Bye-Bye, Betsey!

OK, not really. Fashion designer Betsey Johnson will continue to produce clothes and other stuff, but the brand will cease to exist as it has been for the past several years. I didn't know the news about the bankruptcy until yesterday, when my sister sent me an email telling me to hurry on down to my local Betsey store to check out the store-closing sale. I did, and sure enough, there was a huge sign saying "Last 2 Days". There were some dresses hanging on the racks, and even the racks were for sale. I walked away empty-handed, but decided to return today.

I got there right after the mall opened and picked up dress #1, a navy silk ruffly halter style poofy dress (pictured near right, with my Christian Louboutin nude Very Prives with red tip). As I gave the dress to the sales associate to ring up, I asked her, "What's gonna happen to you guys?". She looked a little surprised, then said softly, "We find new jobs" (I wonder if anyone else had asked her that question). She added, "I'm just sad there's no more Betsey". She made an even sadder face, then continued on, talking about her fond memories of seeing her mom wear Betsey's pieces from the '80s, and I really felt for her. I hope she does find a new job, one that will make her even happier.

I had my eye on dress #2 (the white floral version of dress #1), but decided to wait on it and return for it if I decided I still wanted it after giving it some thought, so I left with dress #1 only. I did think about it and decided I wanted it, so I returned for dress #2 about an hour later (I guess that Rebecca Taylor dress I just bought from Nordstrom will be going back--yay for their easy return policy!). It almost didn't go home with me. I spotted it in a fitting room with a young girl. I stood around, waiting to see if she would buy it, and it seemed like forever. There were others on the rack, but there was only 1 in my size, and it was with the girl. She finally came out with the dress, along with several other pieces. She joined a middle-aged woman (probably her mom), an elderly woman (probably her grandma), and 2 little girls (probably her sisters) for a brief conversation in Farsi. Then the girl turned to a SA and gave her all the clothes in her hands and said, "I'll think about it". The SA turned around and saw me, so I asked her for the dress. She handed it to me, and I took it into the fitting room to make sure. It was mine 5 minutes later. I left with the iconic hot-pink Betsey shopping bag in my hand, for the last time from that store. It's closed for good in 5 1/2 hours.

I decided to read up on the story when I got home. So many people felt that her targeted wearer was too young to afford the clothing. They may be right. I saw a lot of teenage girls in the store with their moms today. It turns out the SA wasn't totally right. The company plans to keep a few stores open, and some of the collection will be sold at Nordstrom and Saks. However, who knows what will happen in this shaky economy? And I may not love the future collections, so these 2 dresses may be my last Betsey pieces. Today, I realize that Betsey's designs really fit my style. I love the ultrafeminine, Isn't it awesome being a girl?" look. Maybe I should've taken advantage of buying from the store that's down the street from my house when it was still there. Oh, well, it's only right then to treasure the pieces I do have, including these 2 dresses. My friend joked that I should keep one dress in my closet with the tags on, but I don't think I can. It is awesome being a girl, and I want to show the world I really believe that by wearing these dresses.

Just wanted to edit to add, since I'm a girl who loves sports and loves to support her fellow kababayan (countryman): Pacquiao, you were robbed (read the story here: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/06/manny-pacquiao-timothy-bradley-title-fight/1)! You won that fight, and boxing fans all over the world know it! Don't agree to the rematch. The judges' decision just proves that the World Boxing Organization is f*cked up and allows the wrong people to win. You had an illustrious career, and don't allow the WBO the glory of presenting any more of your work. Retire with the titles and honors that you won for yourself and allowed us Filipinos to hold our heads high. Like the ESPN announcer said, the decision is a true injustice to the sport and to fans. I will no longer be a part of it. As a boxing fan who became one only because of Pacquiao, I resign!

LA Sports Drama

I knew from the beginning of the 2010-11 season that this would not be a successful one for the LA Lakers. It was hard for me to come to that conclusion, having been a Lakers fan for almost all my life. The season came and went, and I thought, Maybe I was wrong. They came out with one of the best records in the NBA. They barely finished off New Orleans and lost to Dallas in a clean sweep. Out...there will be no 3peat. What a way for Phil Jackson to end his coaching career. I watched parts of the game on Sunday, and what I saw was ugly. I missed the antics of Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom, but from what I saw of the clips on the news and Kobe's post-game comments, I'm glad I did. I heard about even more drama from a co-worker, who stated that Pau Gasol's girlfriend and Kobe Bryant's wife got into drama worthy of "Basketball Wives", which affected the team dynamics. Seriously?! I know they might be rumors, but that makes a lot of sense. This team unraveled before the world, making for ugly plays and ultimately, losses.

What I felt went wrong with the Lakers this past season was that they stopped thinking of the fans. If Gasol and Bryant let their own dramas get in the way, that only supports the rumors. Each team member appeared to be interested in furthering their own careers and agendas. Their focuses turned to reality shows, endorsements, awards, and other nonsense. They forgot about the "little" people who got them there.

They need to take a page from Manny Pacquiao's book. No matter what, he thinks of the fans. During Saturday's match, he was locked to win by unanimous decision halfway through, but even during round 12, he was going for a knockout because he knew the fans wanted it, indicated by their chants of Knock him out! He sacrificed his body and face in order to please them. He's a proud Filipino, and he has donated many of his earnings to charities in his home country. He could've retired on top years ago, but he insisted on this Mosley fight in order to raise money to open up a hospital. If that's not classy, what is?!

I don't want to take myself out of the running for being a lifelong Lakers fan, but if there aren't any changes in the team, I will. They truly didn't deserve to win this year.

Celebrate the Red, Yellow, and Blue!

I started out my day in the West Hollywood Christian Louboutin boutique, yet again. I hung with my fave sales associate and a fellow shoe-loving pal. The new leopard ponyskin and Chantilly lace Biancas arrived and are pretty fan-f**king-tastic! I soooo wish I could've walked out with the leopard ones, but I'm currently awaiting the arrival of another leopard ponyskin pair, and of course, sale season is around the corner. I have to be more financially responsible this year, so I had to prioritize and ended up walking away empty-handed from Christian Louboutin today. Sigh...While there, a customer mentioned she would be watching the Pacquiao vs. Mosley fight. When asked by a male sales associate who she was rooting for, she was a little iffy, but eventually said she liked Pacquiao. I later left the boutique to head to Saks in Beverly Hills to check out the book signing featuring Amanda Goldberg and Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper. This is their second book together. It's called Beneath a Starlet Sky, and it focuses on the glamour of the Cannes Film Festival. There's a cool article on this book in the current issue of California. These authors are 2 very sweet and charming women. They posed for a picture with me (in my new white Juicy dress!), and Ruthanna autographed my copy. I look forward to reading their new book, but I think I will check out their first book, Celebutantes, first.

After chatting with the authors, I quickly grabbed a bite in the Saks cafe, then headed to Niketown, just down the street. There was a section dedicated just to Pacquiao gear. I found a replica of the shirt worn by Pacquiao and his team on TV. I decided on the blue one (pictured on the left). The inscription around the boxing gloves reads Don't tell your God you have a problem tell your problem you have a great God. This is a statement very reflective of Pacquiao's attitude toward boxing, and it's also reflective of how my mother, a devout Catholic from the Philippines, lives. Now I'm not exactly a fan of Nike (I might get into that, but if I do, it'll be some other time), but I really wanted a shirt to wear while watching the big fight, and supposedly, Nike has a monopoly on these shirts. At least I got a free Pacquiao poster with purchase. As I walked back to my car, one of the parking attendants screamed out, "Pacquiao's gonna win!". I couldn't help but to shout back, "Yes, he will!".

And win he did. There's so few things I like more than to sit around the TV with my family on a Saturday night, watching an exciting event. A Pacquiao fight is the ultimate sporting event. He's entertaining and talented, that's for sure. However, what's more remarkable, in my opinion, is what his talent and entertainment has done for us Filipinos. I've heard what other people have said when they think of Filipinos and the Philippines. A girl of Chinese descent once told me that among the ethnicities listed under the Asian/Pacific Islander category, Filipinos "ranked" near the bottom. Why?, I asked her. I was 19 years old at the time and had never heard of this hierarchy. Because the Philippines is dirty and poor, and there are a lot of hookers there. Sad to say that she's not the only one who's made such a statement, and I'm thinking only of the people I've heard. When Pacquiao started gaining recognition, people around the world were suddenly interested in this man who began life as a boy who rose from the depths of poverty in a nation known for dirt and hookers. Tonight, people in 120 countries heard our beautiful national anthem and saw our beautiful flag. I know I'm biased, but I think the Philippines has the most beautiful flag in the world. It's certainly unique, and with many thanks to Pacquiao, people recognize it. The color yellow, the color of Pacquio's boxing gloves tonight and appropriately used for the sun on our flag, is a symbol of hope to us. If today sucks, there's tomorrow, which will begin as soon as the sun rises again, which it does every day. Filipinos, hold your head high!