Haute Couture
I
miss dressing up to the nines. So when schedule and invitations permit,
I make the effort to get glammed up. It's even better if you do it for a
cause which is what last night's Red Cross Ball was all about.
My
friend, life mentor and fellow Assumptionista Tessa Prieto-Valdes
co-chairs the annual Red Cross Ball, this year for the benefit of the
Taguig chapter of Red Cross plus the Assumption High School Batch '81.
Her batch is celebrating their 30th reunion this year, while my batch is
having our 10th year reunion, so this sit-down dinner show was
definitely for a good cause.
Since we always support Tessa's endeavors, and have supported the Red Cross Balls since Rajo's show, then Dennis Lustico's,
I got a couple of tickets and took some fashionista friends with me.
Here's Yendy and Yessa, otherwise known as the Y sisters. As for my
outfit, I had NOTHING to wear since I can't fit into my clothes lately,
so I begged my good friend, designer Berry Tenchavez to make me a gown
that was both wow and weight-gain friendly. She made my sequined
wrap-gown in 3 days with no fittings and it fit like a GLOVE! Love you
Berry! Check out my cuff from Maja by Janina Garcia!
Goodies at our table.
The
show ball began with an acrobatic fashion show from Fila. The Rizal
Ballroom of the Makati Shangri-La was decked in Black & White
fabric to contrast the gowns and the performers outfits.
Tessa
co-chairs the annual Red Cross Ball with Kaye Tinga of Taguig. The
dynamic duo both wearing different personalities of Michael Cinco's
creations. If the name doesn't ring a bell, why not check out Season 15
of America's Next Top Model where there was a photo shoot by the
dumpsters with the models wearing his designs made of scrap materials.
The first course reflects the overall Greek theme of the event, with the flavors of olives, eggplant and olive oil combining with the tuna to give a Mediterranean flair to the dish. I could not figure out what the soft, silken tofu-like white blocks were, some sort of yogurt block of sorts.
The second course was a Green Lentil Soup with Greek Yogurt and Chives on a bread bowl, followed by an Green Apple Mint Sorbet
to cleanse the palate. I loved the apple chip, as well as the
presentation of the sorbet in an ice sculpture of a Greek column. The
soup was a little bland for me.
Roasted Lamb rack with oven baked shallots, fine green beans, red wine and feta cheese.
Except for the small portions of the lamb, everything was sublime. Soft lamb sections, sweet backed shallots and that zing from the tartness of the feta brought the main dish into completion.
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Milk Jam Ice Cream and Berry Compote
The
flourless cake was surprisingly dense, and left it on my plate. The
Milk Jam Ice Cream was the ultimate winner though, and ended up wiping
it off of Mr. S' plate as well.
Pralines to go with our coffee and tea, which never arrived
The first pieces were stark white which blended to ecru then gold.
The
color palette deepened like the flame, with yellows to orange to, my
favorite pieces, reds. The detail and the sheer craftsmanship of Michael
Cinco's gowns were breathtaking. Each piece was like another cherry to
top the previous one!
To
cap off the show, runway veteran Marina Benipayo owned the runway with
her fierce posing skills. There is a reason why she is always asked to
be the finale at most couture runway shows.
The Queen Bee and her boylets. Macho.
Each piece was intricate, elegant, and definitely Oscar-worthy
Beautiful Color Palette
Another Filipino talent I am proud to have experienced!
Amazing event! If only all fund raisers were done by Tessa, they'd all be over funded.
ReplyDeleteMichael Cinco's collection was amazing, coming from a guy that really says something. Proud to see another Filipino rise up and make something of himself. Not just something but pushing the limits and going toe to toe with the best designers in the world. Theres no way id wear those gold tip briefs though