Text by RIONE PALACIOS
Hair and Makeup by JUN BALVUENA
Glowing in an Ito Curata gown of an unexpected tangerine shade that only serves to flatter her hourglass figure, Anna Sia is every inch a fashionista.
Half of my life I’ve been working — beautifying, dressing up women and men,†she opens up — and one immediately gets it. Here is a woman who understands clothes, how they appeal to the eye, and the kind of magic they weave for the wearer and observer.
An accounting graduate who pursued a fashion marketing course from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles, California, Anna recounted to us her long and successful career as the chief for fashion supply and merchandising for a mall giant, saying it wasn’t long before “fashion and garments became my bread and butter.â€
Owing to her intuitive pulse for fashion, her garment supply choices pretty soon ruled the fashion retail selections of the country’s top malls as she developed clothing options for them through their high-fashion, ladies wear, girls and teens departments.
Everyone familiar with Eula Valdez’s Amor Powers character in the hit soap Pangako Sa ‘Yo a couple of years back will be pleased to know her lady boss, femme fatale outfits that packed a punch and redefined power dressing on primetime TV came straight from Anna’s “Hollywood Boulevard†boutique.
Now, the high-powered career woman considers herself semi-retired as she confesses half of her time is spent doting on her grandchildren, while the other half goes towards her involvement with a number of charities. Don’t mistake this lady of design and distinction for some frumpy granny, though.
Anna describes her personal style as classic, simple and elegant. She picks her own outfits and chooses her own clothes. She favors designer brands like Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana and considers local fashion stalwart, Ito Curata, her favorite.
She truly is someone who takes to heart the rules of fashion she’s learned and mastered through the years: “Don’t follow trends or else you become a fashion victim.â€
For someone who was exposed to good style, introduced to her by her parents through the family’s beauty shop and garment businesses, Anna grew up really liking clothes.
“As early as 10 years old, I would choose my own clothes already. My interest in fashion was innate. Naturally, when I was working, I found that I had a knack for things that will sell —because I am interested in clothes. I know what appeals to the market.â€
Landing on the best-dressed list of charitable organizations served as validation of her personal style. A departure from being someone who was always behind the scenes, as she was the one responsible for what was sold in the stores and the collections featured in the newspapers, she was being recognized for her signature style.
Her work with charitable organizations lends her life a sense of quiet happiness. But if she had her way, she’d like to help more people. “Helping out feels so nice. Whatever good you extend to others comes back to you — and it comes back a hundredfold, more than what you have given.â€
When prodded what fashion advice she has for the younger lady who wants to make a mark, she intimates that one ought to “stick to classics, don’t be too aggressive with colors and know that what works best are monochromatic looks.â€
Her best life lesson, though, is this: “What is important really is you are beautiful inside out. Beauty comes from the heart.†This is how you know Anna Sia is still on top of her fashion game.
