Having a Ball
Weren’t the holidays a blur? With all the parties, eating, and catching up with family and friends, it’s almost unbelievable that February is already here. Nevertheless, our excitement continues as we share with you our feature on our annual Philippine Tatler Ball, one of the biggest and most awaited social events of the year.
Held for the first time at the Shangri-La Hotel at the Fort, this Ball was surely the best one yet, and that’s no mean feat either since we have had 16 balls to date. What made it more exciting? Trying to meet the continuously rising expectations from our discriminating guests; and we surely hope we didn’t disappoint. Of course there were mishaps, like someone who didn’t confirm attendance but came anyway, or tables that suddenly turned up with 13 chairs instead of 12. Someone was doing some on-thespot rearranging. Happily, these situations were remedied surreptitiously and we all just smile about it in retrospect. The only thing we don’t smile about are gatecrashers. Thankfully, there were none this year.
In the 24-page reportage you will meet this year’s Ball awardees, our picks for the belles of the ball and the couples of the night, as well as the many unforgettable candid moments. Those who were there were fortunate enough to listen to the one and only Regine Velasquez who made everyone’s jaw drop with her stellar singing. Her last number “I Will Survive” made everyone get up on their feet too soon as the dancing was not scheduled until after the awards, which have not been announced yet. Regine is simply the best. We also had the iconic shoe designer Christian Louboutin in our midst. Invited by Maritess Tantoco-Enriquez; he made everyone’s night especially those in their Louboutins. We had the bespoke Tatler selfie-sticks that were a big hit; and an even bigger hit was the photobooth especially constructed to look a Tatler cover. For more on the Tatler Ball, turn to “Sweet Sixteen” page 120.
In this issue we have a regional Tatler feature on the Most Eligible List as well as the annual debutante ball held in Paris. Unfortunately, we did not have a representative last year but we will make sure we have one for 2018.
So sit back and enjoy what we prepared for you and watch out for our bi-annual fashion issue, coming out in March!
— Anton San Diego Editor-in-Chief