater awareness of this advocacy and even more giving!

Wherever you are, you can join the celebration by:
1)    Taking a photo or video of your group barefoot to encourage others to go barefoot too!2)    Helping spread the word by posting about it on Facebook or tweeting about it on Twitter (#withoutshoes)!

To know more about One Day Without Shoes, visit OneDayWithoutShoes.com or Like on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TOMSphilippines


JUST TAKE 'EM OFF and pretty soon you'll be changing lives!

Levi’s® unveils "Go Water Less™" campaign

When it comes to the water used to make Levi’s® Water<Less™ jeans - less is definitely more!

The Levi’s® brand today announced the expansion of its Water<Less™ jeans collection in the Philippines.  

The average pair of jeans uses 42 litres of water in the finishing process.

Levi’s® Water<Less™ products reduce the use of water in the finishing process by up to 96 percent for some styles. 

The Levi’s® brand has already made more than 13 million Water<Less products and saved more than 172 million litres of water.

The 172 million litres of water that Levi’s® Water<Less™ products have saved is equivalent to:

·       726,600,812, 8-ounce glasses of drinking water

·       Enough drinking water for 157,000 people for one year

Levi’s® Water<Less™ jeans have reduced the water consumption in the finishing process by making simple changes to the process such as:

·       Reducing the number of washing machine cycles by combining multiple wet cycle processes into a single wet process

·       Incorporating ozone processing into the garment washing

·       Removing the water from the stone wash

“Levi’s® Water<Less™ is a platform that looks at manufacturing in a different way.  It’s really about looking at design as one continuous circle to ensure we reduce the impact on the environment.” says Erik Joule, Senior Vice President of Global Merchandising and Design of the Levi’s® brand.

Beginning March 22 – World Water Day – the Levi’s® brand and Water.org are teaming up for the second consecutive year to launch a new interactive challenge called “Go Water<Less™”.  The challenge encourages people to “Go Water<Less™” by taking water saving steps to experience what life is like for the one billion people worldwide without clean drinking water.  Check it out at www.levi.com/waterless and help provide water to those without.

As a company, Levi Strauss & Co. is making strides in reducing the water used in these key areas – from supporting more sustainable ways to grow cotton to monitoring how suppliers use water in the manufacturing process. 

The company also launched the “Care Tag for Our Planet” campaign, changing the product care tags in Levi’s® jeans to include instructions about ways consumers can reduce the environmental impact of their clothes by washing less, washing in cold water, line drying and donating when no longer needed.

Levi’s® Water<Less™ products are available in Levi’s® Stores Nationwide. Like Levi’s® official page on Facebook to know the latest about the brand.

Get a chance to win  a pair of jeans on March 22! Follow @LevisPhil on Twitter and Tweet about the Levi’s®Water<Less™ jeans with hash tag Levis Water<Less Day.

Got your Levi's All Acess Card?

The strobe lights are dancing and the hottest parties in town await you!

Whether you are grooving in Manila, chilling in Bacolod, rocking in Cebu or shuffling in Davao, Levi’s® brings you a chance to party all year long!

Dress up, put your highs heels on and hop into the blinding lights. Go to the hottest parties all over the metro as Levi’s® gets you free year-round access for two(2) at Republiq (Resorts World Manila), Fever Luxe Lounge (Sofitel Manila), The Manor (Eastwood City), Luxx at Vudu (Cebu) and Starr (Davao).

Plus, you can get 10% discount for cash purchase on food and beverages at Opus (Resorts World Manila), Epic (Boracay), Mushu (Bacolod), Hybrid (Davao), Abaca (Cebu), A Café (Cebu), Maya Restaurant (Cebu) and Formo (Cebu).

Hyping the pop culture are the newest who’s who of party and style! Letting loose on the dance floor are the new Levi’s® All Access Card Ambassadors.

Radio DJ, Jessica Mendoza gets the trending beats as she plays the latest party sounds in her afternoon radio show. 

TV Host and Radio DJ, Andi9 is considered as the “Cutest DJ” in the industry! Her bubbly and sweet personality resonates in her shows. 

Stylist to the stars, Alyanna Martinez, is one of the most beautiful faces of 2011! Her creative prowess makes her one the best stylists in Manila.

Philippine AZKAL Midfielder, Misagh Bahadoran, knows how to kick-off the party with his charming personality. Being part of the Philippine National Football Team, Misagh brings great honor and pride to the Filipinos.

Club DJ and Model, Alex Pain, juggles his time playing party-pumping house music and posing for top fashion glossies in the country.

Be on the night shift and be part of the best party crowd! Enjoy all these exclusive privileges only with Levi’s® All Access Card.

Paint the town red only with Levi’s®.

Visit any Levi’s® Store Nationwide from July 29, 2011 to August 31, 2011 and grab hold of the Levi’s® All Access card, with a purchase of Php 3,000.00 worth of Levi’s® products. For more details, visit www.levi.com.ph

Spotted Ram Sagad in US Cosmopolitan Magazine (February 2011)

Danica Magpantay is Ford's Supermodel of the World

Congratulations to Danica Magpantay for adding one more luster to Philippine fashion!

She becomes the second Asian to bag the top prize of this prestigious international modeling tilt (the first being Hyoni Kang of South Korea), and the third Filipina in the last decade to place as finalist (preceded by Charo Ronquillo in 2006 and Charlene Almarvez just last year, 2nd runner-up and first runner-up respectively :)

Images from The Fashion Spot via Kinkexplosion

P.S. And I'm just elated that she's a fellow Iskolar ng Bayan! :p

Photos: Mark Nicdao
Styled by: Pam Quinones
Make up: Lala Flores
Hair: Nante Alingasa

Rafe Tontengco is Nine West's new Creative Director for handbags

Props, props, props to New York-based Filipino designer Rafe Totengco for his new appointment as Creative Director of the global brand Nine West. Here's an excerpt of a report from the Philippine Daily Inquirer:

The New York-based Filipino designer had been meaning to take a break as he put his eponymous accessories brand on hiatus (he’s not rolling out a Spring 2011 collection). Rafe New York has been a casualty of the bad economy, so that Totengco had entered into a licensing agreement with another company to keep afloat.

 Image credit: rafe.com

Totengco’s initial directive is to steer the handbag businesses of Nine West and Vintage America. For Nine West, which is exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Stores Specialists Inc., it’s to get the woman who buys the shoes to buy the handbag as well.

The first handbag collection under his direction will roll out in April. It will distinctly be “chicer, cleaner, more polished, more lady,” he says. For Nine West, he has two senior and two associate designers working on the collections.

Totengco says he will revive Rafe soon, under a new licensing agreement with The Jones Group. With the recovering economy, he believes the market will soon be ready again for smaller designer brands. “I would never sell my company,” he stresses.

His campaign for the Rafe brand, Fall/Winter 2009 (Model: Lisa Cady, Click Model Management)

 Image credit: fashionising.com

Charlene Almarvez in Audrey Magazine's Best of 2010: Asian Models

Audrey Magazine cites New York-based Filipina model Charlene Almarvez as one of their favorite top Asian models for 2010, alongside Chinese mannequins Liu Wen, Shu Pei-Qin, Ming Xi, Sun Fei Fei, Japanese Tao Okamoto and Korean Hyoni Kang.

Introducing: Surface Asia Issue 01

For you folks interested in fashion, design, architecture, arts and culture --not necessarily in that order -- there's a new exciting foreign serial that hits the magazine stands only recently in the country: introducing, Surface Asia!

"The magazine is an outworking of the original New York-based Surface Magazine that has been  celebrating and encouraging the world's most forward-thinking artists and designers for the last 15 years." (Editor's note)

In its maiden issue it has chosen to focus on fashion, featuring 40 fashion front-runners from eight Asia-Pacific countries, including the Philippines! Representing Pinoy pride in the roster are Gian Romano, Ivarluski Aseron, Melissa Ramsay, Kermit Tesoro, and Puey Quinones. (How I wish the cover girl was Pinay, too!)

Behold the inaugural cover, including the editorial featuring the amazing Hong-Kong born model and Australia-based Rachel Rutt (Chic Management Australia):

PH: Simon Upton
Styling: Ryan Lobo at RP Represents
Hair: Michael Brennen at The Artist Group
Make-up: Andrea Black at The Reload Agency

Jake Cuenca Bench Ad and Ram Sagad in American magazines

Bench Body ad featuring hunk actor Jake Cuenca appears on the pages of Nylon (Guys) Magazine for the January 2011 issue (cover boy: Michael Pitt photographed by Guy Aroch). Congratulations to Bench for its growing overseas ventures!

Meanwhile, model Ram Sagad (rightmost) is seen with other male models in this following featurette in the US Cosmopolitan Magazine for December 2010 (covergirl: Julia Stiles photographed by Matt Jones).

Bea Valdes Necklace Appears In Vogue UK (December 2010)

"Filipina accessory designer Bea Valdes has yet another press accolade to be proud of: One of her pieces lands another editorial in British Vogue entitled “Star Girls,” a feature in the December 2010 issue where master lensman Mario Testino photographs this decade’s top supermodels.  

None other than American model Angela Lindvall wears Bea’s studded Tellurian necklace, as styled by fashion editor Lucinda Chambers." (stylebible.ph)

Images courtesyof stylebible.ph

Meet Amira Ahmed

Image source: Profile Model Management Hair: Dark Brown Eyes: Brown Height: 5'8.5" Bust: 32" Cup: A Waist: 23"

Hips: 34" Shoes: 6 UK

Amira is half-Filipino, half-Somali and is signed with Profile Model Management in London. Among her bodies of work is this edgy editorial for Grazia Daily UK (Issue 284).

PH: Simon Harris

Styling: Anna Foster

Make-Up: Amanda Grossman

Hair: Claire Rothstein

She also appeared in a television ad for Rimmel London's Color Show Off Lipstick alongside fashion It-girl Georgia May Jagger.