LOUIS VUITTON Fin flounce scuba jacket and neoprene skort. Photo by Fabien Montique
Vogue Philippines’ November 2023 cover girl Heart Evangelista delves deeper into a life filled with creative passions as an artist and content creator.
Luxury exudes from every corner of Heart Evangelista’s closet, where shelf by shelf and rack by rack, an impressive collection of red-soled Louboutins, coveted Hermés scarves and Birkin bags, and hangers with designer couture fill the space. Her Instagram is a visual diary of opulence, featuring moments of her indulging in Louis Vuitton chocolates, lounging in an Yves Saint Laurent suit while watching a movie with friends, and who could forget the time she wore a dark blue Martin Bautista dress to buy corned beef?
Every facet of Evangelista’s life bears the hallmark of luxury, and it became more present as she embarked on her career. Her collections include elusive fashion gems such as the Hermès Himalaya Birkin and Cargo Birkin. But out of these luxurious things, her greatest is something that most people wouldn’t guess. Evangelista dives deeper with Vogue Philippines to uncover more about her life’s greatest luxuries.
You’re known for your full embrace of luxury, particularly in objects. Which of these are your personal favorites that others may not know about?
I think it would be my Leica camera. I love taking photos. Leica is a little bit complicated, but it’s just so beautiful. Even if you make a mistake, the Leica creates art. I love that. Maybe [also] my vintage bracelets? These are from Erica Riqueza [showing the bracelets]. I love vintage finds. I’m such a fan of vintage pieces, especially jewelry. I also was able to purchase for [a] personal vintage find. It was like a nice Cartier with a half-yellow diamond, a white diamond.
On social media, you trend every now and then for sharing opulent moments in your life. What’s a memory with luxury that you will never forget?
I think it could be like how I started my relationship with one of the first–no, actually, it was the first fashion show I attended when they reopened, which is Schiaparelli. I had a major faux pas because it was Couture week and I was wearing Louboutin shoes and the Schiaparelli gown, it caught on my shoe and it ripped on the runway. And because of that, of course, the PR never forgot me. But I was so apologetic, and they always invited me [back]. I feel maybe that’s why [they did].
How about your earliest memory of luxury?
I think it would be just seeing my mom and my dad. My dad actually more than my mom–he was really a collector of different things, whether that would be cuckoo clocks, hard cases like trunks, watches. He would even have a collection of the big perfume bottles that they don’t sell anymore.
At a young age, I was kind of, in a sense, close to fashion. And then when I became an actress, at the time, stylists weren’t there yet. And I was really able to express myself through fashion, whether it looked good or not. It felt good at the time. I wouldn’t wear it again, though. [laughs]
In your life and career, you’ve been open about your luxurious experiences and items. For you, what is one that you treasure that would surprise others?
Luxury for me is time. Time to really do what I love or something that would be for myself. And that would be to paint. I haven’t painted in such a long time. I feel like you know, as an artist, it’s different when you work that you have to really squeeze the artistic juices out. But when you do it for the luxury of doing it, it’s different. I do my own boards, my reels, and my edit. And sometimes I’m too empty to paint that I have no time to paint. The luxury of time would be for me, is [the luxury of time] to paint.
Would you say that is the greatest luxury that you have in life?
Definitely, because you know, all these things, like even my job or the way you look, I mean, of course, you can have the best skincare, all of that. But one day, it’s all just gonna go. Painting is immortalizing the thoughts of your soul. For me, that is the greatest. I [also] know [that], it’s frustrating for some people that can’t express themselves. For me, being an artist and being able to translate how you feel through artwork is really a luxury.
If it gives me happiness, if it gives me a good mental state of mind, this would be my priority. But if it’s something that you just buy because you have to buy [it] or you just go to because you need to go to, like, for example, Fashion Week–-it started out as something that I love. Now it’s kind of work, but because I love it, I don’t mind. But if I’m forced to do something, because I have to do it, I don’t think so. That would be something that I love. Life is too short to be forced or pushed to do something that you don’t want to do.
In living a life of luxury, do you still have any experiences that you want to have in the future?
Right now, I just love the experience of going to the couture. Meeting the designers, and collaborating with them. My luxury dream would be when I’m old and gray—since I won’t be able to look this way—I’d like to immortalize and in a sense, put a smile on certain people’s faces if I were to have like a nice showroom that’s open to everyone where I can display the little notes that I get from designers or the couture dresses, even the Filipino designers and even have a full history of all of it. That’s something that I’d like to have one day. That’s the dream.
