LAPANDAY CENTER isn’t exactly easy to find, and the easiest landmark along Chino Roces Ext. in Makati is simply the sign that announces the Silverlens Galleries. Otherwise, it could be any one of the various offices along the street.

Inside is a small boutique called Ideé, owned and operated by the Chair and CEO of Lapanday Holdings, Rica Lorenzo. The tiny shop, with polished concrete floors, has had several collaborations with names such as jewelry designer Bea Valdes, Sofia Borromeo, Mai Mai Cojuangco, and New York-based hatmaker Carmina de Dios.

It’s impossibly chic, because each piece of clothing, designed by a certain designer who does not want to be named, is a one-off. Imagine walking into a party wearing a unique piece, and while everybody hounds you about it, you can answer coolly, “Oh, just some little place somewhere…”

With a fruit enterprise already under Ms. Lorenzo’s helm, one would think the store might be a creative outlet for an artist locked within the executive’s body, and sure, that might be the case, but the real answer is a lot more entertaining.

“I quit smoking in 2014.”

She found herself agitated by the loss of the cigarette in her hand, a habit which lasted 41 years, Ms. Lorenzo said. “When I finally quit, I was at a loss. I was working, of course.” But her daily two pack-habit, which began and ended her day, left a burning hole in her routine. “Without it, I didn’t know how to keep calm.” Her brother, who handled the real estate side of the business, offered her a freed-up space in their Lapanday Center building, which she snapped up. With the help of her designer friend, they came up with pieces that were at first, all black, perhaps inspired by the power woman who made the store in the first place.

“It became my therapy, because I like clothes,” said Ms. Lorenzo.

Her collaborations with other artists resulting in one-offs apparently come by chance. For example, her store’s collaboration with Margarita “Mai Mai” Cojuangco-Zini began because Ms. Cojuangco-Zini’s sister was a customer.

The one-offs, while an attractive prospect for shoppers, create a rollercoaster for her, because, as she admits, she’s not always sure of what will pop up in her shelves next.

“In my business, running a company, there has to be a certain degree of predictability,” she said. “This store is a complete opposite of that. It’s more fluid.”

The Idée Clothing Store is located at 2263 Pasong Tamo Ext., Makati City and is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays by appointment. For details call 833-9763 or follow them at @ideeclothingstore. — JLG

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