As I showed him an array of pastel-colored suits and even linen pants, the Speaker exclaimed, "Hey, I’m not a model! I’m a statesman!" A smirk/smile splashed on his face. Speaker Jose de Venecia is perhaps one of the most iconic political figures of our time. He lives and breathes politics. Even his home is a declaration to his commitment to his position as Speaker of the House. The West Wing, like the show itself, is where all the most important decisions affecting the country are made. So, I can only imagine him having to conjure memories of being my dad’s best friend for the last 40 years or so, to agree to do this shoot.
Plus, with Ipe being his beloved stepson (Ipe’s mom is Gina de Venecia, his father is Philip Cruz) he relented to our mission.
JDV, as he known to his staff, is no-nonsense when it comes to dressing, a reflection of his attitude with pretty much everything else, too. He’s soft-spoken. Let’s just say he walks quietly with a big stick. He believes in performance and precision, thus he believes that dressing is more about function than fashion. And he wasn’t about to let us wantonly dress him up in my "modern neutrals." Naturally sniffing at my choice of sorbet-colored tops and Ipe’s more sporty pieces like a striped shirt and a V-neck sweater, he stuck to the neutral toned jackets and surprisingly the bright-colored golf shirts in the pile (which he liked so much that I gave it to him as a gift after the shoot because it was incredibly flattering). "I’ve never seen my Dad in low-rise pants or really super casual things; he’s always well-dressed in that proper way," quipped his youngest son Young Star writer Christopher de Venecia (Note : Men of a certain age and stature should not wear low-risers even on Halloween).
For this shoot we made him experiment with easy but classic designs from Springfield. Although my feminine tastes proved too flowery for him, Ipe wisely chose some modern basics like a weekend jacket in blue and brightly colored shirts and ties that brightened him up instantly. After a little more prodding to don the sport jacket-and- jean look, JDV made a compromise with the jacket and top. "You have to remember, I’m no playboy!" said JDV. After all, not only is he a man who is committed to serving his country, but he is also a dedicated husband and father. I had to agree with him: the look was a bit Fabian Basabe.
The things you learn when doing a makeover is not to force your tastes onto others. JDV is beyond fun and games and most especially canary yellow sweaters. He worked with us to create looks that he would actually wear, but he does admit that the dose of color was fun. After many days of charcoal and navy, the bright colors of a prolonged summer did brighten him up.
For skin care, Gela Laurel of Lancome was there to give him tips on caring for his skin. He was especially thrilled when he received a travel kit from Lancome Homme with all the necessities for his upcoming China trip. Gela advised that he use a balm for his eyes after a hard day and moisturizer with an SPF is a must, especially for those long hours outdoors when doing the rounds and indoors with the wicked air-conditioning.
After perhaps the fastest shoot of my career, JDV left in good spirits enjoying his new golf shirts from Springfield and the new Lancome Homme products like they were treats after a hard day’s work that was far from over. He was still JDV but only now in Technicolor. His son Christopher said it best when it comes to tweaking things: "I’d love to see him in brighter things but there are two things that I will never change: his hair and his ears."
I agree. There are some things you don’t mess with.
Your chief characteristic: Patience, unifier, peacemaker
Your favorite qualities in a man: Audacity of vision, steely will to achieve dreams
Your favorite qualities in a woman: Passion to build a home, shared values, loyal life partner
Your favorite qualities in friends: Loyalty, honesty, courage, what Hemingways calls "grace under pressure"
Your biggest flaw: To be too trusting of others
Your favorite occupation: Teachers have the task to convey to the next generation the accumulated wisdom of the ages
Your idea of happiness: To see one’s ideas and achievements uplift people’s lives
Your idea of misery: A world afflicted with hunger, violence, and sectarian fighting
If not yourself, who would you be? Teddy Roosevelt, Churchill, Mahathir, Deng Hsiao Peng
Where you would you like to live? Where I am now, surrounded by the intimacy of wife and family and kin
Your favorite color and flower: Pink, which I’ve embraced for the mystical link to my departed daughter KC and the rose
Your favorite prose authors: Churchill, William Manchester with his well-crafted biographies
Your favorite poets: I like Robert Frost, who captures modern man’s dilemma in his journeys
Your favorite heroes in fiction: Achilles and Odysseus
Your favorite heroines in fiction: Princess Urduja of Pangasinan, who might have been real
Your favorite composers: Mozart, Beethoven, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Ryan Cayabyab
Your favorite painters: Gauguin, Michelangelo, and my wife, Gina
Your favorite heroes in real life: I already mentioned them but add Rizal, Gandhi and Mandela
Your favorite heroine in history: Catherine the Great, Gabriela Silang, Joan of Arc
Your favorite names: Christopher, Joseph
Your pet aversion: Procrastination, lack of focus
What characters in history do you most dislike? Hitler and those who made genocide a blot on the human conscience
The military deed that you admire most: Thermopolae, Tirad Pass, the Alamo
The reform that you appreciate: Charter Change and the shift to a unicameral parliamentary government
What gift from nature would you like to have? Serenity of the spirit
How would you like to die? Peacefully, in God’s embrace
What is your present state of mind? Focused – to propelling the nation forward to Second World and finally First World status
For what fault have you most toleration? Forgetfulness
Your favorite motto: We shall prevail
– Based on The Marcel Proust Questionnaire