Jul. 14, 2013 — She came, she saw, she conquered the hearts of Filipinos with her effortless elegance, sparkling wit and charming candor.  Hollywood a-lister and fashion icon Sarah Jessica Parker’s recent visit to Manila in time for the SM Aura opening kept the Metro abuzz for weeks—resulting in a launch so unforgettable and impactful, it will be remembered for years to come.

Given the relative secrecy preceding her arrival, top management and a small team within the SM Retail group worked quickly and quietly to make arrangements for the campaign’s advertising, event, and publicity requirements.  Working without much fanfare, they were rather amused and appalled at how others brazenly hitched into the SJP bandwagon and made outrageous claims, much of it in social media.

During her brief stay in Manila, SJP spent a full day working on the SM Store’s Love to Shop campaign, which broke out recently in print and broadcast.  Befitting her fashion icon status, SJP’s look for the campaign was pulled together by a glam team she brought along with her.

Here are some behind the scene highlights on how photographer Daniela Federici, stylist Tracy Cox, hairstylist Andy Le Compte, and make-up artist Leslie Lopez worked together to come up with SJP’s Love to Shop look for the SM Store.

‘‘Sarah’s enthusiasm for clothes is fun and playful,’’ says New York based international photographer Federici about her inspiration for SM’s Love to Shop campaign.  “The idea was to maintain a spontaneous feel that was never posey or stiff.’’

Daniela says that working in Manila ‘‘was a wonderful experience for myself and my production team.  Our first task was to find a shoot location that benefitted the scale of the shoot we were about to undertake.’’

Tracy Cox is a New York City based fashion designer, multimedia artists, and exclusive wardrobe consultant best known for his collaboration with fashion icon Sarah Jessica Parker, which began in 2003 on the set of Sex and the City Season 6.

He has known SJP as a “style chameleon, and have seen her ability to adjust to most situations gracefully.  She is the same with clothing and fashion.  Her looks and attitude enhance accordingly to each event.’’

In styling her look for the SM Store’s Love to Shop campaign, Tracy highlighted classic.  “These are silhouettes you’d find in your local mall accented with bold accessories and shoes for editorial appeal, in a way that women or young girls would desire and could obtain.’’

As the Style Award’s Hairstylist of the Year 2012, Andy Le Compte’s work has appeared on the covers of internationally renowned publications including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, and W.  Vogue.com has named his eponymous LA salon one of the city’s ‘‘most appointment-worthy- and celeb-heavy beauty spots.’’

His style secrets for working with stars like SJP?  ‘‘I often spend time working and studying images of them to see what looks are the most flattering, and what may not work.”  Andy shares with us. ‘‘I also watch a lot of old movies and study hair styles so I have lots of ideas and references.  This helps communicating with my clients and understanding their style.’’

Andy’s tips on how Filipinas can channel Hollywood glamour?  “Maintaining your hair is key,’’ he says. “Using quality products will reflect in your hair style.’’

Around the globe, Leslie Lopez has established herself as one of the most renowned make-up artists in the industry.  Known for creating beautiful faces for the most beautiful people in the world, Leslie’s luminous glowing skin has become a coveted red carpet look.

Leslie, who came to Manila as part of the SJP team, has been responsible for Sarah’s unique brand of glamour since 2005.

For her glam look, Leslie says that Sarah “likes a smokey eye, so I always try to work with her eyes.  I like grey tones on her.’’

Sarah Jessica Parker is the face of the SM Store’s Love to Shop campaign.