I finally had the chance to visit the Greenbelt (Makati city) branch of bag designer/maven Rafe (pronounced Ra-fee) Totengco. Yes, Rafe Totengco is a Filipino (raised in Bacolod) who previously designed for Schizo, a clothing line under Sari-Sari Store prior to his leaving for New York in 1989 to study at New York's Fashion Institute and Technology. The Rafe Store opened in March 2008 and I finally did get to see his bags up close on my birthday. Of course, I had a grand time doing so with the helpful assistance of amiable staff Mitch. Rafe Totengco has been based in New York for almost 18 years now and his bag creations have been seen in the arms and hands of Paris Hilton, Jessica Alba, Eva Longoria, Mischa Barton, Lindsay Lohan, Giselle Bundchen, Adriana Lima,among others. In Rafe Totengco's recent blog, I read that he did a collaboration with Amy Smilovic, the designer of Tibi, on a limited edition collection of bags. If only for his bags, I would have loved being a girl! :) I wish I'd bump into Rafe Totengco himself on his next visit in the country.
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