Letter from a Reader: Bride to Wed in RTW Gown Because of Missing Designer

Image courtesy of www.nitishkumar.net

Dear Fashion PULIS, 

I've been reading your blog ever since the “fashion scam" story. I always read about the designers you feature in your blog whether it is something positive or negative. I would like to request you to publish this story of my closest friend. This friend of mine has saved for almost 10 years just for her dream wedding. Sadly she was betrayed by this designer whom she trusted to provide the gowns on her special wedding.

I will try my best to provide a detailed timeline for you and your readers to have a better picture of the story. Allow me also to post some of the emails of my friend.

December 2010
My close friend got engaged. She and her fiancé set the wedding date on May 15, 2011.

January 2011
They started booking all the wedding suppliers and started scouting for possible designer. Many designers they contacted turned them down because they say they can no longer accommodate them since their wedding date is too near.

February 2011
Through a common friend’s referral they met up with male designer A. Before the initial meeting, my friend tried searching for reviews about his work on various wedding sites. Instead of finding reviews, she found photos of him with celebrities and even came across articles about him winning a certain design competition. These bits of information made her confident that he has a name to protect so most likely she will not have any problems with him. When they met up with him, his initial quote was 120,000 Php for the gowns of the bride, the mothers and the female entourage members but since they were referred by a common friend, he offered to give them a 50% discount. They gave him 30,000 Php as an initial payment for the 60,000 Php agreed package price. He asked for an additional down payment of 10,000 Php and another 6,000 Php for the tuxedo of the groom that cost 12,000 Php. All the measurements were then taken at the groom's place and they set the first fitting on March 15. He told them not to worry and even assured them that it only takes approximately 5 days to complete a tuxedo so there is nothing to worry about.

March 2011
Before the March 15 scheduled first fitting, my friend followed up through text messages, calls and Facebook messages but received no answer from him.

April 1, 2011
With less than 2 months before the wedding date, my friend kept asking when they will get fit the gowns. A answered confidently saying "May 15 pa naman ang wedding mo." When she asked him if she can at least see the lining of the dress, he answered, "Hindi naman ganun kadali gumawa ng gown, and to be honest pang lima bride na kita." Since my friend has been bugging him almost every day, he promised that the gowns will be ready for fitting after holy week. When the family members of the groom found out about this, they were planning to pull out the unfinished gowns and file a legal case. They need the gowns as evidence since A was not able to provide a written contract and sketches which he promised to send through email.

April 26, 2011. The Monday after Holy Week.
They were able to talk to the designer. Again the he rescheduled the first fitting to May 5 considering the wedding date is on May 15. He said he wasn’t able to work during the Holy Week because he was out of town.

Here are the email updates of my friend as the wedding day approaches (in Filipino):

May 1, 2011
Kaloka ang designer ko. May 15 yung wedding ko at May 5 ang fitting ko? Sya rin ang gagawa ng entourage gowns, suit ni husband to be, pati shoes ko. Yung second week of march na napagusapan namin, nauwi na sa May 5. Mali lang talaga ako kasi pumayag ako ng verbal agreement since mababa lang ang singil nya.

Kung maibabalik ko lang, sana naging mapanuri ako, naging mas metikulosa at demanding kung kinakailangan. Masyado ako naging lenient sa designer nay iyan. Natiis kong maghintay sa kanya ng dalawang oras. Ang martir ko grabe! I thought kasi na kapag pinagbigyan ko yung isang tao, ibabalik rin nya sakin yung kabutihan ko at hindi nya ko i-stress.

Ayoko na lang masyado isipin. Akala ng mga tao di ako na-stress. Pero minsan inaatake ako ng lungkot, naiiyak na lang ako bigla.

May 5, 2011
Sa mga nag-aabang sa nangyari sa aking first ever wedding gown fitting, Mineet namin ako ng designer last night. This time, hindi na nya kami pinaghintay ng 2 hours kasi sinabi ko na kailangan ko pang bumalik sa office ng 10pm.

As expected, hindi pa tapos ang lahat ng gowns, yun sa akin lang ang medyo tapos na. Ok yung fit nya sa katawan (buti na lang), yung bandang taas na lang ang maluwag saka yung sleeves pero mukhang madali namang ayusin, wala pa syang mga beadings. Delivery is this coming Saturday night daw. Hopefully totoo nga. In general, ok naman yung mga damit pero di ko pa ma-appreciate kasi wala pang beadings.

Yung kay mother in law, masikip at hindi masara ang zipper. Sinukat nya kaninang umaga ng 6am kasi may pasok pa sa office pero na-late ng konti si A, 7am na sya dumating. Buti naabutan pa nya sa bahay yung mother in law ko. Sandali lang yung fitting kanina, umalis na rin sya kaagad kasi pupunta pa raw
sya ng marikina for my shoes. Yung shoes ko, di pa rin tapos. Sabi niya nagkamali raw ng gawa, nabaliktad daw yung telang ginamit.

Yung tuxedo ni husband to be, hindi pa rin tapos. Sa May 8 pa raw. Nung kausap ko sya last March, sabi nya 5 days lang daw magagawa na yung tuxedo. Anong petsa na ngayon, hindi pa rin tapos? Sana by Sunday matapos na lahat. Sabi pa nya, black yung natahing pants at gray naman yung sa coat, ang galing di ba? Sabi ko dapat terno yung kulay ng coat at pants. Papalitan na lang daw niya.

Yung ibang gowns ng entourage member, saka yung sa mom ko, bukas pa ng umaga ang fitting. Super lagare pero that's his fault. Overbooking siya!

Hindi na ko masyado nagrereact pag may mga kinukwento sya. I want him to think and feel na hindi ako ganoong kabait para unawain sya palagi. Pero di ko rin naman sya maaway kasi nasa kanya pa ang lahat ng gowns. Sana naman maging maganda yung kalabasan ng mga gowns.

Sa lahat ng mga nagpray para sa amin, maraming maraming salamat! Akala ko talaga mag RTW na ako, pero thank God, mukhang aabot yung gown ko.

May 7, 2011
I really feel down right now. Nadeliver na nya yung gown ko just now. When I looked closer, ang dumi! Sabi niya before tahiin, nilabhan na daw yun, pero marumi talaga. May mga marks na parang mancha, basta yung parang lumang luma na yung tela. Di ko napansin nung nagfitting kasi nagmamadali kami at saka hindi ganun kaliwanag ang lighting.

May 8, 2011
We have decided to buy RTW gowns na lang today, mahirap umasa! Pinipilit namin syang tanungin kung anong address nya at pupuntahan namin sya pero ayaw niyang ibigay. Itetext na lang daw nya yung address. Ano bang difference ng ibigay nyya habang magkausap kami sa fone versus thru text? Nagmamakaawa na ako talaga na sabihin nya yung address, pero ayaw nya talaga.

Pinuntahan ng brother ni husband to be yung shop niya sa Q.C. na malapit sa isang T.V station pero closed na! We already knew about that at sabi nung guard na marami nga daw nagpupunta dun na naghahanap sa kanya. Meron pa nga raw doon isang girl na pumunta ng araw na ng kasal nya, wala pa siyang gown. I am wondering kung yung sinabi ng isang designer sa akin na makakadeliver naman si A, late nga lang. Ang ibigsabihin ba ng late ay after the wedding?

I hope magkaka peace of mind na kami pag may nabili na kaming gowns. Ibebenta ko na lang yung mga gown kung idedeliver nya. Next time na namin iisipin kung anong gagawin sa kanya. Waka kasi kaming written contract, nagtiwala kami agad sa kanya at mali talaga kami dun!

Thank you for posting this long story. More power to Fashion PULIS.

Yours truly,
V.J.P.

The Dolce Vida 2011 Collection

Which pieces do you like? I am sure Vidajewelries would love to know your top picks. For inquiries and orders, please send your emails to dolcevida@ymail.com.

Halitosis

Image courtesy of www.howtopreventbadbreath.org

According to www.qualitydentistry.com, halitosis is an oral health condition wherein someone produces an offensive odor from his/her oral or nasal regions. This odorous breath cannot be simply eliminated through normal oral hygiene techniques, such as flossing or brushing.

Some possible causes of halitosis include food intake, poor oral health care, periodontal disease, xerostomia (dry mouth), use of tobacco products and other medical conditions. This disease knows no boundaries when it comes to age, sex, race, or socioeconomic levels. It can be truly embarrassing and this is why many patients are reluctant to even mention the problem to either their physician or dentist.

People with this condition try to avoid intimate social situations because of their fear of rejection. According to the sources from a giant network, halitosis was one of the contributing factors why this hot actor decided to separate from his beautiful actress girlfriend. As a result of the separation, the actress was so depressed that she underwent some more cosmetic surgery procedures.

Do you know who this beautiful actress is? Follow micsylim on twitter for you to get more clues. Please avoid initials or any specific descriptions that would lead to one particular person. Please follow the guidelines if you want your comments to be posted. Share your stories through michaelsylim@gmail.com. I will be waiting Thank you very much for loving Fashion PULIS.

Thank You Very Much

Image courtesy of www.glogster.com

Fashion PULIS was born on February 17, 2011. In less than three months, we have achieved more than 1,000,000 pageviews. This could not be possible without all your support. Please continue to spread your love for Fashion PULIS. I have just been busy ever since I came back from Europe but I promise to announce the winners for the two contests very soon. Again, thank you very much.

A Ballpark Figure of the Model's Debt

Image courtesy of www.pxleyes.com

This model and his family members were renting an apartment in Alabang, Muntinlupa City. One day, they just decided to leave the apartment and transfer to another one without settling the unpaid rent and utilities. The landlord was furious with what they did and is currently looking at the possibility of filling a legal case against them.

This might come as a surprise to some of you but this model does have a history of not fulfilling his obligations. A few years ago when he had a gambling problem, his debt to his female manager piled up to more than one million pesos. After closing an endorsement deal for him, she was able to get back five hundred thousand pesos but the remaining balance of more than seven hundred thousand pesos has not been settled till this day. When he finally realized that he will never ever be able to pay off his debt to her, he decided to leave her. He left her house taking with him her Italian bed, her Egyptian cotton bed sheets and their dog. While she tried running after him to get back her things, he started telling common friends that she was stalking him.

Apart from the model, his mother also borrowed one hundred thousand pesos from the manager and never paid her back. She likes to borrow money from people to be able to help her other financial challenged relatives to make her family look big time.

Before I end this story, let me share with you excerpts from William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice:

All that glitters is not gold;

Often have you heard that told:

Many a man his life hath sold

But my outside to behold:

Gilded tombs do worms enfold.

Had you been as wise as bold,

Young in limbs, in judgment old,

Your answer had not been inscroll'd:

Do you know who this model is? Follow micsylim on twitter and you might get more clues. Kindly observe the guidelines if you want your comments to be posted. Please email your stories to michaelsylim@gmail.com. Thank you for loving Fashion PULIS!

The Handsome Rhino

Image courtesy of www.animal-pics.org

If a cougar is an older woman who exclusively pursues men who are at least ten years younger, then a rhino (short for rhinoceros) is an older man who prefers dating younger women. The term rhino was used because this particular breed of animal is more often than not both horny and ugly. However, I must say that not all rhinos are ugly. There are many men who have managed to age gracefully, such as this veteran actor involved in this story.

He is a well respected veteran actor in the country. Many young actors look up to him as their role model. Through the years, he has maintained the image of a good family man and an ideal religious group leader. Recently, in spite of his positive image, a rumor that he is head over heels over a foreign looking girl form the south who is ten years younger than he has been surfacing. His behavior definitely qualifies him as a rhino, a handsome one though.

This rhino has been visiting the south rather frequently and has been spotted with his beautiful young girlfriend. People close to his wife have already dropped hints about her husband’s extracurricular activities but she refused to believe them. Let me remind his ideal wife that there’s no smoke without fire.

Do you know who the handsome rhino is? 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!

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!

Are You Straight, Gay or Bi?

Image courtesy of www.healthyblackmen.org

The sexual preference of this sweet actress has been in question for many years. In the past, she had a relationship with a female colleague from the same network who incidentally committed suicide after their separation. According to the people close to this person, she was extremely depressed after the actress left her so she decided to end her life.

Recently, this actress has been rumored to be dating an actor from the same network. This actor used to be the boyfriend of another actress who also belong to the same network. Is this love affair a publicity stunt to reassure the actress’ fans of her sexuality?

According to a source, the current love interest of this actress is in fact a female director and not the actor. If this is the case, this actress is certainly trying to confuse all of us. Is it the actor, the female director or both? Is she straight, gay or bi? Your guess is as good as mine.

Do you have a clue as to who is this actress? If you want your comments to be posted, I suggest that you observe the Guidelines in Posting Comments. Also, follow micsylim on twitter and you might just get additional information. If you have any stories to share, kindly email them to michaelsylim@gmail.com. Thank you for supporting Fashion PULIS!

The Actor's Assistant: Case Closed =)

Image courtesy of www.writeonnewjersey.com

I am happy to be back in Manila. There is really no place like home. When I was in Europe, a friend of mine from Laoag sent me a text message regarding a story she received from Twitter about the problem of The Actor's Assistant.  Yesterday, this friend of mine updated me through a text message informing me that the problem of the PA has finally been solved. After hearing the good news, I got in touch with source of the story and this was the message I received. 

Dear Fashion PULIS, 

I would just like to express our deepest gratitude to you. If not for the blind item entitled The Actor's Assistant you posted in your blog, the personal assistant (PA) of the actor wouldn't have gotten out of the hospital. Your blog site (which I check daily) is not only entertaining, it also helps voiceless people. I have introduced your blog to my friends and now they are hooked like me. Congratulations! In a short span of time you gained a considerable number of followers. More power to your blog and may you continue to help other people. 

Sincerely,
F.A.R.

After receiving her message, I asked her a few questions to clarify some of the comments that our readers have posted.

Q: There was a reader who said that the actor does not have a PA. Is he the driver?
A: RIGHT HAND MAN may be the more appropriate term. He takes care of actor's money. Apparently, he helps the actor collect money from well-known people and deposit the money. Sometimes, he drives for the actor but he is definitely not the driver, more of  a "KATIWALA".  He is also acts as the liaison officer for his other businesses. In fact, this actor has 2 right hand men. The one in the story is A and the other is J. It is not true that A received a house from the actor as your reader has commented. He used to live in the house of the actor.

Q: Who was the one who gave the cash to the PA's family? Do you know how much was given?
A: The wife, on behalf of the actor, was the one who gave the money to the family members. She gave 50% of the amount and even helped the family members obtain the other 50% from charitable institutions. Kudos to them!

Q: How is the condition of the PA? 

A: Unfortunately, it is Stage 4 Colon Cancer. In fairness to the doctors in the said hospital where he was transferred to, they did not charge the PA's family right and left thinking that the actor will be the one to shoulder the expenses. The doctors just performed an operation that was really necessary and did not do other expensive invasive procedures since the PA's family informed them that they are under financial constraint.

Thank you very much to all the readers of Fashion PULIS for entrusting your stories to me. If you have anything to share, please feel free to get in touch with me through: michaelsylim@gmail.com. By the way, I hope to announce the winners of the Longchamp Le Pliage Tote and Vidajewelries Longevity Bangle/ Kanebo Giveaway contests this coming week. Thank you for all your love and support!

The Inspiration of Princess Beatrice's Hat

Image courtesy of oh_fudge

Princess Beatrice, the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, was chosen as the worst dressed Royal Wedding guest by The Times Live. She paired her Valentino Haute Couture dress and coat with a Philip Treacy hat.

I think this melon/buko scraper was the inspiration of Princess Beatrice's hat designer. What do you think?