Gucci

All posts tagged Gucci

Riyo Mori and her conquest of the Miss Universe 2007 crown in Mexico

Posted by Norman on April 13, 2020
Posted in: 1 Pageant Pages, 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Miss Japan, Riyo Mori crowned Miss Universe 2007 (Photo by Victor Chavez/WireImage)

Miss Japan, Riyo Mori crowned Miss Universe 2007 (Photo by Victor Chavez/WireImage)

The victory of Riyo Mori during Miss Universe 2007 easily sticks out in the mind of followers of modern pageant history because: 1) an Asian delegate prevailed over the Latinas in their own turf which presumably led to 2) Zuleyka Rivera looking disenchanted when she crowned her successor especially that 3) Riyo wore the most non-pageant competition evening gown on the road to the crown, and 4) another Asian – Honey Lee of Korea – making it all the way to Top 5 (which happened again in 2011 when the Philippines and China emerged as runners-up).

Donald Trump gave his two thumbs up to the win of Riyo Mori regardless of his personal preferences. After all, pageantry is and will always be a business. And the Japanese beauty really delivered when it mattered. Never mind the pressure from the Latin American audience and watchers. Truth be told, I was secretly hoping then that Natalia Guimaraes of Brazil would be named winner. But 1st Runner-Up ain’t bad.

Photo by Marc Stamas/Getty Images

The life of Riyo took a 180-degree turn from the time she was named Miss Universe 2007. From being a ballet dancer and model/actress in Japan, she embraced the bigger limelight and made herself available for all the commitments and public demands of the title. As a result, she was one of the most well-traveled titleholders after visiting Indonesia, Spain, the Bahamas, St. Kitts and Nevis, China, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Vietnam, France, Monaco, San Marino, Russia and Italy throughout her reign.

Below is a video of Riyo being interviewed by Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray during Miss USA 2019.

Photo by Jun Sato/WireImage

Riyo eventually starred in the MTV reality TV show “Pageant Place” that ran for one season, as well as the VH1 program “The Price of Beauty”. She was last seen in the Philippines as judge during the 65th Miss Universe. Below is one of her photos in Atlanta, Georgia where she also served as judge during Miss Universe 2019.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – DECEMBER 08: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Miss Universe 2007 Riyo Mori attends the 2019 Miss Universe Pageant at Tyler Perry Studios on December 08, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

Oscars 2014 Red-Carpet: The Gowns I Liked

Posted by Norman on March 3, 2014
Posted in: 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

I will let the gowns speak for themselves. These are the seven (7) creations that dazzled me during the red-carpet arrivals of Oscars 2014. In no particular order, they are:

Amy Adams in Gucci

Amy Adams in Gucci


Sandra Bullock in Alexander McQueen

Sandra Bullock in Alexander McQueen


Emma Watson in Vera Wang

Emma Watson in Vera Wang


Cate Blanchett in Giorgio Armani

Cate Blanchett in Giorgio Armani


Lupita Nyong'o in Prada

Lupita Nyong’o in Prada


Penelope Cruz in Giambattista Valli

Penelope Cruz in Giambattista Valli


Charlize Theron in Christian Dior

Charlize Theron in Christian Dior

Share yours? 🙂

All images above are courtesy of eonline.com

The Note: one gadget you’ll likely want in your Christmas wish list

Posted by Norman on December 18, 2011
Posted in: 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , .

Christmas is literally just around the bend and if you have not had the chance to buy or request for a cool gift this holiday season (and if your gift-giver has the moolah to spare for the same), then do consider the latest gadget I am presenting below. This item may be pricey but – just like good designer bags like Goyard or Gucci – is not only eye-candy but very useful (fairly life-changing in a way), only much cheaper than a Louis Vuitton or Prada.

The Samsung Galaxy Note

The Samsung Galaxy Note can be one addicting and uber gorgeous smartphone. It has the world’s first and largest 5.3″ HD Super AMOLED display screen – an expansive high-resolution screen that provides an impressive viewing experience. Some review websites state that this is

“…the handset those dreams are made of — if you happen to share that dream about obnoxiously large smartphones.”


courtesy of samsungmobile

But the Note (together with the S-pen) can also provoke a love-or-hate relationship with its owners because of the actual size that is a lot bigger than your usual handset but significantly smaller than the humongous tablets that can’t be used close to the ear when receiving calls. It is clearly a compact tablet that you can slip in your pocket (even if its contours will surely be discernible even from a distance) and function as handset and tablet rolled into one.

Aside from its tag price (around PhP 35,000), the only other reason to hesitate in getting the Samsung Galaxy Note is if the thing won’t safely fit in the palm of your right or left hand. Of course, you don’t want it falling off your grasp and damaging a perfectly premium gadget. But if you’re like me who has gotten used to the 7″ tablets of HTC and the similarly Samsung-branded ones like the Tab, this is a cool alternative that will spell a good dose of convenience more often than not.

I’m not sure if I will eventually own one (my budget won’t allow a hefty purchase at this point of the year anymore), but I definitely won’t mind getting one as a gift (Mama, can you hear me? LOL!) because I can fully maximize its use and be able to extend my mostly positive experiences with Samsung. 😉

Payless Shoe Source to have its first RP stores in 2010

Posted by Norman on December 19, 2009
Posted in: 2 Shout-out-Looks. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

As if Shoemart and the endless numbers of boutiques and department stores in the Philippines are not enough, here comes another new player entering the market. Payless Shoe Source, the popular footwear chain in the U.S., will be opening its 1st batch of stores in Manila come 2010.

Stores Specialists, Inc., which is the exclusive franchise owner of world-renowned brands like Gucci, Ferragamo, Cartier, Nina Ricci and the like, will spearhead the launching of Payless Shoe Source in the country.

Here is the report:

Payless Shoes Opening First Stores in the Philippines

Dec. 1 (Bloomberg, Lauren Coleman-Lochner and Allison Abell Schwartz) — Collective Brands Inc., the Kansas owner of several footwear chains, will bring its first Payless Shoe Source stores to the Philippines next year.

The retailer will open in as many as seven locations in the country within the next 12 months, Chief Executive Officer Matthew Rubel said today during a telephone interview. Collective Brands is working with a franchise partner, Stores Specialists Inc., based in the Philippines.

The move marks the next stage of international growth for Collective Brands, which will also expand the number of stores it operates in the Middle East and open in Russia next year, Rubel said. Shoes are a category on which consumers in emerging markets tend to spend as their incomes increase, and Filipino consumers already have “high footwear consumption,” he said.

“When we look at the consumer in that marketplace, and we look at the competitive set, we don’t believe that anybody is delivering style, price and quality, and so we believe that there’s a unique opportunity for this to be a material business,” Rubel said.

He estimated that the Philippine market might support as many as 80 stores. The shoe retailer is also looking at other emerging countries in Asia, Rubel said, declining to specify.

Store Specialists manages 72 brands and 340 stores in the Philippines, including Gucci Group NV and Zara. Payless has more than 4,500 stores in North and South America and the Middle East.

Collective Brands, based in Topeka, Kansas, rose 66 cents, or 3.4 percent, to $20 at 4:15 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares have gained 71 percent this year.

The retailer will report third-quarter earnings tomorrow.

Good luck to Payless as they penetrate the shoe market in the Philippines!