French Dressing For The Pinoy

They say everything French is chic: Paris is considered a major fashion capital and the French have the most effortless and enviable sense of style. It's no wonder then that most fashion labels have roots in France, including the one-stop shop for men's fashion: Celio.

Founded by brothers Marc and Laurent Grosman, Celio began in France in 1985. After 23 years of high-fashion and high-quality pieces, it has now gained recognition for its accessible, relaxed and stylish masculine fashion. Celio perfectly marries style and substance. With its sportswear, casual and business collections, Celio provides males with fashionable choices that are practical, sensible and easy to wear.

With 600 stores in nearly 40 countries, Celio has nine branches in the Philippines since its entry seven years ago: Greenbelt 3, Shangri-La Plaza, Power Plant Mall, TriNoma Mall, Robinsons Galleria, Gateway Mall, Mall of Asia, Alabang Town Center and Ayala Center Cebu. Suyen Corporation, the same force behind local retail powerhouses like Bench and Human, was awarded a franchise for the French male brand -- Celio's first franchisee outside Europe.

True to its French roots, Celio keeps up with the latest fashion trends, while retaining a classic and defined elegance. Celio's cuts, colors and materials are timeless -- staples in any male closet -- yet they're also fashion-forward, with trends incorporated in the details of key pieces. Celio divides its collections according to trends in four key markets.

Essential Sportswear is the true core business of the brands: jeans, linen trousers and T-shirts for the perenially laid-back dude who wants his style sense to come trouble-free and relaxed. Contemporary Casual is for the urban chic who are not afaid to test the style waters and experiment with new looks -- distressed denims with printed polo, perhaps? These style-setters are always on the hunt for new fashion thrills and are only too willing to try them all.

The young businessmen and yuppies also have a home at Celio. Authentic Business combines style, charm and seduction -- suits, shirts, and ties that mean business but also show a powerful style. And present in all these sections are the Celio accessories, with bags, belts, caps and underwear to add up.

French chic has never come easy for the Pinoy. Visit a Celio branch today for the crème de la crème of male fashion.

Taken from The Philippine Star

Embracing Change

Before she became her generation's young superstar--and before she came to possess everything that title entailed--Judy Ann wanted to be like other girls. She would look with envy at their accessories, piles of designer clothes, branded shoes and bags, and jewelry, and hope that one day, she might have those things too. But as a struggling young actress, she couldn't afford them. "Feeling ko walang chance na magkaroon [ako] ng ganoon karaming accessories. Yun yung pangarap ko talaga, na sana one day, mamroblema naman ako kung ano'ng isusuot ko kasi ang daming nakalatag sa harapan ko, hindi ko alam kung ano'ng uunahin ko."

Now, she is referred to as a fashion icon. The formerly overweight eight-year-old who could only dream of having her own accessories and expensive designer brands is now a regular fixture on the cover of countless glossy fashion magazines, photographed by the country's premiere lensmen. How did she go from that to this?

The long road to developing her personal style began during the Mara Clara days, when people would give her jewelry, but for an entirely different reason. "Nagkaroon ako ng chance makapag-ipon ng alahas 'nung Mara Clara days. Kasi si Kuya Eruel (Tongco, her co-star), tuwing may eksenang sasabunutan niya ako, o sasampalin ako, ang bayad noon sa akin, hikaw, o bracelet, o kuwintas. 'Yun ang reward niya sa kanya. Dumadating na sa point na sasabihin niya kay Direk Emil Cruz, 'Huwag ka na maglagay ng eksenang may sampalan!' "she laughs.

But at that point, Judy Ann still had a long way to go. The most important component of developing a personal style, the final piece of the fashion puzzle, was still missing. She had no confidence, and that was something money couldn't buy. It wasn't something people could give her. For that, she would have to reach into herself. Her early experiments with fashion--like when she showed up at an ABS-CBN party wearing blue velvet leggings with a blue and red polo--left her scared about exercising her power of choice when it came to what to wear. She was reluctant to appear on magazine covers because she didn't want to be laughed at. "Duwag lang talaga ako," Judai says of how she felt about getting a make-over. "Hindi lang talaga ako confident kung ano ang kalalabasan, kasi baka pangit."

Losing weight was a huge confidence booster. Then good friends from the industry--makeup artists, fashion designers, stylists and photographers--helped her with the rest, offering words of encouragement that helped her form a better sense of who she was visually. "People na nakilala ko, who made me feel confident kung sino man ako, I was able to reinvent myself because of these people," she says. "Kumbaga, wala namang mawawala at mas may mawawala kapag hindi ko ginawa."

She recalls when she first appeared on the cover of a magazine. "Everybody was raving about it. 'Dun na-boost ng 200 percent 'yung confidence ko," Judai beams. " Nagdire-diretso na 'ko. And I realized that you have to give reinvention a try."

Now, she's no longer tentative, scared, unsure when it comes to fashion. Her sense of frugality will stop her from blowing upwards of P50,000 on a Louis Vuitton bag (whenever she buys jewelry, if it costs more than P50,000, "pinag-iisipan ko muna"; her biggest splurge was an eternity ring that she bought a year and a half ago at a jewelry store at Shangri-La, but only after the owner agreed to give her a "sobrang discounted price), but now, fashion is no longer the problem. Judy Ann now dreams of bigger and better things, and occasionally, more expensive ones too. "Tumitingin pa rin ako sa price tags, pero minsan, sinasabi ko sa sarili ko, 'Deserve ko naman ito.' Tapos hindi na ako bibili for a while. Quota na ako."

Taken from Starstudio magazine: Judy Ann Santos special issue

I am a 9-year-old girl who has everything I want. I have loving parents and grandparents and would like to know how to show my appreciation.

A. We appreciate your taking the time to tell us how happy you are. Go ahead and tell your parents and grandparents what you told us. Next to "I love you," the words "thank you" are some of the most pleasant to hear.

Also show your appreciation by your actions. Being helpful, obedient and kind will not go unnoticed. Even though they will love to hear words of thanks, they will be absolutely sure of your sincerity by your actions. Thanks for your letter!

- Answer prepared by Victor Kubik, a minister of the Worldwide Church of God

Taken from Youth 90 magazine