She's a professional dancer, a mainstay of GMA-7's morning show Unang Hirit, and one of the regular judges in ABC-5's celebrity dance competition Shall We Dance? It's amazing how Regine Tolentino still finds time to run a household—and even her own dress boutique.
Dress Me Up is Regine's baby, which is now all of eight years old. The idea for the boutique started when her husband, Lander Vera-Perez, and her mom, Gina Tolentino, bought her a sewing machine to tinker with when she was pregnant with her eldest daughter, Reigne. Regine had so much fun sewing little dresses for her baby that she decided to develop a line of children's party dresses, which she consigned with Rustan's Department Store for two years.
After having her second baby, Reigen, the actress-dancer started making her own costumes for various TV guestings. Family friends and fellow celebrities took notice of Regine's skills and asked her to fashion costumes and bridal gowns for them. It was then she decided to open up her own shop in her spacious home in New Manila, Quezon City.
Regine sees herself as "not really a minimalist kind of person" because she loves to accessorize and accentuate. Her innate kakikayan and good eye for detail, she adds, give her an edge as a couture designer.
"I get inspired basically when I see the clients and I get to know them, see their personality. Talagang kina-career ko. I may not be the perfect designer on paper, but when they're wearing it, talagang super-bagay sa kanila."
Regine makes sure she delivers what her clients want for a reasonable cost, but at the same time she says she doesn't compromise her signature creativity.