Diamonds complete Andrea Brillantes’ look—and year
Andrea Brillantes showed up to a recent event in a black minidress with a ribbon so long it dragged behind her like a train as she waded through a crowd of clamoring fans. Her high heels, meanwhile, were the same shade of hot pink as the giant bow flouncing on her hip. Impossible to miss.
And yet, she still felt that something was amiss.
“Even if I have this big bow, my outfit still seemed so plain to me; it didn’t feel complete. But after I put on a necklace and a pair of earrings, I thought they helped tie everything together nicely,” the actress told Lifestyle at the opening of the fine jewelry brand LVNA by Drake Dustin’s newest store at Clark City Front Mall in Pampanga.
For Brillantes, jewelry is an indispensable part of her wardrobe, because the right pieces, she said, can complete a look, or elevate simple everyday wear. “If you feel like your outfit is lacking, try to accessorize, and play around with jewelry. I promise, it will transform your look, and make it polished and finished.”
Tennis bracelets or necklaces are always a good idea, she said, especially as a jumping-off point for prospective buyers or collectors. “My advice for those just starting out is to invest in the basics—maybe something with simple stones, because they’re easy to pair up with anything,” she pointed out.
That’s not to say that she has a big collection herself. She’s a very particular buyer and goes to a store with something already in mind. She doesn’t go for a piece just because she was enamored by it at first sight. She thinks long and hard before swiping her card: Is this something I will wear often?
“I don’t buy for the sake of buying, or just because something caught my fancy at a store. But if I see something that I really want, then I will save up for it and use it a lot. I don’t want it to stay in storage, because it feels like a waste of money,” she said. “Just also be mindful when buying.”
Sentimental value
Brillantes’ affinity for jewelry goes beyond style—she sees them as vessels for precious memories, especially of those she shared with her grandmother when she was kid.
“My lola was determined to give me a piece, even if it was just a thin bracelet. She paid for it little by little, kahit hulugan,” she recalled. “That’s why I put sentimental value on jewelry. It helped me create memories with my lola.”
It was also her grandmother who advised her to invest in jewelry should acting work out for her, or when she starts earning her own money. “I didn’t think much of it back then because I was young. I didn’t have the means and I had to be realistic. I thought, ‘Maybe in 20 years,’” she said, laughing.
The wait didn’t take that long. Brillantes would go on to become a child star and later one of the most popular young actresses of her generation. At 21, she has already managed to build a sizable television filmography (“Annaliza,” “Kadenang Ginto,” “Senior High”) that many celebrities twice her age could only dream of.
Now, she can spoil her loved ones whenever she pleases. The first person she bought jewelry for was, of course, her grandmother. Brillantes also once surprised her mother, champion free-diver Mabel Gorostiza, with a diamond ring—the wedding ring she never had.
“I was shocked, really, when she did that. Because that’s something you would expect from a partner or another person—not your daughter. I didn’t get engaged or anything like that. It got me feeling a little bit shy, but, at the same time, so loved,” Gorostiza told Lifestyle. “She has always been a thoughtful girl, coming up with gifts when I least expect it.”
Creative
There was a reason Brillantes wore pink. LVNA recently struck a deal with the toy and entertainment company Mattel to put out Barbie-themed products, like jewelry trunks and boxes, and an upcoming jewelry collection that Brillantes will codesign.
“We have already put out the trunks on sale, and soon, you will also get to store Barbie-themed jewelry pieces in them, too. We have been working with Andrea on a collection that will cater to the Gen Z market. We’re thinking pearls and blue gemstones,” LVNA owner Drake Dustin Ibay told Lifestyle.
“Andrea has been sharing with us a lot of ideas, which tells me that she’s very creative and interested in the work we do,” Ibay said, adding that the new collection is slated for the first quarter of 2025. “We have to go through several steps with Mattel, but we’re excited.”
While admiring the pieces on display at the store, Maguindanao del Norte Rep. Dimple Mastura—LVNA’s partner for its future expansion in Davao City—walked up to Brillantes and opened the box in her hand to reveal a 3-carat, solitaire radiant-cut diamond ring.
The sight had Brillantes squealing in delight. Swiftly, she put the ring on and held her hand in front of her, the better to admire its brilliance against the light. “I feel like someone just proposed marriage to me,” she said, laughing.
Brillantes continued browsing, trying on a 2-carat, pear-cut diamond ring on the same finger she had the previous one. Ibay noticed that the two rings looked good together, toi et moi style, so he might as well let the actress keep it.
This time, jewelry completed not only Brillantes’ look, but probably her whole year, too. “Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!” she quipped. “These will be my gifts for 2024. I just want to end this eventful year on a happy note.”
