Jumping at the Chance

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Is committed actor CA playing a cat and mouse game? CA was spotted with a female fashion designer FD at an event. No big deal, as one would say. But not when CA and FD were kissing passionately in public! Guests who saw them felt so scandalized and shocked at the spectacle. CA has a well-publicized relationship with a pretty girlfriend GF. The kiss was allegedly quite torrid and scandalously long to merit glaring stares from guests.

This event coincided with a major showbiz function in which CA was expected to attend. CA obviously chose this non-showbiz event to be with his other pals than with GF and his fans. Incidentally, GF was at the said function, where she was rumored to have given the cold treatment to another celebrity.

These many sightings and public behavior of CA are quite disturbing. One moment, he does something chivalric for GF, then after a few weeks, he plays around while she’s away. How could have GF reacted had she known that CA was busy with something else as she was receiving her award? How long can GF put up a happy front amidst CA's shameless philandering?

Maybe it's about time to get herself ready for a face-off and stop playing the role of a victim-girlfriend. That circle over her head ought to be pulled down long ago.

A person isn't who they are during the last conversation you had with them - they're who they've been throughout your whole relationship. –Rainer Maria Rilke

Please abide by the GUIDELINES in writing comments if you want them to be posted. Initials and comments that are too explicit will not be accepted.

Follow @FashionPulis on Twitter for the latest update. Please continue to send your juicy stories to michaelsylim@gmail.com. Thank you very much for loving Fashion PULIS!

Disclaimer: The comments of the readers do not reflect the views and opinions of Fashion PULIS.

Anne Hathaway Apologizes to Valentino

Anne Hathaway, a close friend of designer Valentino and one of his biggest fans, surprised the fashion world when she trod the red carpet wearing a pale pink dress by another Italian designer,Prada.

The Valentino fashion house had even released a press statement in advance of the Oscars disclosing that it would be dressing the Les Miserables actress in addition to Sally Field andJennifer Aniston.

Anne has since issued an apology to the designer, saying: "It came to my attention late Saturday night that there would be a dress worn to the Oscars that is remarkably similar to the Valentino I had intended to wear."

Anne seemed to be referring to her Les Miserables co-star Amanda Seyfried's grey Alexander McQueen gown. "I decided it was best for all involved to change my plans," she explained.

"Though I love the dress I did wear, it was a difficult last-minute decision," added the 30-year-old, who picked up an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She contacted her stylist Rachel Zoe to help with a selection of back-up dresses.

On the night itself Anne explained that it was a last-minute decision. "I didn't even know what I was wearing until about three hours ago," she said.

"I had so looked forward to wearing Valentino in honor of the deep and meaningful relationship I have enjoyed with the house and with Valentino himself," said Anne in the statement to People magazine. "I deeply regret any disappointment caused".

Valentino, who is responsible for the bold red number heralded by fashion fans at Anne's Oscars appearance in 2011, also created the actress' bespoke wedding gown which she wore when she married actor Adam Schulman in September 2012.

Source: www.oscars.hellomagazine.com

Like or Dislike: Michelle Obama in Jason Wu

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Image courtesy of www.upi.com

Lacking Respect and Professionalism

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This story is about a fashion stylist. But first, let us define what a fashion stylist is. From Wiki, it says:

"A Fashion Stylist is the job title of someone who selects the clothing for published editorial features, print or television advertising campaigns, music videos, concert performances, and any public appearances made by celebrities, models or other public figures. Stylists are often part of a creative team assembled by the client, collaborating with the fashion designer, photographer/director, hair stylist and makeup artist to put together a particular look or theme for the specific project."

That plus a handsome fee make fashion styling such a cool and glamorous job, isn't it? Now, let us go back to our story.

This well-connected fashion stylist FS asked a top designer TD to send some clothes to her to be used by a popular endorser PE for a shoot in one of her big endorsements. FS told TD that if PE would like some pieces she would definitely buy them. Days after, the clothes were returned to him and FS said that not one were worn by PE. That was fine with TD and no questions were asked. But few weeks after that, TD was shocked to see a new billboard of PE wearing the exact dress he sent them for the shoot. What angered him more was that the dress was maliciously photoshopped to alter its original color. But any designer will always recognize his work even if it is just the collar or the sleeves that are shown. TD immediately confronted FS for deceiving him and only after he ranted was he paid for his clothes.

Do you know the characters in this story? Please abide by the GUIDELINES in writing comments if you want them to be posted. Initials and comments that are too explicit will not be accepted.

Follow micsylim on Twitter for the latest update. Please continue to send your juicy stories to michaelsylim@gmail.com. Thank you very much for loving Fashion PULIS.

Like or Dislike: Miss World Philippines 2012 Queneerich Rehman in Michael Cinco

Images courtesy of: edgarboyet.blogspot.com

Like or Dislike: Toni Gonzaga in Rajo Laurel

Designed by Rajo Laurel and Styled by Liz Uy

Rage Over a Bar

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In a party hosted by a fashion designer, a guest (G) was saying unsavory comments about an ice cream bar. G was telling the other guests the product was overhyped and overrated. She kept saying she will not even bother buy it. What she did not know was one of the brand ambassadors (BA) was among the guests who heard her tactless comments. BA kept his poise and ignored the comments of G. When G saw BA, she came over and wanted to give him a kiss. In the process, she even reached out for his chest to squeeze it as a friendly gesture. Of course, BA was aghast because G was behaving as if they were close. Besides, BA did not personally know G and he heard her belittle the product he was endorsing.

Then, BA addressed G, "Don't come near me, and never touch me again!" The embarrassed G started bad-mouthing BA in a loud voice, like saying how proud he is. Eventually, friends stepped in and calmed G. After a while, G was asked to leave the party.

Do you know who G and BA are? Please abide by the RULES in writing comments if you want me to post them. Initials and comments that are too explicit will not be accepted.

Follow micsylim on Twitter for the latest update. Please continue to send your juicy stories to michaelsylim@gmail.com. Thank you very much for loving Fashion PULIS.

Trouble in Fantasyland

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The successful venture of the three movie outfits squashed all competitors, making the producers ecstatic over the box-office results. Their partnership enlivened the dying movie industry and moviegoers looked forward to another venture of the three. However, the co-production may not happen ever again.

Designer L filed a case on the violation of his intellectual property rights against the producers of the movie. The case stems from the use of the design of L in the costume of the villain in the final scene. In the movie credits, the name of Designer L appeared, which seems to imply that he allowed the use of his design. However, this is not the truth! Designer L never gave his consent for the use of his design in the movie. The question is whether any production person even approached him at all to ask permission.

One of the smaller movie outfits quickly washed its hands of any involvement in the case and immediately pointed to the stellar movie outfit as responsible for the production. Soon, the smaller movie outfit will attempt to clear its name of any involvement in the said case. The stellar movie outfit has yet to issue a statement on this matter.

While everyone thought all is well in the land of enormous profits, this situation merely reflects that all successful ventures will vanish into fantasy with a lawsuit involving millions.

Out on Bail

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FP’s attention was called by a group of designers (GD) who are unhappy with the outcome of the case of this family in the fashion industry. The stores of this family were trendsetters and even imitated by the rest at the height of its popularity.

GD laments that the board of directors, who belong to this family, are all out on bail after being indicted for allegedly pocketing the earnings of their stores. GD refutes the claim that the variety of stores closed down due to poor sales. Until the very end, the stores made money, ranging from 1M during lean months to as much as 2M to 3M in major malls.

Payments were either delayed or not made to the designers, rent, suppliers, and subcontractors, among others. Even GD remains unpaid until now. The little people (suppliers of accessories and subcontractors of those who made dresses for them) who have yet to be paid, have kept quiet as they did not want to be stressed out in pursuing the case.

GD remains steadfast in its cause for justice against this family. GD hates seeing some members of this family still living the high life in spite of what they have done. 

Letter from a Reader: Goodbye to Your Down Payment

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Dear Fashion PULIS,

I would like to share with you an experience that I had with this menswear designer. I have been following you since day one when you posted the Puey Quiniones Scandal. Initilaly, I did not want to share this with anyone but I heard that this designer has other victims as well. So let this letter be a warning to all future clients of this designer.

I fell in love with his work when I attended one of his fashion shows so I met up with him and asked him to design me a suit for my cousin's wedding. He seemed nice and pleasant. After designing the suit, he discussed the materials with me, took my measurements, and asked for a down payment.

After that meeting, I never heard from him again. I kept calling and sending him SMS messages for weeks, but he never replied. He only got in touch with me through SMS message a few days before my cousin's wedding asking me when I am free for fitting. I told him that the wedding will take place in a few days and since he was not replying to my messages, I decided to buy a suit instead. I also texted him if he can return the down payment to me but he never replied ever again.

A few weeks ago I met up with my cousin who works for a magazine and she laughed at me when I shared this story with her. Apparently this designer is known for that. She told me that when one of the brands commissioned him to do some accessories for the show, he never delivered the items. She also mention horrible stories of clients from the province who gave him eighty five thousand for the down payment and never got the suits that they ordered. The family members asked him to return the money and he asked then if could pay in installment. My cousin and her friends from the fashion industry found it very ironic because he was able to shop in Prada abroad and even stage a fashion show overseas.

It is so sad that it is hard to trust people nowadays. I hope you can share my story with your readers so that they will not have the same experience. Thank you very much and more power to Fashion PULIS.

Sincerly yours
T.M.T.

Letter from a Reader: Business Closed = Lost Consigned Goods

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Dear Fashion PULIS,

From 2006 to 2007, I consigned several designer items with this certain make-up artist who was trained in abroad to sell at his store in Rockwell. Initially, he would pay for the goods sold but when his store closed down in 2008, I stopped receiving checks from him. I tried to get back the unsold goods but he was nowhere to be found.

I remember bumping into his business partner at the mall several times. His business partner by the way is a fashion designer who is one of the officers of a group for designers. One time, when this designer was hanging out with some friends, he had an alarmed look on his face when he saw me. He hurriedly stood up, walked away from the group and told me in one corner that is aware of the situation. He promised me that he will get in touch with me once he sort things out with the make-up artist but since then, I never heard from him again. The estimated value of the goods I consigned with them is around 500,000 PhP.

I have never changed my mobile number or my email address. I do not have a Facebook account but one time I asked a friend who has one to send this designer a message reminding him about their obligation. As expected, my friend did not receive any reply. I have tried to text and call the make-up artist many times but he keeps changing his number.

At this point, I do not really care anymore about getting paid or getting the goods back. I am just so enraged at the audacity of these people to publicize their "posh lifestyles" and "European education" in the magazines when in fact they could not even pay for their debts. I guess dishonesty is truly the new black.

Thanks very much for posting my story. More power to you!

Yours truly,

DA

Kudos to Dubai-based Filipino Designer

Image courtesy of Asghar Khan/Gulf News

For someone who started off by making dresses for his mother, Dubai-based Filipino designer Furne One has come a long way indeed.

With a celebrity roster that includes supermodel Heidi Klum, legendary actress Joan Collins and, most recently, three of pop's current biggest names — Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Katy Perry — his is every designer's dream client list. But that's only if you consider dressing celebrities the ultimate career high. One (pronounced on-ay) has been making his dream-like couture dresses, all sequins, glitter and all, for highly-placed Arab clients and royals for the past 12 years.

The soft-spoken designer puts his current successful celebrity run down to a lot of hard work, and some luck.

"I have been working with Heidi for Germany's Next Top Model for about four seasons now, designing for the finalists," he tells tabloid!.

Source: gulfnews.com (By David Tusing, Deputy tabloid! Editor)

Cheap Stunt

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This female designer tries very hard to project a sophisticated image but what many do not know is that she is in big financial trouble. To support her grandiose lifestyle, she borrowed 2.5 Million PhP payable in 3-4 years with a monthly interest rate of 2.5% from a rich loan shark.

Due to her pretentious lifestyle, this female designer has been delinquent in paying for her loan. She allowed the interests to pile up month after month and her total debt has reached almost 4 Million PhP. In an attempt to seek for help, she thought of emailing one of her very wealthy clients to ask her for financial assistance. In her email, she begged the wealthy client to lend her money so she can pay off her huge debt.

After reading the email, this wealthy client was puzzled as to why the designer is still planning to open a second shop in a mall in spite of her financial problem. In fact, she is already having difficulties paying for the monthly rent of her current shop. This wealthy client is now avoiding this designer like the plague.

Do you know who this female designer is? She is also known in the fashion world as the girl who targets foreigners who can support her lavish pretentious lifestyle. To get additional clues, I suggest you follow micsylim on Twitter. Please continue to email your juicy stories to michaelsylim@gmail.com. Thank you for reading Fashion PULIS!

Designer Caught Retagging by Another Designer

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Designer A fell in love with one of the jackets that Designer B featured in one of his fashion shows. Since Designer A loved it so much, Designer B agreed to sell it to him. One day, while Designer A was at home admiring his new jacket, he was shocked to find a KINGMEN tag in one of the inner pockets.

When Designer A met Designer B a few weeks later in one of the parties, he went up to him to ask about the KINGSMEN tag. When Designer B heard this, his face turned red and he calmly explained to Designer A that his father is one of the stockholders of KINGSMEN. He hurriedly walked away from Designer A after giving this very lame excuse and avoided him the whole evening.

Do you know who Designer B is? I will give you a clue. This young designer was included on a magazine's list of designers to watch for in 2009 after he created a jacket for an actress who was part of this magazine's best dressed issue. I guess we all have to keep a watchful eye on Designer B after hearing about this retagging incident.

For more clues, please follow micsylim on Twitter. Kindly continue to email your juicy stories to michaelsylim@gmail.com.

Who Cut the Train?

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This internationally-renowned veteran fashion designer borrowed an antique wedding gown from the grandson of a former president. It was the gown that his deceased mom wore when she got married. The gown had an extraordinarily long and exquisite antique embroidered train.

One day, this owner wanted his mother’s wedding gown back so he got in touch with the designer who borrowed it. He was appalled when he heard that the designer told him that he misplaced his mother’s antique wedding gown. He could not believe how this designer could have misplaced a bulky and heavy wedding gown with a super long train.

Years later, the designer got in touch with him one day and informed him that he finally found his mother’s missing wedding gown. When the gown was delivered to him, he got the shock of his life. He discovered that half of the antique embroidered train was already gone.

The same wedding gown was borrowed to be the centrepiece of an exhibit in a museum. It was displayed on a platform that showed the actual length of the gown's train. Thanks to the veteran designer, the visitors of the exhibit only got to appreciate the antique wedding gown with half of its original train.

Do you know who this veteran fashion designer is? Follow micsylim on twitter to get updates on Fashion PULIS. Please observe the guidelines in posting your comments. Continue to send your stories to michaelsylim@gmail.com. Thank you for visiting Fashion PULIS.

Retrospect: Fashion Bullying, a Scene from MAGKARIBAL

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In a recent fashion show where VR was one of the featured designers, spies of Fashion PULIS overheard members of the audience talking about the buzz created by the Fashion Bullying, a Scene from Magkaribal story. They were discussing the reason why some of the employees of the fashion bully opted to work for VR. It was said that the main reason of their transfer was the absence of the necessary benefits like SSS in the employment package of the fashion bully. In this case, instead of taking it against VR, she should overhaul her employment package so that they will remain loyal to her. My advice to her: Stop Bullying!

Please follow me on twitter: micsylim. Kindly observe the guidelines in posting your comments. You can email your stories to michaelsylim@gmail.com. Thank you to the spies of Fashion PULIS!

Fashion Designer = Tracing + Retagging?

Image courtesy of www.smachingmagazine.com

When this client went to the store of this female designer to have a dress made, she was advised by her to go through the rack and check if there was anything she liked on display. The client found a dress that fitted her perfectly so she gladly purchased it from the designer at a reasonable price.

A few weeks later, the same client went back to the designer to order for another dress. This time around since she could not find anything that suited her taste from the display, she requested for the designer to sketch something for her. Instead of sketching from scratch, the designer brought out a Manila paper filled with different dress designs and began tracing using onion skin paper. When they eventually agreed on the final design and the material to be used, the designer got the 50% down payment from the client and left her with one of the seamstresses to take her measurements.

After a week or two, the client was asked to go back to the store to pick up the dress. She was very disappointed when she fitted it. It did not fit her well so she politely pointed out the problem areas. The designer agreed to make the necessary changes and requested her to just come back for it. Three days later, she was invited back to the store just to be greeted by a dress that was never altered at all. The designer apologized and requested her to give her another week. A week later the dress was still a disaster so the client informed the designer that she will not be paying for the remaining balance. She left the dress with the designer and promised herself never to go back to that store.

When this client got home, she immediately went to her closet to look for the dress that she bought off the rack from the designer. She was wondering why that dress fitted her so perfectly. Upon careful examination, she noticed that there were tiny perforations surrounding the label of the designer. It was only then that she realized that the designer had the original bigger tag removed and replaced it with her tag that was apparently smaller.

Do you know who is the female designer? Follow micsylim on twitter to get more clues. Please observe the guidelines if you want your comments to be posted. To share your stories, kindly email them to michaelsylim@gmail.com. Thank you for reading Fashion PULIS!

The Fashion Betrayal

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I am currently in Paris enjoying the last two days of our European trip. I am so tired from walking and shopping but I promised myself to post a new story before I go to bed. By the way, I already bought the Longchamp Le Pliage Tote that will be raffled away when I get home.

Paris is known as the fashion capital of the world. Designers all over the world move to Paris to pursue their careers in fashion. I am sure many of you are familiar with the Italian designer, Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavni. In his younger days, Valentino moved to Paris to study at the École des Beaux-Arts and at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne. He also did his apprenticeship under several French fashion houses before going back to Italy to start his own atelier.

Valentino is known for his elegant and timeless dresses. This is why he is the favorite of many international celebrities. His dresses can be very expensive and I can only think of a few women in Manila who are willing to invest on a Valentino dress. This certain Filipina fashion icon/actress loved her one of her Valentino dresses so much that she requested her trusted designer to create something similar exclusively for her. The final product was up to her standard and she was very pleased with the designer until she saw someone else at an event, wearing a dress similar to hers. She later discovered that the designer was selling her exclusive design to all her other clients. The fashion icon/actress was very disappointed. She felt betrayed by the designer and from then on, she stopped patronizing her. In my opinion, this was a big loss on the designer's part.

More than knowing the identity of this designer, this story should serve as a lesson for all us who are doing business. When we promise something to our client, we should make sure that we are able to fulfill this promise. At the end of the day, a good name is better than riches.

Anyway, I am sure that in spite that I mentioned that the identities of the characters in the story are not important, many of you are still dying to know who they are. Do you have any clues? Please observe the Guidelines in Posting Comments. Follow micsylim on twitter and you might just get additional information. Thank you very for all your love and support. Please email your stories to michaelsylim@gmail.com.

The Vidajewelries Longevity Bangle/ Kanebo Giveaway contest is still ongoing. Please email your answers to mikesylim@gmail.com (NOT micsylim@gmail.com) with your name on or before April 30, 2011, 11:59 pm, Manila time. Good luck to all of you.

Letter from a Reader: For the Love of My Boyfriend

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Dear Fashion PULIS,

I am Chal. I went to DLSU but you were never my professor. Anyway, I would like to share a story with you and your readers. I was doing some research on this designer and I came across your blog. I wouldn't really have shared this story about him if he changed his ways. However, things are really getting worse.

This designer did my wedding gown a few years back and I still love it up to this day. That was how I knew him. So when the Taiwanese friend of my mom, Toni, was looking for a Filipino designer to do his line of gowns in Japan & Europe called Vita Bella, I thought of him. When I contacted him, he immediately responded so I set him an appointment with my mom and Toni.

Toni would ask our travel agency to arrange this designer's trip to China. Apart from his ticket, he would make Toni pay for his boyfriend's ticket and tell Toni that he is the assistant. In China, his boyfriend would just lie around and make Toni pay for meals. The scenario became worse when the designer asked for a credit line from our travel agency for the extra tickets he was purchasing. I declined nicely because I have already read about him in your blog. One time, he even gave us a check for his boyfriend's ticket only to have someone inform us the following day that the check belonged to him and he was the real assistant. This means that he was using the assistant's money to pay for the boyfriend's ticket.

Things became worse a few weeks ago when a fashion show was held in Manila Peninsula. Coincidentally, Toni was invited to watch the fashion show and he requested our agency to book a room for him. The designer was also part of the show and he might have received a complimentary room from either the hotel or the organizers. My contact from the Manila Peninsula informed me that the designer's assistant approached the reservation staff and advised them that they will be extending an extra night courtesy of Toni. Toni was very upset upon checking out because he discovered what the designer did without asking his permission. The poor Taiwanese guy spoke little English but he had a good understanding as to what was happening. It is very sad because Toni believed in the Filipino talent he has already invested close to a million on this designer. My mom also told me that the designer never returned the gowns he borrowed from Toni that were used in the fashion show. The Manila Peninsula found a few gowns left in the designer's room when he checked out.

I'm writing you this letter to warn your readers. I really believe in the designer's talent and I feel so sad that he is ruining his career all for the love of his boyfriend. I hope that one day he apologizes to me, to my mom and most specially, to Toni.

Yours truly,
Chal

Note: This letter was published with the permission of the sender. Parts of the letter were edited by Fashion PULIS.

America's Next Top Model Episode Featuring Michael Cinco on ETC This Coming Week

Images courtesy of www.paddylastinc.wordpress.com

On America's Next Top Model Cycle 16 Episode 8, the contestants will be wearing haute couture pieces by Filipino designer Michael Cinco for their photo shoot by Nigel Barker. Congratulations to Michael! You have proven to the world that Filipinos are truly world class talents. The episode featuring the masterpieces of Michael Cinco will be shown in Manila on ETC this coming Thursday, April 21, at 9pm and will be replayed on Sunday, April 24, at 7pm.

Contests Reminders:

1. Entries for the Vidajewelries Longevity Bangle contest should be sent to mikesylim@gmail.com with your name on or before April 30, 2011, 11:59 pm, Manila time. 
2. Entries for the Longchamp Le Pliage Tote contest should be sent to micsylim@gmail.com with your name on or before April 22, 2011, 11:59 pm, Manila time.