Rita Dy: Fashionable citizen of the world

MANILA, Philippines - The entrance to Rita Dy’s condominium unit already gives a clue to her personality. A colorful oil painting hangs on one side of her door; a huge ceramic representation of the apotropaic Turkish evil eye dangles on the other side. Her living room is carefully furnished with rich, multihued art and animal figurines, the latter clearly cultural keepsakes. A hallway leading to her bedroom serves as a mini-gallery: more abstract or surrealist paintings displaying color and emotion. And then there are the things that you don’t really notice but still sense: the bowl of potpourri underneath the coffee table, the dwarf figurines underneath the piano, the religious figurines in her room, the healthy house plants out in the balcony. It is a place obviously loved and well lived in.

It is a place that fits its owner. Rita Dy, a corporate dynamo who works with one of the world’s biggest airlines, is as bright and interesting as her home environment. She’s affable and welcoming, the sort of woman who would offer wine at four in the afternoon and would play classical symphonies when you say you don’t mind some music. When you sit down to talk, however, you discern a no-nonsense manner and a practical streak. A dry wit that grows on you as well, accompanied by a hearty, guttural laugh that you feel should be accompanied by a sly wink and an inside joke.

“I’m a boring person,” she states, almost apologetically. And you know she is being very humble when she says this. After all, you don’t get to where she is by being boring. (Prior to working in the airline industry, which she has been a part of for more than 30 years, Rita was a hotel executive working at the Hilton and The Peninsula.) Later on, you find out that “boring” means private. Rita Dy is not one to cite brand names, flaunt designer merchandise, or narrate rubbing-elbows stories. Like I said, no-nonsense.

She buys things because she likes them, because they fit well, and because they’ll last longer than necessary. She travels, for work — sometimes to places we can’t even pinpoint on the world map — but also to see things, to reconnect with old friends, to experience a certain kind of freedom. And when she tells stories, it’s not of luxury hotels or five-star restaurants, but of her own traveling quirks: her talisman against spirits, her terrible shopping habits, her packing frustrations. And you just laugh at them, mostly because they’re so unexpected coming from a woman who is a powerful personality in the travel industry.

THE PHILIPPINE STAR: How would you describe your style?

RITA DY: I wear simple, classic clothes. I don’t like too many things on my neck and my arms. I do wear earrings a lot. When I was a teenager, I attended one of these image-enhancement classes and they taught us to wear clothes that work with our figure. I’m not a slave to trends. When I fit a dress, I know exactly if it’s for me or not.

Do you have a signature look?

I like bright lipstick. Reds, you know...

Do you shop a lot?

Yes. Sometimes I buy a lot of things and then forget I even have them. But then, I also have clothes and accessories that I’ve been wearing for 15 or 20 years. I believe that clothes never go out of style. You can have something for 20 years and wear it later on.

Who are your favorite designers?

I quite like Patrice (Ramos-Diaz) — she’s my neighbor. She’s really good with working with my figure. I also like Rajo Laurel. For ready-to-wear, I don’t really have a preference. I can go low-end or high-end. Although I mostly shop when I go abroad.

Where do you shop abroad?

Everywhere. I’ve shopped in Turkey — our airline was actually the one that introduced Turkey to the Philippines — and I love the clothes made by their local designers. I also shop in Italy, go to the Armani there. I go to Singapore a lot to shop also.

Which destinations do you keep going back to?

I never really go back too often to a place. Although I used to live in Sweden so I do go there a lot, maybe once a year. And they have nice shopping as well. Would you believe that I shop in H&M? They have very fun, modern clothes.

What’s your traveling style? Are you impulsive or do you need to have everything planned out?

It depends. I like bahala na. Although the hotels have to be all booked. What I actually like is cruises. I have only been on two. One was a Cunard cruise to the Mediterranean — it was the Queen Victoria’s maiden voyage — and that was really something. And the other one was an Alaskan cruise.

Why do you like cruises?

You don’t have to pack and unpack. Once you start with the cruise, you just get off the ship and tour the place you stop in. It’s very convenient. I also enjoy being inside the ships. You can do so many things.

Where do you dream of going?

My friends and I were planning to go to Russia. But I wasn’t able to go because I was too busy.

Are you a light packer?

No. I can never decide what to bring. That’s my least favorite part about traveling: the packing. On one of the cruises I went on, I brought three pieces of luggage. I didn’t have space to store my shopping.

What are your travel essentials?

Skincare products are very important, especially on the plane, where you always need to moisturize. I also have this one set of clothing that I use when I travel to a colder place. It’s this brown Issey Miyake pantsuit with a hood. I wear it in the plane, sleep in it, walk around in it and everybody likes it. I also bring comfortable, movement-friendly clothes. I also always bring red pajamas when I travel.

Red pajamas?

Somebody told me that, if you’re staying in a hotel by yourself, you should wear red because ghosts and spirits are afraid of red. (Laughs)

Have you ever been to a haunted hotel?

No, but if I ever was, I was protected by my red pajamas. It’s true. You think I’m joking? You should try doing that. Even my kimono is red!

Do you make it a point to bring home mementos from every trip?

I have a bad habit of bringing home the largest, most fragile, breakable things. I never really think about how I’m going to bring them home. One time, I brought home these really thin, fragile wineglasses from Slovenia — I had to buy this bag in the market just to store them in. Whenever I go to Mediterranean countries, I make it a point to buy their ceramics. I love ceramic things, even if they’re so breakable. I’ve bought figurines in Tallinn in Estonia.

What do you do when you’re not traveling and have some free time?

My goodness, I don’t have free time. I do so many things. When I wake up, I do my qi gong (tai-chi) exercises. I go to the gym. I swim. Then I go to work.

Any hobbies? Films or books?

I only watch movies when I’m on the plane. Otherwise, I’m just too lazy to go to the movie house — I don’t want to have to dress up.

What relaxes you?

Well, I love to cook. I don’t mean to sound mayabang, but I can cook anything I’ve just tasted. Of course, with my own interpretation.

What are your specialties?

I can cook Chinese food. I can cook lamb. I can do a good Hainanese chicken. I can even cook Swedish food. I do it mostly for my brothers and sisters and their children. The thing is, I take a really long time when I cook so I don’t know if they really like what I made or they’re just hungry. (Laughs). That’s my secret.