Meet the private shopper of Manila’s who’s who

There’s this Asian woman, her family came from Vietnam. She’s a professional, with her own business in the Bay Area. She comes in every so often and looks for me, and she doesn’t bat an eyelash getting seven to eight Armani Black Label or Chanel outfits. These would cost anywhere from $5,000 to $8,000 per outfit and she giggles each time, as she’ll pay in cash, bringing out the money in tattered old used envelopes. It’s not the fact that she pays for these designer outfits in cash that makes her such a conversation piece, but that she’s a Size 16!" And Maryllis Alvarez-Enage breaks into a smile, knowing she’s delivered a killer punchline.

Welcome to the world of Maryllis Alvarez-Enage. For over 20 years now, she’s been a familar fixture on the floors of the fabled Neiman Marcus department store in Union Square, San Francisco.

Officially listed as a sales associate for Fine Apparel, Maryllis has also notched a lofty reputation as a private shopper for the who’s who of Philippine society: the Cojuangcos, Lopezes, Yulos, Madrigals, Delgados... the list of society fixtures whose surnames speak for themselves go on and on, and they all look for this diminutive, perky woman the moment they walk through the portals of this fabled shopping haven. When you talk upmarket, high-end department stores in the United States, along with such institutions as Saks, you’ll find Neiman Marcus taking its share of the spotlight.

After having graduated from FIT in New York in the early’80s, Maryllis took her Textile Design degree (she specialized as a repeat artist and colorist) back to Manila, and sought employment at Rustan’s. Rustan’s grande dame Glecy Tantoco assigned her to handle Larrie Silva and fabrics as a merchandise manager, and there she hooked up with bosom friend Margarita Delgado (then still single and a Liboro, Margarita handled Cosmetics).

Years later, having married Louie Enage, and having moved to the West Coast where Louie was pursuing his MBA at USF, Maryllis was working at the Men’s department of Neiman when Margarita checked up on her and over merienda planted the seeds of what Maryllis readily accepts has been her true calling in life. Margarita suggested that Maryllis establish relationships with the managers of the other departments and the buyers of the major fashion labels carried in the store, and bring that wealth of information to the regular Filipino shoppers of Neiman when they were back in Manila. That network of shoppers expanded in no time at all, as Maryllis was introduced to this and that "best friend." As a result, she was regularly bringing the very latest from the fashion shelves of Neiman directly to the homes of discerning Filipino shopaholics. Women dominate the list of these clients, but several menfolk also place their trust in Maryliss’s recommendations and excellent service.

"In the early years, I would literally bring back suitcases of merchandise, but that would prove too unwieldy and who knows what amount of merchandise I’d have to be lugging back to San Francisco," she says. "Thank God for the Internet and more efficient mailing service; nowadays, they either pick from art galleries Louie creates from the photos I take and e-mail to them, and from the available catalogs, and as long as my clients know their sizes, their orders fly in, with just minor alterations they can attend to locally. They pay via their Neiman cards, or any accepted credit card, and the very latest in fashion is in their Manila closets!"

Maryllis says this upgrading of the available technology has really been a godsend. "Truth be told, the height of Filipinos shopping in the United States would have to be the 1990s. With the devaluation of the peso, times have changed and you don’t get as many big shoppers as you used to. They travel less, they buy less, so offering them the advantage of buying from their homes in Manila or Cebu is a distinct advantage." And with a glint in her eyes, Maryllis avers, "Of course, you also have those shoppers who are just inflation-proof!"

The level of professionalism to be a successful sales associate or private shopper in the United States runs high. Besides the basic knowledge Maryllis brought to her job from Day One, it’s the training and patience that she ranks as essential must-haves.

"You work with your clients, you don’t impose your tastes on them, and you adjust depending on their tastes and inclinations. I’ve shopped with several of the daughters and sons of the clients I’ve had from back in the late ’80s, and it’s always a learning experience, getting to know what kind of person they are, and making insightful suggestions on what to recommend – without betraying my ‘Tita Maryllis’ status!" And she breaks into gleeful laughter.

The training is a continuous process, Maryllis reveals. Thanks to it being Neiman, all the major labels and designers make it a point to have breakfast with the sales staff, or hold seminars that increase their product knowledge and recommend/upgrade selling techniques. This applies whether one is talking of apparel, cosmetics, fragrances, or furnishings.

"When I was with the Men’s Department, we would regularly get the Zegna boys coming over personally to introduce their new lines. Other than this year because she was still pregnant at the time, Monique Lhuillier-Bugbee would make a personal appearance to explain that season’s collection.

"The funniest was the time Manolo Blahnik came and allowed us to arrange for an autograph-signing session – he would sign the underside of his shoes, right between the heel and the point where the foot hits the floor. This was the time when he was the absolute rage thanks to the popularity of Sex and the City. The line of women went for blocks and blocks, and I had this Filipina client who just had to have her shoes signed. She wasn’t in the States, so I had to line up for her. That was over two hours of waiting in line, and when I finally got to Mr. Blahnik, I had to present him with all the colors of one particular style. He smiled like heaven, and when I explained that they weren’t mine but belonged to some Filipina who just loved his shoes, he simply said, ‘Tell her bless her heart from me.’ Of course she was so excited to hear how her buying habit made such an impression on the man."

This lining up for hours is another reason why Maryllis has been so successful. More than just a shopper, she’s also a true friend who’ll go beyond the call of duty in making herself invaluable to these clients. She recounts how a man from Miami has been her client for some 14 years. She knows his size, his tastes, and has to do double-duty for him, because while he won’t balk at spending over $10,000 on Brioni and other such high-end goods, he only buys when Neiman is on final sale, last call, 65 percent off. Year after year, he’ll say, "One of these days, we should meet." But to this day, that hasn’t happened.

I spoke to Margarita Delgado after my interview with Maryllis, and she readily agreed that the special quality that Maryllis has is her heart. "She’s such a good person, so sweet, that it’s not surprising for friends to be in the area, and even without having to shop or look for something to buy, walk into Neiman and look for her, just to have merienda or chat if she’s not busy. Time flies when you’re with Maryllis, and that’s part of what makes her so special. The business relationship that she handles with such efficiency is just part of what you get."

In fact, Maryllis readily made kwento about how this kind of service is such a Neiman trademark. "This other sales associate came from Thailand. She got sick, had to go home, and passed on some of her clients to me. One of them volunteered this little story. Once, this client walked into the store all upset. She had locked her car door with her car keys and handbag still inside and didn’t know what to do. The Thai girl told her not to worry, gave her $20 to have lunch at one of our restaurants and asked where the car was parked. Less than an hour later, the client had her keys and bags. That’s the kind of service even I was awed by. It’s no wonder then that she built up a roster of clients who would remain faithful to her."

In truth, for Maryllis, her 00-1-415-412-8535 or 0918-640-6986 numbers are passports for her clients to realize their wardrobe and sartorial fantasies. Neiman Marcus prides itself on being able to deliver with aplomb. They regularly carry extensive, if not full, lines of most major designer labels. On the day I visited Maryllis, the 2006 spring/summer catalogs of such names as Gucci, Chanel, Prada, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, Pucci, Ellen Tracy, Bill Blass and YSL were scattered across the table. But as I observed her clients who’d drop by and talk to her, more than the catalogs, I noticed how what ultimately made them smile and linger was the "heart on her sleeve" that Maryllis proudly displays. Beyond the knowledge and the efficiency, there’s pride in her work and genuine warmth for her customers. It’s her formula for maintaining her winning ways.