Innholdsfortegnelse for Volume 2, 2021 i Lifestyle Asia

Adored by Romans of then and now, the flower has been revered as a symbol of joy and passion. Romantic, celebratory, and sometimes mystical, these are the qualities every bloom evokes–synthesized in the Fiorever jewelry collection by Bvlgari. With a name that marries the words “forever” and “fiore”, meaning flower in Italian, this radiant jewellery collection celebrates this natural motif as a timeless emblem of happiness and lighthearted spontaneity, infused with the touch of Bvlgari romanticism. Bvlgari introduces an exclusive white gold and diamond parure made of two convertible jewels. The diamond-clad necklace is finished with a flower-shaped closure, while its central diamond can be easily styled into a brooch. The ultra-feminine white gold earrings with a single row of cascading diamonds can turn into flower-shaped stud earrings by simply…

When the extensive impact of the COVID outbreak took everyone by surprise and overwhelmed many with uncertainty, Cat Arambulo-Antonio focused on what she can control: “my home and myself,” she says. “I’ve taken this time to really tune in, appreciate and rehabilitate my life and myself.” During the early stages of the community quarantine in the country, Arambulo-Antonio encountered a social media incident. After her remarks about quarantine “violators” went viral and drew flak online, she apologized to the public through a series of Instagram videos. “I’m always going to take full accountability [for] my actions and I know that I have no one to blame but myself [as] I was wrong,” she elaborates. Following the episode, she took a social media break. “It forced me to re-evaluate the person…

Why are people so obsessed with sneakers? It’s no different with how the world’s designer bags or watches, in that it’s intense, highly-competitive, and very addictive. Though, in comparison, never have I seen this much innovation and collaboration, and these many launches. These pairs are definitely something you will wear with pride. Here are the top shoe collaborations worthy of collecting and obsessing about. RICK OWENS X CONVERSE I’m a fan of Rick Owens, and I never imagine that this brand will collab with Converse. Rick Owens DRKSHDW x Converse Turbodrk Chuck 70 will be launched in its Fall 2021 runway. It’s a fusion between Rich Owens’ Ramone sneaker and the timeless Chuck Taylor 70. This is the first time, in its century of existence, that we will see Converse…

Guccio Gucci founded his eponymous fashion house in Florence a century ago, and this is where the brand is mounting a multimedia celebration this year. Called Gucci Garden Archetypes, the exhibit delves into multifarious inspirations of music, art, travel and pop culture that have resonated through the label’s campaigns through the years. “I thought it was interesting to accompany people in these first six years of adventure, inviting them to cross the imaginary, the narrative, the unexpected, the glitter,” says Alessandro Michele, Gucci creative director and the curator of the exhibition. “So, I created a playground of emotions that are the same as in the campaigns, because they are the most explicit journey into my imagery.” MYTH AND MAGIC From Tokyo to Los Angeles, and from Northern Soul to May…

It’s been a harrowing year for all. Some countries are bracing for even more lockdown measures in light of rising COVID-19 cases more than 365 days since this nightmare started. Vaccines have slowly made it into the fold—definitely much more quickly in some countries than others as to be expected—but the end does not yet seem near for many of us. I’m going to share with you the situation in France today, and how the country is aiming to deal with the pandemic. It’s been a slippery slope for the French since the beginning of this crisis, and we have remained in the top five of the Coronavirus World-O-Meter count more times than you can imagine. I’m not underestimating the plight of the Philippines in light of the pandemic, of…

He was baptized Rudolf Vincent T. Manabat.However,heiscommonly known as Chef RV Manabat—a name familiar to some, due to his massive online presence, with approximately 185,000 YouTube subscribers and 675,000 Facebook followers. And it consistently grows each time he opens his oven! This 30-year-old kitchen whiz from Biñan, Laguna has regularly explored the world, immersing himself to as many culinary experiences as possible. This he does so he can successfully share his lessons learned back home to whoever is interested. And he has not stopped. Ever! Armed with a Culinary Arts degree from the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in 2012, he opted to teach at a local college in Sta. Rosa, Laguna for a year. This was in preparation to…

Having grown up in a family compound in Malabon filled with various kinds of trees and plants, Loren Legarda says that caring for the environment has been a way of life for her. But more than that, it has become a crusade for the Antique representative and House Deputy Speaker. Few can say that they have done as much as her for the environment in her years of public service and high-profile media work. “In my more than 20 years as a broadcast journalist, I saw how environmental degradation and climate change affected the society's poorest and most vulnerable sectors,” Legarda says. That’s why, she adds, she championed sustainability and environment protection by bolstering public awareness through her shows like PEP Talk and ›e Inside Story, the latter running up…

Charmaine Lagman met her husband Mike 26 years ago while in a shoot for a film, and they immediately clicked. The courtship, which lasted a month, was “very old school”—roses, presents, Tagaytay dates, and other out-of-town trips. “A month of courting before officially dating may seem a little fast,” she says, “but that kind of momentum was the initial driving force fueling our relationship and preparing it for the 25 years of loving, laughing and learning together that we’d embark on when we got married.” This silver milestone was what the couple and their three kids Anya, Mica, and Elijah celebrated recently in a trip to Amanpulo. The current global health crisis limited attendees to just the family, and the priest who presided over the celebratory mass. In a quick…

A year into the onslaught that is the COVID-19 pandemic, people are now slowly going out to dine as more establishments reopen. But the looming fear of the virus still reverberates in the minds of many. Opening a new restaurant is certainly a gutsy move in this uncertain time. But our host, Margarita Forés, is doing just that, with her new al fresco dining concept The Loggia. The Loggia, which opened on March 9, is situated inside the three-hectare grounds of Palacio de Memoria in Parañaque, near the edge of Roxas Boulevard. The expansive, open air grounds enveloping the seven-storey mansion seems like a fitting backdrop for Forés’ new dining concept. With the prewar mansion, guests feel like they have been transported back into the glory days of Old Manila.…

Fundacion Sansó is mandated to preserve the legacy of its artist-namesake, Juvenal Sansó, whose works find home in such impressive galleries as New York’s MoMA and Paris’ Musée d’Art Moderne. To open its slate of exhibits this year, Fundacion partners with Galerie Joaquin anew, and pairs the works of the Spanish master with that of contemporary artist Kenneth Montegrande. The Filipino artist is the youngest to have contributed to the Malacañan Palace collection, which he did so in 2019. Montegrande is the also first Filipino and Southeast Asian whose works are included prized acquisitions of Japanese mega collector and Contemporart Art Foundation director Yusaku Maezawa. Fundacion Sansó museum director Ricky Francisco lays down the parallels between the two artists for this exhibit, titled “The Beautiful Expanse of Sea and Sky,”…

With hardly any time to think it over, Cristalle Belo Pitt had to make the difficult decision to move herself and her family out of the Philippines in the middle of the pandemic. Regardless of the current global health crisis, the decision would have been tough. "I had never lived abroad before, and the rest of my family and businesses are in the Philippines, so I was quite reluctant,' she shares. Belo Pitt and her husband Justin acknowledged the difficulties of leaving the country during a time of uncertainty. Siena, the couple's second child, also had just been born. Despite months of searching for a flight, a total of four weeks in quarantine, and not having an extra set of hands to assist them with their two young children, the…

CONEY REYES The actress got her jab allocation last April. As a senior citizen, she falls under the high-rise priority group. Reyes gives thanks to the frontline workers in an Instagram post, “Mula sa aking puso...Maraming Salamat sa inyong sakripisyo at dedikasyon para sa taong bayan!” LENI ROBREDO The Philippine Vice President got the first dose of the vaccine last May. She shared on social media that the process was seamless and thanks to all the medical workers for the efficient experience. “Magbakuna na din kayo para protektado kayo at ang lahat ng nakakasalamuha niyo,” Robredo says. RUFFA GUTIERREZ In an Instagram post, the former beauty queen talks about her vaccination experience. “A big, sincere thank you to our frontline workers who made the process at the Taguig Vaccination Hub…

“We shouldn’t just stop at learning more, we should also be moved to act” Sustainability has been a buzz word for several years now, but it is only in recent times that people have started taking it more seriously. Most recently, the global fashion scene has been most active and visible in this movement. They are addressing it from materials to how the products are being produced down to the minute it is sold, consumed, and disposed by consumers. Sustainability has a greater and far longer impact, which is our future and the future of the next generations. It is high time that the Philippines takes this seriously, and start spreading consciousness about it to the greater majority. What is sustainability really about? It may be a boring topic to…

There’s been a sustained, collective cry for business owners and world leaders to address climate change, and the pandemic only amplified this call. Even without this every-increasing demand, Maremegmeg Beach Club managing director Diego Gabriel E. Alvarez believes that every establishment should have a mind for sustainable living and green practices. GREEN BEGINNINGS Born and raised in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, acknowledged multiple times as the cleanest and greenest city in the country, Alvarez grew up aware of the responsibility to take care of the environment. When his family decided to open Maremegmeg Beach Club in 2019, sustainable living and green practice was already part of the resort’s foundation. “We do everything we can to reduce waste. There is an ordinance in El Nido that bans single use plastic, but that's…

Harlan + Holden just introduced a new collection that is meant to reflect the way we want to dress today. Called “Theraphy,” the line is focused on comfort, versatility and one-step dressing. The brand, which started in Manila in 2015 but now oversees its 20 stores around the region from its Seoul headquarters, describes Therapy as being for work-from-home go-getters. COMFORT LIVING Harlan + Holden creative director Alessandra Facchinetti was first given the collection’s sneaker as a starting point. “Its modern shape, airy lightness and stamped clear sole proclaiming an intention inspired me to think of clothes full of ease and versatility that would complement this comfort-inducing shoe,” says Facchinetti, who has joined the label last year after stints at Gucci, Valentino, and Tod’s. The celebrated Bergamoborn fashion designer continues…

Born in 1953, François Simon is regarded by many as, in the words of The New York Times’, “the most feared and most read figure in France’s culinary world.” A long-time food critic, his reviews and pieces used to out in Le Figaro, the French daily which has been around since 1826. The writer’s reputation precedes him so much that it is rumore that Anton Ego, the not-so-villainous (spoiler alert) critic in the 2007 animated film Ratatouille, was inspired by him. WRITER’S WRITER Apart from an appearance in the popular Netflix documentary series Chef’s Table in 2016 where he paid a visit at the Parisian restaurant Yam’Tcha and discussed Adeline Gattard among other things, Simon continued writing for other publications after leaving Le Figaro in 2014. He has contributed to…

Over the past year, the tourism and hospitality industries continue to be one of the hardest hit by the global health crisis. About 88 percent of respondents from this sector said in a July 2020 analysis by Price Waterhouse and Coopers says that they expected a 50 percent loss in earnings as lockdowns severely restricted tourism activity. “When the health crisis hit, we had to act fast and pivot our projects to focus on the safety of Filipinos while supporting the tourism workers all over the country” With cities and regions in the country going in and out of different types of quarantine, the industry continues to suffer for it. These businesses, services, and properties are clamoring to reopen with revamped safety features in place. But many are still obviously…

The pandemic has brought about a shift in how people work. What was used to be confined to an office space has now been brought home, and this way of working is expected to continue well into what is called the ‘next normal’. Fred H. Yuson, the president and COO of CWC Interiors, is known in industry circles as a trailblazer, and as such, already has a vision towards the future direction of the company. CWC Interiors supplies office modular systems and interior finishing for both commercial and residential use. “CWC is synonymous to working spaces even before the pandemic. We have built a reputation of having fulfilled clients’ needs in this aspect and will continue to do so in the years to come,” Yuson says, adding that CWC certainly…