Showbiz’ most stylish celebrities

by Nickie Wang

There are people who never run out of style no matter what the trend is; they eternally stand out and remain in. Similarly, this follows the idea that fashion trends change but styles remain timeless. So what would you rather be – stylish or fashionable?

During the first-ever Star Studio Celebrity Style Awards, popular names in the world of entertainment turned the red carpet at the Dusit Hotel Thani into a fashion runway as they walked and posed for the cameras in their most glamorous outfits.

Stars like Piolo Pascual, Ely Buendia, Lucy Torres-Gomez, Angel Aquino, and Sarah Geronimo were among the big winners that night. Voted by fans, they simply depict what star quality is and what it takes to be called stylish personalities in their own right. They were awarded Most Stylish Leading Man, Male Celebrity Style Icon, Female Celebrity Style Icon, Most Stylish Female Host, and Most Stylish Female Performer, respectively.

The fashion award’s rationale is to acknowledge celebrities for their remarkable style (effort) and unmatched contribution to the entertainment and fashion spheres. Initially established to celebrate Star Studio Magazine’s 10th year anniversary, this is a promising awards good enough to be staged annually to inspire more celebrities to properly dress up. However, if anyone would ask why Kapuso talents were not in the winning circle in this fashion award, answering it means telling what is obvious. It’s not that they lack class and style, it is just by default, honors had to be given to deserving Kapamilya stars since it’s practically a Kapamilya affair.

Adding entertainment to the fast-paced show, Celebrity Designer of the Year nominees – Avel Bacudio, Paul Cabral, Francis Libiran, Joey Samson and Randy Ortiz – spiced up the all-glam night with an upbeat fashion number that showcased their creations. Top models, donning their collections, sashayed the ramp in step with the beat of contemporary tracks from music acts Imago and Pedicab, and singers Richard Poon and Karylle.

Among the presenters for the People’s Choice Categories were Jericho Rosales (who was among the actors who received the Star Humanitarian Award, pertinent to the typhoon Ondoy effort) Isabel Oli and Tuesday Vargas. Presenting the technical awards were eventologist Tim Yap, Nicole Hernandez and the event’s Star of the Night, Kelly Misa. They handed out the special citations for the top Celebrity Stylists, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists of the Year. Model Georgina Wilson and up-and-coming actor Borgy Manotoc added glam on the stage when they introduced some other nominees. The program was hosted by runway mannequins Sarah Meier and Bianca Valerio.

Each category (People’s Choice Awards, Technical Awards and Celebrity Awards) had its own way of determining the winners. Awardees of the People’s Choice Awards were decided via text votes while the Celebrity Awards and Technical Awards were chosen by formidable style councils comprised of renowned experts from different style and fashion related industries. The first style council chose the nominees while a second jury was convened to decide on the winners for both Technical and Celebrity Awards.

Quotable quotes

In every awards night, we always keep an eye, or an ear for that matter, on people who might blurt out interesting sound bytes suitable for the newsprints.

Petrang Kabayo star Vice Ganda dashed the stage sans his signature horse power moves but made everybody laugh when he accepted the trophy for the Most Stylish Comedian. He quipped that finally he got an award intended for a male.

“Thank you so much. I’m really expecting this. I want to thank my Dad for inspiring me in fashion. More horse power,” he beamed after the applauses.

Tim Yap, who is known for his over the top outfits, toned it down with his shimmering suit. In his speech while accepting Most Stylish Male Host trophy, he said pertaining to his co-nominees: “I can’t believe I beat Edu Manzano. And Marc Nelson’s body is better than mine. Let’s inspire one another stylewise and otherwise.”

Meanwhile, model and actress Angel Aquino played unassuming when she stepped onto the stage when called as Tim Yap’s counterpart.  The Us Girls host attributed her winning to the role she plays in Magkaribal.

“I’m the most unstylish of all these people,” pointing her right hand to the other nominees she bested. “I’m dumbfounded. It’s Vera that made me win this.”

After the red carpet

Majority of the people who graced the event were all familiar faces except for some virtually unknown names like former actress Nanette Medved-Po. If her name ever rings a bell, she once played Darna in a movie. She resurfaced on the scene through this event and was joined by ABS CBN Publishing head Ernie Lopez as presenters for the ultimate awards for the night.

While some people made an effort and spruced their self up to dazzle the cameras, some of them were no show like Billy Crawford (Most Stylish Male Performer), Ely Buendia and Sarah Geronimo.

And if you came in just in time when Sarah’s shampoo endorsement was being played on the video wall, you might have mistaken the event as a tribute to the young pop star. She went home with four awards: Belo Body Award (which she shared with Piolo, Bea Alonzo, Anne Curtis, and Sam Milby); Sarah’s Best Sunsilk Look, which is Record Breaker Look (based on an online poll according to the host); Sunsilk’s Best Role Model; and the one mentioned earlier.

Other winners were: Agot Isidro, Tayong Dalawa (Most Stylish Kontrabida); Kim Chiu (Most Stylish Leading Lady); Toni Gonzaga (Most Stylish Comedienne); Gretchen Barretto (Red Carpet Style Female); Piolo Pascual (Red Carpet Style Male); Randy Ortiz (Celebrity Designer of the Year); Mark Nicdao (Celebrity Photographer of the Year); and Anne Curtis, Gerald Anderson, Kris Aquino, and Angel Locsin (Star Humanitarian Award, Sagip Kapamilya).