The talk of legendary 20th-century socialites will, without fail, bring about a roll-call of iconic names: Gloria Vanderbilt, Marie-Hélène de Rothschild, Babe Paley, C. Z. Guest, Slim Keith, and Gloria Guinness, among others. All decidedly well-bred, these multi-hyphenate women possessed style, beauty, grace, and substance.



IMAGE LOUIE YSMAEL/LIZ LIRAG/CHITO VIJANDRE

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Chona Recto Kasten

On our side of the hemisphere, there is, of course, the inimitable Chona Recto Kasten. Often considered the Philippines' ultimate society darling, Kasten was born during a time when elegance and sophistication were standard: Back when "lunching" was preferred rather than nights out, when ladies would change clothes up to four or six times a day, and made-to-measure couture was de rigueur. "We always had to be dressed for every meal, including breakfast," Kasten would say. It was part of her father Claro M. Recto's house rules, guidelines she would follow and eventually pass along to her children. The long list of no-no's included no oversleeping (or coming to the table in a sando ), no disheveled hair, no sulking aura (or sleepy expressions), no dragging of feet, no rubber slippers, no exchange of disgusting stories, and no loud chatter.

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IMAGE COURTESY OF TECHIE YSMAEL-BILBAO

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The Recto family; Chona with father Claro M. Recto

Born Maria Priscilla in 1922, Kasten was the youngest of four children to Recto and his first wife Angelina Silos. Growing up, Kasten was affectionately called "Chona" by her father. The name was derived from the Spanish word pichona, which meant "my little pigeon." Although Kasten was born in Manila, she lived in many different places. The children moved between their parents' hometowns, their mother's in Iloilo and her father's in Tiaong, Quezon. As the bunso , Kasten would often be spoiled by Recto who would shower her with her most favorite things, mainly clothes, jewelry, and travel. As time passed, Recto and Silos' marriage began to falter and the two separated. Recto took on another young and beautiful wife, Aurora Reyes, who, along with Silos, would be Kasten's main inspirations.



IMAGE COURTESY OF TECHIE YSMAEL-BILBAO

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Angelina Silos

When it was time for her education, Kasten momentarily moved back up to Manila. She studied at St. Scholastica's College and flourished under the company of friends, parties, and admirers—as any young woman would. Even then, Kasten would be the belle of the ball, garnering awards and nominations for prom queen at schools like Ateneo and La Salle. A lauded statesman and decorated poet, Kasten's father would tell her to prioritize her lessons instead—with class honors expected. No single dating was allowed and a 12-midnight curfew was imposed and followed until she was 18. On the occasion that Kasten would break the curfew, which became more frequent as she grew up, Recto would ground her.

Soon, Recto's worst fears were realized when Kasten met the dashing bachelor Johnny Ysmael. Like the Rectos, the Ysmaels were part of Manila's 400. The 400 were an elite group of society families that possessed wealth, education, prominence, and pedigree. The Ysmaels descended from a line of Lebanese elite, who were among the first to settle in the Philippines. A prominent matriarch, Doña Magdalena Hashim Ysmael-Hemady was the founder of Magdalena Estate through her ownership of several parcels of land in Quezon City. Aside from property, the Ysmael clan was tied to the Ysmael Steel plant, company that once held the title as leading manufacturer of steel and home electric appliances, and later involved in importing Fiat cars.

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IMAGE COURTESY OF TECHIE YSMAEL-BILBAO

The Ysmaels

Recto soon shipped his daughter to Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York to continue her studies (and delayed the two's courtship in the process). As the war broke out, Chona was recalled and picked up by Recto in New York and the two made their way back to the Philippines. Ysmael's courtship continued and Recto predicted that the two would get married. They would go out on dates and dance the nights away. Eventually, the two were headed down the aisle. Despite his initial reservations, Recto gave his youngest daughter away and went on to approve of Ysmael. Soon, the couple had one child after another, Juan Johnny "Piqui" Ysmael, Jr., Teresita "Techie" Ysmael-Bilbao, Mario Ramon "Ramoncito" Ysmael, and Luis Miguel "Louie" Ysmael.

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IMAGE LOUIE YSMAEL/LIZ LIRAG/CHITO VIJANDRE

Chona with her children

"My father was very vain. He liked to dress up, just like my mom. They loved fashion, both of them. His passions were cars, horses, and clothes. And my mom's were clothes, accessories, and travel. They both loved to travel. And they both loved to dance. They would go around the world and learn dancing: Argentina Tango, Cuban mambo, cha-cha, and then flamenco in Spain...pasodoble," the couple's only daughter, Techie Ysmael-Bilbao, recalls.

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Some of Kasten's fondest memories were traveling the world with her great love, Johnny. She would tell Bilbao about his romantic gestures and how they'd dance to "La Vie en Rose" while in France and Switzerland. They would gamble extravagantly in Monaco, with bills paid by Ysmael's grandmother Doña Hemady. In Los Angeles, they'd double date with Hollywood stars Tyrone Power and Linda Christian. The couple counted international figures as friends, namely the actor Ricardo Montalban, the Marques de Portago, and the legendary playboy (and rumored assassin) Porfirio Rubirosa.



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The kids with Linda Christian and Tyrone Power

It was during one of their travels that Kasten's life would forever be changed. Suffering from pneumonia and driving top-down during winter from Saint-Jean-de-Luz to Madrid, Ysmael's condition worsened—he was soon diagnosed with tuberculosis. Stubborn as he was, Ysmael didn't adjust to his sickness. "The hell he cared with not eating breakfast, and going out in the cold when it was winter (in lightweight clothes, as long as they were nice)," says Bilbao. For a month, Ysmael suffered; he ultimately succumbed in 1952. He was only 32 years old.

Bilbao recalls, "We were all recalled to go back home to Quezon City. We saw my dad breathing through an oxygen tank. I knew he was gone when he stopped moving, and I heard the sobs of my mother, which later turned into wails. It was one of the very few times I saw my mom lose it."

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"She suffered in silence. She prayed a lot. She was exemplary in how she dealt with life."

Soon, suitors knocked on Kasten's door. There were, of course, royal and courtly gentlemen such as the fourth Aga Khan. In Manila, she met American businessman Hans Kasten. Two years after Ysmael's passing, the two headed down the aisle. Together they had a son, Hans Kasten V. After their marriage, Hans managed Chona's trust fund and the children's inheritance money from the Ysmael fortune and used it to build their home at 14 Tamarind St. in Forbes Park. Things soon went downhill.



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Ahead of her time: Kasten in Greece wearing Pucci and a hobo bag in the '50s, years before both were in fashion

Powerless, Kasten instead chose to focus on her children and travels. Instead of leaving it all to the yayas, Kasten was a hands-on mother, says Bilbao. "She was strict in a very gentle way. She never spanked us, I don't ever remember being spanked. We'd be sitting somewhere, just one look and we'd know to put our legs and knees together," she says. "As we grew up and got to know her, she was more, a friend—she was like the sister, a friend." As things turned sour at home, the children were sent to boarding schools abroad. Louie in Cheshire Academy in Connecticut; Ramon at Boston University; Techie went to fashion design schools in New York and California; while the eldest, Johnny, stayed behind.



IMAGE COURTESY OF TECHIE YSMAEL-BILBAO/ LOUIE YSMAEL/ LIZ LIRAG/ CHITO VIJANDRE

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A young mom; Kasten with son Louie Ysmael

Eight years after Ysmael passed, Kasten's beloved father died of a heart attack in Rome during a cultural engagement. After, Kasten mourned the death of her son Ramoncito, who died in Madrid at 24. Save for these moments, Kasten kept her composure at all times. "She suffered in silence. She prayed a lot. She was exemplary in how she dealt with life," Bilbao says.

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Kasten with her signature hairstyle

During one of her travels, Kasten met the Duke of Aquitaine, Don Gonzalo de Borbon, and they fell in love. However, nothing further went on between the two, as Kasten didn't want him to abdicate the throne.

Apart from travel, Kasten would dabble in modeling with her friends and fellow society models Chito Madrigal, Mary Prieto, Elvira Manahan, and Imelda Cojuangco as a fabulous pastime. She'd enjoy wearing the designs of legendary designers and friends Ramon Valera, Slim Higgins, Ben Farrales, Aureo Alonzo, Christian Espiritu, Inno Sotto, Pitoy Moreno, Pepito Albert, Chito Vijandre, and Rusty Lopez, among others. She would appear, immaculate, in advertisements for Pond's and Cutex and joined fashion groups such as Conching Sunico's Karilagan and Joji Velarde's Pacifica. Her reputation as a fashionable Filipina threw her into the international circuit. In the '80s, Kasten was invited to be part of Town & Country US' "100 Most Beautiful Women in the World," with Catherine Deneuve, Queen Sikrit of Thailand, Tingting De los Reyes-Cojuangco, Gretchen Oppen Cojuangco, and Imelda Romualdez Marcos.

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IMAGE LOUIE YSMAEL/LIZ LIRAG/CHITO VIJANDRE

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IMAGE LOUIE YSMAEL/LIZ LIRAG/CHITO VIJANDRE

Kasten was also the subject of several great painters. It was in fact, Amorsolo who gave her the nickname "La Divina," or "the divine". "He just found her aura to be very ethereal, that's why he called her the divine. Then after that, it caught on," says Bilbao. One of her most notable paintings is, of course, the Claudio Bravo, "The Bravo, it came at a time when she couldn't afford to do, or buy anything at that time. All her friends were having their portraits done, painted by Claudio Bravo. He was asked if she could sit and pose, and he said that he would love to do that and give her the painting." Bilbao continues, "He came to our house and looked through her closet to choose something for her wear. And he saw this beautiful striking hot fuschia, shocking pink djellaba (like a kaftan, but its tight at the wrist). It was made by Christian Espiritu and featured a gold trim that goes through the front. [Bravo] asked if it would be possible for Christian to remove it, so Christian came and removed it. Tinastas . She wore it without the gold trim. He wanted her striking black hair, Cowleen bangs, and just a bangle of ivory."

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IMAGE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM

Portrait of Chona by Claudio Bravo

"She was very attractive. Everywhere we went, heads would turn. Even women's heads! I remember my brothers would say 'Mom, mom! That guy's following, looking or following you,' and she'd ask, 'Where?' She'd pull out her compact and pretend she was primping. We'd continue walking but she could see from the back of her compact if he was cute," Bilbao recalled. A character, Kasten always liked to confuse people with regard to her age. When someone would ask the dreaded question, she'd reply, "Not quite 40," when in reality, she was in her 50s. "There were rumors about this, that, or the other. She took it nicely, she would just say, resbala or let it slide. She would point at her shoulders and say they're just jealous. They would talk about facelifts. She was scared of those external things. I don't think she would have done botox. She was very natural about the way she aged," Bilbao says.

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IMAGE COURTESY OF TECHIE YSMAEL-BILBAO



IMAGE LOUIE YSMAEL/LIZ LIRAG/CHITO VIJANDRE

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During her later years, La Divina separated from Hans and no longer wanted to carry the Kasten name anymore. "She was referred to as Chona," says Bilbao.

She took on a number of jobs: As a professional trainer at Philippine Airlines and fashion designer for Rustan's. A fully packed day started with a visit to Aguinaldo, Philippine Airlines, Rustan's, Cibeles, the Joanne Drew figure salon, the Cora Doloroso career center, and San Miguel. Nevertheless, she would have time to take Italian and Flamenco lessons, have lunch with her girlfriends, and go to fashion shows, balls, gala events, and dinners.



IMAGE LOUIE YSMAEL/LIZ LIRAG/CHITO VIJANDRE

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Kasten always had fresh flowers on her morning breakfast tray

In her 60s, La Divina was diagnosed with colon cancer. Fearing she would lose her hair, she opted out of chemotherapy. Cancer left La Divina frail and weak, and from her usual 110 to 115, she had deteriorated to just 60 pounds. At 4:15 a.m. on April 4, 1987, the great dame of Manila died from the toll cancer took on her at Makati Medical Center. La Divina left instructions to be cremated in her favorite silky cotton Christian Dior dress, with requests for a pink silk-lined closed casket display—the last link to an era of elegance and sophistication.

For this story, Town & Country Philippines spoke to Kasten's daughter, Maria Teresa "Techie" Ysmael-Bilbao to detail the late icon's life. The elements of this story are based on Bilbao's accounts and the book La Divina: The Life and Style of Chona Recto-Kasten, also co-written by Bilbao.

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IMAGE COURTESY OF TECHIE YSMAEL-BILBAO/ LOUIE YSMAEL/LIZ LIRAG/CHITO VIJANDRE

Chona Kasten and Techie Ysmael-Bilbao

Sources: Maria Teresa "Techie" Ysmael-Bilbao; La Divina: The Life and Style of Chona Recto-Kasten by Techie Ysmael Bilbao with Jose Mari Ugarte

This story originally appeared on Townandcountry.ph.

* Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors.