Inside The Mystery Brunch With Sean Hepburn Ferrer And Emma Ferrer

Audrey Hepburn’s son and granddaughter are in Manila for the opening of the Intimate Audrey exhibit.

Avocado toast and mimosas, blinis and Bellinis—this month’s Mystery Dinner was, for a change, a morning brunch event, a nod to Audrey Hepburn’s immortal film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Filled with white roses and Tiffany blue accents, The Hub at the Shangri-La at the Fort welcomed Vogue Philippines’ special guests Sean Hepburn Ferrer and Emma Ferrer for free-flowing coffee, cocktails, and conversation. The son and granddaughter of the legendary screen actress and humanitarian Audrey Hepburn are in Manila for the first time, here in the country to attend the opening of the Intimate Audrey exhibition on July 31.

Now in its third iteration—with Bretman Rock and Clint Ramos gracing the first two events—the Mystery Dinner has always sought to bring together a diverse and unexpected group of guests along with the mystery guest of honor. The seating plan itself is a surprise, and the only thing invitees can truly expect is to be placed at a table with people they may have never met but will have much to learn from. From upcoming young talents to respected names in the industry, each table’s mix is bound to bring forth some interesting discussions. Guests at the brunch with Sean and Emma, who arrived wearing a pink shift dress and dainty Tiffany & Co. bracelets, included Jaime Ponce de Leon, Jonathan Matti, Millet Mananquil, Sofia Elizalde, and Tina Ocampo, as well Jill Lao, Anya and Mika Lagman, and Christian Tantoco and Siobhan Moylan. 

This iteration of the Mystery Dinner became a brunch with a special menu prepared for the guests. Photographed by Kieran Punay

Tiffany & Co. boxes and Vogue Philippines’ July 2023 issue were in display. Photographed by Kieran Punay

“This year is an important anniversary—it’s been 70 years since she was discovered, or the release of Roman Holiday for which she received an Academy Award,” Hepburn Ferrer said in a short speech to the guests. “It’s also a bittersweet anniversary because it’s been 30 years since we were last together.” Prior to curating Intimate Audrey, Hepburn also published the book Audrey Hepburn: An Elegant Spirit, which he wrote several years after she passed away in 1993. The exhibition, which will be held at S Maison in Conrad Manila, gathers a lifetime of collected photographs, letters, and film clips—most of them unpublished and from the family’s personal archive. 

Photographed by Excel Panlaque

“There’s a question that is always recurring, and that is ‘why is she still so beloved?’ There’s an answer to that in this exhibition,” Hepburn Ferrer says. “It’s magic. It’s an experience. It’s something you really have to let yourself be carried through…It’s not about reading the captions—it’s about letting yourself be transported.”

Intimate Audrey Exhibition opens from August 1 and runs until October 29, 2023. Hours will be from 10 AM to 8:30 PM on weekdays and 10 AM to 10 PM on weekends. All tickets will be available via SM Tickets.

Share now on: