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Balls always bring out the fairy-tale fanatic in me. While Disney princesses were mostly preoccupied with catching the prince’s eye in spite of some bargained/misfortunate occurrence (Ariel only had three days, Cinderella a few hours), most contemporary girls also have pressing concerns (fitting into THE dress, necklines not being low enough to show the slightest hint of abs) but mostly ushered towards the desire to be photographable.

And before sticking your nose up and deeming the entire female population shallow, know that in the age of chronicled-everything, Instagram #selfies (filtered or not) need to look decent. So with precisely that future selfie in mind (I kid – I was mostly thinking of this blog post) I made a frantic attempt to get a dress. My fairy godmother came in the form of PR maven Ericka Bugia – but better coz sheer dresses trump glass slippers and my ride fortunately didn’t turn into a pumpkin. (Although come to think of it, I did get home before midnight and maybe my Cinderella heels should’ve been worn in an attempt to fully embody a modern day damsel.)

Had an amazing time hanging out with SMART, of course, at the SMART Mega Pinoy Pride Ball. The theme was resonant in every single aspect – the food, the music, the performances. The 10 global Pinoys -including Maria Ressa, Stephen Gan, Jerome Lorico, Jessica Sanchez and Regine Velasquez – were awarded and the big ending was the finale of Mega’s YDC All Stars. Totally agreed with the choice of winners – Emir Yamamoto and the House of Herrera. Thank you, Smart, for having us. I had a great time and I don’t think I’d pass up on a chance to get all dolled up.

We should definitely have more balls in the Philippines – you know, years post-prom when you actually grow out of your awkward adolescent phase and have, hopefully, a much better grasp of fashion than when you were 16. So again, thanks Smart, for replacing my awkward, shudder-inducing JS prom memories with that of this gorgeous dress. I may have come one step closer to redeeming my high school self.

Dress, ARLENE SIPAT | Pumps, ALEXANDER WANG | Bracelet, CHARMING CHARLIE

ph by Hannah Villasis (thank you!)