Evangelista has come a long way since she started out as a teen actress in the Philippines. When a fan asked how she reinvented herself, she remarked in an Instagram Q&A in 2021 that she “just got comfortable being me”, stressing that no one manages her branding.

So, how has Evangelista been reinventing her image?

Major life changes: motherhood and a new flat

Evangelista announced last week that she has a baby boy and girl “waiting” for her after undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment. The star did not specify whether she is pregnant or not. She recalled how tough the procedure was to fashion magazine L’Officiel Philippines.

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Amid her rumoured rift with husband Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, 52, Evangelista confirmed she bought a flat in Paris where she’ll “indefinitely” stay, according to her Instagram live on September 28.

With her possible pregnancy, a new home and the chances of her being single, Evangelista seems ready to reset her life in the fashion capital.

From local to global sensation star

After meeting original book author Kevin Kwan at the movie’s promotional tour in Manila, according to The Philippine Star, the two would reunite in Paris. Their informal rendezvous would eventually become a fashionable feature for Harper’s Bazaar, which dubbed Evangelista as a “Real Crazy Rich Asian”.

Recently, Evangelista appeared in a cameo in Bling Empire season three. In the ninth episode, Bling Empire star Kane Lim threw Evangelista a Filipino-inspired dinner. In return, Evangelista gifted Lim a cubic zirconia necklace which he reluctantly accepted because it was too expensive.

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She became more self-attuned

But as she got older, she learned to march to the beat of her own drum, acknowledging that self-confidence comes with time. “Now I’m more confident to do stuff and explore because I’m also confident about who I am today,” she said in the interview.

She’s now reached a point to appreciate simple things

In her vlog recently, Evangelista made some realisations while admitting going through a rough patch in her life.

Her state right now, she said, is “in search of just being happy”. While Evangelista is known for her candid and glamorous lifestyle, she realised not everything is about material possessions, and the simplest things in life are more important.

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She jumped on the NFT bandwagon

Evangelista fused her artistic pursuits with technology by launching her first NFT artworks on marketplace OpenSea in 2021. As mentioned in her Instagram post, she collaborated with Filipino NFT artist Luis Buenaventura and Manila Philharmonic Orchestra composer Rodel Colmenar for the project. Her NFTs sold a total of 17.35 ETH or P3.6 million (US$61,000), Manila Bulletin reported.