As part of its 40th-anniversary celebration, Victim Advocates Reaching Out (VARO) hosted its first “Purple Ball” on Oct. 15 at the Hotel Nikko Guam’s Tasi Ballroom.
PDN columnist Norm Analista shares updates on his ‘Tastemaker’ column
Why purple? Purple has been adopted as the color to promote awareness of domestic violence. The organizers also encouraged guests to wear masks to make it a masquerade ball.
VARO is a nonprofit volunteer corporation that provides services to victims and families of domestic violence, sexual assault, abuse, violent crime and traumatic events. Victim services include intervention/advocacy, emergency shelter, food, clothing, transportation, personal hygiene and other services.
Tastemaker: VARO Purple Gala
“Tastemaker” Norm Analista attended the event in a black fringe jacket from his fashion line Analista & Co.
Tastemaker: VARO Purple Gala
Frank Limo wore a blue and gray tropical button up.
Tastemaker: VARO Purple Gala
Jayne Flores, director of the Bureau of Women’s Affairs, opted to wear a purple blouse and slacks.
Tastemaker: VARO Purple Gala
Patrick Perez, director of operations at Nakikos Corp., and Trixy Howell, supervisor at Beach Bar, chose to wear black.
Tastemaker: VARO Purple Gala
Louise Muna, president of the VARO board of directors, lived up to the event theme in a purple dress.
Tastemaker: VARO Purple Gala
Julie Ulloa-Heath, assistant director of planning and development at Guam Community College, chose to wear a purple dress.
Tastemaker: VARO Purple Gala
Trina San Agustin, vice president of the VARO board of directors, wore a purple dress with sequined embellishments.
Tastemaker: VARO Purple Gala
Tina Estevez, marketing manager at Triple J Enterprises, opted for a black cocktail dress.
Tastemaker: VARO Purple Gala
Leonard Iriarte, educator and oral historian, showed his cultural pride by wearing a sinahi with his suit.
Tastemaker: VARO Purple Gala
Andrew Martinez tied purple into his outfit and completed his look with a sinahi.
Tastemaker: VARO Purple Gala
Jasmine Rosales and Joaquin Arriola Bellis, HRIS officer at Bank of Guam, looked chic.
Tastemaker: VARO Purple Gala
Irene Acfalle added a long white shawl to complete her look.
Tastemaker: VARO Purple Gala
Tamara Cruz, registered nurse at Guam Memorial Hospital, and Rhea Lizama, cashier at Dusit Thani, accessorized their looks with purple flowers.
Tastemaker: VARO Purple Gala
Kira Gonzalez, director of finance at TU;MA, and Juan Gonzalez, U.S. Navy diver, opted for a black and gray color palette.
Tastemaker: VARO Purple Gala
Ernest Ochoco wore a purple blazer and cool matching purple shoes.
The fundraiser is more important than ever as VARO has seen an increase in the number of clients and their needs. Many guests at the event opted for varying shades of purple and also chose to wear black and a lot of solids.
Make no mistake, the event shed light on serious work — but guests were also serious about their fashion choices.
Norm Analista is the founder of Analista & Co., a Guam-based brand specializing in stand-out bespoke apparel. For more fashion content, follow @analista_co on Instagram and TikTok and Analista & Co. on Facebook. For unpublished and behind the scenes content related to this column’s topic, visit @tastemaker671 on Instagram.
