See Exclusive Photos From The Launch Of Lucy Torres-Gomez's Kalachuchi-Inspired Collection With Jul B. Dizon Jewellery
Strength and durability are words that are not typically associated with a flower. But an exception can be made for kalachuchi, the official flower of Ormoc City. Considered "a symbol of wealth, grace, and perfection," kalachuchi can also stand for resilience. It's a flower that is significant to celebrity and politician Lucy Torres-Gomez in more ways than one.
It reminds her of her grandmother and her childhood days spent vacationing in her Lola Carmen's house on a hill in Cebu. "I remember happy summer vacations in my grandmother’s house because she had a kalachuchi tree right by the driveway... She’d meet us with a kalachuchi tucked behind her ears," Lucy recounts.
As the current representative of the 4th District of Leyte, Lucy was also thrilled to discover this flower's connection to the place she now calls home. "Geographically, we’re very vulnerable to all the typhoons and disasters but we’ve risen above every challenge," she tells Metro.Style. "And in modern times pala, the kalachuchi is recommended for somebody who has been through tough challenges. When you love someone, you usually give roses. But if you ask a florist to recommend a flower for somebody who has survived something beautifully, it was the kalachuchi."
Lucy Torres-Gomez recently launched her third collection with Candy Dizon and Jul B. Dizon Jewellery, drawing inspiration from Ormoc City's official flower, the kalachuchi.
As delicate as it looks, kalachuchi can withstand hot weather well and doesn't easily burn. Lucy says, "It takes about 500 degrees fahrenheit for it to even start burning. That’s why pala it thrives under sunlight. Then I get so many direct messages nga from people who follow me on Instagram, the kalachuchi raw in their childhood naman, it must be a really strong flower, kasi imagine, ginagawa raw nilang takyan ('yung sipa)."
Done in collaboration with Candy Dizon and Jul B. Dizon Jewellery, the 50-piece collection features several iterations of kalachuchi that were crafted into earrings, necklaces, rings, and bracelets/cuffs made of rose gold, yellow gold, white gold, diamonds, and mother of pearl; they also designed pieces using aquamarine, the birthstone of March and Lucy's favorite color as well.
In their utter simplicity and sophistication, these jewels can provide the much-needed punch an outfit needs to make a beautiful statement.
READ: Juliana Gomez's 18th Birthday Party Was A Disco Child's Dream Come True!
This being her third passion project with Jul B. Dizon Jewellery in the course of about a decade, Lucy says this is her most cohesive collection yet. "I think it’s like that, it becomes more streamlined, more focused as you go along. The first one was basically anything I wanted, whatever I could dream of. Then it became the cameos then it became this," Lucy shares.
As we get older, Lucy mentioned how we become more discerning and get a clearer grasp of what it is we really want to pursue or create. "When you’re younger, you take on too much also, then you realize that you want quality na lang. You choose the things that you pursue because time is so precious, you cannot spread yourself too thinly," she says. "And even in your closet, gone are the days when you’d have multiples of everything. Like for me now, I’d rather just buy a few pieces, but these are pieces na I’d want to wear through the years. Hindi na 'yung just for one event then 'di ko na susuotin. Conscious choices."
Lucy's husband Richard Gomez and daughter Juliana at the launch
A woman whose fashion style leans more towards classic, elegant designs, Lucy welcomed her daughter Juliana's comments and suggestions for this collection. Lucy knew Juliana's young and fresh take on fashion can breathe a different kind of excitement, a modern classic spin, to her newest designs.
Lucy tells Metro.Style, "[Juliana] is my critic. When she likes it, she likes it. When she doesn’t, she doesn’t. When I runt things by her, I can expect an honest opinion. She really tells you [what she thinks]."
Of course, Juliana, along with her father Richard Gomez, didn't miss the launch of Lucy's latest kalachuchi-inspired jewellery collection which took place at Spices, The Peninsula Manila Hotel last March 26. The celebrities, personalities, and relatives who came to support Lucy and Candy included Janina Dizon; Lucille Dizon; Ginny Dizon; Caitlin Dizon Morales; Jacqueline Dizon; W Talent Management's Pia Campos, Gerard Gotladera, and Monica Evangelista; Marjorie Barretto; Pops Fernandez; Tessa Prieto-Valdes; Kai Lim; Salome Uy; and Lulu Tan-Gan who created Lucy's stunning outfit for that day.
As of the day of the launch, this collection had already been sold-out, so Lucy and Candy immediately went back to work to come up with more designs that will surely be timeless additions to any woman's wardrobe. "While we were finishing this, we already had another collection in the works agad," Lucy happily reveals.
See exclusive photos from the launch and our favorite pieces from the collection below:
[photos]
Photographs by Daniel Soriano
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BEAUTYMar 14, 2023
