Balancing Family and Fashion: Pauline Suaco-Juan

Mabuhay!

There are two women in the fashion industry whom I consider my best friends: (read: can relate to balancing family and fashion) YStyle's creative director, Celine Lopez (she's single... for now... but she takes care of temperamental dogs, so pasok sa banga ang "family". Haha!); Preview magazine's editor-in-chief; and mother of three kyoot boys, Pauline Suaco-Juan. I love these girls for their ability to juggle family, fashion shoots, deadlines, strollers (I'm not surprised if Celine has strollers for her dogs, haha!), and stilettos!

We rarely see each other because of our busy lives, but once in a while, Celine will ring us up for "Les Girls" lunch.

I was ecstatic to see "Mother Pau" at the recent Shu Uemura event because we haven't seen each other since we went plato-platuhan shopping last December! As usual, Pauline was impeccably chic, clad in an all-black ensemble, toting the hottest (yet understated) Celine bag, and wearing this season's must-have footwear—a leopard print Lanvin x H&M shoezay—very, very editor lang.

Pauline's style = Vest + Sequined leggings + Designer bag + Designer shoes + Cool accessories + Minimal makeup + Polished hairstyle

Describe your job in three words.
So. Not. Possible. This is worse than Twitter :) I can’t possibly be nuanced about my job—best job in the world for me—in three words.

What's a typical day for you?
That’s what I love about my job: each day is atypical. Sometimes I’m stuck behind a desk editing for 15-18 hours; other times am in a glitzy resort on the sub-continent whiling away my time because flights back from Kerala, India don’t come everyday.

If you had an extra hour each day what would you do with it?
Spend it with my boys Elias, 9; Roque, 7; and Max, 2.

If you could do a different job for a day what would it be and why?
Assuming I could cook, I’d like to step into Margarita Fores’s shoes—there’s something about feeding people that is so heartwarming and fulfilling.

How do you balance family and fashion?
Fashion is my querida—because it is my day job. The boys are at that age when they want me with them all the time. My second son Roque calls me during deadline and during night-time events and gives me a curfew—really, he’s worse than my husband Raffy. When they’re that demanding, it’s important to keep communication lines open. I can’t tell you how many times Roque has fallen asleep while trying to wait for me to come back home. He knows the reason why I can’t always be with him is because I’m working hard—hopefully he learns life lessons from this.

What's your 9 to 5 and after 5 must-haves?
Hard question to answer—it changes every season, along with the trends.

Where do you shop?
Mostly when I’m abroad because that’s when I have time dedicated to shopping. You know how it is, given enough time I can find something to buy anywhere.

I noticed that your skin looks extra flawless these days, what's your secret?
Really? Thanks! I switch up my skincare brands at lot. Right now it’s Lancome’s Whitening line.

Please share some style advice for moms.
It takes time to understand fashion. You have to train your eye by looking at what the designers have done and how it is interpreted in magazine and blogs. As with anything in life, the more you study, the more you are exposed, the more you try it out, the better you will get at it. If you have the time, it’s terribly fun and an immensely creative experience to try out the trends. If you can’t keep up with the pace, it’s best to develop your personal style: wear what makes you look and feel good. Make sure your clothes are tailored to fit you perfectly—good fit is the key to looking like a million bucks. Accessories put your stamp on a basic look.


Shoppingera, if you could do a different job for a day what would it be and why?