tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71153024850999493292024-03-14T03:29:21.381+08:00oj hofer's jottingsoj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-44235128476370517482014-07-10T01:28:00.001+08:002014-07-10T01:28:25.589+08:00oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-59198228623524865702011-09-08T20:11:00.000+08:002011-09-08T20:17:36.754+08:00
TAIWAN... Tea,Temples and Twining Cherry Blossoms
Intertwining cherry blossoms…fragrant, fragile and soul inspiring…guided me along the path at The Lingxiao Chapel of Chi Nan Temple and The Jiu Tian Temple in Miao Li County where I ascended all 606 arduous steps with a wooden statue of Taoist saint San Nai Fu Ren cradled in my arms.
How did I end up on this eight –day oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-14182775964677441562011-06-18T00:00:00.000+08:002011-06-18T00:00:11.049+08:00
Margette’s Indian Summer
Margette’s table setting of blue and white Limoge china, centerpiece foliage with peacock feathers on top of mandala design table cloth
Cebu’s most evolved host and my favorite yoga
teacher Margette Sarmiento recently came back from a month-long training at an
ashram in Kerala, Southern India. She invited her closest friends and this
jotter to an Ayurvedicoj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-27101375803622573522011-06-07T21:23:00.001+08:002011-06-07T22:52:09.702+08:00
The Magical Glow of ANGKORIAN AETHER
In 2004, my good friend Jing Ramos and I flew to Siem Reap,
Cambodia to see the temples. We stayed at a private home owned by a couple of
educators and moved to Grand Hotel d’Angkor on our last day.
Devatas @ Angkor Wat
There, we saw
portraits of the hotel’s
famous guests: Somerset Maugham, Charlie Chaplin, so on and so forth… Transfixing oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-43217614212447806472011-05-22T21:45:00.002+08:002011-05-22T22:44:08.256+08:00
STYLISHLY SIMIAN VIBRAMS
A stickler for economy of lines I
found myself engrossed with the minimal and somehow simian design of Vibram
Five Fingers, named one of the best inventions by TIME Magazine in 2007. I own
a number of huge, bulky high-tops that I mainly use with shorts, skinny or
drop-crotch jeans but admittedly, they’re more for looks than function. For comfort, I use oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-32457697491358526532011-03-30T21:19:00.002+08:002011-03-30T22:21:49.532+08:00
if i ...
...... were an elderly impolite white man who has burned too many bridges
in Hongkong and in Cebu, would I elicit disfavor from this city’s respected grand
dames by maligning them? Recently, the above mentioned aging social
mountaineer (let’s call him Ripley) had
a heated exchange of words with another guest at a wedding reception after he
disapproved of what oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-74399285144885067312011-02-17T22:16:00.000+08:002011-02-17T22:16:39.965+08:00<!--StartFragment-->
Inno @ 30
In 1995, my closest designer friends
in Cebu Jun Escario and Jojo Romoff insisted that we travel together to Manila
to watch the fashion gala “Inno Sotto: Anno XV.” Top model Suyen Chi had gotten
us three tickets, and the prospect of seeing Inno’s 15th year collection mesmerized us, thus we
packed our suits and headed for the capital.
Inno did not oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-66599649816682159792011-01-18T13:59:00.000+08:002011-01-18T13:59:37.867+08:00<!--StartFragment-->
Art
of Kaiseki Cuisine @ Nadaman
Kaiseki or Kaiseki-ryori, is a traditional multi-course Japanese meal, which
puts emphasis on artistry, graciousness and the changing of the seasons. It
also refers to the collection of skills and techniques that allow the
preparation of such sumptuous exclusive meals analogous to Western haute
cuisine.
The
meaning of Kaiseki oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-67067225321235916172010-12-22T17:57:00.000+08:002010-12-22T17:57:16.560+08:00
The Valera Redux
Design genius Ramon Valera, the first
National Artist for Fashion, is celebrated in a 24-piece ready to wear
collection by Freeway, a local brand that offers clothing and
accessories that follow current international trends at reasonable price
points. Valera’s
signature creative cut, grand silhouette, unusual colorization, and opulent but
tasteful embellishment oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-41413596627383482562010-11-26T14:17:00.002+08:002010-11-26T14:50:36.603+08:00Style-Spotting @ Japan Fashion Week 2010
(Part IV)
I saved the best for last---this is the ultimate installment
of your jotter’s style – spottings @ Japan Fashion Week.
MIHARAYASUHIRO
Meeting this unassuming designer was worth the unmanageably
hectic schedule and the flight anxiety one had to go through.
I wore my favorite gold trainers that he designed for Puma
and oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-74618338646601672302010-11-14T12:09:00.002+08:002010-11-26T14:40:12.157+08:00
Style Spotting @ japan Fashion Week 2010
(Part III)
Third installment of your jotter's recent style spotting @Japan Fashion Week.
These are the best Japanese collections for Fall-Winter 2010.
YUKI TORII INTERNATIONAL
The show that capped the season underscored quirky luxury that stylish Japanese women are oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-15643266612350929072010-11-01T17:37:00.005+08:002010-11-26T14:44:24.171+08:00
Style Spotting @ japan Fashion Week 2010
(Part II)
Here's the second installment of your jotter's style spotting @Japan Fashion Week recently.
These are the best Japanese collections for Fall-Winter 2010.
GUTS DYNAMITE CABARET
Unconventional, Non-conformist, Exhilirating...
A pink bunny mascot playing with the
audience before the live,oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-50018812632452025462010-10-23T09:56:00.005+08:002010-11-26T14:47:14.526+08:00
STYLE SPOTTING @
Japan Fashion Week 2010
Your jotter put on his most comfortably fashionable
clothes and went style spotting @Japan Fashion Week last March. In this four-part post are the
best Japanese collections for Fall-Winter 2010.
DRESSCAMP
Shiny silks, nappy velvets, military fatigue, and leopard
print tights--winter is a safari at Dress Camp.
oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-77392272385841665192010-09-25T12:38:00.003+08:002010-09-25T12:45:23.459+08:00
A Whiff of Freshness
Five years ago on my birthday, I received a gift from one of my muses and
closest friends. From the shape of the simple white paper
package, I could tell that it was either a cologne or skincare product. True enough, I received a bottle of clear scent.
“Why would anyone give a cologne?” I wondered. Scent is a
very personal choice; you have to put it on to see howoj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-8063576824632567822010-08-29T23:36:00.000+08:002010-08-29T23:36:43.462+08:00<!--StartFragment-->
JIRO’S CIRCLE
At the MOMAT last March, (Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo) I spent the whole morning going through the museum’s collection on my free day.
The 4th floor had art from the Meiji and Taisho periods from the
1900’s to 1926. The 3rd floor highlighted the Pre-war Showa Period
and art during and after World War II--rather depressing , I struggled to get through oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-72770405507729516342010-08-15T14:56:00.000+08:002010-08-15T14:56:42.898+08:00
Terrific Day in Tokyo
If you had a day to spend in Tokyo where would you spend it?
Topping my list were three places: Ginza, Omotesando and The National Museum of
Modern Art.
The Tokyo National Museum of Modern Art
Ginza, an upscale area of Tokyo with numerous department stores, boutiques, restaurants, and coffeehouses is recognized as one of the most luxurious oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-40537802114305926252010-07-31T23:55:00.002+08:002010-08-01T10:06:15.891+08:00
Summer HUGS in Wintertime
cary santiago, merce brenner, emanuel hamoy, & jun escario
Last winter, a friend took a two-week break from his 5th
Avenue work at Blanc de Chine, New York. Escaping the freezing cold of the Big
Apple, Emmanuel Hamoy warmed his tropical days in the company of friends and
family in the Philippines.
eman, merce, arcy gayatin, & jun
He oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-58590449639145863862010-07-09T22:48:00.001+08:002010-07-09T22:56:13.208+08:00
if i
…were to name the three most stylish women today they would have to be Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Carine Roitfeld, and Zoe Kravitz
…
<!--StartFragment-->
…were the present paramour of this young, rich and handsome
Chinese-Filipino who is reputed to impregnate his girlfriends only to find new
love when they have had miscarriages, I would stay away from him so oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-64748463746155738292010-07-01T20:58:00.004+08:002010-07-01T21:34:21.727+08:00
The
Subanen Princess
During my visit to Zamboanga Sibugay for the
holidays last year, I sought out indigenous fabrics for a possible garment presentation/auction
in an art gallery abroad. In my earliest collections, I incorporated fabrics such
as the T’nalak from Davao and Langdap from Marawi into garments of clean, linear silhouettes.
These fabrics were readily available
through oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-18631748077435164622010-06-11T12:52:00.010+08:002010-06-12T00:18:12.253+08:00
if i
…were to host dinner for other parents from my kids’ PTA, I wouldn’t brag about the cost of my Birkin. Especially if one of the parents know that I haven’t settled a million-peso debt with one of Cebu City’s high profile designers. Would some really just go broke for a Birkin?
...were throwing dinners at my private abode I oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-73564656227388474192010-06-06T08:24:00.002+08:002010-06-06T08:36:19.086+08:00
Chic Chihuahuas
my pet DHARMA with Kate's pink collar
If diamonds are a girl’s best friends and dogs are man’s best
friends, then what are pets with crystal collars to us?
My little Dharma is a stress buster; she sits in her Dedon
couch nestled between black pillows the whole day watching as I work. When I
get disgruntled with glitches and pause for some deep breaths, she oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-22405632373871053452010-05-25T13:01:00.002+08:002010-05-25T13:39:08.409+08:00
Artful Warriors @ The MET
“Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156-1868,” is a sumptuous,
revelatory exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and having learned and practiced
Hyoho Niten Ichi Ryu, a Japanese form of swordsmanship perfected by Miyamoto
Musashi, I was drawn to the revelry like moth to a flame.
“Art of the Samurai” represents a decade of work by oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-13668750800183113502010-05-10T18:29:00.007+08:002010-05-25T23:44:50.830+08:00
The Berrie Winter Room
An Englewood Winter Room
Autumn.
I always think of the first autumn I experienced at the
elegant Englewood home of Angelica Berrie. My dear friend Greg who lives with
his sister Angie invited me to stay with them in 2007 and that stay sparked off
creativity.
Stimuli of colors, earthly scent, variegated textures,
rustling of passing wind, and even something oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-60324653807028685832010-04-22T11:46:00.003+08:002010-05-25T23:38:12.373+08:00
Taking Tartines @ PQ on 5th
Emmanuel Hamoy, a close friend who was one of Cebu’s best
designers before he relocated to the States fifteen years ago is looking like a
native 5th Avenue New Yorker these days. His characteristic all-black,
luxe wardrobe beautifully sets off the refined speech and gestures.
On my second visit to the Blanc de Chine Flagship Store at
673 Fifth Avenue, an oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7115302485099949329.post-14941592711649630592010-04-04T23:47:00.002+08:002010-05-25T23:38:59.983+08:00
The Vellum Paper Dress
The very fist time I ever saw paper dresses was at our
neighbor’s house when I was in grade school. Eileen and Christine Horlen dressed
up their paper dolls in what seemed to be stylish paper garments that were
fastened with tabs. They folded the tabs unto the flat paper dolls and changed
the look of their dolls at a whim.
This fascinated me since I was oj hoferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09737106710608225729noreply@blogger.com0