FTWinhoffer

(For the win) Hoffer

Grind it, roll it, sweat it, shake it with Nicole Winhoffer, superstar dancer, celebrity fitness trainer, and fierce Pinay.

by Nickky Faustine De Guzman
July 27, 2014

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Besides her legendary pop songs (“Like A Prayer,” “Vogue,” “Give Me All Your Luvin’,” “Material Girl”), there’s one more thing Madonna is known for—her insane, chiseled body. And she’s 55!  Through the years, Her Madgesty has maintained her svelte, sexy silhouette, especially her toned arms, which she flaunts in her music videos and Instagram page. Is she really in her 50s? We’re so dropping the honey-glazed donut right now. But this we know for sure: Madge wasn’t born that way, she worked hard for it.

Nicole Winhoffer showing her signature exercise moves; Iza Calzado and Rajo Laurel gamely join the group; Participants sweat it out for health and fitness; Fitness guru, artist (Images by Keith Dador)

So what goes on in her daily workout? Personal fitness trainer Filipino-German Nicole Winhoffer, who used to work with the queen of pop, shares the secret—among many other bust-your-butt moves—in a one-hour exercise routine presented by Cosmopolitan and Women’s Health magazines as part of her #BeFitForLove tour. Are you ready to die?

Clad in an all black ensemble, the New York-based dancer and fitness expert starts stretching. Nicole says she doesn’t like to focus on one part of the body, which she applies when training Madonna, whom she met four years ago during the “Sticky and Sweet” music tour. “I met Madonna in 2008 as a dancer and working with her reinforced me the idea of female empowerment.” Among her other clients are A-listers Rachel Weisz, Stella McCartney, and Steven Klein.

LET’S GET PHYSICAL Cosmopolitan’s Myrza Sison (middle) flanked by #BeFitForLove participants Rajo Laurel, Iza Calzado, Boom Sason, Lara Parpan, Mitzi Borromeo, and Toni Saret

What makes Nicole’s approach different? “I always challenge the body. I’m gonna make you sweat,” she warns. Nicole is known for creating strong workout methods intended for endurance and agility tests. She uses innovative designs and movement especially targeting one’s shoulders, waist, and butt. In 2012, Madonna and Nicole collaborated for the release of their four-disc DVD workout series called “Addicted to Sweat,” which combined innovative dance routines, toning, and cardio trainings.

Nicole Winhoffer is part Pinay and German. Her mom is a Filipino.

“Addicted to Sweat is the name of the workout created for the gym Hard Candy. It’s heavily dance- and music-based. People get to experience how to move their bodies in new ways. It’s very difficult. A lot of people don’t make it through,” Nicole says, laughing. Oh no.  After 10 minutes of “warm up and stretching” celebrity health buffs Tweetie de Leon, Iza Calzado, Rajo Laurel, fitness coach Toni Dimaguila-Saret, and the other participants who signed up for an intense training were looking like they just stepped out of a sauna bath. But there’s no turning back. The first half of the helluva routine was dedicated to warming up, stretching the thighs and buttocks and back. For another 30 minutes, Nicole leads the girls through a particularly fast tempo. She runs around the room. She sways. She rocks her body. She says anybody can do it. But she must be joking—“this is a torture,” one of the girls says.

An upbeat, “sick” music playlist—think Kanye West, Rihanna, Beyonce, Missy Eliott, and Jay-Z—always plays loud in Nicole’s dance floor. In Nicole’s signature exercise routines, she uses props (balls, towels, chairs) and does high repetition moves. “For all my clients in general, I do full body workout, targeting the muscles we don’t use every day, like our triceps, because everything we do is forward. We hug forward. We high five forward. We neglect our back, that’s why we get love handles,” Nicole explains. So what makes someone sexy? “A girl who doesn’t give a f*ck,” says Nicole without batting an eyelash.

Your home, Hollywood style

by Nickky Faustine De Guzman
July 20, 2014

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Dreaming of a dwelling inspired by Hollywood movies and TV series? Pottery Barn brings glamour and a slice of Americana to Filipino houses.

Hollywood movies give Filipino fans a plethora of things to love and be inspired about—themes, plots, OSTs, and even house interior décors.

If you’ve seen romcom movies You’ve Got Mail by Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks and Life as We Know It starring Josh Duhamel and Katherine Heigl, perhaps you’ve been inspired by Meg Ryan’s New York apartment or Josh and Katherine’s colonial house.

Images by Pinggot Zulueta

They look like something straight from a Pottery Barn catalogue, all thanks to their classic, iconic American interior design: lampshade in the corner, huge paintings, chunky upholstered couch and loveseats, center table with candles and magazine piles, and family frames on a wooden table.

“People who are not from North America usually know our aesthetic, because they see us on movies or on a TV series like Friends,” says Pottery Barn vice president for public relations and marketing communications Leigh Oshirak, who was in Manila early this week to launch the iconic American brand. Pottery Barn, an American home (indoor and outdoor) furnishing retailer originally founded in 1949 in New York City, finds its first store in Southeast Asia, thanks to its partnership with Stores Specialists Inc. The first local flagship store is at Central Square mall in Bonifacio Global City.

WELCOME HOME Pottery Barn offers home essentials and kid accessories.

Unfortunately, Leigh says the iconic apothecary table featured on Friends, which is one of the more well-known designs, has long been discontinued. “We update collections every season—that episode was like 14 or 15 years ago,” laughs Leigh. “The apothecary table is not something we call our core item, but perhaps there will be a demand here. We’ll see!”  (Or perhaps some beddings and pillows as seen on ABC’s Modern Family?)

Pottery Barn also carries leather goods, like a chunky Manhattan chair upholstered in fine leather or a treasure box that transforms into a mini cabinet or a tabletop.

“Our design is universal. There’s something here for everyone,” adds Pottery Barn vice president for global merchandising Michelle Hummel. “That’s house pride, you know, when people walk in your house and you have a good interior design.”

Their artisans based in San Francisco travel and curate designs and materials. Pottery Barn’s cotton is from Turkey, rugs from India, ceramics from Portugal, Vietnam, and China. But not everything is imported. Among racks of handmade rugs and sofas and faux coral reef and flowers are some familiar items on display, like handmade rattan baskets.

“When you talk about baskets, I think the Philippines is the best in the trade. We know that the Philippine culture loves to entertain, loves a good, homey ambiance. And it’s quite ironic that it’s only now that we open a store here when we’ve been doing business together for a long time,” says Leigh. Pottery Barn general manager Neil Gazmen adds that the rattan baskets and some sea bass ottomans are handwoven by 40 vendors locally sourced from Pampanga, Cebu, and Metro Manila. “They are well-loved in the US,” he says.

Pottery Barn also takes pride in its free consultation services. They have two in-house design studio specialists. (One is for the kids section. Pottery Barn Kids offer baby beds, bags, and light fixtures, among others.) “It’s one of our signature services. We always get phone calls like, ‘Hey, I’m having a dinner party, can you come to my home?’ We don’t just drop the items on your front door and wish you good luck,” says Leigh. She adds that they’ve done bachelor pads, college dorm makeovers, and “getting married and unmarried” services.

“We have everything, from small to all. We have different blueprints for multiple lifestyles and home solutions for all kinds of spaces,” adds Leigh.

The collections change every six weeks. Currently on display are the summer sets. Next month, the fall collection is set to be launched. Expect a color palette of indigo blue, yellow, and deep red. And as soon as the “ber” months roll in, the holiday collection will take the spotlight. We can’t wait!

Wear your art

by Nickky Faustine De Guzman
July 20, 2014

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Denovo diamonds collaborates with renowned Filipino artists and tastemakers Jinggoy Buensuceso, Olivia d’Aboville, Leeroy New, Maureen Disini, Neil Felipp, and Cheryl Tiu to promote original, genuine Pinoy jewelry collections.

Marilyn Monroe got it wrong when she said diamonds were a girl’s best friend. It’s the boys’, too. Enter Denovo diamonds, a Pinoy brand that believes in Filipino originality and caters to men and women bounded by the love of arts and sparkles.

“We want to promote the arts and showcase the best of the Philippine talents. Our art is rich but it’s underrated and unrecognized. We want to champion our culture by coming up with wearable works of art. We wanted something different, something original, something that’s not generic, so we collaborated with artists to come up with their own collection,” says Caryll Martinez, the brains behind Denovo, a Latin word meaning “afresh.” Just recently, Denovo officially launched its collections starring stellar personalities to complement its iconic appeal.

GLOBAL Cheryl Tiu and her Three Stars and a Sun cuff and pendant. (Images by NOEL PABALATE)

HEARTS AND WINGS Leeroy New and his Seraph collection

The collections range from austere to quirky and elaborate.  Globetrotter Cheryl Tiu’s Global collection, for instance, features her fave landmarks. Her collection highlights the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, the Dome of Rock in Jerusalem, the Fisherman’s Bastion in Budapest, and the Metropolitan Cathedral in Rio de Janeiro. But the star of the collection? Her Philippine flag necklace that features the three stars embedded in a pendant shaped like the rays of the sun. “I was inspired by super typhoon Haiyan, with what happened to our country,” Cheryl says. I tried to make this one more local by putting the elements of the Philippine flag. I want it to symbolize hope.”

A stark contrast to Cheryl’s colorful design is renowned furniture designer and sculptor Genesis “Jinggoy” Buensuceso. His Equilibrium collection, as the name implies, suggests balance and harmony. His silver rings, brooches, and bracelets with black diamonds are designed for people in the fast lane. “I had the leaders and the mavens and achievers, the people who are busy with intense level of work, as my inspiration. I want them to seek balance between work and play,” Jinggoy says. His collection appears manly but he says women nowadays are into androgynous fashion. “My sensibility has always been black and clean and with edge. For me, black is the new canvas, it’s infinite.”

SHINE BRIGHT Maureen Disini showcases her glitzy, glamorous La Collezione Promessa

AU NATURALE Olivia d’Aboville’s poetic Crystal Dew collection 

If Jinggoy finds comfort in black, Filipino-French artist Olivia d’Aboville seeks sanctuary in the blue sea. Her Crystal Dew collection is poetic. For her, diamonds can only represent nature’s most precious element, and that is water. Taking cues from morning dews on twigs, Olivia’s seven-piece collection combines organic hints of simple beauty evident in her stem-like cuffs, two-finger rings, and stem necklaces. “My work in general is nature, whatever I do—sculpture, lighting, jewelry—is always related to nature. I am connected to the ocean. When you wear a piece of the collection, you’re a bit closer to nature, like you’re wearing a piece of it,” says Olivia, who, ironically, hardly wears jewelry. “I wish I could if I had more jewelry, I’d wear one. [I’m into] simple and indigenous jewelry that’s more casual,” she says.

Cebuano young artist Neil Felipp’s Simian collection features quirky and playful miniature monkeys. “I believe in whimsical elegance. My inspiration is Abu from Alladin, before he met him. He’s mischievous and attracted to ‘shining, shimmering, splendid’ things. To be consistent, I infused Pinoy games like Follow the Leader, hide and seek, and eye spy.” In his collection are statement pieces of happy monkeys hanging on a tree or tagging one another.

BALANCE Jinggoy Buensuceso’s Equilibrium collection

QUIRKY Neil Felipp’s Simian collection

Another young artist in the roster is visual artist, sculptor, and designer Leeroy New. His fascination with religious iconography, especially of the Sacred Heart and seraphs (hence his Seraph collection) leads him to alternate the divine’s visage in random configurations.

“I’ve always been working on religious iconography as a source of form for all my works but not in an emotional way. I’m into reconfiguring and reconstructing them,” says Leeroy. A sacred heart and seraph tattoos peeked through his shirt.

From religious icons, here’s one for the altar: Fashion designer Maureen Disini’s La Collezione Promessa. Her bridal and engagement line showcases and celebrates her Italian getaway. Maureen, who recently tied the knot, says it’s fitting that she designed wedding bands and engagement rings.

Let’s play

‘And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair,’ so says Khalil Gibran. In Tacloban, one soothing sound can be heard now: children’s laughter.

by Nickky Faustine De Guzman
July 12, 2014

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Amid the cacophony of noises one will hear in Tacloban, Leyte—the rhythmic gushing of waves, gates of store slowly reopening for business, jeepneys and motorcycles on the road, airplanes landing—one comforting sound can be heard across the grief-stricken province: the joyful laughter of kids now able to play.

One of them is six-year-old Noelle, who enjoys playing with balloons and bubbles. Though she cannot speak fluent Tagalog, her eyes speak of pure happiness because finally, she has a new playground to go to with her friends, courtesy of J&J Philippines, in partnership with Play Pilipinas and the Department of Education through their project ’Di Lang Laro ang Laro. It is Sagkahan, Tacloban’s first ever playground post-Yolanda.

READY, SET, GO! The cliche ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,’ holds true. Everyone—old and young—needs to relax and play.

The playground, even before it was finished, drew kids into the school. Those who have lost interest in going to class came back just to check out the playground and try out the swing.

In Sagkahan Elementary School, which has one of the biggest student populations in the province, 1,700 kids are currently enrolled, down from last year’s 1,996 students.

According to school principal Nice Galura, some kids still get scared every time the sun hides from the clouds. “Yung iba nagtatanong kung mauulit daw ba ang Yolanda. ‘Yung ibang bata naman nagsasabi ‘Mama, tara na sa banyo’,” Nice says. Apparently, the comfort rooms became their safe haven during the storm.

In a recent survey done by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) between November 2013 and March of this year about 80 percent of the villages reported change in children’s behavior, particularly the presence of the fear of strong winds and rain and uncontrollable crying and screaming.

But play can be a form of therapy. According to Asian Hospital and Medical Center developmental psychologist Sampaguita Adapon, “Play is the natural means of expression for children and it allows them to channel whatever pent-up feelings or emotions they may have, especially if they find it difficult to verbalize or talk about them.” She adds that play therapy can help kids overcome a trauma and make them feel better.

According to Australian Catholic University Professor Geraldine Naughton, the first six years of a child is the most critical part of growing up. A child, when deprived of active play, loses brain cells, composed of neurons and glial cells, which are keys in learning and development. Experts encourage at least 60 minutes of active play in order to develop their physical, emotional, and mental health.

“We have high hopes for kids affected by Yolanda to discover the world around them with a renewed sense of optimism. We wish to bring back a sense of normalcy in the lives of these kids with active play as a means to heal them from the trauma Yolanda has caused,” Johnson’s Baby senior brand manager Kris Llanes says.

Royal Tea and Plates

Royal Plate

Here’s a luxury brand with four centuries of artisanship and royalty imprinted on its DNA. Its founder is a King. Queen Elizabeth II has one.

by Nickky Faustine De Guzman
July 10, 2014

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If Meissen porcelain were human, it would be a newborn. It’s dear and delicate, and a thing of beauty. Pouring over its handpainted, intricate illustrations would leave you in awe of the intricacy and bravura of the handiwork. How does one paint a tiny flower or a red umbrella with so much precision? Then again, if Meissen porcelain were to be another human being, it would be royalty.

BE CAREFUL WITH MY ART Meissen director and VP for Asia market Ingo Bade (Image by Noel Pabalate)

When Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip exchanged vows in 1947, Pope Pius XII gave the newlyweds a rare Meissen porcelain chocolate pot with cover and stand dated 1780. Since then, it has become one of the unwritten customaries to give a Meissen item to royal wedding ceremonies, because it speaks of elegance and exclusivity. European royalties and VVIPs especially those from Russia, United Kingdom, Denmark, Spain, among others, collect these items. Even non-Europeans love Meissen. American heiress, philanthropist, and one of the richest women in the world Doris Duke reportedly had a wide collection of fine china sets, including a floral Meissen porcelain dinner service circa 1770.

“All royal houses treasure a piece of Meissen. Museums all over the world have it in their collection. Meissen items always have the highest prices at auctions,” says Meissen director and VP for Asia market Ingo Bade. The brand is now in Philippine shores, available exclusively at Rustan’s Makati. Its showroom houses all things bright and beautiful, delicate and expensive, including porcelain sets, handmade fineries like scarves (P16K), and jewelry (P7M for a necklace with 2,000 diamonds).

Meissen has royalty in its blood. “Our DNA is pure royalty. We were founded by a king, our CEO was a king, our boss was a king,” says Ingo.

MEISSEN, YOU’RE SO FINE Can you see the small yet precise drawings on this Goblet Chinoserie?

Two years after the alchemist Johann Friedrich Bottger discovered the power of kaolin clay, August II or August the Strong, king of Poland and elector of Saxony, founded Meissen, Europe’s most tradition-rich house of fine art and handcrafted luxury.

“Meissen Couture stands for ‘discreet European luxury.’ When you look at our items, our furniture, our scarf, or jewelry, we’re not showing off. They’re not flashy like ‘boom,’” Ingo says in animation, “but they’re very elegant.”

Meissen has accumulated in its archive 10,000 colors, 700,000 molds, and 60,000 designs in over 300 years, which serve as its inspiration. The porcelain designs range from flowers to fruits and Oriental and Arabic aesthetics, which its 237 painters and over 638 employees in Germany painstakingly handpaint and burn, neither once nor twice, but four times to ensure the topmost quality. It does bespoke items, too. Fancy a porcelain necklace with your name on it?

In Meissen headquarters, newbie painters and sculptors undergo extensive and rigorous training before finally joining the masters club. Ingo says painters spend four years in school, three years in-house, and only after seven years will the masters call them as apprentice. This allows them to paint figures like birds on pillows and scarves. There are artists that specialize on birds, flowers, animals, people, fruits, and Egyptian arts but only after 10 years will they be considered “real artists.” Meanwhile, sculptors are only accepted as masters after 13 years of training. Normally, it takes two weeks to two years (or more) to finish a product, depending on its intricacy.

Author Robert E. Röntgen writes in his book The Book of Meissen that, “Working with porcelain is quite different from working with wood or metal. Everything has to be slightly exaggerated.” This is because the clay contracts about one-sixth during drying and firing. He writes in addition, “Many famous sculptors have tried their hands at porcelain, but only a few succeeded.”

China mass-produces porcelain and other luxury items. It seems to be the new business model in a world that wants everything fast and cheap. Ingo says they don’t and they won’t even mass-produce. There’s a rare, fine piece Meissen porcelain jewelry box for example that is only produced twice a year. The brand creates 50 to 75 pieces max worldwide. Nothing more. “This is what’s pitiful. A lot of people have forgotten about craftsmanship, the love for each piece. The appreciation is gone. China, which is known for their arts, has lost their technique because they are mass-producing. This is not what we are,” says Ingo.