Editor’s Note
There’s a young generation out there (and a few from this generation as well) who may not know how this magazine, which now celebrates its 17th year, started.
In 2001, the late publisher Dondi Almario and the photographer Raul Teehankee met up with Dr Boya Mohindar, who used to own the rights to Asia Tatler, to discuss the possibility of launching the magazine in the Philippines. The year was not conducive to start anything new, let alone a lifestyle/luxury magazine. Joseph Estrada had just been ousted from Malacañang and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo installed as the new president of the Philippines. The country was bogged down not only by political turmoil but by economic uncertainty, fear, and cynicism.
Therefore, the idea of getting into the glossy magazine business was risky; and not a few family and friends doubted that we would last beyond Year One. But there were brave souls who shared the vision of chronicling the best of Philippine business, arts, culture, lifestyle, and society and Philippine Tatler was born, amidst dire predictions.
Well, the naysayers have definitely been proven wrong. Not only did we last past Year One, but we are now celebrating 17 years. Through time, we have held firm to our original vision and our belief in the pursuit of excellence. I have been here since Day 1 of this magazine’s life and have grown along with it. Despite the changes in the world of publishing and the world in the last 17 years—through competitions, digitalisation, and tastes—we are committed to bringing out the best in our country.
This is a spectacular issue; one that may take time to digest but every page is worth it. We have a three-cover special edition: Aerin Lauder, billionaire heiress and business maven, at her lovely home; proud new parents Adrien and Isabelle Daza-Semblat and their bundle of joy, Balthazar; and our good friend, Asia’s style icon, creative visionary, and cake queen Bonnae Gokson featuring her new book on weddings which will be launched in Manila, New York, and Hong Kong this year.
Also, get to meet this year’s IS Manila graduating class of 2018; drool over the beautiful home designed by Ramon Antonio; and go on a safari with our managing director, Irene Martel Francisco; our motoring editor, James Deakin introduces us to the new Lexus ES; Louis Vuitton, lays out its 2018 pre-fall collection in a fashion shoot with models Valerie Weigmann and Asaf Goren.
We also have an exclusive interview with the man of the hour, Kevin Kwan, who premiered his Crazy Rich Asians movie last month. In this exclusive, he reveals his inspirations and how everything started for him. And lastly, a trip that means the world to me—“A Call from the Desert”—where I, along with close friends, tour Egypt, Israel, and Jordan and come out of it not only with a sensory high but a spiritual one at that.
In closing, thank you to all the advertisers, staff, writers, photographers, contributors, and yes, to you, our dear readers. Thank you for appreciating our work at Philippine Tatler. May you be with us in this journey of chronicling the best of our country and the world.