MANIERA MAGAZINE VOL 1 ISSUE 2

VOL. 1 ISSUE 2

OCTOBER 2012

CONCEAL REVEAL L ondon ’ s

newest grad

endless possibilities Raul Rodriguez

editorial

Editor-in-Chief Thelma Lay Writers Cyntia Aranday, Gabriel Berger, Janet Serra, Thelma Lay, Juliette Lord, Sara Lovelace

Read past issue of our digital publication at mymaniera.com/archive

Layout Artist Sara Lovelace

business

Publisher/Owner Thelma Lay Chief Operations Officer / Promotions Juliette Lord Advertising/Sales Kenneth Orr

about us

MANIERA Magazine is a fashion and lifestyle publication owned, operated and published by MANIERA LLC. Any views, opinions or interpretations expressed in columns are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Maniera LLC and its subsidiaries. Maniera LLC will not accept any responsibility for any views, opinions or interpretations expressed in the pages of Maniera Magazine, MyManiera.com or other communications.

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OCTOBER 2012

CONTENTS

OCTOBER 2012 | VOL. 1 ISSUE 2

FEATURES

12

RETURN OF THE GIN PALACE

MEAN EXPORTS

Why Americans love ‘British Mean’

22

32

RAUL RODRIGUEZ

Mr. Rose Parade celebrates 500 Rose Parade designs

CONCEAL REVEAL

THE CONCEAL|REVEAL THEOREM

London School of Fashion’s newest graduate hits LONDON FASHION WEEK 2012.

ON THE COVER | KAMIL SZKOPIK

18

REGULARS Publisher’s Note Creative Focus Health & Beauty Mani Style Man Style Int. Travel

36

A look at Ming’s newest line from LFW

10 14 52 54 56 TO THE BOTTOM 58 OF THE SEA

42

One couple’s quest in the final frontier

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

And... we’re back!

THELMA LAY |Monica True

Seriously, how fast time flies!

Welcome to the second issue of MANIERA Magazine. It seems like yesterday we were just getting ready to release our first official issue. We at MANIERA want to thank our readers for their great feedback, support and words of encouragement.

I was asked recently “How would you describe your magazine and your target reader?”

Well, we strive to feature innovators, artists and visionaries, and in this issue you will agree: mission accomplished. MANIERA is about lifestyle, culture, art, technology and innovation. Our readers are a mixture of artist, art enthusiast and overall people that appreciate the creativity in others.

We have many plans on the horizon, including contests, features and ­— coming very soon — you can enjoy both versions of MANIERA and MANIERASL on your Apple and Android devices.

But for now, get your fix between editions by checking out our new website where we give you the current news and trends in both the physical world and virtual one!

Stay tuned for more exciting news, and thank you.

Thelma Lay MANIERA MAGAZINE OWNER & PUBLISHER

Got something you want to say or suggest? All you have to do is send us a letter! Letters to the Editor can be sent to: editor@mymaniera.com

10 | MANIERA | mymaniera.com

OCTOBER 2012

Return of the GIN PALACE

BY JULIETTE LORD

century with the rise of molecular mixology,” The Langham announced in a press release.

Gin is basically a white spirit made from Sipsmith is London’s first copper distillery to a mix of grains that can include wheat, barley, open for nearly 200 years. It was established in rye and corn. The addition of the all-important juniper berries is what gives it the unique flavour. 2009, and re-introduced the art of hand-crafted, Originating in Holland in the 17th century it was small-batch spirit production in London. The classic London dry style gin uses 10 botanicals: originally sold as a medicine, but soon became a juniper berries, coriander seed, angelica root, very popular way to get inebriated, particularly liquorice root, orris root, ground almond, cassia among the poor.

When William of Orange took over the Eng- bark, cinnamon, orange peel and lemon peel.

The Ginstitute, 171 Portobello Road, Notting lish throne he made a series of laws encouraging the distillation of spirits locally and gin was often Hill, London boasts London’s second smallest given to workers as part of their wages. Very soon museum devoted to the history of gin. After being educated it is time for tasting and then onto cheap locally produced gin was out selling the the real fun of blending your own unique gin, more expensive ale.

In 1751 British artist William Hogarth issued which you get to take home with you. Bookings can be made on their website. his print Gin Lane along with its counterpart A fun and relatively easy way to make your Beer Street to highlight the moral dangers own unique blend of gin at home of drinking the white spirit. As the is to experiment with sloe gin.

18th century progressed so Sloes are the dark berries of did the status of gin — with Gin forms the basis of the blackthorn, which as its greater regulation gin many classic cocktails. name suggests is a prickly became more reputable, character, and so harvestbecause with regulation VISIT MYMANIERA.COM ing the berries is best done the quality of the prodwith caution. The taste of uct was enhanced. In for a few that you the raw fruit is not pleasant the 1830s the Gin Palace can try at home but the humble sloe is miestablished itself as a luxuraculously transformed when rious drinking venue for the blended with gin. working man and woman with To make sloe gin all you require are state of the art plate glass windows and gin, sloes, sugar, a lot of patience and a jar to mix gas lighting. the ingredients in. Simply prick the sloe berries Fast forward almost 200 years and the Gin with a fork to allow them to release their juices Palace is making a comeback. This time they and place in a Kilner jar. Pour the sugar over the are glitzy and classy. On Sept. 14, London saw berries and then pour in the gin. How much of the opening of the Sipsmith Gin Palace in Palm each ingredient you use is a matter of taste and Court, Regent Street open its doors. This stunning building is the epitome of style and elegance. part of the fun of seeing which combination works best for you. But a good starting point Live jazz summons the glamour of the mid-19th would be 500 grams of sloes and 250 grams of century and the bar men focus on the history of sugar to a litre of gin. Close the jar lid and shake gin each Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening really well until the sugar dissolves. Store in a from 7 p.m. to midnight. dark place and shake daily until all the sugar is “Each cocktail will represent a different stage completely dissolved. After about three months, in the evolution of this British classic; from 1690 strain the mixture from the jar and bottle. Wait at when gin was first born, to the invention of the least nine months before tasting. first G&T in 1793 and finally arriving at the 21st OCTOBER 2012

mymaniera.com | MANIERA | 13

CREATIVE FOCUS

NOT JUST ORIGAMI 2012 Paper Biennial Rijswijk in Rijswijk & The Hague – the Netherlands Paper is a cheap and accessible material, discarded in vast quantities each day. Almost all of us have attempted to create art forms from it at some stage in our lives. The humble paper airplane or rudimentary paper fan, paper doilies made from folding and cutting simple shapes from a square piece of paper, rows of linked paper figures holding hands, and papier-mâché (literally French for “chewed paper”) masks for the school play.

The 2012 Paper Biennial Rijswijk Museum shows just how much can be achieved using the humble piece of paper and shows there is much more to paper art than the well-known Japanese practice of origami.

Peter Bes’ ‘What’s Going On Here?’

Jacqueline Overberg, Smith & Wesson N3, Steyr AUG Z, Mauser K98, Stengun, Winchester ‘73,

OCTOBER 2012

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The exhibits opened at the beginning of September at two separate locations, the Rijswijk Museum in Rijswijk, South Holland and the Meermanno Museum in The Hague, Netherlands. The exhibit features over 20 international paper artists, from Japan, Spain, Israel, France and the United States.

Meermanno Museum in The Hague focuses on artists working with books and letters. The installations range from macro installations such as the Biografias VI by Spanish artist Alicia Martín to the smaller delicate scalpel deconstructed books of Ros Rixon. Martín’s work is constructed from hundreds of books which are suspended in a mesh wire cage, and spew out from the window of the building in a frozen stream into the city street below.

The sheer diversity of the work is breathtaking ranging from the organic-looking work of Eric Gjerde, who uses origami to make sculptures from paper produced by bacteria, to the architecturallooking work of British artist Sophie Arup, who trained as a structural engineer and fuses her engineering perspective and mathematical concepts into her art.

The papier-mâché human forms of Peter Bes, who was recently awarded the Roland Holst prize for visual arts, produce a sense of alienation which is echoed in the thin card sculptures of Japanese artist Katsumi Hayakawa which attempt to symbolise the isolation of modern city dwellers.

The making of the paper is an art form in itself, and both museums will be showing work from the Combat Paper Project, who run paper making and art workshops for American war veterans. The paper they produce is made from their old uniforms which they wore in combat. The uniforms are deconstructed, beaten to a pulp and reconstructed into paper, thus transforming a symbol of their war experiences into a work of art.

The exhibits will run until Nov. 25, 2012 and any artists wishing to participate in the next Paper Biennial Rijswijk to be held in 2014, are requested to forward their documentation, a CD-rom with photographs (2-4 MB) of recent artworks, resume and printed address to the Rijswijk Museum before Aug. 31, 2013.

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Outside the Museum Meermanno in The Netherlands, the entrance to this museum is highly distinguishable as an avalanche of books falling out onto the street, suspending just before impact.

|FRANK JANSEN MUSEUM MEERMANNO

OCTOBER 2012

OPENING TIMES BOTH MUSEUMS: TUESDAY - SUNDAY 12.00 - 17.00 MUSEUM RIJSWIJK Herenstraat 67 NL-2282 BR Rijswijk www.museumrijswijk.nl

MUSEUM MEERMANNO | HUIS VAN HET BOEK Prinsessegracht 30 NL-2514 AP The Hague www.meermanno.nl

More information: Museum Rijswijk +31(0)70 3903617 or a.kloosterboer@museumrijswijk.nl Museum Meermanno +31(0)6 23637101 or boerma@meermanno.nl

List of Participating Artists: Biennial Rijswijk 2012 Rijswijk – Den Haag, The Netherlands

MUSEUM RIJSWIJK

MUSEUM RIJSWIJK - MUSEUM MEERMANNO

Frits Achten (The Netherlands) Combat Paper - Drew Cameron (USA)

Marlies Adriaanse (The Netherlands) Museum Meermanno-The Hague Sophie Arup (England) Atelier Pariri - Jérôme Corgier (France)

Johnny Beerens (The Netherlands) Laura Behar

Peter Bes (The Netherlands) Ebon Heath (USA)

Eric Gjerde (France)

Alicia Martín (Spain)

Georgia Gremouti (Greece) Ross Rixon (UK)

Michael Hansmeyer (Switserland)

Film: This is where we live made for 4th Estate Katsumi Hayakawa (Japan) Publishers USA door Jacqueline Overberg (The Netherlands) Apt Studio – UK, contact: Peter Collingridge Anne van de Pals (The Netherlands) Katrien Vogel (The Netherlands) Debra Weisberg (USA) Marleen van Wijngaarden (The Netherlands) OCTOBER 2012

mymaniera.com | MANIERA | 17

MEAN exports

Why the ‘British mean’ have taken the world by storm

BY JULIETTE LORD Britain has been exporting film stars and celebrities to the United States since the early days of cinema. Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel were the early pioneers, followed by an invasion of talent in the late 1920s with C. Aubrey Smith, George Arliss and then Leslie Howard, Cedric Hardwicke and David Niven making their names in Hollywood. These early exports portrayed a caricature of the British stereotype which continued through the latter half of the 20th century with the likes of John Mills, Sir Laurence Olivier, Julie Andrews and the Redgraves playing a particularly American view of the British character.

This portrayal usually involved an upper class accent, a peculiar stoicism, politeness and the “stiff upper lip.” The variation on this was the cheeky cockney who treated his social superiors with suitable deference without letting his lip quiver an inch, whatever was thrown at him.

This trend continued into mainstream American television with series like “Murder She Wrote” starring British-born Angela Lansbury to “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” which featured St. Lucian-born English actor Joseph Marcell who plays Geoffrey, the archetype English butler. Although we continue to see this stereotype in contemporary media with Hollywood actresses such as Keira Knightley and television celebrities such as Hugh Laurie, something else is underfoot.

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OCTOBER 2012

Meet the British Meanie exports, the English with a bad attitude who smash the polite caricatures and are taking the United States by storm.

Anne Robinson, a stalwart of British media and television, paved the way in 2001 when US network NBC took out an option on the British game show The Weakest Link. While it is standard practice for TV formats to be sold worldwide, it is unusual for the presenter to be part of the deal. As a result Robinson became the first British woman to host an American game show. She had been voted the rudest woman on TV by the readers of British publication the TV Times prior to being offered the US contract and became known as the “Queen of Mean” as a result of her pithy one-line put-downs, catch phrase “You are the Weakest Link, goodbye” and the silent “walk of shame” endured by the contestants.

The initial reaction was bad.

“We’ve had MTV for years,” Washington Post reviewer Tom Shales said. “Now NBC gives us S&M TV. The genre to which the Weakest Link belongs isn’t reality television but humiliation television.”

Clearly however the taste for rude Brits was not satiated by Robinson, as over the last Simon Cowell at “The X 10 years several more British meanies have been Factor” press conference in 2011 in Los Angeles, Caexported. The most notable is perhaps British lif. music executive and television producer Simon |S_BUKLEY Cowell, who made his name in the UK with the SHUTTERSTOCK.COM first of his string of talent shows Pop Idol. This was followed subsequently by The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent. Cowell became famous for his blunt, cruel but justified criticisms of the contestants, often articulating the views of the audience but with a lack of concern for the devastating impact on the recipient.

Cowell premiered American Idol on Fox in 2002, and it has since become one of the most successful shows on American television. He followed this up in 2006 with America’s Got Talent in 2006 and the American version of The X Factor in 2011. He is also a master of the one line put down, including: “You sounded like Cher after she’s been to the dentist” and “Shave off your beard and wear a dress. You would be a great female impersonator.”

Cowell’s rudeness pales into insignificance however when you OCTOBER 2012

mymaniera.com | MANIERA | 19

compare him to the master of the ‘F British troops supposedly torturing Word’ British Celebrity Chef GorIraqi prisoners were authorised by don Ramsay. Already a household Morgan. name in the UK both as a Michelin He reinvented himself as a judge star chef and with a long list of TV on Cowell’s Britain’s Got Talent and shows behind him, made himself known including Hell’s to American audiences Kitchen, Ramsay’s on the US version Kitchen Nightmares America’s Got Talent and The F Word in 2007. He also won among others, Fox the 2008 US celebrity brought Ramsay to version of The Apprenthe USA in 2005 tice. In the UK his 2009 in the first series of series Piers Morgan’s the US version of Life Stories saw sucHell’s Kitchen which cess as a chat show host has proved to be but when he was given very successful and Piers Morgan Tonight continues to run. He

by CNN in 2011 as Piers Morgan has also had a US a replacement to the |Helga Esteb version of Kitchen legendary Larry King Shutterstock.com Nightmares, Masit was something of a terChef and Hotel Hell. Given that surprise to the UK public. Recently Ramsay has been quoted as saying when Republican Senate candidate “the problem with Yanks is that they Todd Akin failed to turn up on his are wimps” and frequently telling show following the ‘legitimate rape’ contestants in Hell’s Kitchen to ‘piss controversy, Morgan focused his off ’ or worse, his popularity in the attention on an empty chair and States is somewhat surprising. stated: “Congressman, you have an The latest rude recruit is ex Brit- open invitation to join me in that ish journalist Piers Morgan. Initially chair whenever you feel up to it. If famous in the UK for editorial posi- you don’t keep your promise to aptions in the Murdoch tabloid press, pear on the show, then you are what most notably the now defunct News we would call in Britain a gutless of the World which has become syn- little twerp.” onymous with the ongoing phone The reason why rude Brits have hacking scandal currently working become so successful in their Transits way through the British judicial Atlantic careers is something of a system. No stranger to controversy mystery. Perhaps it is the breach he was found to have breached the of that characteristic ‘sang froid’ or Code of Conduct on financial jour- that insults are easier on the ear in a nalism back in 2000 while working foreign accent. Whatever the reason for the Mirror newspaper and was it looks like the bad mannered Brits fired from the same publication are here to stay. in 2004 when fake photographs of 20 | MANIERA | mymaniera.com

OCTOBER 2012

Raul Rodriquez was nicknamed “Mr. Rose Parade” by local Pasadena, Calif. press.

His rare macaw, Sebastian, is often with them.

| LESLIE KAWAI

a world of possibilities a float designer with a love of culture

BY SARA LOVELACE Across the world, thousands of cultures exist, each a unique blend of its own different factors. The east and the west; north and south; the UK and the US; Hispanic and Asian; black and white – these distinctions exist all around the world, combining together and creating unique possibilities.

Possibilities are what the most famous float designers draw upon to complete unique, entertaining and simply stunning visual representations of these combinations, and this year, float designer Raul Rodriguez became part of his own possibility Jan. 2 by blending his Hispanic heritage with the Republic of Indonesia’s heritage by riding their float, which became his 500th Rose Parade® float design.

“My father believed in people, and I think that’s one thing that has really helped me – knowing people and knowing the diversity of people so I study all the ethnic backgrounds and cultures of people. If it wasn’t for feeling that way, I don’t know if I could design like I do.”

Adding an extra twist to the mix of possibilities in 2012’s Rose Parade was Rodriguez’s rare Amazonian blue hyacinth mccaw, Sebastian, on the Indonesia float, too.

“It is the 124th year for the parade (in 2013),” Rodriguez said. “It started at the turn of the century and it began as something to do with the fact that we’re blessed with such beautiful weather usually most of the time and we show off our weather on New Years Day and show the beauty of flowers – That’s how the Tournament of Roses began.”

The Tournament of Roses Parade and subsequent Rose Bowl sporting event is the United State’s New Years celebration and is witnessed by hunOCTOBER 2012

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A concept sketch by Rodriguez for Wonderful Indonesia’s 2012 Rose Parade float.

dreds of thousands on the parade route and millions around the world each year. The event – which includes floats, marching bands and equestrian troupes, generally - takes place Jan. 1, or Jan. 2 if Jan. 1 falls on a Sunday because superstition states that the Rose Parade will never take place on a Sunday – the day of rest – if God will grant them no rain on parade day.

Each year, the Rose Parade has a theme, and each entity in the float portion of the Rose Parade cre“My father believed in people, ates a float to that and I think that’s one thing theme with only organic materials that has really helped me – and compete for knowing people and awards, someknowing the diversity of thing Rodriguez people so I study all the ethnic is familiar with as backgrounds and cultures of the most decorated Rose Parade people. If it wasn’t for feeling that way, I don’t know designer ever.

Last year alone if I could design like I do.” with 46 floats in the Rose Parade, - RAUL RODRIGUEZ he created 11 of them and won six awards, including the highest honor for Dole’s “Preserving Paradise.”

Creating designs for 2013 has already begun though. Right now, he is working on floats for China Airlines, the Republic of Indonesia and a few others, and “they’re looking pretty good,” he said. In celebration of Rodriguez’ 500th Rose Parade float, Indonesia designated him a goodwill ambassador of their country and presented him with a ceremonial sword called a keris and a traditional outfit to wear on the float.

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“We are very proud and pleased to be Raul’s 500th float,” ViceMinister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sapta Nirwandar stated in a press release earlier this year. “We have a long relationship with Raul.

He has traveled extensively throughout Indonesia and has captured the essence of our incredibly diverse nation with his designs. He is able to convey the many adventures awaiting a visitor to Indonesia: the lush and rugged landscapes of our thousands of islands, our unique and exotic animal and plant life, and our fascinating cultures.”

But he did not get to where he is by one day saying, “Hey, I’ll design floats.” He has designed floats for the Portland Rose Festival and been involved with Mardi Graz, the World’s Fair, and the Olympics when it was in Los Angeles in 1984. He even designed a float for the Flamingo Hilton before he was even able to gamble – just 20-years-old – and is the man responsible for Disney’s 50th birthday celebration parade floats.

But Rodriguez always admired the Rose Parade and remembered telling his father “I can do that. I think I can do that – I’m pretty sure I could do that.” So, in truth, it all began at home. His mother is also an artist as is his great uncle, and they pushed him to express his creativity through guidance and their own works. In the case of his mother, she was his biggest supporter, but also his biggest critic.

“She would stand behind me and see something on my desk and say ‘what about this?’” Rodriguez said of his mother’s influence. “I always respected her critiques, and it was OCTOBER 2012

Raul Rodriguez rode the Wonderful Indonesia float at the Rose Parade 2012, marking his 500th Rose Parade float.

just great. Both my parents are very instrumental in my career as far as helping me all along because I’m a great believer of education being the cornerstone of anything we do. We do nothing alone. It takes a village to do something powerful, and I respect all the people I work for and work with. It’s just really beautiful that way.”

He currently works with float builders Fiesta Parade Floats and Artistic Entertainment Services. But before the float building companies; before OCTOBER 2012

the multitude of countries and with all the support of his family behind him, he designed his first Rose Parade float concept at just 14 for a contest for the City of Whitter.

“I entered the contest, and the honest truth is I didn’t know I placed in the contest,” Rodriguez admitted. “All the sudden we’re at an awards ceremony at the high school and a man came up on stage with a huge trophy and I said ‘Gee, I wonder what he’s here for?’, you know? All the sudden, I was frozen in my

seat when they called my name I thought ‘Wow, there must be another Raul Rodriguez here because it can’t be me.’”

The prize was the float being in the Rose Parade when he was 15 – and his life was never the same ever again for the teenager that always admired but never dreamed of float designing professionally. He never knew it was something he could do professionally, and now calls himself “the embryo stage of the design.”

“Working with the builder, mymaniera.com | MANIERA | 27

A concept sketch by Rodriguez for Paramount’s 100th anniversary 2012 Rose Parade float.

Paramount pictures celebrated its 100th year in 2012, and Rodriguez was the float designer behind its float featuring many of its popular movie titles.

clients, and culminating into something so many people have the pleasure to work on from students to people of every walk of life and every age group,” Rodriguez explained. “With the juveniles to the elderly, everybody has a chance to work on the floats. It’s really become such a camaraderie and the expression of it is really phenomenal.”

Due to the nature of his work, Rodriguez spends a lot of his time traveling, doing research and enjoying time with his clients. It was his travels that made him realize his homegrown parade was not “colloquial.”

“I found, because I’ve designed for so many foreign 30 | MANIERA | mymaniera.com

countries and places all over the world, it’s really an event that captures the heart and thoughts of people from all over the world,” he explained. “To me, I feel so honored to be part of something that hopefully does something to people positively and brings a smile. If one of our designs or one of the things we present can bring a smile to someone then all our work is purposeful.”

For Rodriguez, the world is a “rich tapestry of things that I know.” He said it was the reason he could design floats for so many countries around the world, including Mexico, Costa Rica to Thailand to Korea to Nova Scotia. His client list is

rich in history; rich in culture.

To entwine that energy and beauty of cultures into a thing like the Tournament of Roses is “thrilling” prospect. His love of people is the key element in his ability to create and bring about those smiles from people around the world.

“These are all things that have allowed me such a rich way of enjoying life and enjoying people, and that’s something I am grateful for, believe me, because I know a lot of wonderfully talented people and not everybody gets the break or being at the right place at the right time, and I’m a big believer in making things happen best you can.”

OCTOBER 2012

Ming

BY JULIETTE LORD

Originally from Taipei, Taiwan, Ming-Pin Tien is a London-based fashion designer who recently graduated from the University of the Arts London – London College of Fashion.

But Ming is no newcomer to the world of fashion design.

He has been involved in the industry in a variety of capacities for the last nine years, six months of which involved working as an assistant to Taiwanese London fashion graduate shows designer Jolin Wu. Ming’s Autumn/Winter 2012/13 colthe story beneath the surface lection entitled Metaphorical Distance is a striking range of coats, boxy jackets, dresses and casual wear all in shades of off-white. The designer incorporates a series of harness-like leather over jackets which give off a sense of restriction while at the same time being open and revealing. The use of textures is extremely clever with many of the items decorated with raised dots in the fabric.

“The fabrications are actually delivering a message using the Braille system,” Ming told MANIERA recently. “It is a system used by blind people and, therefore the outcome appears as a code for most of us. It also has delivered my main design aesthetic - You need to take a much closer look at everything in order to understand what is really happening. Most of the time, there is a very different story beneath the surface.”

Ming also likes to conceal the body shape using for example the hunchback coat which he says “represents our immediate reaction when we feel threatened.”

He is inspired by the paradox of secrecy, which Ming regards as like a game of hide and seek.

The Conceal|Reveal theorum

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OCTOBER 2012

|KAMIL SZKOPIK

You need to take a much closer look at everything in order to understand what is really happening.

Most of the time, there is a very different story beneath the surface.

- MING “You are excited by concealing yourself but also excited by the fact that you may be found out in a matter of time,” he elaborates.

This notion of paradox is a continuing theme in his exciting brand-new Spring/Summer 2013 collection recently premiered at London Fashion Week. Entitled Portraits SS2013 finds the designer experimenting with colour and prints while retaining the superlative pattern cutting ability evidenced in his previous collection. Softer draped textures are now combined with the signature boxy jackets, while the conceal/reveal paradox is demonstrated by the clever slash sleeve.

Asymmetric hemlines and frock coat tails with slit side skirts all echo Ming’s hide-and-

seek aesthetic. The raised braille is gone but many of the items incorporate a printed dot pattern, often on the back of the item. These are pieces to be viewed from all angles.

The leather harnesses from the Metaphorical Distance become more substantial in the Portraits collection, culminating in a fulllength coat with faux sleeves and riveted together by metal fasteners. Again the peek-a-boo concept is used to full-effect with the use of the leather fretwork effect allowing tantalising glimpses of what lies beneath.

Ming is a concept designer but much of his collection is extremely wearable. The cropped jackets, knee-length pants and bold zig zag print shirt dress for example would prove to be very versatile pieces for next spring. The cut of the clothes and the soft textures make these easy clothes to wear while at the same time screaming effortless chic and style.

Turn the page to take a look at the spring/summer 2013 collection “Portraits SS2013” from LONDON FASHION WEEK 34 | MANIERA | mymaniera.com

OCTOBER 2012

|KAMIL SZKOPIK

PORTRAITS SS2013 BY MING AT LONDON FASHION

PORTRAITS SS2013 BY MING AT LONDON FASHION WEEK

PORTRAITS SS2013 BY MING AT LONDON FASHION WEEK

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Yolande Van Saet explores the last frontier on Earth

BY JULIETTE LORD Nestling between France and the Netherlands the small lowlands country of Belgium may not be the obvious place to look for underwater photographers. But husband and wife team Walter D’Haese and Yolande Van Saet are a pair of talented amateur photographers who travel the world from their home base just outside Antwerp, Belgium to produce some breathtaking images of life on the coral reefs.

The couple started their hobby in 2000, qualifying for their diving certificates in De42 | MANIERA | mymaniera.com

cember in the icy cold water of the North Sea. “I remember having to stand under a hot shower to warm up, because our hands were too cold to take the wetsuits off,” Van Saet said.

“We must have been crazy.”

No wonder then, that the warm waters of the tropics seemed a more attractive proposition. The team made their first warm water dive in Los Roques, a small island off Venezuela, and never stopped since.

“We just come on land to make some money to be able to travel and go diving again,” Van Seat explained.

OCTOBER 2012

Van Saet and her husband spend their spare time traveling the world’s water bodies, capturing the unique ocean wildlife. CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT — a boxfish, a cowrie, a nudi, an egg cowrie, a goby and husband Walter D’Hease shot Van Saet through coral. Van Saet is especially fond of macro photography — or getting up really close on small subjects.

|YOLANDE VAN SAET

Van Saet and her husband spotted this ornate ghost pipefish while on a dive.

|YOLANDE VAN SAET

It was D’Haese who first started to take the underwater photographs using a basic point and shoot camera in a cheap casing, but quickly moved on to a more sophisticated single-lens reflex camera. Initially Van Saet was more interested in relaxing, however, and enjoying the wildlife but in 2006 she became bored waiting around for her husband to get his shots and decided to have a go herself.

The team have travelled widely, including trips to the Indian Ocean, the Pacific, South Africa, Mozambique and Costa Rica.

For the sheer diversity of marine life Van Saet recommends the seas of South East Asia, while the Maldives are great for the larger pelagics. Pelagics are fish that live on the surface of the water rather than the bottom or on the reefs. These include fish such as whale sharks and manta rays. For impressive hard corals and fabulous reef life she suggests Egypt whereas the “. . Galapogos and Coco Island is adrenaline diving where you can find sharks and seals.”

D’Haese is the more experimental of the two, using a range of macro and wide-angle lenses, whereas Van Saet tends to stick to her 60mm lens. But because they work as a team, this has its advantages.

“When something big 46 | MANIERA | mymaniera.com

comes by, like a manta, I can only shoot an eye with my 60mm, while my hubby can shoot the entire manta,” Van Saet said. “On the other hand, when we come across a pygmy seahorse, I can take pictures, and he can’t.”

As well as the lens choice, taking photographs below water means that the choice of lighting can be critical. The deeper underwater you go the more colours you lose.

Red is the first to go followed by yellow until only blue is visible. You can use white balance to compensate, but that only works in clear water and with plenty of sunlight.

To get their images Van Saet and D’Haese use strobe lights, small detatachable flash lights attached to moveable arms on the camera housing.

“Lighting underwater can be tricky, you need the light to shine on your subject, but you don’t want to light all the little particles in the water,” Van Saet explained. “It takes some practice to get that right.”

Another tip to getting great underwater shots is buoyancy control. Von Saet points out that if you are not absolutely still, you will kick up the sand and damage the coral, which is already under environmental threat. She has seen the devastation caused by dynamite fishing in South East Asia which blows away entire coral reefs and takes OCTOBER 2012

Multiple types of scorpion fish exist in the world.

|YOLANDE VAN SAET

Despite the shark’s bad rep, several species are safe to swim with, including this grey reef shark from the Maldives.

|YOLANDE VAN SAET

decades to recover, if indeed they recover at all. She has also witnessed a marked decline in the shark population over the last 12 years and found illegal nets in a marine-protected area in the Philippines, with a dead turtle and a dead baby shark trapped inside.

“There are a lot of marine protected areas in the world, and more and more so,” Von Saet said. “That’s a good thing, but CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT — Van Saet has shot juwhen there is no control, the illegal fishing goes on. Of course, the venile sweetlips, juvenile batfish and even small fisherman in a small boat trying to pinkish shrimp hidden in anemones. feed his family does not do harm |YOLANDE VAN SAET to the ecosystem.”

Despite the serious approach the couple takes to their craft, there have been comical incidents underwater. One involved a very curious hawksbill turtle which decided that the diver’s glove and hose looked like a tasty meal and began to nibble on them.

As Von Saet gently pushed the creature away the turtle swam to another diver and pushed against the diver’s tank as if he wanted a ride. The view was so funny that the entire party flooded their diving masks laughing.

With this incident in mind, Von Saet finds it impossible to choose her favourite marine creature.

“Octopus for their strange intelligence and their ability to change their skin colour and texture, mandarin fish for their beautiful colours, frogfish for their cute weirdness, and so on and so on, the list is endless,” she said, “and also sharks for their grace, but the most impressive fish I ever saw on a dive was a sailfish.”

Just back from a trip, the couple are already thinking of the next place on their itinerary. They have a long wish list of places they still want to visit, especially French Polynesia and other Pacific locations. But the next stop will be in December when they return to Indonesia for a diving trip around the beautiful waters surrounding Flores and Komodo.

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OCTOBER 2012

HEALTH & BEAUTY

&

Dark Circles Crows Feet 52 | MANIERA | mymaniera.com

OCTOBER 2012

W

ell, we all have them after 35 and we all hate them!

The development of small crow`s feet, or shadows beneath the eyes (dark circles) can be the first signs that our skin is not as youthful and elastic as it once was.

There are many large beauty companies who advertise creams and lotions that claim to deal with these problems. However, in reality, their effect is limited.

ing less amount of water after 6 p.m. may help to reduce this problem for some people.

However, to avoid “puffy eyes,” dermatologists recommend using eye creams one hour prior bed time. A diet with low-sodium food will help you to reduce the puffiness, and remember to avoid heavy eye creams.

Crows Feet

Better news for this problem. For mild to moderate depth lines and wrinkles, using under eye creams Dark Circles containing Lanolin , Vitamin E and Please be aware that dark circles Antioxidants daily is very important. can`t be improved with creams.

You can prevent and restore lines and Do not buy expensive creams and wrinkles before they become deephope for a miracle. Creams containset. Using eye creams daily is very ing bleach are dangerous and can important. contribute to more wrinkles. Dark “Non-surgical” options such circles can be the result of genetics or as Botox and Fillers also available lifestyle factors, including smoking, and may be recommended by a pracalcohol and caffeine. titioner skilled in these treatments.

Also, other possible causes could The feature of most of these is that be iron deficiency, hormonal imbalthey are generally quick, safe and efance, oxygen deficiency and can show fective ways of improving these types up when you not getting enough of wrinkles. sleep. If you have dark circles, slow Overall if you maintain healthy down on concealer and please conlife style, have balanced diet, drink sult with your physician. plenty of water, have good night sleep and follow Natural Skin Care RegiUnder Eye Bags men you will achieve ”Beautiful You” Problems with kidneys can be the from inside out and will look young cause of bags under the eyes. Drinkand healthy in any age!

MAIA SMITH has nearly 20 years of experience in skin research and product development. Her expertise in skin care and anti-aging has helped produce several natural anti-aging products. She is a founder and CEO of Renu Derma Natural Cosmetics, where she works closely with FDA approved organic lab to develop new effective products for the Renu Derma. For more information, visit renuderma.com.

OCTOBER 2012

mymaniera.com | MANIERA | 53

MANI STYLE

THE

l i t t l e b l a c k dress

BY JULIETTE LORD |NATZUKA MILIANDROVIC

R

eaders of Vogue in October 1926 were introduced to “the frock that all the world will wear.”

Nicknamed the “Ford,” Chanel’s straight-lined, black day dress became an iconic fashion item, which has never fallen out of style in the intervening 86 years.

In fact, Chanel had been designing little black dresses from as early as 1915 and other French designers were also designing in black, which until then had traditionally been the colour of mourning rather than glamour. Perhaps the most famous of all the “little black dresses” (LBD) was designed not by Chanel but

by Givenchy, and modelled by the stunning Audrey Hepburn in the film “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” (1961).

Simple to wear and with a timeless elegance, the LBD can be worn by women of all ages, shapes and sizes and is a must-have item in any woman’s wardrobe.

Today there are a multitude of LBDs on the market, all taking the simplicity of the original garçonne Chanel design as a starting point.

Where better to start shopping than the aptly named Little Black Dress website which boasts “the greatest collection of LBD’s and party dresses in the World.”

Although a UK-based company, you can order from outside the UK by contacting them by phone at 00 (44) 161 277 7046 or by e-mail at hello@littleblackdress.co.uk.

Prices start from as little as £15 (approximately $25 USD) up to dresses which cost over £500 ($812 USD approximately). Sizes on the site range from a British/Australian

OCTOBER 2012

size 4 (USA size 1, European size 32) to British/Australian size 20 (USA size 16, European size 48).

Lightinthebox.com is based in the USA but offer a single price for shoppers the world over.

They have a helpful price conversion rate on the site which is also translated into 12 different languages.

A personal favourite is the Dahli Faux Leather dress by Karl available from net a porter which have websites for customers worldwide.

This dress has a fabulous cut and is a fantastic combination of elegance and edginess.

If you want a customised LBD then the people at perfectlittleblackdress.com can design one for you in just 15 days. You have the option to take your own measurements and send them in, or go for a personal measurement service if you live within travelling distance of London, New York, Paris, Los Angeles or Miami. London customers can even have a fitting in their home.

Design elements are created by graduates of the prestigious London College of Fashion and St. Martins School of Art and there is advice on choosing a flattering style for your particular body shape.

If you are feeling inspired and want to make your own LBD then The Little Black Dress: How to Make the Perfect One for You by Simon Henry is a great place to start.

Beautifully illustrated, it takes you step-by-step through fabric choice, pattern making and even down to the small details of which type of fastener to use. mymaniera.com | MANIERA | 55

MAN STYLE

THE

RIGHT

FIT

Finding the right jeans for any occasion

BY WESLEY BOUCHARD

|VERONICA DEPRATO

M

56 | MANIERA | mymaniera.com

en, let’s talk about pants, specifically, jeans. Chances are that many of you reading this are wearing a pair right now, but are your jeans the right ones for you?

The classic, five-pocket jean has become a wonderfully adaptive staple of any good wardrobe. It still succeeds at being excellent work wear but has also made its way into casual and even semi-formal outfits. From t-shirts to blazers, the right pair of jeans will go with many pieces and make you look good while doing it.

Roll up your sleeves, gents.

It’s time to get into the nittygritty! Let’s talk about some different fits and which one OCTOBER 2012

is right for you. Some common jean fits are skinny, slim, straight, relaxed and boot. Keep in mind that the exact fit will vary slightly as you go from brand to brand.

• SKINNY FIT, unless you have a burning desire to make your legs look like those of a chicken, stay away from this cut.

Leave the skin tight jeans for your girl.

• SLIM FIT is not as tight as skinny cut. This is the one for those of you with a truly skinny build. Maybe you didn’t play full-back on your high school soccer team, but you run an annual marathon with ease. Try the slim cut on your next night out.

• STRAIGHT FIT is where it’s at for most men. This is the cut for the average male and is a solid win when matched appropriately with the rest of your ensemble. If you aren’t a marathoner or body builder, start here.

• RELAXED FIT is a great choice for work jeans. They’re roomier than the other fits, but still look great when properly cared for. Also, if you’ve got meatier thighs, Mr. Universe, you’ll want to try this fit.

• BOOT CUT jeans do not flare as much as bell bottoms and are much more appealing than that wild 70s fashion.

These will work for most body types. I would still lean you towards straight fit, but make your style your own. Don’t be afraid OCTOBER 2012

to try these.

From that starting point, remember to keep the jeans simple. Don’t buy into those ripped and holey fashions. You want to make a good impression. Looking like you’ve been rolling around under an interstate bridge isn’t going to accomplish that. Part of looking simple is looking Don’t buy into those ripped clean. A and holey fashions. You brand tag on the belt want to make a good line and impression. Looking like conservative rivets you’ve been rolling around the around under an interstate five pockets bridge isn’t going to are fine, but you don’t accomplish that. need plastic gemstones and loud designs on your backside or excessive pockets up and down your legs. Another good rule to looking presentable is choosing darker dyed denim, most commonly indigo. While there is a place for white jeans, lighter denims, nicknamed “dad jeans”, tend to look messy and very out of place. Darker colors have always been accepted as a dressier look.

Now, try them with a white oxford shirt and navy blazer for More of fitting, styling and denim a handsome night out. Even if history at you don’t feel like you need the MYMANIERA.COM blazer remember that your girl will appreciate it once the night starts to cool. Take care, men, and stay sharp! mymaniera.com | MANIERA | 57

An enchanted city MEXICO CITY

BY CYNTIA ARANDAY It is sad to hear from my friends abroad about their opinions of Mexico City. Some will only talk about what they experience while visiting, while others will only refer to either stereotypes or news of Mexico City portrayed in the media abroad - but Mexico City is so much more than that.

58 | MANIERA | mymaniera.com

It is not just stealing and tequila or partying and muggings, it is also culture and passion that fills every corner of every street in Mexico City. If you allow the city to entangle you in its webs, you will not be disappointed about what this beautiful, rich and gorgeous city has to offer.

Mexico City was first founded by the great civilization called the Mexicas, later to be known as the Aztecs.

OCTOBER 2012

When the Spanish conquered Tenochtitlan in 1521, they ordered the constructions of temples and houses on top of the Mexica temples so that, in this way, the center of Mexico City was constructed on top of the chinampas on top of the lake.

The Independence Monument stands as a testament to Mexico City’s resilience. |CYNTIA ARANDAY

The city was first founded on a lake.

Mexicas would build chinampas, a special kind of plot that remains on the water in order to cultivate, and travel along the whole lake where they were prosperous in agriculture. When the Spanish conquered Tenochtitlan in 1521, they ordered the constructions of temples and houses on top of the Mexica temples so that, in this way, the center of OCTOBER 2012

Mexico City was constructed on top of the chinampas on top of the lake.

Time went by and Mexico suffered several changes, from the government of Spain to the independence of Mexico, later on Mexico went through several kinds of government but none as successful as presidency.

Mexico City first became a beacon of cosmopolitan societies when president Porfirio Diaz took control of Mexico from 1876 to 1911 the 35-year period known as El Porfiriato, taking upon himself the task of transforming Mexico City into a very chic and cosmopolitan city that could easily compare to any European city of the time.

However, outside Mexico City things were different, and poverty and lack of conformity grew until eventually a revolution took place between 1910-20 and the current Mexico City started shaping itself into what we all see right now.

Mexico City is considered the biggest city in the world, not only for the amount of people living in it, but also because of the amount of different cultural and scenarios that mymaniera.com | MANIERA | 59

|Cyntia Aranday

The Revolution Monument

|Cyntia Aranday

Templo Mayor - Outside

|Cyntia Aranday

National Museum of Art

Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral is one of the largest cathedrals in the world, still hosting daily Catholic masses. |CYNTIA ARANDAY

it offers such as Templo Mayor and Catedral Metropolitana de Mexico.

Templo Mayor is the remains of the largest temple in ancient Tenochtitlan. It was accidentally discovered by workers of the electric company in 1978 and is considered one of the biggest findings in Mexican archeological history.

Catedral Metropolitana (Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral) is one of the biggest cathedrals in the world, with a lenght of 360 feet and a width of 179 feet. It took over 200 years to finish its construction between 1573 and 1813, and it shows a mixture of different styles from renaissance to baroque to neoclassic. It has two towers with a “bell finish,” something never seen in any other cathedral, making it unique in the world. Catholic masses are still performed inside this church every day and also guided visits are offered to see what the gorgeous building holds inside.

A little ahead of these two buildings is Palacio de Bellas Artes, a concert hall that holds also a museum and several exhibition galleries, constructed in the late 19th century in a mixture of art deco and art noveau style. It holds inside a gorgeous Tiffany & Co.® curtain especially made for this beautiful palace, especially commissioned by the architect and the government due to the beauty of the same and the fact that Tiffany & Co. was a beacon of Art Nouveau.

The Palacio de Bellas Artes currently holds constant exhibitions from abroad as well as a permanent collection, and the theater is still used several times a year, and the National Museum of Art holds a OCTOBER 2012

large number of the most important pieces exhibited in Mexico.

With a little over 150 museums within its length, Mexico City is regarded as a must-visit city when it comes to culture. From the culturally-charged Museo Nacional de Arte (National Museum of Art) located just a block away from Bellas Artes, to the chic Museo Rufino Tamayo located in Chapultepec, Mexico City has a lot to offer regarding that area.

But very personally I would have to say Castillo de Chapultepec (Chapultepec’s Castle) is my favorite, not only because of the incredible history behind this castle, but also due to the beauty of the architecture, richness of its halls and history of each room. It explains a little bit more about the times when the Mexican monarchist brought Maximilian I to establish once more the Mexican monarchy, however this plan failed and Last but not least: Mexican cuisine It is one of the richest in the world with delicious ingredients that can be tasted in many different parts of the city, but if what you want is an experience, going downtown and getting breakfast in Sanborns Los Azulejos, going to lunch in Cafe Opera or finally enjoying a classical churro with chocolate caliente (churro with hot cocoa) in Cafe Tacuba.

As you can see, Mexico City has a lot more to offer than the violence and ignorance sometimes portrayed in the media. Mexico City is a city that lives day-to-day. Why don’t you come on over and allow Mexico City to capture you in its magical spell? mymaniera.com | MANIERA | 67

Contact us

MANIERA LLC P.O. Box 15379 Washington D.C., 20003 (202) 294-4147 e-mail

68 | MANIERA | mymaniera.com

OCTOBER 2012