Teresa

June 11, 2018

Written by Kath Elefante

June 11, 2018

Written by Kath Elefante

She is a veteran in the fashion and entertainment industry, one who has graced countless local and international magazine covers and hosted shows such as Project Runway Philippines. After a decade and a half of being in front of the camera, Teresa Herrera Anthony went through a transition - one that brought her back to her first love: art. Here, she shares with us her journey back to the art world and her advice for multi-creatives like her.

On personal style: “I would describe it as easy with an edge.”

Teresa pairs her short black dress with a hat finished off with (1) Gale 3-layer necklace

“I grew up in southern California and we don’t really have seasons like New York. You could pretty much wear summer clothes all year round. Being in LA was mostly about personal style and how you stand out. There are a lot of thrift stores in our neighborhood and I’ve been doing vintage shopping since I was 12 and it’s one of my favorite things to do when I go back there. I like finding cool and interesting pieces. I’m very casual and I like things that are relaxed, not too complicated.”

“I’m a hat person, I wear hats all the time. I do wear a lot of black but I’m trying not to. It’s just hard because I was in fashion for a long time and everyone wears black. I’m trying to wear more color nowadays.”

Aside from hats, Teresa's wardrobe essentials include strappy block-heel sandals and a trusty pair of shades

Teresa's picks: (2) Granite Bracelet Trio (3) Sandstone single necklace (4) Dovetail mismatched earrings and (5) Gale 3-layer necklace

On her journey from professional model to art advisor: “Before I got into fashion, I was planning to go to Parsons [School of Design] in New York as an artist for painting and sculpture. I came to the Philippines to visit my mom and that’s when I got discovered. My one-year break became 3 years then became a 10-year profession.”

Teresa wearing an army green halter top and black denim pants with (6) Granite Bracelet Trio (7) Sandstone single necklace and (8) Dovetail mismatched earrings

“I was in fashion for about 15 years and then I made the transition to art. Around 2008, when I was doing Project Runway Philippines, I had a lot of time on set and I was asking myself ‘What will my next 10 years going to look like? What do I really want to build?” My twenties were about traveling, discovering myself and my passions. I knew my thirties were going to be about building – building a business and a family. I started exploring the art world again, going to art shows in Miami, London and New York and met my mentor at a dinner. His name is Jeffrey Deitch and he became the museum director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in LA. It was good timing because he moved to LA from New York and after the show, I went back to LA full-time and he took me under his wing.”

“I was studying, learning, and getting to know the art community in LA and then I was talking to my mentor, asking him if I should go back to the art world as an artist or if I should put up a gallery and he told me ‘You have a creative eye and your knowledge of art if quite deep. And even though you were in a different profession for the last 15 years, you’ve built yourself a network. I think you might be suited to do art advisory.’”

“I took his advice and started putting myself out there. I put up Collective 88 and would reach out to anyone who needed art, who wanted to see a gallery whether in LA, Manila, anywhere. By 2011, I met an interior designer who was working on a project and I told her I can help her acquire art pieces and that project happened to be Solaire [Resort and Casino]. It put me on the map as a consultant on large-scale projects. Anything with 500 pieces or more, you go to someone like us because we help you buy the art as well as create, design, reproduce, acquire and even insure the pieces. We do everything from the time you think about a specific piece to the time it ends up on your wall.”

On her passion for yoga: “Aside from art, I’m also very passionate about yoga and wellness. We started a charity event called Global Mala Project back in 2007 and this is our 11^th year. The whole idea is using yoga as a platform for peace and action. Meanwhile, 100% of the proceeds is donated directly to charity. It’s our way to connect the local yoga community to the global community.”

On what keeps her inspired: “My kids.”

Teresa looking regal in a white jumpsuit and (9) Nightfall earrings

On what’s next for her: “There are a few projects I’m currently working on. I’m the type of person who doesn’t look back. As soon as something is done, I’m always on to the next project. I’m still expanding into myself, still growing into myself and that journey is always exciting for me.”

Her advice for multi-creatives: “It’s okay to be interested in a lot of different things. It means you have a very curious mind. I’m a Pisces and I tend to absorb everything around me and take it all in. But once you take in all that information, there’s some sort of formula that happens inside you and whatever comes out, you give back to the world. You have to discover what that is – what you love spending time on whether you get paid or not. I was teaching yoga for the first 5 years by donation, sometimes for free. I still do it for free. It’s about finding what you’re passionate about and then letting that come through you.”

Teresa wearing the (10) Slate 2-layer necklace

“Two of my favorite subjects in school were art and math – two opposite ends. But now I’m dealing with both. Who knew that that was going to be my path? I didn’t. Take it in, internalize it, and come up with something special to give back to the world. Whatever you get into, know your craft. Study all the rules and only then can you break it.”