Not a Cover Girl

I'm delighted to report that I landed in two magazines lately. Now that explains why I've been absent from this blog, no? LoL.

No, I'm not on the cover of Time Magazine's '100 Most Influential People' (yet!). Nor was I People Magazine's 'Sexiest Bayot Alive' (yet!).

Last May my piece about summer in London appeared on Mabuhay, the in-flight magazine of Philippine Airlines. Read it here http://issuu.com/mabuhaymagazine/docs/mabuhay_may2014.

Forget the article. The highlight of the exposure is really my photo on the contributors' page. Is that sleazy or what? I didn't expect them to publish the photo; or at least I hoped they'd crop it. But no; I'm right on the page of Mabuhay in my semi-naked (un)glory.

And then for the June issue of Fashion Lab, a Phnom Penh-based magazine, I modelled a few clothes for an editorial entitled Wasting My Young Years. The title is a song by London Grammar, whose album was playing when we were shooting this on the last week April.

Fuchsiaboy took the photos. He's also Creative Director of Fashion Lab.

The sitting session was really simple. Fuchsiaboy draped a black cloth on his bookshelf and, using natural light, he snapped some photos. The outfits were military inspired; many of the garments came from thrift shops in Cambodia.

Fuchsiaboy instructed me just act languid. That was, of course, easy modelling.

I'm glad the photos came out fine.

I Heart 'Cheeze Looker'

Among the many Thai magazines I love, I never fail to buy the monthly issue of Cheeze, the magazine covering street style in Bangkok (see previous entry). In December 2010, Cheeze released the first issue of the exclusively male street style magazine, Cheeze Looker (see Facebook page).

I can't be more thrilled!

Bangkok's men are no doubt as fashionable as the women here; and with such a wealth of stylish men around, why not devote a separate magazine for them, chai mai? I guess among the young men in this city, when they pay attention on how they look they don't think they're being robbed of their masculinity. Cheeze Looker is, thus, a celebration of the fashionably daring Bangkok man.

Over the years, I observed that K-pop is the reference for Thai fashion, men's fashion included. Think of how a typical Korean pop star is styled: spiky hair, skinny jeans, dark colors, and pointed shoes. The weakness of the fashionable people in Bangkok is they also tend to get trendy. There are easily dozens and dozens of these men walking around Siam Square looking like they come from the same K-pop cookie cutter.

And then late 2009 through the rest of 2010, men sported the dorky look (I don't know how else to call it really). Basically, button down shirt, tapered pants and folded a few inches above the ankles, and some leather shoes sans socks. I'm still seeing plenty of them around until now; and honestly, it's the easiest way to tell who's gay. (Samples are found below.)

Fortunately, Cheeze Looker's editors and photographers know exactly the hackneyed looks. There is barely space for such non-original styles (well, there are a few cliches here and there). Overall, the magazine features lots of quirky and unique looks, with lots of individuality and experimentation.

I love the nonchalance of these men on the pages of Cheeze Looker; proof that style is not what you're wearing but how you wear the clothes.

On top of documenting the zeitgeist on the street, Cheeze Looker is also a style guide through its editor's picks. And like Cheeze, it also functions as a shopping guide, thus, making the magazine indispensable for those who are keen on exploring the fashion scene in the city.

Elle Fashion Week: Zenithorial

The Elle Fashion Week Autumn/Winter ran last Thursday until Sunday, which featured some of the biggest names in Thai fashion. Disaya, 27Friday, Stretsis, among others showed some spectacular clothes that I would be having wet dreams of in the coming months... if only I can afford them.

But what I'd SURELY have wet dreams of are the shoes and swimming trunks in the Zenithorial collection (see the full collection here via ThaiCatwalk.com).

Don't you agree?

(All photos are courtesy of Thai Catwalk.)

Random Thought du Jour: Passion for Fashion

I'm currently watching the Gianfranco Ferre S/S 2010 collection and, out of nowhere, a thought came into my head...

I'd probably give up sex
in exchange of having
all the clothes I want.

Me wonders if I was in fact serious... Yes sir, I am.

Just sharing.

Yes, Simon, I'd Marry You

Oh, the beauty of male youth. God knows how much time I spend everyday on looking at pictures and pictures of these lithe and exuberant creatures (check the side bar titled Hombres).

Not that I'm turning into some pederast or something equally vile. Far from it. But that's just me. I adore men (or perhaps boys) who are lanky and with zero body fat and we all know that youth affords us with a crazy metabolism. Get the connection now?

Skinny male models have been in the rage for some years now and there's no sign of that slowing down yet, thank God. Season after season, we are seeing the stratospheric rise of relatively frail-looking models such as Cole Mohr, Ashley Stymest, Luke Worral, Josh Beech, etc. (These boys are also quite known for their rebellious personalities, which obviously adds to their appeal in the fashion industry.)

My current (OK, perhaps for several seasons now) male model crush is the cherubic Simon Nessman, who's probably best known for his pillowy lips, curly hair, and of course scrawny frame. OMG, I would give up all my shoes for Simon.

Born in 1990 in British Columbia, Simon signed up for Major Models Management in 2007 and has since then been photographed by Mario Testino, Bruce Weber, and Matthias Vriens. He has also been featured in various magazines such as V, Dazed and Confused, GQ, Vogue Paris, and L'Uomo Vogue, as well as appearing in the campaigns of D&G, Givenchy, and lately an underwear campaign for John Galliano.

You can check out his tags in the Major Models Management blog.

Coincidentally, I'm also developing an enormous crush on equally-scrawny newcomer Patrick Kafka, who is also under Major Models. I would give up all my scarves for him too!


Patrick is only 17 and hails from Vienna. I've seen him in a number of editorials over the past months and he was also all over the Spring-Summer 2010 shows, thus he was listed by Models.com as one of the Top Ten New Faces for that season.

His tag on Major Models is found here. He also has a collection of photos in Morphosis.

Street-Style Inspirations

Among the many blogs I check everyday (and only God knows how numerous that exactly is), I always look forward to checking the street-style blogs for a dash of fashion inspiration.

It's amazing how many street-style blogs are there and most big cities have at least one key street-style blogger, i.e. The Sartorialist for NYC (at least initially) as well as in Berlin, Oslo, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, London, etc.

Sometimes I feel that there are distinct looks for each city but the more I check the sites, it appears that the styles vary way too much for a certain look to be exclusively called as Tokyo, Paris, or Barcelona. I've had this kind of discussion with Fuchsiaboy about a year ago and I'd expound on that in a later post.

But for the meantime, let me share to you yet again some of my street-style inspirations. I've amassed a number of photos from various websites (some of them I forgot to note) so I had to edit this collection of photos very carefully.

I also check the street-style photos featuring women. But for this blog, I only choose to share men's photos coz they serve as inspirations for my own style as well. I wish I can be as brazen as the guys below but I'm pushing my self a bit more one step at a time.

The pictuers with the small icon on the bottom-right are from this uber cool site called Street Peeper, while I indicate at the bottom of the pics the source of the rest (if I still happen to remember them).

(from Tokyo in Style Arena)

(from Melbourne)


(from Tokyo)

(from Paris)

(from Paris)

(from Paris)

(from Melbourne)

(from London)

(from Tokyo)

(from Tokyo)

(from Just Glitter)

Aside from the clothes they're wearing, lately I've also been fascinated with hair, such as the couple of pictures below from one of my favorite street-style bloggers, Garance Dore. I think I got the last picture from Trendy Crew. I wonder if it's time for me grow back my hair.

(he is NOT Fuchsiaboy!!!)

The Dancer... and Other Street Style Inspirations

Seen on The Sartorialist.

Gorgeous.

From Trendy Crew. Time to more hats and sunglasses.

From Easy Fashion. Time for a haircut perhaps?


From Street Peeper (1) and (2).

I Covet: Gareth Pugh FW 2009

And I thought I would stop posting the shows from the men's FW 2009 collection. I'm basically tinatamad na to post... with so many mouth-watering clothes I've seen in the past few days. I'm afraid my eyes are bleeding!

But I have to make an exception for Gareth Pugh's collection. This simply made my day! Gosh, I'm so mababaw... but who isn't these days?

Génie!

I Covet: Allesandro Dell'Acqua, Iceberg and Marni FW 2009

For something young and relaxed.

Allesandro Dell'Acqua. Cropped pants! Sigh, I'm so into them these days. Got a couple. Some I have to fold just to make them look cropped. And the shoes, the shoes!



Iceberg. I posted these stuff from Iceberg mainly for their shoes. Those are the IT shoes for 2009, I predict. Fashionistas have been wearing them starting in 2007 but it would go to the level of the masses this year. They are tempting all right, but if I were you, avoid these shoes at all cost coz sooner they would be jologs.




Marni. Awwww... I'm in love. I would totally wear these. Skinny look, cropped pants... gosh.