Karen Davila, Bianca Gonzalez, Liz Uy, and Rissa Mananquil-Trillo share some of what they know about fashion, beauty, burnout, and more
International Women’s Month is an event everyone at Tatler looks forward to. It advocates something very close to our hearts — especially as an office that’s predominantly female.
Last March 5, 2020, we were invited to join the Rustan’s #GRLPWR forum at EDSA Shangri-la where women such as Karen Davila, Bianca Gonzalez, Liz Uy, and Rissa Mananquil-Trillo spoke about fashion, beauty, burnout, and motherhood. And while the audience had previously been preoccupied by the games and giveaways from Rustan’s beauty, I guarantee that we were all engrossed during the open forum that placed these four ladies at the centre of the stage. This is what I learned.
On Fashion
Starting the afternoon off easy, host Bianca Valerio first asked these four women about their sartorial style. Rissa Mananquil-Trillo, published author and founder of Happy Skin, talked about how important it is for her, as a woman of many hats, to be comfortable. While Liz Uy, a true stylist, spoke of style as something that depended on the occasion.
Both Bianca Gonzalez and Rissa talked of the empowering aspect of the colour red, particularly in lipstick.
Even if you’re home alone, you go to a mirror, you put on [red] lipstick, and it just changes your mood. You have this renewed sense of energy and power.
Karen Davila, whose go-to is a white polo and denim jeans described her style as classic and timeless. “I feel it’s important to stick with colours that are classic, colours that fit you, and styles that are timeless.”
Despite these differences, all four women agreed: “If you feel empowered, then [wear] it.”