A PhilSTAR Lifestyle exclusive: Behind the scenes at Metro Mag Italia: La Dolce Ruffa

It’s going to be different,” said Metro magazine creative director Patrick Ty about the look and the feel of the layouts they were going to produce. I was greeted by a warm hug as a welcome to Florence by editor-in-chief Mich Torres, now Paris-based and herself a veteran of these out-of-the-country-major-production-tight-crew shoots. Beauty editor Charmagne Laconico just gave birth a month ago and was up and about. The energy of the muti-tasking Metro team was palpable. This was gonna be their biggest September issue to date.

The cover star Ruffa Gutierrez arrived in the Milan Malpensa Airport via Thai Airways with four giant suitcases, her version of “packing light.” An advance party composed of ABS-CBN Publishing boss Chris Nieto Lopez, marketing assistant Mari Santiago and ace photographer Doc Marlon Pecjo went all over the city to scout for locations. From Milan we all boarded our van towards Florence. I was with the ABS Publishing head of sales Monica Herrera, Jenny Dayao and the Revlon heads Anna Saliendres and Tita Becky. The few hours in the van were filled with laughter and inside stories about the ins and outs of the publishing world. Makeup artist Ricci Chan, entertainment publicist Jun Lalin and Frank Mamaril of The Lifestyle Network make up the entire Team Philippines.
My first few hours in Florence were spent with Harold Geronimo, director for strategic marketing and communications for Megaworld Corp., the company behind the latest residential gated garden community called The Florence. Harold wasted no time in telling me how excited he was for this development in McKinley Hill which is being built beside The Venice –– another residential condo cluster that will directly face the Grand Canal and Rialto Bridge. “That’s why we have to go –– even if we have to do an Amazing Race just to get there,” said Harold with eagle-like precision.
“Megaworld is really bringing inspirations of popular places like Venice and Florence to Manila for Filipinos to experience,” Harold said of “live-work-play-learn“ township concept in the Philippines, which the top real estate company champions.

Fashion and fun in Firenze

Florence is a living and breathing open-air museum. In the Tuscan region of Italy, Florence’s traditional charm lies in classical and Renaissance structures made even more beautiful with vast garden landscapes –– considered an art form with geometric flowerbeds, green trellises, water fountains and colorful flowers in the courtyard with green cobblestone pathways. Everywhere you looked, it was a fairy tale waiting to happen.
“I felt like Monica Bellucci lost in a beautiful Tuscan villa waiting for my Prince Charming to sweep me off my feet,” said La Ruffa during the Metro Mag Italia September Issue cover shoot. “That’s actually the inspiration behind the entire shoot, from the garden setting on the cover to the fashion spreads,” Harold beamed with pride as we talked about The Florence property of Megaworld while we went though the styling pegs with the Metro team.
“From the dramatic piazzas and historic bridges to the vineyards and villas that show authentic Florentine landscapes, the Metro team orchestrated each picture to show the story we wanted to tell –– an Italian contessa, a chic seductress, a woman who embodies the fullness of the Florence lifestyle,” explained Mich.
The Metro team got an entire Tuscan estate villa for the first day of the shoot, and hopped all over Florence on foot for the following day. We looked at the clothes and bags from Bottega, Ferragamo, Gucci, Armani and Furla all sprawled under the Florentine sky. “First wearer, it says on the tag,” Patrick pointed out. “It just means that Ruffa is the first one to wear this, before any star in Hollywood or Europe to any shoot or red carpet event.”

Raving about Ruffa

“It’s like a dream come true for me wearing all these beautiful brands in such a beautiful city like Florence!” Not many people know that Ruffa is also a natural comedian as she made everyone roll around in laughter with all her stories –– off-the-record musings and candid remarks that have become her trademark. Lest you think it was all glitz and glam, think again. Do not be easily blinded by the gloss on the page. “It was actually so hot! It was 30 degrees and I was donning patent trench coats and designer fur, emoting under the Tuscan sun!” said cover star Ruffa with a big smile on her face as she recalled the early European summer months of July. This ironic reality of shooting against the season is part of glossy
publishing life.

“We had romantic Italian music to get us in the mood. We played O Mio Babbino Caro by Puccini all throughout the shoot. We played it everywhere.” And everywhere they went, the crowd followed. “People were stopping me in the streets. Not only Filipinos but foreigners, too! Nakataba ng puso! They don’t know me and yet they admire my beauty.”
But the fun didn’t stop there. At the villa shoot, Doc Marlon and Patrick were quite dictatorial in their approach.  â€œWalk! Pout! Twirl your hair! Sway your skirt!” They motivated Ruffa the willing subject, doing all of it with the chameleon-like quality of a supermodel competing in a reality show. Then all of a sudden, she disappeared from their sight. She fell on her face, to the shock of the entire team! The forever calm and collected former Miss World Princess just bounced back. “I did a Miriam Quiambao, stood up immediately and carried on with my posing!” Ruffa was a hoot and a half.
“I wouldn’t have done it if it were another subject. Ruffa is a trouper and a team player. Not a diva at all. What a joy it is to work with her,” said top makeup artist and thespian Ricci Chan, who for this shoot learned how to do hair, specially for Ruffa. And what can Ruffa say about working with Metro? “I trusted the team completely in terms of creativity and styling. I knew I was working with the best.”

Before and after sunset

Before the shoots happened, we did what any Filipino tourist would do. We went crazy shopping! On our first night we indulged in Bistecca Fiorentina at Buca Mario, a restaurant that has been there since the 1800s. During the day, I did my own sightseeing around the Duomo and visited the Gucci Museo. Nights would be spent drinking Brunello Di Montalcino by our hotel bar.
After Florence, Ruffa went straight to London where she took a short course on global economy and...espionage. (Don’t ask why.) “It’s a different experience being a student again –– reading countless books, writing essays, preparing PowerPoint presentations while Skyping with her kids Lorin and Venice and making sure to keep in touch with everybody via Whatsapp.”

She was able to squeeze in some down time during weekends in St. Tropez and Ibiza, too  –– proof of the master mutli-tasker that she truly is.
She is now back in town with family, friends and loved ones, beaming as ever with newfound life and love realizations. I sat down with her at the lobby of the Peninsula Manila, recalling our European sojourn. She turned pensive while sipping her hot choco, then she smiled and said, “I know my Prince Charming will find me, pursue me, whisk me away into a forever fairy tale. Oh well, till then...”
Ruffa Gutierrez, the hopeful romantic is still dreaming for a fairytale ending. Girls are entitled to dream their own dreams, aren’t they?

...And she loved happily ever after.

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More highlights and sidelights from our Euro summer at twitter.com/officialTIMYAP and officialtimyap on Instagram, too!