Sensible, stylish Camille
Kids nowadays are advanced, says mom Camille. Her son Nathaniel, 6, plays video games on iPad.
Being a busy working mom is no excuse to look dowdy.
As an actress-TV host, Camille Prats often has to come out glitzy and glamorous on- and off-camera.
Camille abides by simple yet savvy principles to look stylish without breaking the bank. Throughout this conversation, the word “practicality” intermittently crops up.
Camille’s pragmatic advice to working women: “Invest in quality.”
“Even if some pieces are a bit expensive, you get your money’s worth because you can wear them for a long, long time,” she says.
Article continues after this advertisementShe counsels career girls to fill their closets with plain tops and basic slacks.
Article continues after this advertisementCamille balances her job as mom to 6-year-old Nathaniel and the demands of her two Kapuso programs, the talk show “Mars” (on GMA News TV) and the coming primetime soap opera “Second Chances” (on GMA 7).
“I make sure that I am free from work on weekends,” she tells Living Stars.
In any case, she can always turn to the entire Prats clan whenever her schedule goes haywire.
After her husband of three years, Anthony Linsangan, passed away in 2011 due to cancer, she moved back into the Prats family home.
It’s a home bustling with life and filled with mementoes and framed photos of family travels in places near and far.
Hanging over the piano in the living room is an oil painting of Camille and baby Nathan. “It was painted by a priest and family friend, Armand Tangi,” she says.
She found this nude dress online.
Dresses
When shopping in malls, Camille keeps an eye on “elegant” designs.
“I prefer clean, classy silhouettes,” she explains. “I don’t really go for frilly outfits.”
Comfort is yet another major consideration. “I will never sacrifice comfort for style.”
She recently stumbled upon an online store called Apartment 8. “I found a nude-look dress with a modest slit on the side.”
She is always on the lookout for dresses in neutral, earth colors. “Women are often told to keep a little black dress in their closets. But in a tropical country like the Philippines it’s not advisable to wear dark clothes all the time, considering how hot and humid it can be.”
The nude dress is a favorite. “It’s simple but versatile because you can jazz it up with a striking pair of shoes or colorful accessories.” Another favorite is a red dress from Forever 21.
Shoes
When it comes to footwear, she insists that comfort is key.
“I need the fit to be snug, especially if I have to walk or stand in them for a long time. I easily get tired when wearing stilettoes,” she says.
She’d take flats anytime.
There’s a lot of Melissa pairs on her shoe rack, as well as YSLs and Charles Keiths.
She doesn’t mind paying a little extra for “durable” shoes though.
Bags
Her tote collection can only be described as diverse.
“The gray YSL bag goes well with neutrals,” she points out. “The blue Hermes is muted so it can match any outfit.”
She thinks her collection is just “colorful” enough.
“The yellow BCBG is bright and cheerful, perfect for summer.”
Although Suzi Entrata-Abrera is a self-confessed bagaholic, Camille confesses that her “Mars” cohost wasn’t the one who sparked her bag obsession.
“I was already into bags when we met,” she admits.
Like other women, she also admits, “I love carrying around a pretty bag—which, sometimes, is enough to pull off a polished look. But I am still practical.”
She offers a homespun financial tip. “If you have to take out a loan to purchase it, then you are not ready for that designer bag.”
Accessories
She is not the type who loads up on accessories like a walking Christmas tree. Simple studs or plain pieces are more than enough for her.
“I wear accessories only when the stylist asks me,” she confesses. “It’s a work requirement.”
These days, however, she is frequently seen sporting vibrant loom bands.
On the day of the Living Stars visit to the Prats home, Camille was wearing a pair of Rainbow Loom bracelets.
“This one is a gift from Nathan’s friend and the other one is something I made,” she says with pride.
Someone from Instagram sent her a free kit and she got hooked.
In her free time, she whips up these rubber bracelets. “It’s fun and the bands are easy to make. Even a child can make them.”
Watches
She has a few classic timepieces in her collection.
“I’m not a big collector,” she says. “I just own a few watches that may be a bit pricey, but will last a lifetime. Automatic pieces. Sturdy, practical and timeless watches. You can even pass them on to your children in the future.”
These days, she is often seen wearing a Cartier watch.
Shades
Shades are de rigueur in show biz.
Stars usually wear shades when they step out in public.
To protect her eyes from the glare of the sun, she turns to designer shades by Chanel and Louis Vuitton.
But for everyday wear, she swears by RayBans.
“They’re small, so they fit in my bags, and they’re hardy,” she says.
Tumblers
When she is abroad, she heads straight to a Starbucks coffee shop. “It’s my comfort drink.”
About five years ago, she started collecting coffee tumblers from the joint. She has accumulated an extensive array of coffee tumblers from Starbucks shops all over the world.
“Some are pasalubong from friends,” she relates. “Some are souvenirs from my own travels.”
She has tumblers from New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Macau, Thailand and United Arab Emirates. Some feature designs showing landmarks from famous cities—New York, Seoul, Jeddah and, of course, Manila and Baguio.
“My favorite is the tumbler from New York,” she says.
Gadgets
She is not a techie and limits herself to the bare necessities when it comes to gadgets.
“I have a MacBook, an iPad and an iPhone—that’s it,” she says.
She’s been an Apple girl since age 19.
“I bought my first Mac 10 years ago,” she recounts. “Ever since I started using Mac, I never switched back to Microsoft.”
STARBUCKS tumblers from around the world, including her favorites from New York andMacau
She extols the virtues of Mac: “It’s user-friendly. It doesn’t hang. It’s not vulnerable to viruses. It has so many perks.”
It’s so easy to use, that even her son Nathan has gotten the hang of it.
“He plays some games on iPad,” the mom says. “Kids nowadays are super-advanced. But there should be limits to a child’s gadget use. There’s a proper time and place for it. Now that Nathan is back in school (Grade One), I constantly remind him not to spend hours on computer games.”
Books
Although she can always download from the Internet, she prefers to read books the old-fashioned way.
Currently on her bedside table are books by Charismatic Christian author and speaker Joyce Meyer. “Her books are inspiring and focuses on women’s growth as Christians,” she says.
She discovered the author when someone gave her a Meyer book for her 18th birthday, she recalls. “She writes about practical matters. You get to apply these lessons in everyday life.”
Among the Meyer titles on her shelf are “The Confident Woman,” “The Confident Mom” and “Love Out Loud.” The last one is “a personal favorite.”
In a nutshell, she says, it’s about “loving God, yourself and other people.”
The world, she says, will be “a more peaceful place if love is in everyone’s hearts.”
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