The world of Derek Ramsay

Twenty years in show business is like an eternity, but not for athlete, actor and endorser Derek Ramsay, who recently launched a coffee table book at the exclusive, members-only Manila House in BGC. Members of his famille, his closest pals, colleagues and followers supported him, natch!

The coffee table book is the brainchild of Derek’s mother, exotic beauty Remedios Ramsay. It features Derek’s life from his years in the UK to his colorful TV and movie career and the products and services he has endorsed over the years.

At the launch, hosted by Derek’s manager Jojie Dingcong, the Anahaw room of Manila House was transformed by Eventique’s Portia Cruz into a Derek Ramsay gallery and mini-museum, which housed the dashing gentleman’s  sports and acting trophies and other memorabilia detailing the milestones of his life and career.

Gorgeous Cristalle Henares-Pitt, palanggas, was the program emcee sharing her many years of friendship and goodwill with Derek. For his part, the man of the hour then gave a memorable speech, dahlings, honoring his parents, his management, his loyal sponsors and friends.

One couldn’t miss the namedroppables present, starting with a blooming Dr. Vicki Belo, Kit Zobel, Pops Fernandez, Jackie Ejercito, Lizette Cojuangco and Marianne Po. Also present were Rose Anne Belmonte, Alice Dixson with her “wow” figure, my palangga Tessa Prieto-Valdes, banker Andrew Gan, mega ophthalmologist Glenn Carandang, internationally renowned architect and interior designer Jonathan Matti, Ogie Alcasid, Tim Yap and Ambassadors Kok Li Peng of Singapore and Esra Cankorur of Turkey.

Proceeds of the coffe table book sale, dahlings, will be donated to Lanao Children’s Foundation, a charity Derek supports in Mindanao.

The book is available at select bookstores nationwide.

Da Vinci on his mind

The art world went berserk recently when Leonardo da Vinci’s mesmerizing portrait of Jesus Christ — the Salvator Mundi — became officially the most expensive painting ever sold at auction at a cool $450 million.

Young turk and artist-on-the-rise Bryan Teves also had Da Vinci on his mind. At his recent Manille solo exhibit at León Gallery, two works that referenced the Mona Lisa and the equally enigmatic Lady with an Ermine were among the first to be snapped up.

Teves was the grand prize winner at the prestigious Metrobank Art and Design Excellence (MADE) competition 2015, a win that attracted the attention of DF Art Agency’s Derek Flores no less, palanggas.

The artist is from a small town outside Candon, Ilocos Sur but his works are straight out of 15th-century Florence, with exquisite technique and detailing.

Present at the opening of Teves’ exhibit titled Academia, were businessman Ernest Escaler, restaurateur Amado Fores, interior designer Melot Sunga, smart finance man of the Razon Group Joel Consing, furniture and lighting mogul Tim Tan, artists Anton Mallari and Isko Andrade, forex expert Robert Young, legal eagle and art connoisseur Tonico Manahan as well as J Studio gallery owner Jia Estrella with dashing hubby Gabby.

Several low-key collectors from the younger set also popped in to take a look and bought some artworks like JV Cobankiat, Richard Tan, Rocky David, Payopee Pineda, my palanggas, the vivacious Cecile Reynoso and art patron Anton Mendoza, Paolo Perez and Wowie Evangelista.

Fab holidays

The eye-catching Chantal Apparel and Accessories has many fabulous fashion suggestions ideal for the holidays, dahlings.

Distributed exclusively at Rustan’s Makati, Chantal is a trendy brand that has new and innovative dress styles and fabric. It’s truly a fun place to shop as affordability and a wide range of fashion styles await happy spenders, palanggas.

Chantal Fashion Jewelry is also exclusively distributed at Rustan’s Makati, Shangri-La Mall and Gateway Mall. Its top-quality and chic jewelry has been a favorite of the elite and well-heeled for the last 32 years. —Photos by Alex Van Hagen, Powered by MAC Center