CHRISTMAS came early at Rustan’s on Sept. 18 (or if you’re going by the Filipino “-ber” months calendar, just in time) with a display of holiday tableaux on their home floor created by leading holiday hosts and hostesses.
The list of figures that collaborated with Rustan’s for the Rustan’s Christmas Shop 2025 includes STEPS founder and heiress Sofia Elizalde, Michelle Suzuki, restaurateur Happy Ongpauco-Tiu, architect Miko de los Reyes, floral designer Pam Lopez (Mr. De los Reyes and Ms. Lopez are members of the Tantoco family behind Rustan’s), interior designer Myze Bangayan, and designer Jia Estrella.
The tableaux will be displayed throughout the season, accompanying the grand Christmas decors and Rustan’s holiday shop windows, launching next month.
“My mother (Bea Zobel) always brought out her best piña tablecloth for such a special evening, and paired it with all her favorite plates and good crystal glasses to serve water, white wine, red wine, and of course, champagne,” said Ms. Elizalde. She placed white magnolias at the center of the table — a nod to one of her favorite cities, New York. “The white magnolias add a touch of white and green to the lovely Filipino piña tablecloth,” she said. Around it, she included sweets, always a must for any special occasion, along with playful touches inspired by The Nutcracker, her forever favorite Christmas ballet.
Ms. Suzuki did her tables in red, inspired by ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement. At its heart stands a striking red Christmas tree, embellished with cherry blossoms, red berries, and jewel-toned ornaments in shades of ruby, fuchsia, and pink. Mr. De los Reyes featured Rustan’s signature blue, paired with toile de jouy prints. Ms. Lopez showed off a tree using tropical plants instead of the traditional pine. Ms. Bangayan meanwhile, showed a cozy tea setup, while Ms. Estrella showed off blues (including a bejeweled blue Christmas tree), inspired by the Majorelle Gardens in Marrakech. The chairs in her setup, showing a blue and white pattern, were hand-painted by herself.
Speaking with BusinessWorld, Ms. Ongpauco-Tiu said she wanted something timeless and elegant. This resulted in her using black and champagne tableware and crystal glassware. “At home, I also like traditional and elegant pieces,” she said. “It depends on the theme of my parties. I love doing themed parties; it depends on the cuisine I serve.” She recalled using Moroccan tagines as centerpieces for a themed dinner.
For this Christmas, she’s thinking of going Latin — Latin American, that is. “I want to do Peruvian,” she said, mentioning that she was thinking of an eight-to-10 course dinner. “Something different.”
All the items used in the tableaux, except for Ms. Lopez’ tree and Ms. Estrella’s chairs, are available at Rustan’s Makati. — JL Garcia
