THE MOLE THAT LAUNCHED A THOUSAND SHIPS!!!!

My mind is so clear when I write my gipetto entries in the evening. I do not know why? I am not Ernest Hemmingway... read your history. I can only write sensible things when the red wine is out of sight.

When I was 15, I love reading Vogue and Cosmopolitan. How original? My mom would give me allowance for the week and I'd buy these magazines. I appreciate a woman's body. It does not mean I like dating them... not my cup of tea. Duh!!!! I grew up with 3.

Cindy Crawford is my favorite supermodel. At the recent Costume Institute Gala hosted by Kate Moss and Marc Jacobs, Cindy came with Donatella Versace. To tell you the truth, it was the best choice mama Donatella did. Well! Cindy is stunning.

3 years ago, I was invited to the re opening of the Versace Boutique on 5th Avenue. It was one of the biggest events back then. Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez, Heather Graham and other Versace followers attended the event. No one throws a kick ass party like the Versaces.

Oh my God! There she was standing with her hot hubby, Cindy Crawford. I told myself, "This is my chance to say hi to her."  I approached her as a normal human being. I said, " You were one of the few people that made me want to move to New York."  She smiled and gave me a hug. Then, she introduced me to her husband, Naomi, and Linda.

I was so happy. I had to cut the conversation short because I did not want to freak her out. When I saw her million dollar mole,   I FROZE. Thank God! My friend told me that it was time to go.

My parting words to her, "It was my pleasure."  She gave me a flying kiss.

After a couple of glasses of champagne, I was ready to leave.

I think of it as an unplanned mission. 

Up to now, Cindy is still one of the BEST in the fashion industry.

She knows how to work it.

Till next time!

FREEDOM!!!!

FREEDOM!!!!

FREEDOM!!!!

FREEDOM!!!!

FREEDOM!!!!

FREEDOM!!!!

IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT FASHION.

Okay! My detox days are over. I am back in drinking red wine... in moderation. Last night was so much fun. My bestfriend, Juliano of BUTCH, is back in New York for a short time. He organized a small group to have dinner at PEEP (Thai Cuisine).  After 3 glasses of red wine, thank God I was only tipsy.

Then, we went to our friend's loft in SoHo. Not to brag, his loft is above the MIU MIU store on Prince and Mercer street.  We stayed there for a while and had a chat with Dennis.  I was itching to go to the Bowery Bar.  I have not been to BEIGE in the longest time. I love the scene. It is a sea of good looking men... not that I am not. 

To burn the booze, we walked to BBAR. There was a long line... that's why you need fabulous friends to get you IN. With all modesty, we do not believe in lining up at bars... it's just us. Our friend Alvaro knows the head doorman. In a matter of seconds, we were inside. This is what I told Alvaro, "Face Value is the key to enter." He started laughing.

Once inside, I went straight to the bar. I ordered vodka cranberries for everyone. It was such a delight to see old friends... and a lot of attractive men. Another friend of mine just got back from Texas. He used to be a Voguette. Now, he and his partner Tasha have their own line called HESTER. The hugs and kisses were endless... just friends. We talked for a bit. 

WOW! The alcohol was kicking in.

The combination of vodka cranberry and red wine was not good. I always excuse myself, if I am beyond tipsy. I had to give my good bye kisses to Juliano and Alvaro.

Meredith and I had to do our gracious exit.  We hopped in a cab and left. 

She dropped me off at my apartment. To my surprise, my JIL SANDER shoes did not hurt my feet. Hahahahaha.

Then, I got a call from Lucas. He said he is in town for the week.

We met up and.....

Let's see what's going to happen next!!!

Till Next Time.

PEEP!!!! YUM YUM DELIGHT

B BAR GARDENS

BOWERY BAR

CELESTINA- BELLE DU JOUR

Last night, my good friend Tina Maristela Ocampo of Celestina cooked dinner for me and her children.  Every time they are here, I make it to a point to see them  at their nice Gramercy apartment.  Not only did I fall in love with the two of them, but also with their children.

Tina has an amazing line called CELESTINA. I have been an avid supporter, since they first started the company.  With all modesty, CELESTINA clutches are the only ones I really use... It's the truth.

When I used to work for a magazine, my creative director loves to challenge me. He thinks I know everybody, but I don't. I am just very friendly with everyone. I am always up for a challenge. It made my job interesting. What's my secret weapon besides my personality? I LOVE TO RESEARCH. I found out that the designer behind the CELESTINA empire is none other than Tina Maristela Ocampo.  I was so happy to tell my creative director about the good news. He just smiled at me and said, "Good job."  Then, he gave the information to Couture Lab owner Carmen. 

After dinner, I took pictures of their RESORT 2010 collection. I just want to have everything in the collection. They never forget to get their inspiration from our mother land, The Philippines.

I would like to thank Rico and Tina for promoting our heritage and culture through the exquisite designs of CELESTINA.

BRAVO!!!

Images of CELESTINA RESORT 2010 COLLECTION

FANTASTICS!!!

COLORS OF THE SEA!!!!

MY ENGAGEMENT RING!!!!

A GEM!!!!

UNDER THE SEA!!!!

STEEL MILLS!!!!

OBJECTS OF DESIRE!!!!

MORE! MORE! MORE!

TREASURES OF THE PACIFIC!!!!

EXOTIC!!!!

I J'ADORE!!!!!

I just got home and I believe I am suffering from a severe allergy attack. I have been waiting for this moment... writing about my favorite things.

As a Taurus, I am very passionate about the things I like. I appreciate the beauty of things. It is not a crime to have the BEST of the BEST. According to Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson's song, the best things in life are free. To tell you the truth, they are NOT.  

Let me share with you the things I J'ADORE.

ENJOY!

SHOES- DRIES VAN NOTEN

T-SHIRT- HOUSE OF HOLLAND

COLOGNE- DIPTYQUE (OYEDO)

WALLET- BALENCIAGA

BELT- BALENCIAGA

WATCH- CARTIER'S SANTOS 100

SCARF- DRIES VAN NOTEN

TOTE- PIERRE HARDY

SUNGLASSES- TOM FORD

CLUTCH- CELESTINA'S NENA SAGUIL

BUTCH AND GIPETTO'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION!!!!

The rain keeps on following me. Everytime I wear my teal driving shoes, it attracts the rain. I do believe that I have some pairs of shoes that love the bad weather... Hahahahaha.  

Here's the scoop!!!!!

Sunday is a day of rest for me, but NOT when your best friend is in town. Juliano and I have been friends for 10 years. We went to school together at the Fashion Institute Of Technology of New York. We both took menswear fashion. He pursued his career in men's designs. Now, he has his own swim wear line called BUTCH. You got it right... the name is BUTCH.

I feel special when I wear his swimming trunks. When I have the chance to visit Boracay in the Philippines, I only wear BUTCH swim wear. You see! I practice brand loyalty. I get so many compliments from my peers and bystanders, especially my niece ALEXA.  

Before I met up with Juliano, I met up with Meredith at the MERCER HOTEL. We wanted to kill some time. Instead of drinking tea or coffee, she ordered 3 orange cosmopolitans and I had 3 glasses of red wine.  Allison was our designated lady-in-waiting.  The MERCER KITCHEN did not change a bit. The food is still good, especially the black truffle pizza... I want some more.

Okay! I am loyal to my friends. I will not disclose my conversation with Meredith. It's top secret.  Let your imagination flow.

Then, we went to the Ganservoort Hotel. The ONO gardens is one of the places to go during SUNDAY night. I met up with Juliano, Alvaro, and Frank. I have not seen these guys for the longest time. We had a MERRY reunion.

Hmmm! There were no cute guys that night. Maybe? Most of them were in the Hamptons or Fire Island or MOTHER NATURE does not permit them to go out. Hahahahaha. 

At the end of the night, I had a huge headache. I was a good boy. I went home early.

GO TO WWW.GETBUTCH.COM.

Next posts, 

MY FAVORITE THINGS.

SPRING 2009 COLLECTION- images courtesy of www.getbutch.com

WHAT CAN I SAY? LOVE THE COLLECTION, THEN THE MODEL

MY BLONDE AMBITION!!!!

BANANAS!!!!

DROOLING!!!!

LUSCIOUS!!!!

DIE!!!!

BOOM! BOOM! POW! POW!

View from BEHIND.

TOMB RAIDER!!!!

JAW DROPPING!!!!

CIRQUE DE SOLEIL!!!!

MYSTIC WATERS!!!!

MAGNUM LOOK!!!!

ADONIS STYLE!!!!

SPEECHLESS!!!!

HOMME ET FEMME: MECCA IN MANILA

Whenever I go home to Manila, I always tell myself not to shop. I break my promise every time I think about my friend's store in Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Homme et Femme. Mark Gonzales (owner of Homme et Femme) has exquisite taste when it comes to high-end luxury brands. In his boutique, he carries the best brands that money can buy: Balenciaga, Dries Van Noten, Lanvin, Dior Homme, Comme Des Garcons, Jil Sander, Azzedine Alaia, Maison Martin Margiela, Acne, APC, and more.

During my recent trip to Manila, I had a conversation with Mark. He told me that when he does his buying trip to Europe and to the USA, he knows what to get for his clients.  He believes in quality versus quantity in selecting his merchandise for the store. I think it is a smart move, especially in this economic crisis... When is this crisis going to end?

What makes me go to his store? The merchandise is totally different from BARNEYS NEW YORK and JEFFREY'S.  I bought a couple of Dries Van Noten pants and shirts from his store in blue and brown blocked prints, but the NEW YORK stores did not have the styles I like.

I have been his client for more than 10 years. I always believe in brand loyalty. In my opinion, Homme et Femme is one of the best stores in Manila. And besides, he is a fun person to talk to... his niece Pia is actually one of my closest friends. There you go.

Now! I can breathe!!!!!!

Wait for my next post.

Shangri-la Plaza Mall- HOME OF HOMME ET FEMME

Dries Van Noten Spring 2009

Dries Van Noten Spring 2009

Runway images courtest of www.style.com

Homme Et Femme

(011)-623-633-7009

info@hommeetfemme.ph

PLAN B- BARNEYS NEW YORK

Okay! Here is the scoop. I was getting ready to run errands with my mother today till my SCION called me. He told me that he could not make it to dinner tonight for some reason... I won't go into details. I sent Lisa an email and a text message that dinner at Insieme will be cancelled.

PLAN B, BARNEYS NY!!!!

My mother and I head to Barney's to check out the shoe sale. With all modesty, my family loves and adores shoes... it's an Asian thing. First, we went to the 3rd floor of the men's shoe department. I have seen these shoes a million times. I just drool over them till the sale season comes.  I asked Howard, my shoe guy, to reserve these amazing Dries Van Noten kung fu shoes. When I tried it on again, it was too big on me. Emerson, my other shoe guy, told me to try on other shoes. My eyes were fixated on those amazing Dries shoes.  I was looking around when I spotted these salmon Lanvin loafers. I was keeping my fingers crossed hoping that they have my size.

Alas! Emerson screams, "It's Gipetto's day today." I felt like Dorothy Gale from Kansas. I was saying to myself, "There's no place like home." I am so shallow... that's just me.  I love, love, love my shoes. HAHAHAHA!!!!

Next stop, the women's shoe department. My mom and I rushed to the 4th floor. We only had an hour to kill. I always look for her shoe guy, Donovan. Unfortunately, he was off today. Mr. X (I do not know his name) helped my mother get sizes for her and my two sisters. I fancied these blue and purple cheetah print Lanvin flats. I told my mother, "These are your new flats for the season." She tried them on and loved it.

My sisters have different personalities: cutting edge and sporty. For my cutting edge sister, I chose an amazing pair of Givenchy by Ricardo Tisci stilettos with feather details. On the other hand, I got my other sister these amazing black gladiator sandals from Balenciaga.  They should be happy.

Once again, an exciting adventure with Gipetto and friends.

GIVENCHY BY RICARDO TISCI- FEATHERS EVERYWHERE

BALENCIAGA GLADIATORS- IMAGINE IT IN BLACK

LANVIN FLATS- IMAGINE TIE DYED CHEETAH

Images courtesy of www.barneys.com

For the men's shoe department on the 3rd floor: Emerson, Daniel, and Howard

For the women's shoe department on the 4th floor: ONLY DONOVAN