READY TO RHUMBLE

Finally, it's here! We have awaited for this moment for quite sometime. Although we have done this for three seasons already, styling for SM DEPARTMENT STORE's Boys Teens Wear for Philippine Fashion Week is getting more challenging, more demanding than ever.

Throughout the planning stages, endless brainstorming, careful selection of clothes, editing and re-editing of the entire look, several fittings, completion of the entire collection, the whole fashion show process requires lengthy hard work, considering only 15 minutes of runway time. All these because SM is set to define its retail menswear fashion supremacy.

In any show or any project, there's always the behind-the-scene drama, the backstage bickering, the envious doodling and murmuring. But George and I relish the beauty and strength of the work we have prepared for tonight, and we regard the people who have trusted our creativity. We love clothes, and we love the thing we do. And most of all, we love our team and that youthful fighting spirit! 

Wonder Twins. Models Donn Luis and Brian get pop-nerdy during fitting.

Forward Brights. Male models lineup for menswear's take on the ultra-colorful.

Subliminal. Shoes and bags in whites & grays.

My Brad Pitt. Model Duanne is cutie of the moment.

Body body body! Would take Hideo anytime, too!

For the boys. Different clothes have different looks.

Later tonight, we'll be feeling butterflies in our stomachs again. We'll be running crazy as hell. But the most important thing is that we have to enjoy every minute of it.

Therefore Boys Teens Wear Department, let's put on a good show and have fun while doing it! To our counterpart Menswear, good luck to all of us and may we be successful in presenting the looks we have toiled for.
Go Team MFMC! Always ahead!

SM Menswear PFW ad - Photographed by Frank Hoefsmit; Styled by Luis Espiritu & his team. Makeup by Bobby Carlos (Max Factor)

NOTE: The SM Department Store PFW show is scheduled at 5:30PM later at Function Rooms 2 & 3 of the SMX Convention Center. Attire is cocktail chic. See you there!

DASHING DEBONAIR

Is there something wrong seeing males looking stylishly dapper and sartorially garbed to the point that they seem ohhh soooo vain?

For designer ULYSSES KING, these are men who are seductive and dangerous, powerful but playful – who meet at a tucked-away pub downtown to plot their next agenda. They are attractive, clean, elegant, and full of mystery – with a smirk that either gives away their love for fun that borders on impeccable debauchery or that elusive urbane eclecticism.

In a fashion show scheduled 7:30PM tonight at the SMX Convention Center Function Room 5, another dear designer friend is all set to be in the Philippine Fashion Week spotlight with the showcase of his Holiday 2011 collection. One of the nicest young menswear designers around, ULYSSES KING is feeling very "Contempo-70's".

Inspired by the men's vanity in the70's, this new collection brings out the relatively stranger alter-egos of men dressed in suits, translating into the dashing Dannys in Ocean's Eleven.

Ulysses made use of velvet, suede and corduroy as base materials adorned with metal studs and leather – something very high-strung and contemporary. Lightweight coats, jackets with asymmetric front, angled-zip pockets and epaulets, fitted blazers that flared slightly at the hip, trousers with a gentle bell at the bottom and ruffled tops – all complete Ulysses' saunter into the Seventies.

Ulysses King is also supported by Nivea for Men, Dillingers 1903 Bar, BOBON, The Podium and Freshman Masculine Wash for PFW A/W 2011.


Photography : Brian Philip
Styling: Edmir Lagui
Accessories: Adante Leyesa
Make-up : Winn Ramos
Graphics: Kris Lacson
Creative Consultants: Ulysses King & Estien Quijano
Location: Dillingers 1903 Bar , Greenbelt 3
Models: Carlo Gonzales, Bryan Webb, Carlo Torres, Karl Gredona, Nico Caronan & Peter Dee

A JOURNEY TO THE CRATER

The road to high fashion is never easy, especially when you have to climb a height of 4,872 ft. above sea level just to shoot a fashion editorial.

Days before the Holy Week, George and I had our early penitence when we trekked our way to Mt. Pinatubo for an incredible, gutsy fashion adventure assignment for the Dubai-based, Pinoy publication ILLUSTRADO MAGAZINE. Here's the challenge: conquer the rocky and dusty terrain with a staggering two-hour walk to the summit, and hold a a stylized ethic global Pinoy shoot at the mouth of the phenomenal crater-lake of the currently sleeping, but active stratovolcano.

That's us in one of the two 4x4 ride shot from afar, against a spectacular view of the valley of lahar deposits, and the Tri-Cabusilan Mountain Range where Mt.Pinatubo lies hidden.

We swear to heavens, Geo and I are not the mountain-climbing type of species. Trek or hike, both aren't in our vocabularies. But when photographer Filbert Kung told us that we're shooting atop Mt. Pinatubo (heard that the amazing land formation and the crater itself are breathtaking), we took the challenge ourselves for this would be a once in a lifetime journey - I mean literally once and never would we hike this far and high again, hehehe!

FAR AND AWAY. The conquest to Mt. Pinatubo started with the preferred route through Barangay Santa Juliana in Capas, Tarlac.

MORNING BEAUTY. My partner George posed gamely for the camera while still looking morning fresh.

NOWHERELAND. This portion of the vast flat land looked totally dry and inhabitable.

ROCKY ROAD. Our driver said that it would take at most 2 hours of bumpy ride to reach the outskirts of the mountain range, and that wasn't Pinatubo yet! Shown here was the red 4x4 ridden by the other half of our team.

ROUGH RIDER. While in the middle of desertland, a carabao being ridden by a local braved the dusty, dry road and the searing sun.

LAND OF FURY. The aftermath of Pinatubo's eruption in 1991 is still strongly evident in these unbelievable land formations.

PICHUR! PICHUR! The Illustrado conquistadors stopped for an intermission for that special "Kodak" moment.

MINORITY REPORT. A group of young Aetas greeted the whole team.

GRETA'S EXPECTATIONS. La Greta (I mean Geo, hahaha) and the other kindred spirits must be enjoying the view.

AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH. "Somewhere within those slopes must be Mt. Pinatubo", I wondered while posing on my own.

MASKED PROPORTION. The team as pictured getting back into action for yet another hour of a more thrilling, mountainous, dust-ier ride.

INTO THE TRIBE. Along the high slopes, we passed by a community of Aetas. According to history, the Aetas fled to the mountains from the lowlands during the protracted Spanish conquest of the Philippines which began in 1565.

THE TROOPS HAVE ARRIVED. At long last, our ride had ended when we reached a certain high point. But the hardest part of the adventure was still to come - trekking!

GAME ON! The other half of the Blackfox Photography team, Glenn Peter Perez, was psyche-ing himself for a longggg, nasty walk ahead. Love those checkered scarf, aviators and fedora!

TOO STEEP. First part of the journey: walk down this dreadful, almost 45-degree slope that was scary enough to create a landslide!

ANOTHER WORLD. A magnificent view awaited us on our way down the slope. It almost felt like in a Lord Of the Rings movie set.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. Mama Gretch as the Savage Queen! Take note of the scarf, the shades and the oversized hat - all trekking fashion necessities!

ROCK FORMATION. Oh my, I wanna shoot another fashion story here! Say, Valley of the Voodoo Dolls?

MODEL BEHAVIOR. We're glad that we had one of our fave Pinoy male models, Carlo Adorador, who had no qualms during the entire trip (not like the other guy who was scared to go topless and be drenched under the sun - naka-glutha kasi!)

TOUR DE FORCE. The road is long, with many winding, sloping, rocky turns - Geo and I being shot from a far, how twit!

GO FILBERT GO! Photographer Filbert Kung crossing the stream with his stylishly embellished black baton. Yaya, at the back, was tickled fuchsia pink!

BLOOD IN THE WATER. Rocks have turned red probably because of rich iron deposits. Parang planet Mars lang ang peg!

A VIEW FROM THE TOP. Finally, we've reached our destination! Here's the majestic view of the crater-lake of Mt. Pinatubo.

LA CALDERA. According to reports, before the catastrophic eruption of 1991, Pinatubo was an inconspicuous volcano, unknown to most people in the surrounding areas. It was then covered in dense forest and surrounding peaks.

BIG MOUTH. The whole team went down to the crater grounds. It was said that this large caldera was filled with water by monsoon rains several months after the climatic eruption.

TOURIST ATTRACTION. A group of foreigners plunged into the waters of Lake Pinatubo after a gruelling and sweaty two-hour trek to the crater.

WOW PHILIPPINES. Is this still our country or what? Looks like our version of the Swedish Alps.

ALIEN ALERT! I thought a UFO has landed in Pinatubo. It was a shiny, shimmery metallic silver hat worn by ate pala!

MAD, MAD WORLD. According to ate, wearing pekpek shorts in Mt. Pinatubo should be a fierce fashion statement. Fierce ba or mad?

CAUSE OF COMMOTION. So glad that Pinatubo did not erupt upon the sight of this dud of a woman wearing camouflage shorts over a pair of patterned leggings!

READY FOR ACTION. The Illustrado team while preparing and organizing stuff for the shoot.

GROOMING STATE. Nanan Villalba while prepping up Carlo Adorador - guys, baka may snake diyan!

SHOOT ME! Glenn gets down on his feet while shooting Carlo in a modern rendition of something Pinoy, something ethnic and a little folkloric.

DATU'S PRIDE. It was Filbert's turn to shoot Carlo (who looked like a datu prince) while a wasted Geo stood by to check if the styling was OK.  

IT'S A WRAP! Cutie Glenn and sizzling-hot Carlo were thumbs up after finishing the final layout of the shoot.

A JOB WELL DONE. Finally, we present you the product of our long, hard work. Here's the cover of Illustrado for May-June issue - indeed, a beautiful Philippines!

CROWNING GLORY. For all the sweat, the muscle cramps, the dust and the heat, the sore ankles, the sunburn, the hunger and the unending thirst, I crown myself a cap of feathers, not just for the hard toil and styling, but also for taking the challenge, reaching the destination and conquering the unimaginable! All these, for fashion!

We thank the whole Illustrado team, especially Filbert Kung, for such unforgettable life-reckoning experience. Thanks also to Ms. Lalaine Chu-Benitez, editor-in-chief, as we look forward to another great voyage, pero no trekking muna please! Now that we are 100lb-sexier, guys please grab copies of the said magazine as soon as they land at Powerbooks.

Photography: Filbert Kung & Glenn Peter Perez (Blackfox)
Styling: Mike de Guzman & George Palmiano (MGP)
Grooming: Nanan Villalba
Model: Carlo Ian Adorador


NOTE: Some behind-the-scene pictures were from Nanan V. and Glenn P.

WHITE HAUTE

The Philippine Fashion Week fever is already here, and we are all excited what Pinoy designers will showcase for Fall/Winter 2011.

Our very dear friend, young upstart designer JIAN LASALA, must be feeling ready to roll with the press release tidbits of his preview collection called "Gravity".

A collection derived from the emotional conflict of power, bitterness, anger, lust and love, and of restrained inner passion to set free the struggle of sadness and depression, Lasala obviously takes on the abstraction of white and its purity.

The LASALA A/W 2011 Collection will also take you to a journey of extreme minimalism, which has always been the designer's aesthetic, inspired from the sheath dress.

This new collection also marks the label's return to their true identity and character ready to make an outstanding global presence.

The Lasala A/W 2011 Collection presentation at the Ready-to-Wear Fashion Show at the Philippine Fashion Week will be on May 14, 2011, 1:30pm at the SMX Convention Center Room 4. Everyone is required to be at the venue by 12:45pm for easy registration. Dress code (COCKTAIL/SEMI FORMAL) is strictly observed and will take full effect in the venue.

Good luck to you, Jian!


Fashion: Jian Lasala 
Photography: Bethoven Filomeno
Styling: Mic Lo-Reyes
Model: Kholeen Ortiz