'Imeldific' is out, 'Shoephoric' is in

Imelda Marcos may be synonymous with shoes but today, anyone can be her (or his) own little Imelda. Exactly a fortnight ago I found myself at the LifeScience Center for Wellness and Preventive Medicine at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig for a year-starter event by Shoephoric.com. It was an evening of cocktails and nothing but good vibes.

Founded by Ann Jacobe, Shoephoric.com is the first online and mobile social network for shoe lovers, a place where shoe aficionados can converge, interact, or simply profess their love for shoes and express their shoephoria over their latest finds and dream must-haves. It now has over 100,000 members worldwide.

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Shoe sculptures on display at the event.

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It was a fancy yet friendly vibe here.

Shoephoric also has a place for shoe designers and merchants, and contests for everyone's delight. There's also more coming up, like if you're bold (and maybe desperate) enough, you can post your dream shoe and get everyone from your friends and family to total strangers to pitch in and fund your desire. Shoephoric is also bent on promoting Filipino craftsmanship as a partnership with craftsmen from Gapan, Nueva Ecija is currently in the works, which, in turn, should also improve their livelihood.

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Shoephoric.com founder Ann Jacobe, wearing a pair of very playful Jimmy Choos.

But how did such an event wind up in a wellness clinic? It's all because of love for shoes. LifeScience executive director Marv Romero-Salas is a Shoephoric member, so the partnership shouldn't come as a surprise. It was actually quite cute to see dozens of pairs from the fabulous shoe collections of Jacobe Romero-Salas all around the venue.

There were Louboutins on tables, McQueens on a shelf, a pair of YSL platforms that hung from the pole of an infusion pump, several pairs from local shoe designer Tal de Guzman alongside fitness equipment, and dozens more in every single room and space at the posh wellness center. There were also a couple of sculptural creations by Ferdinand Cacnio that made up a centerpiece display, along with de Guzman's "The Lady of Devotion" that was up for auction.

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Left: Sustainable Growth; right: Temptation

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Front: Marry Me; rear: Flight of Odette

De Guzman's Lady of Devotion is made of handcrafted leather that sits on top of an intricately carved wedge from Paete, Laguna. The wedge is already a piece of artistry all unto itself with people's faces, chains, and flowers carved out of malasantol wood. It was up for silent auction at a starting bid of Php 20,000 for the benefit of Musmos, a local charity.

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The Lady of Devotion.

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Lady of Devotion wedges, ready for some leather.

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It's really cute how they placed the shoes all around the clinic. So I guess both shoes and the center (and all its features and facilities) were on display here. Perfect pairing, I say!

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There were also paintings from Ray Piedra, Shoephoric.com's graphic designer.

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There was everything from high heels to Aztec-inspired sneakers.

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Some Christian Louboutins.

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Top: some spiky Louboutins; bottom: an outlandish Alexander McQueen pair.

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More shoes.

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Some fabric stiletto-boots.

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Some Tal de Guzman creations for her Risqué Designs line.

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My Bibe, our friend Paul Pajo, with Ann Jacobe.

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Smart DevNet's Paul Pajo and Jim Ayson with My Bibe.

I was really impressed by the swanky LifeScience center. They seem to have everything here, including a surgery and recovery room, an oxygen chamber, a fitness room and more. Dr Ben Valdecañas, LifeScience medical director, gave a short talk befitting the occasion and the shoe-loving guests -- foot wellness! And my takeaway? Always wear something that supports your foot's natural arch.

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The surgery room.

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The recovery room. And boy, no PCs here. All Macs!

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Fitness room.

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My Bibe and Paul with Mitch Genato of LifeScience. He was explaining to us the oxygen chamber.

All guests were requested to have their photos -- and of their shoes, of course -- taken by the photo wall. It was cool because the photos represented a guest's entry to an electronic raffle that was flashed onscreen as it happened. Prizes included six gift certificates from Posh Nails, a gift certificate for a customized pair of shoes from Risqué Designs, and two LifeScience micronutrient tests with one-year supply of designer nutraceuticals (vitamins and supplements are customized based on your body's needs). And My Bibe won! Yay!

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My Bibe won this, which, I understand, has quite the value.

But the biggest prize was for "Shoephoric of the Night," which went to guy -- a one-year LifeScience health program worth a whopping Php 206,000! It includes consults, a micronutrient test, a food intolerance test, a hormonal test, and a one-year supply of designer nutraceuticals.

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Some of the fabulous shoes guests wore to the event. The silver-and-black Giacomorelli brogues (bottom right) belonged to the adjudged "Shoephoric of the Night."

So where was I the whole time? Taking pictures. Good thing I found one with me in it from Shoephoric.com. Yay!

_me at shoephoric

Sign up now at Shoephoric.com. I just did! And for your wellness needs and supplements tailored to what your body only needs, visit LifeScience.ph.

Comments

  1. Amazing event and pics !!!!

    xx


    http://www.thetrendysurfer.com/

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great pieces and looks like a cool event!

    ReplyDelete
  3. what a great event! I'm really impressed by those shoe sculptures, some of these shoes are really art.

    ReplyDelete
  4. great shoes!!!!
    the event looks amazing =)
    Héctor.

    ReplyDelete
  5. OMG! lots of love on those shoes, specially on the gold one. Looks stunning!

    Best Regards .)

    ReplyDelete
  6. wow that looks awesome!! so many shoes!

    ReplyDelete
  7. God, these are some great shoes. I love the design, the textures. Really great.
    Best Regards
    Miss Margaret Cruzemark
    http://margaretcruzemark.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  8. Those shoes are absolutely gorgeous. So stylish and unique. Looks like a very nice event.

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  9. Hi!

    Extremely cool shoes!!
    I would really appreciate it if you could come and check our latest post "Cheltenham" and maybe hype my outfit on lookbook?

    LOVE,
    A&G

    Our Blog - F A S H I O N O X Y G E N
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    Our Instagram - F A S H I O N O X Y G E N INSTAGRAM
    Our Facebook- F A S H I O N O X Y G E N FACEBOOK

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow! Those shoes are unbelievable!!!

    ReplyDelete

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