Available at Greyone Social
STAT U S ME S S AG E
Cassie: Hitting the Bid (72)
THE PROFESSIONALS
T
his year has been an amazing period of growth for STATUS. We are now distributing to more locations, we have increased our online traffic by leaps and bounds, we are collaborating with more people, and we are hosting more events. I guess you could say that we are slowly building an empire. As amazing as that sounds, it’s so exhausting. But we were able to nab a few folks who make it look so damn easy. I met our cover girl, Cassie, years ago when she was promoting her first album at this Power 106 party in LA. She was a little timid and very sweet—a huge contrast to how she is today. Cassie is making a strong comeback this year with her fierce style, endorsement deals, and an upcoming album. She has transformed into a woman who knows what she wants and is ready to go after it. Not everyone can rock a mohawk, but I’m lovin’ her edgy and sexy look so much that I’m so close to shaving the sides of my head. (Seriously.) Our other Heavy Hitter, Brandon Boyd, has already conquered the world with his band, Incubus. Now, he is touring the globe once more to promote their latest album, If Not Now, When? In our interview, he shares his passion about his music, art, and the environment. Wow, Brandon is turning out to be more of a renaissance man than someone who only wants rule the music charts. On the other side of the creative “Statusphere,” you will find Apichatpong Weerasethakul, the soft-spoken but award-winning director, who is making waves from his homeland Thailand to Cannes and Venice. He is letting his films break barriers and his awards speak for themselves, causing an uprising, and getting heard. In New Kids on the Block, we gathered young soldiers, who are going to unknown territories in cyberspace. From design, photo, music, and other media, they are creating their mini digital empires for the future. As much as everyone has dreams of building an empire, it’s pretty damn hard. I think the reason they make it look so easy is because they are passionate about what they do and they have clearer and bolder visions of what they want to transform into reality.
Editor in Chief
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The professionals
a u g u st 2 0 1 1
59
16 Proof
luke Temple
60 vetiver STATUSPHERE
13 18 19 20 21
THREADS SETTING BEATS SCREEN INK
gadgets 22
FEATHERWEIGHT
Lightweight Gadgets
BEAUTY 24
LITTLE RED RIDING LOOK
25
SLEEPING BEAUTY
26
30
GRAND JETÉ
36
AFTERNOON DELIGHT
Night Creams
Ballerina on the Street
SWAG warm & fuzzy
42
young forever
44
the big time
45
printing press
46
sneaky disposition
47
word up
Printed Shoes
Summerland
49
colorama
28
GO SEE
Capes
Printed & Flowy
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Nylon Jackets
63 BITE THE APOL
59
robyn lawley
Lovefoxxx think she knows her CSS band mates too well that she could pick the right food, booze, books, and even pads for them. By Reena Mesias
As Kitsuné’s first French band and with a Phillipe Zdar-produced album, Housse de Racket is launching into worldwide fame. By Ralph Mendoza
IT’S CYBORG MUSIC AND IT’S OK
Joon Guillen’s alter ego doesn’t have a mask, but it does have a strange weapon and a superpower to draw people’s ears. By Evan Tan
59
If Vetiver’s Andy Cabic were to choose, he’d rather be hanging out with Demi Moore or snorkeling at Kauai than touring. By Macy Reantaso
61
READY FOR ADBUCTION
Shabazz Palaces’ Ishmael Butler is rather reclusive from press. When an interview chance came, we saw an extraterrestrial artist. By Giano D. Dionisio
Kevin Carney’s The Generic Man doesn’t just pick the right leather and soles. Just like him, they enjoy good food and wine. By Ron Po
64
THE STRIPES
64
NOT-SO-FREE CUT
65
THE NEW BLACK
temple of love
When apart from his band Here We Go Magic, frontman Luke Temple carries his heart in his sleeve that he cries to Stevie Wonder. By Zoe Laurente
HERE’S THE TOAST
Apol Sta. Maria sketches to escape. Instead of ranting and complaining, he makes things (like books) happen instead. By Kristine Dabbay
60 LEAVES OF GRASS
Colored Chinos
muse
56
WHO’S THE RACKET?
Tees/ Scarves
Nylon fix
CAPED CRUSADER
58
Sneakers
48
27
62
Oversized Clutches/ Statement Bangles
Dagmar Rousset, Victoria AU
street style
LET IT RIP
Peter Pan Collars
Wide-Legged Jeans
MASTERMIND
57
Turbans
43 Belle of the ball
Carhartt, Seoul
maestro
Lady in the Water
41
Red Cosmetics
brick & mortar 26 26
VISION BOARD
66
Noemi Schipfer, being JapaneseFrench, had some language gap troubles. In her art, she hardly fills the spaces between lines. By Miguel Escobar
Makattack once cut hair for the sake of performance art; now, she does it for her wallet and for your good. By Reena Mesias
How do Kitsuné’s clothes and music manage to be all the rage when its founders Masaya Kuroki and Gildas Loaëc are understated? By Nante Santamaria
THE JOOS ON THE BEAUTY TRADE
One season voluptuous, extra lean the next; today’s beauty standards are also the result of Natalie Joos’s model casting choices. By Evan Tan
the professionals
a u g u st 2 0 1 1
68
82 67
Ryan dorshorst & Lucas Buick
take two
After writing Smallville and contributing to Spider-Man 2, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar’s next gig is the TV remake of Charlie’s Angels. By Reena Mesias
HEAVY HITTER 68
72
80
Brandon boyd
EMPIRE OF THE SON
Brandon Boyd sketched not only in their Incubus video. He’s taken his art further and with the wise cause of a green warrior. By Reena Mesias
HITTING THE BID
Cassie has been trying to keep things about her new album enterprise under wraps, but her swag just can’t hide it: the time is now. By Loris Peña
GLITCH IN THE SYSTEM
From winning Cannes’ Palme d’Or to judging at the Venice Film Festival, Apichatpong Weerasethakul is showing a new way of seeing. By Don Jaucian
89 NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK 82
RYAN DORSHORST & LUCAS BUICK
89 89
Founders, Synthetic Corp
83
BOBBY, MICK, & MIKE BENEDICTO
Founders, Number Line Records
84 84
SCOTT BELSKY
Founder & CEO, Behance
RONALD LUCERO & MIKE ABASOLO
Managing Partners, RedMedia
85
EFE CAKAREL
Founder & CEO, MUBI
90 90 91 91
87 88 88
POOL DISCO @ SHOREDITCH HOUSE, EAST LONDON PARIS AFTER MIDNIGHT DJ JAYCEEOH @ PALLADIUM FRESH FRIDAY @ FIAMMA REPUBLIQ 1ST YEAR ANNIVERSARY
94
PIERA GELARDI
99
JAY-Z IN DA HAUS
Quedada 2.0 PuLL & BEAR PLASTICO ADC
KYSS KYSS BANG BANG: VANS X HELLZ BELLZ AFTERPARTY
STATUS INVADES
NIGHTVISION
pool disco
After Refinery29.com cofounder Piera Gelardi showed us around her place, we’re convinced that cool seeps to the bones.
ON THE COVER: Cassie photographed by Itaysha Jordan. Photo Assistant: Ashanti McIntosh. Styling by Jason Rembert. Fashion Assistants: Craig Dwelling & Deandre Dacosta. Makeup by Paul Innis. Hair by Dante Blandshaw. Manicurist: Naomi Yasuda. Jacket by Tom Ford. Bra by Calvin Klein. Pants by Carly Ellis. Bracelets by Miriam Haskell.
SATURDARE @ ATTICA
statusmagonline.com
Blogsphere the pulse of hip at your fingertips
go see
we’re all models off duty. smize!
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FEATURES
there’s more to what’s in print
NightVision who’s spotted partying where
Photo Diary confessional for lensmen
Digital Magazine
STATUS sans paper
DOWNLOADS free mixtapes and wallpapers
contributors
CHAD BURTON
Not to offend, but we think The XOXO Kids’ CHAD BURTON, who shot the Pool Disco party at East London’s Shoreditch House for this issue’s Nightvision (89) is possibly a big fashion nazi—about Adolf Hitler’s fashion sense he ironically says, “The man authorized hideous and unforgivable acts of cruelty, but boy did he know how to dress an army.”
RALPH MENDOZA
Ralph, who also works as Editorial Assistant for a daily’s youth section, wrote about Housse de Racket (58) among this issue’s Maestros. If he were to have his kingdom, he’d set it up in Metro Manila. But he’s not stopping there—he’s going to align its land level with Baguio’s “so we can all enjoy some cold weather.” Once he’s ruler, he’s going to “mandate pool parties every night.”
REENA MESIAS
Our new Features Editor, Reena, who interviewed Brandon Boyd (68) for Heavy Hitter, is a powerhungry pacifist. Given the chance to rule the world for a day, she’d “use that power to rule the next day, and then the next one, then the next, until I think of the best way to bring world peace.” While getting there, she’s going to make Kanye West, Phoenix, The Cure, and Jimmy Eat World perform for her.
EDITOR IN CHIEF: Rosario Herrera ART DIRECTOR: Soleil Ignacio CREATIVE MEDIA DIRECTOR: Patrick L. Jamora ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Nante Santamaria FEATURES EDITOR: Reena Mesias
PAOLO RUIZ
If photographer Paolo, who shot Misyonaryo (19) for On the Spot, had his way, a style renaissance is the kickass legacy he plans to leave behind: “I shall impose that people should be in their best outfit and start taking photos of each other…We’d be able to look back 20-30 years from now and say, ‘Wow, so this is how the generation looks like decades back.’”
What’s your STATUS? tell us.
FASHION EDITOR: Loris Peña EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS: Viva Gonzalez, Evan Tan When it comes to what’s hip, we’re always one step a-head.
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS: Patrick Diokno, Darwin Manibog CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Kristine Dabbay, Giano D. Dionisio, Don Jaucian, Shinji Manlangit, Ralph Mendoza, Ron Po, JP Singson, Joe Swanberg, Eirene Uy CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS: Alissa Anderson, Stacy Armand, Derek Bahn, Victoria Barban, Baudouin, Bobby Benedicto, Nikki Benson, Sandra Bermingham, Dante Blandshaw, The Cobrasnake, EJ Constantino, Deandre Dacosta, Johanna Desrosiers, Nicky Digital, Craig Dwelling, Gerard Estadella, Torrence Forde, Jay Goldman, Brantley Gutierrez, Paul Innis, Itaysha Jordan, Mariana Juliano, Joel Lirio, Stevyn Llewellyn, Lee John Mann, Isabella Marcos, Ashanti McIntosh, Leah McIntosh, Nontawat Numbenchapol, Lyka Orhel, Jason Rembert, Jessie Roasa, Paolo Ruiz, Caesar Sebastian, JP Singson, Natalie Strasbourg, Melvin Sun, Anna Thiessen, Anja Verdugo, Chris Ware, The XOXO Kids, Naomi Yasuda CONTRIBUTING BLOGGERS: JP Singson MARKETING DIRECTOR: Jon Herrera SALES & MARKETING CONSULTANT: Tina Herrera BUSINESS MANAGER: Eric Flores ACCOUNT MANAGER: Jerdan Buenaventura
EDITORIAL editorial@statusmagonline.com ADVERTISING advertise@statusmagonline.com MARKETING marketing@statusmagonline.com INTERNSHIP intern@statusmagonline.com GENERAL INQUIRIES info@statusmagonline.com Read our digital version statusmagonline.com/ digital-magazine LIKE US facebook.com/statusmagazine Follow us twitter.com/statusmagazine STATUS is published by STATUS Media Group. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
JUNIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Christine Rojas INTERNS: Angelique Celine De Leon, Miguel Escobar, Paolo Geronimo, Maria Isabella Kristoffersen, Zoe Laurente, Iris Beverly Lin, Macy Reantaso
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THREADS / setting / SUBCULTURE / BEATS /
SCREEN / INK
AUGUST 2011
CARTE
BLANCHE
F
latteringly cut womenswear in rich materials is what KAHLO does best. Their latest collection, A Vacant Canvas, plays with the textures of suede, leather, and silk. Boxy tank tops and tapered trousers incorporate masculine elements while their earthy palette of terracotta and taupe give a fresh take on spring colors. Wear their black crop tops paired with nude culottes, and reveal your inner Kate Lanphear. kahlo.com.au
my flair LADY
E
xperimenting with crushed and jagged stones formed into geometric shapes, LADY GREY adorn their necklaces, earrings, and rings with toothlike accents. Handcrafted by designers Jill Martinelli and Sabine Le Guyader, products like the heart choker, six-fang necklace, and arrow cuff come alive and might just bite your style to a whole new level. ladygreyjewelry.com
SOLE TO SOLE
P
ENSHOPPE’s Holiday 2011 collection brings something new: a line of shoes for men. Ranging from plimsolls, espadrilles and loafers in blue, gray, and red, they’re perfect for everyday abuse. Just cause when they feel so soft and so comfortable, they’re bound to be your solemates. penshoppe.com
SWAG TALKIN’ T
he boys at BUTTER know a good skateboard attire when they see one. That’s why they keep their collection simple with gray hoodies, raglans, tees, snapback hats, and beanies. Just because when you ride that board and when you got a shirt that says “ROLL IN PACKS” or “PROTECT YA NECK” and a snapback that says “THE STEEZ DISEASE,” you don’t need to talk swag ‘cause your style will speak it for you. quite-buttery.com
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/THREADS
THAT SONG
I
f GIAN ROMANO’s C Major in Drop D were a song, then it would be about heartbreaks and melancholy. A mix of cutout dresses, draped tops, structured blazers, and leather body straps in a palette of black, grays, and silver–it looks like a platinum hit! Like a classic sonata, its trails and shadows will haunt you over and over again. gianromano.com
LIKENESS B
Woody ’s Girl I
ritish workwear is reimagined in BEING EQUAL’s sharp and understated style. The tamer palette of mustard, grey, and navy in simple pullovers and dress pants are paired with graphic prints in the jackets’ inner linings. All things being equal, you sure can make the ladies realize that the quintessential English gentleman still exists. being-equal.com
f you ask SOPHIE MONET what her favorite element is, she’d probably answer earth. She likes to make rings and bangles out of wood and embellish them with crystals and turquoises. Rare materials like exotic wood, precious stones, and gold leaf pumps up the rebel status—without making you looking like one—while adding some class. sophiemonetjewelry.com
A CASUAL EDUCATION T
he casual college vibe stays in even when you’re out of college, and you can easily pull it off with HANDSOME CLOTHING’s retro shirts. Look like you don’t have time to overthink what to wear (because you’re too busy reading Heidegger, Nietzsche, and Wittgenstein) with Handsome’s printed tees in black or white from The Teachers Collection. handsomeclothing.com
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YOUR
fine and dandy A
ny dapper dude worth his salt has a pair of old school oxfords. T AND F SLACK SHOEMAKERS has perfected this classic and ups the ante with stitched leather soles in contrast colors. The typical brown and black are absent in this collection—it’s all about powder blue brogues with pink soles and navy blue oxfords with orange soles. tandfslackshoemakers.com
/THREADS
SOLE SURVIVOR H
andmade by artisans, YUKETEN moccasins have buttery soft naked and tanned leather as main material. The brand updates this classic by incorporating wingtip details and color blocking to make the rugged shoe more contemporary and refined. Blood red and pale gray leather take these moccasins out of the past and take them to 2011. yuketen.com
IT’S A MAN’S
WORLD B
ALDER knows what makes a man. He doesn’t need much but the basics: simple printed tees, classic chambray buttondowns, and blue bermuda shorts. Focusing on the clothes, Balder creates a simple, honest, strong kind of a dude with a fuss-free sense of style. baldercollective.com
TRIPPY TRIBE
W
KSHP keeps its bright colors alive with their latest collection that includes tribal Aztec designs to slouchy tops and sheer materials. It’s an arsenal of boho basics that will keep the comfy, casual yet put-together look amidst all the commotion— even Vanessa Hudgens has been seen rocking WkShp in the heat of Coachella. The point? It’s tried and tested. wkshpclothing.blogspot.com
JOHNNY
S
GLOBE TROTTING F
ENGLISH
o what if you’ll never be Clive Owen or David Beckham? There’s always OLIVER SPENCER to fit you in that mold. Inspired by Americana as well as military and hunting themes, the brand encourages unexpected layering–for example, camouflage jacket over a plaid shirt or a vest and blazer over a lumberjack shirt. Finish it off with the accent, and work that British charm on the girls. oliverspencer.co.uk
ELIKS+ADRIK may sound Russian, but their pieces are 100% crafted in the USA. Their latest collection showcases an array of necklaces, bracelets, and one-of-akind earrings in antique silver, rose gold, and gunmetal. A play of metal bars, studs, and chains with some spine detailing on cuffs and earpieces shows how these guys are quite adventurous, too. feliksandadrik.com
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/THREADS
PRAIRIE PREP D
enim on denim may be an ultimate fashion madness for many, but French fashion label KITSUNE turns faux pas into style savvy with exquisite tailoring on workwear. Giddy-up, and give your outfits a Wild Western outdoors spin with the chambray shirt, thick cardigan, and heavy duty gloves featured in its Brokeback Mountain collection—a tribute to Ang Lee’s American cowboys in the 60s. kitsune.fr
CHAIN REACTION F
LEET JEWELRY’s love affair with metals gives birth to a new collection of layered necklaces, beaded hairchains, boot belts, and other metal whatnots. Mash these lengthy body chains and tasseled bangles that dangle off with charm. Getting locked in chains has never looked more inviting. fleetjewelry.com
PROOF READ T
here is no going incognito with PROOF as eyewear, handmade using sustainable materials. Unique as the wood they came from, the color and texture of each pair cannot be duplicated. Supporting projects like tree planting in Haiti, the brand’s philosophy is to look good and do good. Be part of their movement. These pairs are guilt-free as much as they’re termite-free. iwantproof.com
AIM TO PLEASE A
lthough its knit dresses and oversized polos are in grays, browns, and creams, PLEASURE DOING BUSINESS’ Spring 2011 collection is anything but simple. Their woven bustiers, skirts, and dresses hug the right curves in pastel hues of blue and green. Made with mesh material, these clothes are comfy and breathable enough to let you do as you please. pleasuredoingbusiness.org
SUPER DUPER S
UTSU is doing big things with their environmentfriendly fabrics like organic cotton and bamboo garments. Their laidback graphic tees, hooded sweats, and crew sweats in black, blue, and gray will make every man look good and change the world. We don’t mind which one you want to do first; either will do just fine. sutsu.com
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/THREADS
COLOR ME
LEATHER F
east on leathery goods from Russian label NUTSA MODEBADZE, which offers bags that range from classic black or brown knapsacks to two-toned silver or gold clutches. Their green envelope clutch takes the color game up a notch. Who knew leather could be so colorful? nutsamodebadze.com
CLOUD NINE W
ith the line’s signature digital prints and delicate pleating, MILIN’s latest collection, dubbed (Under) Sense and Sensibility, puts a twist to feminine tailoring with wide leg pants and structured blazers in sky blue and pale periwinkle. Halterneck and keyhole dresses in twilight and sky prints define waists while keeping a freeflowing silhouette. milin.com
BACK IN BLACK A
fter a successful collaboration in Spring 2010, VANS X HELLZ BELLZ is back for a second season in two new shoe styles and bags to match. 80’s punk rock is the name of the game, ruled by a mashup of faux zebra hide, gunmetal, and leather materials. Coming back strong, we can only wish for more. vans.com
CUT TO
THE CHASE
F
or New York-based brand BARON WELLS, it’s all about getting in shape with their details—tight fitting on the pants, gold buttons on the polos, a spacesuit look on their hoodie, and a fit that is, as always, nice and trim. Yes, you can wear high-waisted shorts rolled up above your knees to expose white socks or jeans while looking less like an awkward nerd and more like a city slicker. baron-wells.com
OFF-DUTY
B
erlin-based label BOESSERT-SCHORN pulls off that hard-to-achieve star-off-the-camera style. Erin Wasson would definitely rock their square cutout box blazer while their layered circle scarves scream Sienna Miller. Throw on their slouchy knits with jeans, then top it off with a pair of sunnies, and you will look relaxed and put together just like a celebrity on her morning coffee run. boessert-schorn.de
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/SETTING
CORKAGE
bARCELONA BACCHANALIA
S
it and feast Spanish-style inside the Mediterranean-inspired restaurant/drinking hall CERVESERIA. A sizzling idea from Kai restaurant’s Chef Gilbert Pangilinan, this restaurant at Greenbelt 3 in Makati City treats diners with dishes such as their bestselling Cerveseria Tapa Sampler and the house specialty, Paella Cerveseria. On a lazy Friday night, enjoy the lively 80’s music as you enjoy their Cerveseria Sangria or the many drinks from the restaurant’s bodega de vino.
GRUB
chock-full of choco A
SUITE
Americana charm complemented by urban industrial elements, the interior of this establishment is decorated with Smeg refrigerators, Music Hall turntables, and graffiti-style murals. The hotel brims with creative energy without being snob or showy—a landmark of its own right among the Empire State Building and Times Square.
love for chocolate and dislike for her old job were the right ingredients for Lyn Lee to concoct AWFULLY CHOCOLATE—a shop offering decadent cocoa delights like its signature chocolate cake as well as the premium dark ice cream, Hei. A rebuttal to the fancy pastry shops in Singapore, the shop ushered a renaissance in 1998 by cutting frill and pomp, instead focusing on the humble choco. It was a recipe for success—today, Awfully Chocolate is spreading its goodness in Shanghai, Jakarta, Beijing, and other cities in the region.
acehotel.com
awfullychocolate.com
art quarters H
otel regulars on the lookout for hip bohemian spaces in New York will find inspiration in ACE HOTEL, the reincarnation of the historic century-old Breslin Hotel. A popular hipster haunt, the hotel has been graced by the presence of celebrities, designers, and artists such as Kirsten Dunst, Terry Richardson, Jeremy Scott, Margherita Missoni, Jason Schwartzman, and Alexander Wang. True to its retro
PL ATE
whoa cocoa!
The only thing awful about AWFULLY CHOCOLATE? You can’t get enough of their treats—so bid bye bye to your controlled diet!
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ALL CHOCOLATE CAKE Barney Stinson’s words best describe this signature delight: legen-wait for it-dary.
DOUBLE SCOOP HEI ICE CREAM Hefty servings of premium dark chocolate ice cream— there is good in this world still.
DARK CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE Double, double, treadmill trouble: so worth the gym time for these indulfent truffles.
CHOCOLATE RUM & CHERRY CAKE Why wait for Christmas to treat your palate with this mouth-watering delight?
/ b e at S
MUSIC REVIEWS
ON THE SPOT
full stage W
hen they’re not managing tattoo parlors or art galleries, hip-hop band MISYONARYO sends good vibes through music, making it a point to “spread positive vibes, friendship, peace, [and] love to everybody,” says vocalist Kodah Godarzi. With Kodah behind the mic is Arjo Cairo, Ali Alejandro (drums), Cinco Castillo and Anto Bautista (guitars), Jayjay Villanueva (turntable), Francis Militar (bass), and Tristan Nanca (keyboards). Most of them didn’t really have formal training in music, but 10 years of friendship and collective passion shaped the band. Having eight guys in the group isn’t that bad either.
Aside from automatic subs whenever someone can’t make it to a gig, it gives them a chance to play around and experiment with their diverse music influences. Misyonaryo compose their own songs, blending smooth and slow jazz with a hip-hop groove they describe as “super lambing (affectionate).” With an occasional below zero beer and herbs on the side, they set down to write as soon as the inspiration hits them. “Whatever feels good, we take it down,” Arjo shares. “There’s already a lot of negativity in the world,” Kodah tells us. So as messengers of good vibes, they send off a prayer before performing, and by the end of the night, it’s another mission accomplished. MACY REANTASO
LISTEN UP
Pauline Diaz of TOI Misyonaryo photo by Paolo Ruiz. Daniel Lopatin photo by David Black. Yukimi Nagano photo courtesy of Studio Seek
toikingdom.com
Daniel Lopatin of FORD AND LOPATIN myspace.com/gamesmusic
Chris Cornell – “Shower” It’s something that popped up a few weeks ago. Like a blast from someone else’s past.
Cocteau Twins – “Cherry Coloured Funk” “And should I be hugged and tugged down through this tiger’s masque?”
Lisa Hannigan – “Pistachio” I’ve always enjoyed disjointed imagery in lyrical work.
Love – “Andmoreagain” “And I’m wrapped in my armor, but my things are material.”
Corrine Bailey Rae – “Paris Nights and New York Mornings” I’ve never been to either, but a girl can dream. A Silent Film – “Sleeping Pills” Another song with vivid imagery.
Nik Kershaw – “Dancing Girls” We heard this at a club in Bristol while DJing. Complex and propulsive bass line makes this more than just another new wave jam. Actress – “Purple Splazsh” Actress channeling Andy Summers or sampling something awesome. Either way, it’s great.
Yukimi Nagano of LITTLE DRAGON little-dragon.se
Kate Bush – “Women’s Work” Because it’s a timeless, beautiful song that never can go wrong and always moves. Brandy – “Full Moon” What a voice.
Jimi Hendrix – “If 6 Was 9” Hippie time!
Prince – “Purple Music” The man is on fire.
Arcade Fire’s Grammy Awardwinning The Suburbs will be rereleased as a deluxe edition on August 2 to include a longer version of “Wasted Hours (A Life That We Can Live),” unreleased tracks like “Speaking In Tongues,” a Spike Jonze-directed short film, Scenes from The Suburbs, plus an exclusive 80-page booklet with lyrics and photos taken during the shoot.
For its 20th anniversary, Lollapalooza books headliners Eminem, Coldplay, Muse, Foo Fighters, Deadmau5, and My Morning Jacket in Chicago’s Grant Park on August 5 to 7. Also watch out for the 15,000-capacity dance tent which will host performances by Girl Talk, Kid CuDi, Pretty Lights, and Skrillex. Also celebrating its 20th is Pearl Jam’s Ten. Joining the band on September 3 and 4 at Wisconsin’s Alpine Valley Music Theatre, are The Strokes, Queens Of The Stone Age, Glen Hansard, and more. There’s also a Cameron Crowe doc and a book entitled Pearl Jam Twenty pending.
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/SCREEN
/ BEATS MOVIE REVIEWS
DIRECTOR’S CUT
Uncle Kent (2011) What mumblecore filmmaker JOE SWANBERG lacks in budget, he makes up for with his mumblecore tricks. In Uncle Kent, the raunchy scenes are merely the breadcrumbs that lead the audience to the bigger story—which Joe talks about below.
U
A CHANCE TO HANG OUT WITH KENT OSBORNE...DRINK A BEER. SMOKE SOME POT. CHECK YOUR EMAIL.
ncle Kent is a chance to hang out with Kent Osborne, the actor/ writer, who plays Kent Osborne, the actor/writer. Drink a beer. Smoke some pot. Check your email. Play with your cat. Call a friend. Masturbate. We’ve used his life to tell a story about loneliness, disconnection, and screens. It’s Kent, but it’s not. Kent has just turned 40. He comes home from work every day and jumps on the Internet. He surfs around Chatroulette making drawings of the people he sees. Kent doesn’t want the discussions and compromises that come along with a relationship. One day, he meets a woman named Kate on the chatting website, and they
PL AYBACK
CINEMANTICS
THE RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
High and Low (1963)
D
MAKES KUROSAWA’S WORKS RELEVANT IN THIS AGE OF HIGH-TECH VISUAL SPECTACLES AND INDULGENT PLOTS
connect. She has a boyfriend. She is coming to LA for business, and she wants to stay with him. They flirt, tell stories, and pretend to kiss for a masturbating stranger on the computer. Kent and Kate browse Craigslist looking for a woman to sleep with. They find one. Josephine comes over to Kent’s apartment. Conversations turn to kisses. Complications arise. Kate is reminded of her boyfriend. At the next scene, Kent and Kate are sleeping in separate beds again. Boyfriend and girlfriend—without the sex.
espite not being one of Akira Kurosawa’s more recognized films, High and Low showcases the multilayered storytelling that makes Kurosawa’s works relevant in this age of high-tech visual spectacles and indulgent plots crafted for the attention-deficient. A police-procedural-kidnapping story with a heart, High and Low explores Japan’s class issues, capitalism, and gender roles. While the crux of the story–the financial security of an executive and his chauffeur’s child’s life—may seem like a no-brainer dilemma, the layers of motivations Kurosawa weaves display the film’s gravity. Storytelling is Kurosawa’s strongest suit. Instead of a closeup shot, the filmmaker uses a single frame to simultaneously capture the various textures of emotions of multiple characters. Kurosawa’s brilliance will keep you on your seats for two and a half hours of your life. EIRENE UY
E
ENVISIONED AS THE BATMAN BEGINS OF THE APES FRANCHISE
(2011)
nvisioned as the Batman Begins of the Apes franchise, the film stars Oscar-nominated James Franco as Will, a man looking for the Alzheimer’s cure. Instead, he finds a way to smarten apes, allowing the animals to start a war against humanity. This preboot (intended to show a fresh take on a dying franchise— like a reboot—but set in an earlier timeline) marks the first time that the franchise is using digitally created apes as opposed to the traditional costume and makeup. Peter Jackson’s WETA Digital is the studio behind the creatures; that would at least mean that they’re bound to look cool. While the original 1968 Planet of the Apes is considered a classic, nobody’s certain if the preboot would follow suit until it comes out on this month. This could either be the start of a new franchise—or usher the death of preboots. SHINJI MANLANGIT
TICKET
30 MINUTES OR LESS
Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) directs this comedy about two bumbling criminals who kidnap pizza delivery boy Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) so he can do the dirty work of robbing a bank for them.
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THE SKIN I LIVE IN
Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar casts Antonio Banderas yet again, this time as a mad plastic surgeon who holds a young woman hostage, transforming her to resemble his late wife.
DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK Pan’s Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro writes his own twist to this remake of the 1973 classic--the story of a haunted mansion’s diabolical creatures conspiring to drag a young girl down their lair.
OUR IDIOT BROTHER Ned (Paul Rudd) makes his sisters’ lives a living hell when his siblings take turns in helping him get his act together after getting arrested for selling weed to a police officer.
THE PERFECT AGE OF ROCK ‘N’ ROLL At 27, the age Cobain and Morrison died on their stardom, Spyder reconnects with his childhood friend and songwriter, Eric, after his sophomore album flops.
/ink
BOOK REVIEWS
ONE-SITTINGS
GEEK TRAGEDIES By Carljoe Javier
I
n his first short fiction collection, Geek Tragedies, Carljoe Javier, known for his essay book And The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth, continues to explore the geek psyche, revealing a more refined perspective on geek culture. Accompanied by illustrations (care of Josel Nicolas) that play with archetypal comic book characters (e.g. The Hulk holding a cheerleader like he’s King Kong), Javier’s sharp wit and extensive knowledge of pop culture makes Geek Tragedies a more substantial read, traversing geek staples like comic book devotees and videogame addicts,tackling bizarre concepts like an iPod time machine and a generation starship hypnotized by the local noontime show fixture Sexbomb Dancers. Geek Tragedies explores our generational unrest,
rea d ing group
WE OTHERS
pounded by flickering attention spans and instant gratification via pop cultural slush. But ultimately, what his characters long for is connection. Javier draws them out from tragicomic circumstances, with these personalities holding on to whatever could detach them from their soul-crushing ennui and dissonance. DON JAUCIAN OUR GENERATIONAL UNREST, POUNDED BY FLICKERING ATTENTION SPANS AND INSTANT GRATIFICATION VIA POP CULTURAL SLUSH
By Steven Millhauser
I
n his 2008 New York Times essay, “The Ambition of the Short Story,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Steven Millhauser observes: “The ponderous mass of the novel strikes it as the laughable image of weakness. The short story apologizes for nothing… if it could find that word, if it could utter that syllable, the entire universe would blaze up out of it with a roar. That is the outrageous ambition of the short story…that is the greatness of its smallness.” While Steven Millhauser is an award-winning novelist, he is no one-trick pony—he is a much-celebrated wordsmith, with glowing reviews from his peers and the attention of Hollywood studios (his short story,
“Eisenheim the Illusionist”, inspired the 2006 movie The Illusionist.) In We Others: New and Selected Stories, the author promises to take us right smack in the middle of the real and the surreal. He opens the door to his palatial imagination, where his stories are doors that make other worlds, like a small town in Connecticut or Thomas Edison’s workshop (some of the settings of his short stories), as accessible as our backyards. This is three decades’ worth of Millhauser magic—a multitude of microcosms which the writer metaphorically refers to as grains of sand “in the fierce belief that there lies the universe.” EVAN TAN
STEVEN MILLHAUSER’s STORIES ARE DOORS THAT MAKE OTHER WORLDS…AS ACCESSIBLE AS OUR BACKYARDS
FOOTNOTES Stories let you explore other worlds and assume different characters–but so does the new PLAYSTATION VITA, Sony’s nextgeneration gaming console with front-and-back multitouch screens, motion sensors, and a 5-inch OLED display.
PICTURE BOOK
CELLULOID
By Dave McKean
I
n Celluloid, English illustrator and photographer Dave McKean veers away from religion and mystery—themes he largely explored in his first graphic novel, Cages, to focus on the theme that sells—sex. Putting the graphic in pornographic, McKean relies on his brilliant imagery to tell the story of an unnamed woman who, on the verge of sexual frustrations, stumbles upon a film projector and reel showing scenes of a couple copulating. She curiously watches from beginning to end until the film burns out—opening a doorway to a world of voyeurism and sexual fantasies. McKean sets his graphic novel apart from other vulgar
A Rubik’s cube? Puh-lease—that boring old stuff is for normal people. Geeks today prove how highly evolved their skills are with this mind-distorting RUBIK’S MIRROR BLOCKS CUBE—the next level to the famous IQ puzzle.
erotic materials. From monochromatic sketches, the story gradually becomes rife with texture and color as McKean adds elements reminiscent of Georges Braque’s cubist style combined with Dali’s surrealist art. This Alice in Wonderland with R-18 tendencies is like an art gallery striptease performance put on print. MACY REANTASO
Alice in Wonderland with R-18 tendencies
With the MICRO CA-100 INSPECTION CAMERA, sneakily watch what’s happening in those hard-to-reach places. Simply let the mini-camera slither discreetly as you grip the pistol-like device while the LCD display satisfies the voyeur in you.
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tech pack
PANASONIC LUMIC DMC G-3
• The world’s smallest and lightest Digital Interchangeable Lens System Camera at 12 oz • Has two outer cameras that allow taking snapshots with 3D effects • With a new 16-megapixel sensor and 1920 x 1080 full HD video recording capability • Has a touchscreen interface that allows direct touchscreen selection of focus point
SAMSUNG SERIES 9 LAPTOP
• Equipped with a 128 GB solid state drive that boots 60% faster than a hard disk drive • Has SuperBright HD LED 13.3-inch screen with anti-glare display • With a Duralumin enclosure, which is twice as durable as aluminum • 0.16 cm thick and 1.31 kg light
SRP: TBA
SRP: TBA
featherweight Take a load off with these gadgets that weigh next to nothing.
NOOK SIMPLE TOUCH READER
• Ultra light at 8 oz but keeps more than 1,000 books • Has 6-inch high contrast touchscreen and advanced E Ink® Pearl technology that displays text as if it were on a printed page • Battery life lasts for 2 months SRP: PHP 8,800
CASIO TRYX
• Has a 3-inch touchscreen and a 12.1-megapixel camera that can shoot 1080p HD movies • Features High-Speed Continuous Shooting technology and 21 mm UltraWide Angle Lens • Can twist, turn, hang, and stand at different angles • Has built-in motion sensor that triggers self-timer even with a single hand wave SRP: PHP 11,000
SHARP AQUOS “THE HYBRID” 007SH ANDROID
• Features a 3.4-inch touchscreen, a 1 GHz processor, and a waterproof 5 oz body • Has a 3D-capable 16-megapixel rear camera with 720 pixel video capture • Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-ready SRP: TBA
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face paint Borghese Perfetta Lip Pencil (Red Autumn), P820
Absolutely Irresistible Givenchy, P4,850
Smashbox Face and Body Brush #19, P2,750
TheBalm Stainiac, P650
Tarte Cheek Stain (Tickled), P1,290
Hot Topic Red Glitter Baked Eye Shadow, P130
LITTLE RED RIDING LOOK
Alison Raffaele Reality Base Foundation (Skintone 5), P2,250
Oh, sweetie! What rosy face you have!
Make Up For Ever Aquarelle, P850
MAC Viva Glam Lipstick, P1,100
L’Oréal Color Riche (Red Passion), P625
Make Up For Ever Moulin Rouge® Strass, P980
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Model photo by The Cobrasnake
Dior Capture Totale One Essential Skin Boosting Super Serum, P6,150
about face OH, ALOE
The aloe vera gel and shea butter in THE BODY SHOP ALOE SOOTHING NIGHT CREAM calm the skin and restore its natural defense system. P850
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE KOSÉ SEKKISEI SUPREME WHITENING EYE CREAM keeps its word—nothing less, but it offers more than just brightening skin around the eyes. It also has Chinese and Japanese herbs to ward off dullness and UV rays’ harmful effects. P2,650
COFFEEBERRY FIX
Beauty experts rave about the antioxidant coffeeberry found in REVALÉSKIN NIGHT CREAM which reduces and prevents signs of skin aging as well as evens out skin tone. P5,090
GREEN STUFF
Expert
Best to apply after cleansing and toning, MARIO BADESCU CHAMOMILE NIGHT CREAM is suitable for sensitive skin. It also helps to soothe redness and irritation. P770
Model photo by Stevyn Llewellyn, Too Cool For School photo by Rosario Herrera
Advice If you have oily skin, choose night creams with hydrating or noncomedogenic formulas to avoid clogging your pores.
beauty bite
SLEEPING BEAUTY Who says night creams are only for those in their 30s? For young ones, there are lighter, more natural formulations. SERIOUS HYDRATION
YOUNG AND RESTFUL
Erasing the effects of a hard day, KENZO KENZOKI COSMIC COSMETIC CREAM helps skin to feel more rested with its relaxing white lotus scent and its lightweight texture. P3,350
Too Cool For School A n extension of TODACOSA, the first cosmetic chain to grace the streets of Korea, TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL has a three-story shop in Myeongdong. It packs the needs of cosmoholics who have incontrollable hankerings for makeup. With a line that collaborates with London-based illustrator Anke Weckmann, responsible for those cute girls and cats to make for the cute packaging, you won’t wonder why they also let you experiment with your artistic side. They have the Art Class Pastel Drawing Kit, which comes with four pastel-colored eye shadow sticks, two eye
JURLIQUE HERBAL RECOVERY NIGHT CREAM has a blend of eight herbs and flowers, beech tree bud extract, and antioxidants for healthier skin. It’s a bit pricey, but it’s natural, it smells like spring, and it works. P1,800
brushes, and Lip Crayons in five colors. Their products are named just as daintily as their designs—Play Cheek blushers, Roll Lip Pop lipsticks, and their Panda Eye concealer which is perfect for those bags under your eyes after pulling an all-nighter for your Math exam. Designed for the young and the young at heart, this brand will make looking cute on the first day of classes so much easier. Seoul-si Jung-gu Myeongdong2-ga 54-30 toocool.co.kr
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brick and mortar
CARHARTT, SEOUL Apkujung-dong Seoul, South Korea (02) 541 0852 carhartt-wip.co.kr Dime to Drop: KRW 35,000-400,000 (PHP 1,400-16,000) Don’t leave without: Carhartt Sweaters and Carhartt X Zippo Storm Lighter
M
ix BMX, skate, fashion, music, and art–that’s how you get the great CARHARTT store. Having just recently opened their doors in Korea, this flagship store and its minimalist design of brick walls and wooden shelves is turning the hype up for all skateboard and streetwear lovers in the city. Offering their famed board shorts and denim jeans as well as their original henleys and shirts, the store also has womenswear ‘cause yeah, a boy needs to shop for his girl, too. Go crazy at their accessories section, which displays belts, bags, and beanies with the Carhartt logo. If that’s not enough, a selection of good reads about skate, graffiti, and photography are up for grabs. Drop by if you want to take a look at sleek and fancy bikes or when you just want your swag updated. This store is home to all cool kids, and for sure, the homies chilling behind the counter would love some company while they blast some good ol’ hip-hop in the background.
DAGMAR ROUSSET, VICTORIA AU 157 Gertrude St., Fitzroy Victoria, Australia 3065 +61 3 9419 2200 +41 44 440 29 29 dagmarrousset.com.au Dime to drop: AUD $40-495 (PHP 880-21,780) Don’t leave without: 100% cotton knitted pieces from ALL by Annie Larson
F
urry pink intestines in jars greet you by the door at DAGMAR ROUSSET, but rather than seeming morbid, these feel quirky and charming, much like the boutique itself. A closer look will awaken your inner eccentric, and you just might discover your taste for clays sculptures and embroidered jewelry. With objects d’art and clothes from all over the world, this place combines its worldly finds with a down home atmosphere. Sit and browse through French children’s books, and have pretend tea time on their white wooden dining table. They have felt toys for kids at heart, colorful sweaters and scarves from ALL Knitwear, and a wide selection of womenswear from Eley Kishimoto, Take Off Your Clothes, and Salasai. They also carry local fashion brands like Hopeless Lingerie and Emma the Shoemaker. The store’s belief in the off-tangent creative certainly carries through the whole space. And if the odds and ends don’t take you in, pop on over for a quick French lesson. Yeah, they teach French, too. Faites de bonnes emplettes!
Summerland
SUMMERLAND had us at vintage and house wear. But it’s their wellcurated lineup of labels—Dear Creatures, Alexandra Grecco, Shakuhachi, Karen Walker, Dace, plus accessories from Winfred and Makelike—that got our full attention. While this Portland-based website offers
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cutout dresses, sheer tops, chain belts, and a whole lot more, it’s their being inspired by Stevie Nicks, The Regency, and old country singers that’ll get you the best of the Wild, Wild West and still make you look every inch of a rock star.
shop-summerland.com
caped crusader
style id
You don’t have to be part of the Justice League in order to be a superhero. All you need is the perfect cape and the right amount of swagger to banish all evil fashion elements in the world. By JP Singson
Simon Nygård, model, completes his all-black ensemble with a Lad Musician cape.
This stylish lass wears a basic cape by American Apparel.
Matthieu Bredon Huger, fashion assistant, pairs his cape jacket with tightrolled skinnies.
jponfashionspeed.blogspot.com
Student Luis Jaster borrows his mom’s vintage cape.
This Parisian channels his inner Luke Skywalker to the streets of Paris. Pierre Brighton, fashion blogger, rocks his vintage pleated cape.
Only the Japanese can pull off a flawless minimalist modern-day superhero getup.
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go see Watch out as these stylephiles take over your city. They’re starting a fashion empire one street and one look at a time. Photographed by Rosario Herrera, Charmaine Ng, Chesca Rueda, & Nikki Ruiz
Crochet Poncho
Denim Vest
Animal Print Sneakers
Letterman Cardigan
Leopard Print Blazer Army Green Chinos
Caramel Sneakers
Grey Scarf
Maxi Skirt Leather Jacket
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Leather Satchel
Denim Button Up
Midi Skirt
Slouchy Sweater Dress
Red Bow Tie
Paisley Neck Tie
Printed Leggings
Bowler Hat Sheer Top
Vintage Sundress
Printed Headscarf
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What's a great performance without an encore? With bodysuits, unitards, and tutus carefully choreographed with the flow of black-tasseled vests, sage tops, and pink chiffon, your everyday wear can stand in as a big show even after the lights are off. Photographer: Lee John Mann Makeup and Hair: Sandra Bermingham Stylist: Victoria Barban Model: Sophie of Profile Models
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grey bodysuit by American Apparel grey leggings with cuffs by American Apparel pink chiffon double layer skirt by American Apparel
black unitard by American Apparel
grey dress by Beyond Retro black leggings by Topshop hair piece by Aldo shoes by American Apparel
sage top by Freddy flesh chiffon double layer skirt by American Apparel black leggings by Topshop black shoes by Topshop
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tassel vest by All Saints flesh body suit by American Apparel black leggings by Topshop
dusky hooded jacket by Ghost black bodysuit by American Apparel
black bodysuit by American Apparel black skirt by Freddy for The Royal Ballet black leggings by Topshop black lace shoes by American Apparel necklace by Aldo
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ir he n t enie i y pla y te nd y bits eone a ut its m e o ose ll, so m h co in t s fa ies rse, ard d a l ou tow the of c ops , n r d oo an e d ern on, ratur t f a es pe s he n t glas tem . i 3 un the up s it’ , s s at en els i. A he Wh h he bikin n the en ss J hig enie o tur hie ,N T t e a rde ton s r w eds n s o e i g An nd ce F on ros ivin a ne n er: o es lL
n o o n t r h e ft eli g
d A 36 - statusmagonline.com
ph Arm Torre n M a D es te Ho to n : gra cy tur oto t: Sta keup f Fen ohan Pic nster h P lis a r o t: J Ivy tmi Sty ir & M Gree stan Red Wes i Ha del: Ass tion: The Mo list’s duc nks: Sty st Pro l Tha Po ecia Sp
red swimsuit by Keva Johnson sunglasses by Mercura
black swimsuit by Johnny Vincent Swimwear Black Boomerang nacklace by Stacy Armand Jewelry sunglasses by Mercura
blue swimsuit by Keva Johnson gold cuff by Stacy Armand Jewelry sunglasses by Mercura
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sunglasses by Mercura necklace: stylist’s own zebra romper by PANTORA by Andrea Pitter Big City of Dreams shoes by John Ashford
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SWAG
august
2
0
1
1
WARM AND FUZZY
When the weather gets gloomy, cozy up in scarves, turbans, nylon jackets, and colored chinos. These August treats are too sweet to pass up on. Product photography by Miguel Miranda Illustration by Soleil Ignacio
Clockwise from top left: Penshoppe [P179], Accessorize [P600], Penshoppe [P179], Aldo [P355]
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pETER PAN COLLARS
YOUNG FOREVER
Peter Pan collars will bring back the good ol’ days.
Dorothy Perkins [P2,095]
Topshop [P2,545]
Topshop [P2,545]
Dorothy Perkins [P1,545]
DKNY R 2011 FALL / WINTE
Topshop [P2,545]
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WIDE-LEGGED JEANS
BELLE OF THE BALL Wide-legged pants that keep the sixties swinging alive.
Sinequanone [P6,450]
7 For All Mankind [P10,498]
Red Herring [P2,750]
N STEVEN ALA2011 R E FALL / WINT
Forever 21 [P1,275]
7 For All Mankind [P12,489] Dorothy Perkins [P1,995]
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OVERSIZED CLUTCHES/ STATEMENT BANGLES
THE BIG TIME Size does matter with these clutches.
The Ramp [P1,195] Nine West [P3,950]
H! by Henry Holland [P2,150] Topshop [P2,545]
Steve Madden [P3,250] Star by Julien McDonald [P3,550]
NEW YORK
SUGAR MOMMA Sweet and chunky just the way you like it.
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Forever 21 [P625]
Aldo [P895]
Accessorize [P655]
Forever 21 [P895]
Street style photo by Rosario Herrera
Dorothy Perkins [P1,195]
PRINTED SHOES
PRINTING PRESS Check out their fine prints.
Call It Spring [P2,695]
Red Herring [P2,550]
Aldo [P4,895]
Aldo [P4,895]
Call It Spring [P2,695] Call It Spring [P2,695]
Steve Madden [P4,950]
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SNEAKERS
SNEAKY DISPOSITION Stride like the world ain’t watching.
Creative Recreation Capri [P4,995]
DC Studio Spice [P4,290]
Generic Surplus Borstal Chambray [P3,900]
DC Standard TX Teal [P2,990]
Vans Era Wingtip CA [P3,998]
Pony Hawaii [P2,495]
Creative Recreation Cesario Lo XVI [P3,890]
Clae Romare Hi [P5,980]
Pony Boat [P3,195]
Vans Bedford [P4,998]
Puma El Rey Turf [P3,910]
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Street style photo by Rosario Herrera
NEW YORK
TEES/ SCARVES
WORD UP Say it loud and proud.
Topman [P1,295]
7 For All Mankind [P3,998]
7 For All Mankind [P3,998]
21 Men [P805]
Topman [P1,095]
Springfield [P995]
NECK AND NECK Nothing like a scarf to keep you feeling toasty. Terranova [P445]
Debenhams [P995]
Terranova [P445]
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NYLON JACKETS
NYLON FIX Looking more dope than ever.
Penshoppe [1,999]
Calvin Klein [P6,250]
Terranova [P1,195]
Springfield [P3,250]
5cm [P6,899]
Armani Exchange [8,950]
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Runway photo by Bruce Casanova
SM MEN’s 1 1 holiday 20
COLORED CHINOS
COLORAMA A pop of color goes a long way.
21 Men [P1,735] Mundo [P1,750]
Penshoppe [P1,199]
Topman [P2,395]
IGER TOMMY HILFR 2011 FALL / WINTE
Terranova [P1,345] Topman [P2,745]
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On Alisa: “There is Hope” by Alyssa Africa P369 On Eric: “Take the Lead” by Stephanie Uy P449, Duffle jacket P1,499
THE PLUS SIDE Penshoppe wanted two things: positive and creative. Our Be Positive campaign gathered hundreds of entries. Watch out for these Positivitees to be released in series in Penshoppe boutiques nationwide! Photographed by Everywhere We Shoot Hair by Armando Sierra & Baba Parma of Jing Monis Salon Makeup by Ana Paredes Modeled by Eric Alessi & Alisa Sazonova Location: Heima Store
Clockwise from top left: “The Future Looks Bright” by Paul Miguel Diones & Krizel Malacca P369 “Spark, Create, Inspire” by Karlo Victoriano P369 “Dream Big It’s Free” by Drexler John Cruz P449 “Take the Lead” by Stephanie Uy P449 “Keep Calm and Be Positive” by Adrian Pingol de Guzman P449 “Think Cool and Be It” by Jujed Prochina P369
On Alisa: “Free” by Cenon Norial P369 Cardigan P1,099 Tunic P899 Twill trousers P1,099
On Eric: “Make It Happen” by Mikole Mendoza P449 Long sleeve shirt P1,099 Trousers P1,299
On Eric: “Begin Again, Never Give Up” by Nicolo Doplayna P449 Varsity jacket P1.299 Colored pants P1,299
On Alisa: “Life is Awesome” by Dheira Gerilla P369 Bomber jacket P2,599 Extended sleeves top P769 Floral tube dress P749
On Alisa: “Wear a Smile Today” by Drexler John Cruz P369 Cardigan P999 On Eric: “Start Change” by Cenon Norial P449 Long sleeve shirt P1.099 Trousers P1,299
M U S E
POWER
SHI FT
Tyra calls them “fiercely real,” the rest of the world say “plus-size,” but ROBYN LAWLEY would rather drop that phrase and simply be called “model.” That’s what she is and has been for the past 5 years. Yet it’s only this year that she’s gone from one cover (French Elle) to the ultimate prize—as Tyra claims—Vogue Italia, stirring the beginnings of a new force in fashion. By Giano D. Dionisio Photos courtesy of BELLA Model Management
I
“
t sucks when people automatically think plus-size girls are unfit, fat girls,” Robyn tells New York Magazine. On the contrary, Robyn has always been sporty as she was “a very adventurous child: I loved the outdoors, camping, and climbing.” Towering over 6 feet, she’s always been naturally larger than life. Now, the industry is experiencing changes to the regime of toothpick-thin European teens, and though Crystal Renn blazed the path a year ago, Robyn is now blowing the doors wide open for further diversity to storm the queendom.
EYE OF THE BEHOLDER Beauty, in some way, remains constant but also can unexpectedly change. I appreciate different as well as classical beauty; the fashion world can get so obsessed by one standard kind of look, like heroin chic or ugly pretty. I’m not exactly sure why, but I think the fashion world likes to remain a bit of an outsider.
SIZING UP
Being a model is very hard no matter what your size is; you just have to work hard and believe that you are booked because you are a good model and will do a good job… We really do have to prove our worth and prove it quickly.
BIG, BETTER, BEST
I would change opinions on size and try to get clients to open their eyes a bit wider… I would like to be used for a designer campaign or at least the opportunity to get something of that caliber. When you are not even given the chance to [attend a casting], it’s frustratingly hard to prove your worth.
bellamodelsmanagement.com.au
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M A E S T R O
LET IT RIP “I think its energy is a mix of Butthead, the video clip [from] and Alicia Silverstone, smoking knee scraped and putting a band vocalist Lovefoxxx of Brazilian their new album, La Liberación.
warriors, Beavis and ‘Crazy’ with Liv Tyler weed, getting your aid on it,” says lead rock band CSS about
By Reena Mesias Photographed by Mariana Juliano
W
hen I’m ripping shit, it’s when I’m doing things right,” explains CSS’s Lovefoxxx (vocals) about why “rip shit” was their chosen mantra for La Liberación, the follow-up to their 2008 album, Donkey. Luiza Sa (guitar, keyboards) confirms this by saying, “[It’s] something to inspire you to go for it, to give it all, to go all the way...to be empowered and enthusiastic about things.” And how can these two not be enthusiastic when, together with Ana Rezende (guitars, keyboards), Carolina Parra (guitars, drums, backing vocals), and Adriano Cintra (bass, backing vocals), they recently just got signed with V2 Music? “We haven’t done the whole office thing yet,” says Luiza, but so far, their relationship is as vanilla as “they are into us, so we are into them,” in Lovefoxxx’s words. It’s always nice to see head-nodding bands find each other, and La Liberación includes collaborations that would bring the band’s signature electro-funk-and-punk sound to dancelike-it’s-the-end-of-world level. “‘Red Alert’ is very sleazy and slow…it’s our ‘west coast rap’,” Lovefoxxx talks about the song with Ratatat. “We were at Big Day Out in Australia, and Ratatat was there. They released, in the past, some rap mixtapes where they made a whole new song around the vocals.” With a few reversed guitars, drums, and synths, it was a go for both ends. “With ‘Hits Me like a Rock’,” Lovefoxxx continues, “I just thought it would be really nice to have a male’s voice in it. And [Bobby Gillespie of Primal
Scream] was the first person that came to my mind.” While the album is a big bundle of intensity and expansion, the ideal environment for CSS is actually somewhere with sunlight and coffee machine. “It’s somewhere relaxed, free, and always fun—not 24-hour jumping up and down but just relaxed like being home,” Luiza says, adding, “We are like a family.” Inspired by Lovefoxxx’s diaries when she was a teenager, you’ll see exactly how the creative process of feeling at home and La Liberación panned out. “At 14, my favorite thing was to make weird clothes—like this t-shirt with glued x-rays, [a] cereal box that I glued a handle [to make it] my bag, [and my pink hair]. When I hit the streets, people would yell horrible things from their car to me,” Lovefoxxx recalls. “I just wished that I could walk around like that and no one would give a shit. All I wanted was to have a gang of friends that would be as retard as I was…I wanted to belong.” A few years after, Lovefoxxx may still have people looking at her, but now with praises to whoop. As a bonus, she has the band to be retards with. “Everyone has a lot of character, but everyone respects everyone,” says Luiza. “I feel like we are firstly friends and then work buddies.” Lovefoxxx adds, “I love to think that I could go to a supermarket and pick food, pads, booze, music, books for [anyone in the band] and [I] wouldn’t disappoint them.”
LIVE AND LET LIVE! 5 tips to make a show according to CSS.
1
Want to be there. Care and show respect to the crowd.
2 3
The length should never exceed 1 hour and a half.
4 5
Talk in between songs.
Energy, sound, and lights.
Bring something crazy: props, outfit, makeup. Always go over the top.
myspace.com/canseidesersexy
“I love to think that I could go to a supermarket and pick food, pads, booze, music, books for [anyone in the band] and [I] wouldn’t disappoint them.” statusmagonline.com - 57
maestro
WHO’S THE
RACKET ?
Following their debut album, Nothing Hurts, UK-based fuzz rock trio MALE BONDING is back with Endless Now. Produced in two weeks, it’s a surreal journey as the 36-minute, 12-track album features not only soothing vocals but also Mellotron and cellos.
After sessioning for Phoenix and The Teenagers, French pair HOUSSE DE RACKET serves us their own curveball of catchy, tennis-themed synth pop. By Ralph Mendoza
HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR’s album, Blue Songs, has frontman DJ Andy Butler experimenting with 80s disco music, mixing in house sounds of the 21st century. Recorded between Denver and Vienna, this entrancing, danceinducing album was made with techno legend Patrick Pulsinger.
T
o dismiss the boys, Victor le Masne and Pierre Leroux, of Housse de Racket as old news, being around since 2008, isn’t exactly right. That’s because they go even way back. Ten years, in fact. It was sometime during the mid-90s when Victor (drums, vocals) and Pierre (guitar, keyboards, vocals) first met at the local Chaville conservatoire in Paris. Victor had worn a Pearl Jam T-shirt, and Pierre had probably coveted the same thing for himself. After a drawn out conversation that spanned anything from grunge to girls, from Stevie Wonder to synthesizers, the two decided to form the band. As for the name Housse De Racket, an inside joke takes all the blame: “Let’s racket the house.” I’m sorry, what?
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A successful debut album, Forty Love, with a hit single “Oh Yeah,” a prized Kitsuné roster spot, and several sports shoots after, these guys can’t possibly complain. A second LP called Alesia will drop this August, and things are looking all the way up. “Alesia has been written and recorded quite fast,” says Victor.“So there’s definitely a feeling of a snap shot. It’s more coherent. There’s a common mood on all the tracks. We guess it’s the main difference with 2008’s Forty Love…For [Alesia], we were very happy to have no barriers [in terms] of topics. But in a way, some of the lyrics are related to France. We don’t really know why because we don’t feel patriotic at all.” Having played their cards right, the band was also lucky to have shared the studio with Phillipe Zdar, whose production know-how bore luscious fruit to recent Phoenix, The Rapture, and Beastie Boys records.“For us, it’s the next level. Zdar got really involved in the making of and worked very hard to get the best from us,” narrates Pierre. “We felt it was a unique chance
and a great challenge. We wanted a thick, large sound with loads of reverb and an apocalyptic wall of sound. Something timeless. In our opinion, only Zdar could do it.” The band is currently on tour in Europe, from Belgium’s Pukkelpop Festival to back home at La Gaîté Lyrique in Paris. “The challenge now is to bring these new tracks on stage,” admits Pierre. “[Our] live performances are always very epic. Gigs have always been the part we love the most—where the music lives. We try to create moments, with highs and lows as in ‘Chateau.’” As to the lovely whiff of pop in their music, Housse de Racket also attempts to adopt a style that stirs up nostalgia above anything else. “We try as hard as possible to remind [ourselves] what turned us on when we were teenagers while listening to really loud music on our Walkman,” says Victor. “These are moments in music when you feel the world is yours. We’re looking for the chills.”
myspace.com/houssederacket
Between their tours with Ra Ra Riot and Passion Pit, PEPPER RABBIT’s album Red Velvet Snow Ball was born on the road. The orchestration features eleven instruments—from ukuleles to analog synths and clarinets— making their own psychedelic pop-style brand.
Former G-Unit affiliate GAME launches The R.E.D. Album, his most lyrical album to date. He works with an all-star cast including Wiz Khalifa, Dr. Dre, and Odd Future’s Tyler, the Creator, the latter rapping along in the Mars-produced track “Martians VS Goblins.”
maestro
IT’S CYBORG MUSIC AND IT’S OK
Who is MODULOGEEK? More than being a oneman Daft Punk sans the helmet and the French nationality, he is a rising musical hero-in-disguise. Here, we unmask the guy manipulating the monome. By Evan Tan Photographed by Bobby Benedicto
J
oon Guillen has an alter ego. The moment he takes hold of his monome (this many-buttoned backlit musical controller), he, like the masked Japanese superheroes we grew up watching on TV, transforms into Modulogeek—the electronica protagonist who blasts the bad vibes off gig spots (such as Cubao Expo or SaGuijo) away into the nether regions. While Modulogeek is entirely his own creation, Joon, being an avid PS3 and PC gamer, is no stranger to assuming other characters. One can’t help but
think that 8-bit video games led him to playing music today. “It is a creative art in itself,” he muses. “Did you know that you can only make four simultaneous sounds on a NES chip? But listen to those tunes, and they sound fully orchestrated. It’s that limitation and working around it that appeals a lot to me.” To create music, Joon experiments with track samples, field recordings, and YouTube clips. Along the way, something clicks, and he ends up with a loop he really likes. “I build the music around that loop from
then on,” he says. “The key to appreciating it is in the melody and orchestration and how both are used to ‘tell a story’.” So will Modulogeek remain a lone ranger forever? Maybe not. “I would also like to collaborate not just with other musicians but also with visual artists to produce a full-on audio-visual experience. But well,” he notes, “that is an ambition I would reserve far in the future.”
modulogeek.com
TEMPLE OF LOVE
“Heart is first and foremost.” This is the songwriting trade secret that Here We Go Magic frontman LUKE TEMPLE keeps. Although heart, to him, doesn’t necessarily mean love songs but “an uncompromising ability to share how you really feel.” His solo album, Don’t Act Like You Don’t Care, strum those heart strings just right. By Zoe Laurente
L
“It took Stevie Wonder to make me cry.”
uke Temple remembers listening to The Bad Brains, The Cramps, and Minor Threat when he was in high school. “Before, [music] was more of a social thing,” he says. But then Stevie Wonder came along. “It took [him] to make me cry.” The range of these strong emotions is also evident in his solo album, Don’t Act Like You Don’t Care—its heartbreaking serenades like “So Long, So Long” to more lighthearted pieces like “More Than Muscle.”
Also a trained painter, Temple incorporates art in his songwriting process. “I feel like I’m always looking for the little magic shapes that spontaneously pop up out of nowhere,” he says. Piece together all the shapes he came up with while making Don’t Act Like You Don’t Care, and it would look like “a sun-drenched living room with no one in it, with windows looking out on the ocean.” Empty as the room may
seem, we picture Luke in the same scenario—only less lonely. “Working solo allows for me to fancy any of my own whims,” he explains how the songs are less self-conscious and more on point than those composed with Here We Go Magic. Although touring separately to promote his solo album, he is also working on another with the band. He says, “It’s nice to have the ability to go between them.”
myspace.com/luketemple
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maestro
“...[Errant Charm] is like capri pants with some sparkly socks.” “East Harlem” is the first track to reach our ears from BEIRUT’s The Rip Tide. Soothing croons of frontman Zach Condon lull us to a hypnotized frenzy along with the rich instrumentation in the rest of the eight tracks.
LEAVES OF GRASS As VETIVER’s music teems with acoustic instrumentations and lyrical themes of travelling, the songs from their fifth album, The Errant Charm, are just as balmy and freshly intoxicating as the scent of their namesake grass itself.
LIL WAYNE left fans famished by delaying The Carter IV. Finally dropping this month, it reportedly features collaborations with Nicki Minaj, Drake, Rick Ross, and Eminem—projects as big as this should never be rushed.
By Macy Reantaso Photographed by Alissa Anderson
A
ndy Cabic has been pulling on the reigns of Vetiver in playing a big role in today’s contemporary folk era along with the likes of Davenport and Sean Hayes. Formed in 2004, the band has had members come and go, but that didn’t shake Andy to think of abandoning the project. Performing with Andy onstage nowadays are Otto “Big Baby” Hauser on drums, Donald Hindman on guitars, Bob Parins on bass, and Sarah Versprille on keyboards. Their eponymous debut in 2004 had them collaborate with other fellow freak folk musicians like Mazzy Star’s vocalist Hope Sandoval, My Bloody Valentine’s drummer Colm O’Ciosoig, contemporary folk music godmother Vashti Bunyan, harpist/pianist Joanna Newsom, and his long-time friend Devendra Banhart. Juggling Vetiver in between performing with Devendra every now and then, Andy reveals that working with the legendary folk singer-songwriter is like “[kneading] cookie dough with Alpaca mittens on.” Their friendship brought about the birth of Gnomonsong—a record label bent on nurturing the folk music industry rather than just managing bands. “[It’s] just grass, a scent,” Andy candidly says about their band’s name. “I like words with two v’s in them and felt that it suited our sound.” True enough, the band has been producing music that have—as most fans and critics would say—a “summery” vibe, reminding us of riding through lush green fields and camping out in the summer
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heat. More so with the release of their fifth album, The Errant Charm. Working and experimenting with new sounds between a 3-year gap from their last release, Tight Knit, Vetiver produced something more fashionably risky. “Where Tight Knit was boot cut, [Errant Charm] is like capri pants with some sparkly socks,” says Andy. Vetiver’s signature riffs and dips aren’t present this time, making it less cowboy and more garden. The album was, according to Andy, “recorded in L.A. and Hoboken, with a dash of Sacramento,” and he felt no pressure at all when he entered the studio—to the point that he had absolutely nothing to work with. It took him long walks along San Francisco’s Richmond District, earphones in, listening to mixes just to think up of materials for this album—that, and having “lots of sandwiches from Fiore’s and played Angry Birds too much, [with] some Valley feral cat energy, and [a] drawing of Sonny & Cher staring at me most of the time” are just one of the many moment they shared when they “hemmed the musical pants off [The Errant Charm].” After its completion, next for Vetiver is an impending summer tour around Europe. While backpacking to another continent sounds like the ideal summer trip, Andy, true to Vetiver’s itinerant fashion, has something else in mind: “Hanging out at the Dew Drop Inn with Demi Moore or snorkelling on the north shore of Kauai.”
vetiverse.com
Stephen Malkmus’ legendary former band, Pavement, may have split. But he moves on to work with Beck Hansen to produce fifteen tracks in his new band STEPHEN MALKMUS AND THE JICKS’s fifth album, Mirror Traffic, under Domino Records.
CHELSEA WOLFE couldn’t possibly think of a suitable title for her new album, Apokalypsis. In the song “Pale on Pale,” Wolfe’s ghostly moans and vocal distortions spring hair-raising vibes with lyrics that speak of death for 7 full minutes.
maestro
READY FOR ABDUCTION
“I feel Like My origins are Extraterrestrial.” SHABAZZ PALACES’ debut album, Black Up, should be universally well-listened-to and even more well-celebrated three cosmos over. Bagging our exclusive interview with elusive frontman Ishmael Butler gave us the steam to uncover the secrets to his supra-intelligent life. Get your spacesuits on—it’s a trip. By Giano D. Dionisio Photographed by Nikki Benson
A
lthough it’s been just over a month since its release, Black Up has been laser-burning itself into my ears since spring break now, thanks to the generosity of Shabazz Palaces’ Seattle superlabel Sub Pop. Indie music blog Gorilla Vs. Bear proclaimed the album “hands down our favorite album of the year” less than halfway into 2011 without the slightest trace or grain of salt. As frontman Ishmael Butler dislikes—in fact, deflects talk—about the nitty-gritties of his music, this is the last paragraph I’ll dedicate to singing the album’s praises. Instead of telling you that the music speaks for itself, I’ll let Ish do that. He states, purposefully pausing, “I feel/ like/ my origins are/ extraterrestrial.” With live performances involving congas, mbilas, and dancers in DayGlo underscoring time signature-free hip-hop, it’s easy for others to call Shabazz’ sound “experimental,”
but Palaceer Lazaro (Ish’s adapted persona in the group) rather defines it as “Instinct. Instead of trying to fit into something, we try to expound on the things that come into us naturally and instinctively and try not to have any type of fear or filters… The influences are impossible to pin down, but they do come up when you’re sitting down and feeling creative, and you start to make music. Then, all of a sudden, things come to the surface, so we just go with it aesthetically, musically, instrumentally.” Among their tricks is an uncompromised affinity for politically charged lyrics that hack ravenously through consumerism, selling out, and mainstream rap, still relishing in its excess of booze and bitches. After all these years, Ish still spits out relevant verses on African-American empowerment, even sampling The Last Poets’ “Black Is” chant at the end of “Swerve... The
reeping of all that is worthwile (Noir not withstanding),” yet when I confront him, Ish refuses to point fingers. “I like a lot of mainstream songs, I’m cool with it,” Ish says. “The only stuff that we don’t really dig is a couple of things like insincerity, a lack of effort—and that can be on any kind of thing. I’m not upset at mainstream hip-hop. It’s corny shit… Because of Internet and because of blog sites and places that need content, they’re willing to put a lot of shit up. C’mon, dude, you don’t really need to be makin’ music. You don’t even love music. That’s all that I have any aversion to.” We go on to talk a bit about how the world ending in 2012 “just has a price tag attached to it; they’ll probably move the date once it comes,” the sci-fi-charged energy in his music, and how it transcends its galactic enterprise and crashes right back down to
earth. Of his “extraterrestrial origins,” he sums up, “It’s like how you know if you like mayonnaise on a sandwich or not. You don’t necessarily know why you don’t like it, but you know that nobody better put it on a sandwich. I don’t know how I know, but I know.” I feel like I’m talking to someone from a whole ‘nother world, a different dementia. Crazy, but somehow, I understand; that is, I hate mayonnaise, too. When asked what he would take with him on an interconstellation expedition, Ish replies, swiftly, “a girl.” Well, whether the beings out there resemble Katy Perry in “E.T.” or the Na’vi, with the prospect of hearing more Shabizzily hypnotic tunes out there, I say “beam me up, shawty.”
shabazzpalaces.com
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M A S T E R M I N D
HERE’S THE
TOAST
Putting “generic” into the name of one’s brand is a risk in fashion, but KEVIN CARNEY, Creative Director of The Generic Man, reaped an unexpected reward: the most fantastic men chose his shoes to fill. By Ron Po Photographed by Ramon Felix
A
s the calendar turns and most of your wardrobe eventually change, there are just some stuff, like The Generic Man shoes, that stay to be refined classics. A few seasons in, they have created an impressive collection that also included women’s shoes—exactly things you should expect from Creative Director Kevin Carney who studied shoemaking at F.I.T., New York in 1998. Kevin travels all around Italy and Portugal to produce and source for materials, and he has some interesting stories. “If you don’t speak Italian, it can be tough getting through some of these areas,” he laughs. “My business partner, Brandon Day, has an internal compass like no one I have ever met. The food was always killer especially in the seaside towns... great seafood.” Like Italy’s unique culture, The Generic Man team also has a particular way of naming their shoes, i.e. the “Chapman”—a chunky boat shoe built in a choice of Italian leather or suede with leather laces and hand-stitched detailing. Kevin explains, “Greg Chapman is a longtime pal, and we do a lot of work together...[We] try [to] keep names a part of the Generic family.” And family is important for The Generic Man that its tree branched out, creating Generic Surplus as an offshoot. “Generic Man was where we started,” Kevin recounts. “Then we [wondered] if we could bring the same aesthetic to more people. Urban Outfitters approached us to do a line of shoes for them, and Generic Surplus was born.” There have also been several recent projects with other brands. He says, “All of our collaborations have been born through friends wanting to work with friends. Wood Wood, Obey, UNDFTD, etc... they are all friends of ours.” Drawing inspiration from “friends, flea markets, vintage, military, and music,” Kevin says, “We try and keep construction and comfort at the top of the list with our shoes...but sometimes, we have to make a
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few exceptions for fashion.” While a bit of compromise is inevitable, and there is currently a move towards “more differently constructed shoes and less rubber soles,” one thing that will never change is its philosophy: shoes that are made of premium materials, clean, and timeless that they’ll outlast any fad. Devoid of a logo, The Generic Man is a blank canvas that allows a person’s individual style to bob up. Wearing them with jeans-and-t-shirt or a suit, walking his dog on a Friday night while listening
to The Soft Moon’s “Tiny Spiders” is exactly how Kevin would do it. You know how it works...behind every successful brand is someone who personifies it so well. Kevin, who stays away from being ostentatious, goes straight to the point: “[A Generic Man is] well-dressed, confident, humble, eating good food, and drinking good wine.” And with The Generic Man’s rise, a celebration (and maybe even the hangover the day after) is justifiable.
thegenericman.com
“All of our collaborations have been born through friends wanting to work with friends.”
mastermind
BITE THE APOL
A bite of APOL STA. MARIA’s art a day may just drive any stress away. By Kristine Dabbay Photographed by EJ Constantino Artwork courtesy of Apol Sta. Maria Poster for Post-Music and Sonic Bricolage at Fete dela WSK, Photoshop 2010
H
Merry Christmas 2010, Photoshop
“I won’t be a hypocrite. If my art sells, I would embrace that.
ow tempting it is to jump into illustrator Apol Sta. Maria’s world of giant-eyed creatures, colorful blobs, happy-looking serpents, city dinosaurs, flying spoon and forks, and pink elephants while you’re in the middle of your 9-5. So when I had the chance to interview Apol during work hours, I just had to dive in. Apparently, it wasn’t just me who likes to escape reality even for just a millisecond. Coming from an advertising office nearby, he lunches with me and reveals, “I squeeze in my comic doodling during work hours.” Despite the diversion that his art offers, he shows that everything is just a matter of taming temptations that impede creativity. He advises, “Lessen your rants or complaints. Just keep on making things happen.” He follows this by balancing being an illustrator and being a creative head for the ad agency DM9 Jayme Syfu. But Apol didn’t always have it easy. He shares, “I seldom drew in college. I stayed there for six years…I’m lucky because, when I started in advertising, my boss supported my art outside the industry.” Being a visualizer without an art director really trained him because, at an early age, he was already working on big campaigns. Later on, he worked in Vietnam for two years. Challenged by Vietnam’s evolving advertising landscape, it was also there where Apol created his first comics, Ang Alamat ng Panget (The Legend of the Ugly). “I felt lonely and missed my friends so I tried to entertain myself,” he recounts. “When I came back, I published it without hesitation. I would have been too shy had it not been for my Vietnam experience. There, I gained the perspective that I can do what I want…it just takes guts.”
When he returned to Manila, he had to face the nitty-gritty of publishing. He says, “Self-promotion is not one of my strengths.” He even muses, “It’s hard to make art a career. I don’t know if it’s something that you can deliberately do or it just happens…[but] I won’t be a hypocrite. If my art sells, I would embrace that.” Sharing an affinity with Tim Burton, Apol mixes the absurd with the adorable. He can make skulls not seem like doomsday devils. He makes blood baths bitingly hilarious. He turns paleness into wistful wonders. And he elevates doodling into an art. Though his drawings share related themes, his technical style varies for each medium. “My manual and digital drawings are different—there are styles that I can do through the tablet that don’t translate to pencil,” he says. Still, Apol’s influences aren’t limited to the horror. While sporting a Thom Yorke shirt, he shares that his favorite bands are Flaming Lips and Gorillaz because both are highly visual. Admittedly not hard to impress, he explains, “I like a lot of things, so I just unconsciously ignore the things I hate.” As he talks about his work Ang Alamat ng Panget, he gives me a copy of Riddle of Nowhere, his book collaboration with writer EJ Galang. Just like the book’s premise, Apol shares that he sometimes starts his stories with a title or a pun. “But usually, I don’t have a plan. It’s very seldom that I already know the ending or punch line from the beginning,” he says. Inside the cab after we parted, I read the book, its riddles’ answers at the bottom within my peripheral view. A tempting offer, but I knew that I’d rather see through Apol’s eyes first.
apolstamaria.com
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“
mastermind
THE STRIPES
Being half-French, half-Japanese, illustrator NOEMI SCHIPFER had language gaps. She may not have easily expressed herself in words, but she did well in drawing, “the universal way to ‘talk,’” she says. As you try to read between her lines—literally— she fans her art out in photos and films. By Miguel Escobar Artwork courtesy of Noemi Schipfer
think colors are very powerful, [but] it’s not [where] I would like to experiment now.” For Parisbased illustrator Noemi Schipfer, it is not about how much noise you make. “Art is a thought behind beauty... [The] idea is a message, and art is how you [sublimate] it [and] pass it around to people,” she says, groping for something deeper. Parallel lines, pointillism, geometric figures that create phrases as well as images of ducks, swings, and underwear characterize Noemi’s illustrations— and appreciating this usually takes a full step back. “I love when a lot of little things make a bigger one,” she explains. You can see the image in the unity and the details. Her
ventures into other forms of media see quite a bit of that emergence as well, with largely abstract imagery and cryptic plots of cutting onions as apposed to cutting a lovers’ photo in film, or a view of the sky with a portion of Holiday Inn peeking at the side in photo. With her second children’s book, Le Garcon, release this September and a feature-length film to boot, much abounds for this blossoming artist. “I think I have more and more to do to be satisfied with myself,” she says. Experimenting with almost all of the artistic media, it won’t be long ‘til she will be. cargocollective.com/noemischipfer
“Filet Droit”
I
“
NOT-SO-FREE CUT
Macky Angeles, also called MAKATTACK, shaved her head in the middle of the streets for a performance art project in school. She may have gotten reactions like “She’s probably gay,” but who cares? She aced that test—and the haircutting stint after which, by the way, she didn’t have to go to school for. By Reena Mesias Photographed by Lyka Orhel
A
t 12, before all her Tegan and Sara cuts, fashion mullets, shaved heads, and mohawks, Makattack had long hair down her back. Come 13, she decided to let it go. “My first haircut was at a friend’s birthday party,” she recalls. “They dared me to cut my hair.” Since then, she didn’t have to pay for a salon haircut again. 9 years after, she set up weekly haircutting sessions at Blackbook Design in Manila’s The Collective for those who want to “break free from the default long hair,” and like her, don’t follow trends. From cleaner cuts like asymmetrical styles to edgier ones which involve razorblades to shape
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checkerboards, flash symbols, and swirls on someone’s head, you can’t blame her friends to still be iffy about her cutting. But she says, “The best part is when I finish a cut on them, and they end up loving it and refer more people. The worst part is, since we’re in Collective, there’s alcohol.” Being also a graphic artist explains why Makattack wants to create her own artist collective soon. It would house a café, a gallery, a studio space, and if people would still want her to cut their hair by then, her trimming gigs.
makattack.tumblr.com
mastermind
THE NEW BLACK
Maison Kitsuné is far from avant-garde—not in the clothes they peddle or the music they blast—yet Gildas Loaëc, together with co-founder Masaya Kuroki, makes heads turn and ears lent every time they release. The secret, it seems, is making the subtlest twist on the basic. By Nante Santamaria Photographed by Baudouin
I
I can’t bet about the next big thing... I do feel that, sometimes, people are inspired by us more and more…”
t was a fateful trip to Japan that brought Gildas Loaëc with Masaya Kuroki before the same display windows at Harajuku. Gildas was in Daft Punk’s crew producing their 2003 movie, Interstella 5555, while Masaya who, well, spoke Japanese, toured them around. The experience was a dream for both, but that wasn’t enough. When they went back to Paris, they just had to live it through and through. Thus Kitsuné, the very American record label infused with French cool, thread shop for the unapologetically prep, was born. How did they get to hold the banner of freshness? The principle, it appears, is not to champion risqué but to just never go out of style. Trendy but classic—such dangerous ground that Kitsuné has been sliding on smoothly. Gildas gives us a feel of how fine this lifestyle could be. Hi, Gildas! What are the top three priorities in your to-do list today? Today, I’m preparing breakfast for my kid, Yumé, like every morning, then moving to the office to download the incredible new hip-hop mixtape from our New York band HeartsRevolution, then doing meeting with the team about our upcoming temporary store at Isetan department store in Tokyo in August. It is great that you’ve allowed the fashion and music part of Kitsuné grow separately and that you’ve given 100% to both, but
tell us about instances when they really merge together in your experience. Going to Japan, visiting stores over there, seeing that there is space for a lifestyle concept idea. A brand isn’t only one idea, one product. It can come in different formats. The originality of Kitsuné is that, indeed, neither the music label nor the clothes line is a pretext to the other. The music label isn’t the accessory of the clothes brand as the clothes brand isn’t the merchandising section of the music label. How do these things affect your business decisions? Formerly working in a vinyl record store…I learned about the importance of accounting. Formerly working with Daft Punk…I learned about the importance of style. While it’s visible how you’re inspired by Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren, Gitman Brothers, etc., how about the young designers today? Who do you think will be the next big thing? I can’t bet about the next big thing... I do feel that, sometimes, people are inspired by us more and more—saying this modestly of course. There are lots of talents around... We don’t have the exclusivity of good taste. When you’re scouting, you set your criteria as: good songs, good live shows, ability to grow. How did you see these all fit together in Two Door Cinema Club?
Two Door Cinema Club are doing incredible…pop jewels, songs that are 3 minutes long. They are incredible songwriters. On top of it, they are the most talented musicians and performers. They defend their songs on stage so well. It is the perfect dream band for a music label. We have around 300,000 sales in Europe alone… and it isn’t even finished! You mentioned being stylish to be inadequate as one needs depth. How do you assess this depth when you evaluate your artists, say your first French band, Housse de Racket? Housse De Racket are the smartest kids and the best band live. They got made an incredible album with Philippe Zdar; the production is brilliant and unique. Sounds so good. I recommend that everybody listen to “Roman” or also “Chateau.” What are the most difficult things about being very influential and with your share of fame? Nothing difficult; we got an easy and lucky life. Your recent interviews indicated expansion from Paris. Aside from having done pop-ups in New York and Tokyo, how are plans going for permanent stores? We are working into opening a Kitsuné flagship store in Tokyo on January 2012, and in New York on March 2012.
kitsune.fr
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mastermind
THE JOOS ON THE BEAUTY TRADE
Call her the enlightened eye in the tempest that is America’s fashion industry. Casting director and style blogger NATALIE JOOS makes sense of the world she lives in—that includes fashion no-no’s like wedge flip-flops and semi-turtlenecks. By Evan Tan Photographed by Anna Thiessen
Would you say that you’ve been in love with style early on? Since I was a toddler, my parents have dressed me really cool, and in fashion. I picked my own clothes from a very young age. I read fashion magazines and looked at what the models were wearing and had my mom reproduce the dresses. I made my own creations.
“I AM INTO INTERESTING, UNUSUAL GIRLS AT THE MOMENT, GIRLS WITH A LITTLE SOMETHING ‘OFF’— AN IMPERFECTION THAT DEFINES THEM AND MAKES THEM STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD.”
I
f you were a looker like Natalie Joos, owner of the eponymous casting agency, also a style blogger—plucking the pretty folks out of the pack is something that comes effortlessly natural. Then again, that’s not to say Natalie’s only banking on what fate had served her on a genetic silver platter—she has been hustling her rise to the top of the industry she’s in. And she definitely knows what she’s into— she’s a Journalism degree holder from Belgium’s University of Ghent, her final thesis being The Ideal Standards of Beauty and the Influence of Mass Media. She talks with us about style, “it” girls, and dream jobs.
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As a casting director, how do you think your opinions are changing the standards of beauty? I am not changing anything single-handedly; the modeling industry follows a process of action-versus-reaction. What was cool last year will not be cool anymore the following year. We create trends because we get sick of looking at the same thing over and over. Skinny on one season; voluptuous for the next. I am into interesting, unusual girls at the moment, girls with a little something “off”—an imperfection that defines them and makes them stand out from the crowd. After the perfect Victoria’s Secret models, these girls are refreshing and real. “It” girls in fashion–what do you think of them? They are often role models because they’ve had a good education, dress nicely, date cool boys, hang out with fashionable friends, and have an exciting, proper lifestyle. I feature all kinds of “it” girls on my blog. and people love it.
But I dig a little bit deeper than the superficial, material image they portray. I like to show that these girls, as unapproachable as they may seem, are nice and grounded—just like me and you. I love Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Fabiola Beracasa, Julia Roitfeld, Lily Kwong. If you weren’t a casting director, what would you be doing right now? I could have done many things because I have tons of interests. I wanted to be an MTV Europe video jockey. I wanted to be a fashion designer. But this is something I am definitely not giving up, working on this! I wanted to be a performer, singer. I was a model for a while, but that did not seem so exciting. I am also really interested in psychology and neuroscience—the workings of the brain really fascinate me, and psychology was my best subject in university. And then I also dreamed about writing for Rolling Stone Magazine—I read every issue cover to cover. So what’s next for Natalie Joos? I will keep writing and developing my blog—and see what other opportunities come out of it, like working on collaborations with new sites. I’m even DJ-ing! I take life one day at a time, and I’m very open-minded. I feel like this is the best way to let things happen naturally.
talesofendearment.blogspot.com
mastermind
TAKE TWO
Working together since USC Film School, screenwriters/producers ALFRED GOUGH and MILES MILLAR share this consensus that doesn’t only translate to their interests and work. “We have always been amazingly in sync,” Miles claim. “We have more fights with our wives than with each other.” By Reena Mesias Photographed by Jay Goldman
H
Between The Lines
Al Gough and Miles Millar’s share 5 surefire ways to a top script. 1. An original premise that captures the imagination and can be described in a single sentence. 2. A great outline. 3. Something amazing/incredible/mindblowing needs to happen in the first 10 pages. 4. Vivid characters that great actors will want to play. 5. Can’t be longer than 110 pages.
ow often do we witness a TV show that’s too good it could last for 10 years? For Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar, who also wrote Jackie Chan’s Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights, and I Am Number Four, contributed to Spider-Man 2 and Iron Man, they’re as surprised as anyone that Smallville lasted ten seasons— in a decade. I chatted with this duo while they were working crazy hours to finish the pilot of their new revamp for TV of Charlie’s Angels. Riding the momentum of the demand from the industry, they have no plans of slowing down, and this only means more time to develop themselves as working partners, as well as tolerate each other’s differences—maybe except for Al’s love for country music. First, congratulations on season 10 of Smallville. How does it feel to have the show come to an end after all these years? Al Gough: Thanks so much! It doesn’t seem possible that it’s been on for ten seasons. We feel very proud but also sad. It’s like losing a friend...or maybe a puppy. What were you interested in developing or evolving about Charlie’s Angels? What made you say yes to the project? Miles Millar: Actually, we said “no” several times. Having retooled the Superman mythology, we didn’t want to jinx ourselves with another remake. We only finally committed after we’d found a way to reinvent the show in a way we thought was cool and very different. You weren’t fans of Superman prior to Smallville. Were you both fans of Charlie’s Angels? Al Gough: That’s true, we weren’t Superman
fans…and we weren’t particularly Charlie’s Angels fans either. Of course, we’re huge fans of both now! It’s ultimately a good thing because we could look at these iconic properties objectively. We weren’t already so wrapped up in previous versions that it allowed us to change things. If we’d been massive fans, I think we might have been more reluctant to tinker. Some days, would you rather just be a writer and not deal with the headaches of a producer, or vice versa? What do you guys do to relax and destress? Al Gough: We like it all. It’s great to write, but it’s even better to make sure what you write is filmed the way you imagined and with the right people saying your words—which is the role of a good producer. We don’t really relax! What have you observed behind the scenes that a regular viewer doesn’t realize? Miles Millar: It sounds like a cliché, but being on a movie set is incredibly boring. Like watching paint dry from five different angles. Most people in Hollywood work their butts off. Everybody spends their time reading piles of scripts. Describe Miles in one sentence. Al Gough: He sounds British but acts like an Israeli pitbull. Describe Al in one sentence. Miles Millar: Chloe Sullivan in a baseball cap. If there’s a TV show with the two of you as leads, what would you call it, and who would play you? Al Gough: Bitchly & Lassiter. Hollywood private eyes. Matt Damon and Hugh Laurie.
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HEAVY HITTER
Empire
of the
Son “Just adolescents, you and I,” BRANDON BOYD sings in Incubus’ latest single, “Adolescents.” Going through a transitional stage himself with the new album, If Not Now, When? alongside the doodles and activism marked in a recent collab with Hurley, let’s just say that there’s no holding horses for the son of The Marlboro Man. By Reena Mesias
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H E A V Y H I T T E R
Brandon Boyd photo by Derek Bahn
“Where we are today is but a step in the ladder whose top step doesn’t exist.”
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“To call [my music or my art] a hobby would be almost as understated as calling one or both of them a job.”
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“
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Hey, Brandon! Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. If Not Now, When? is out. How excited/nervous are you? I’m always hovering in that state of simultaneous nervousness/excitability when we are about to introduce a new album. It’s become a familiar emotion by now! Being in the music industry for more than a decade now, tell us about the changes you’ve witnessed. Let’s just say that none of us had any idea it would be so far-reaching. I still consider myself lucky to be working, let’s
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Brandon Boyd photo by Derek Bahn
love their success,” says Chuck Boyd (Brandon Boyd’s dad who portrayed The Marlboro Man in the 1970’s) about Incubus in a CNN interview 10 years ago. “I love the fact that they had a dream and a vision, and they’ve pursued it, and it’s coming true.” And you could only just imagine what his dad would say about Brandon’s gravy train now. Brandon may have gone through high school with you, accompanied you as you broke up with your douche/bitch of a boy(girl)friend, while you were hungover at your grad party, or whatever, you know you’re stoked he’s back—with more than just a microphone in hand. Incubus just dropped by Manila to promote If Not Now, When? and is still kicking out there to pack more venues. While doing so, Brandon is making waves by teaming up with Hurley (pun flat out intended) and non-profit H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Everywhere) to address plastic pollution in the oceans. As an artist of all mediums—from the lyrical sheet to selfmade tattoos, watercolor and ink drawings— he clearly has no favorites. “To call [my music or my art] a hobby would be almost as understated as calling one or both of them a job,” he says. And while there’s a myriad of policies that determine territorial and political boundaries, for Brandon, there are only two that would take someone to cross over from music to art: “a current passport and maybe some good skills.” Having always loved the phrase “to cross over,” he explains how it brings him back to the imagery of the 1982 film Poltergeist when the medium, Tangina Barrons, is saying, “Carol Anne! Don’t go [into] the light!” Well, if you let Brandon grow bangs, dye his hair blonde, put a doll in his hand, and if the light is anywhere out of his comfort zone, expect him to step right in. He says, “Movement and unpredictability are, in my humble opinion, the two most important things in creativity.”
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Incubus photo by Brantley Guttierrez
put it that way. It’s hard to be angry at any of it, though; we are continuously evolving in every capacity. And the more efficient methods that are stumbled onto will always usurp the outdated and inefficient. In this case, the way we gather, consume, and listen to music has been in the midst of a pole shift! And it’s still shifting! My advice to anyone out there in any field of music and or entertainment would be this: don’t get too comfortable in any method of distribution. Where we are today is but a step in the ladder whose top step doesn’t exist. Stylized human figures and bright colors are recurring elements in your works. What do they represent to you, and where is your obsession with these elements coming from? Most of what I draw and/or paint is mined from areas of my unconscious that I have little control over. What I have been attempting to harness are the moments in the day when the impulse to push lines on paper or canvas is most present! Interestingly, though, just when I think I have an idea as to when those geysers are going to erupt, it slips out from under me like an air bubble under tape. Only to reappear someplace else in a different shape. That inherent unpredictability is probably what continually attracts me to the creative process, on an intellectual level at least. How much money would you charge for a one-off art piece? And how much would you compromise your art for business? 30 bazillion dollars. And not a penny less! I would only compromise my art for business if it meant rescuing an endangered
species, making clean energy available to all at no cost, or creating a perfect, consistent beach break in front of my house that every other surfer in the world is miraculously allergic to except for my five closest friends and I. Other than that, no compromise! You are creatively fulfilled in terms of art, music, sports, poetry. If there was any other form of art you’d wanna learn and be good at, what’d it be—dancing? [Laughs] Yes. If dancing were a mountain, it’d be Everest to me. Thanks for the nice words, by the way. You sure know how to make a girl feel special. What do you think is destroying our culture, and what’s keeping it alive? Where do I start? There are so many pieces at play. I think that rock and roll is the devil’s music, and it’s destroying our youth. No, but seriously. The things that have collectively gotten us to where we are today, in a cultural and infrastructural sense, are, in my opinion, the very things hastening our collapse. It’s the struggle to hold fast to old ideas that is the root source of decay. Newer and better ideas need room and should be welcomed. As opposed to the current policy of demonizing and vilifying new ideas. Ironically, once the new ideas take hold, change the world, and force us into evolutionary leaps, there will come a time soon thereafter when those new ideas become outdated and start to decay the fabric. That is if they are held too tightly like the ones we are currently struggling with.
brandonboydbooks.com
PHASES OF BRANDON What you should expect from Brandon Boyd in the near future.
2014 2021
Wrapping up world tour behind If Not Now, When?
2040
Attending holographic projection, from my Permaculture farm at an undisclosed location, the Incubus Reunion tour but with long trained understudies who sing better, play better, and look better than we ever did. It kicks off at the Southern CA BioAmphitheater a concert venue powered entirely by clean burning and completely renewable and sustainable sources.
Cutting the red ribbon on Southern California’s first Geothermal Energy Station. And celebrating the fact that we no longer charge money for energy. Why am I cutting the ribbon? It’s my fantasy, don’t ask.
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HEAVY HITTER
CASSIE knows more than a thing or two on what a good business makes. Her music, her modeling career, and her sense of style have always been bestsellers. And this year, with a secret album on the works plus a couple of big campaigns under her belt, we’re predicting an official comeback, times ten the ROI. By Loris Peùa Photographed by Itaysha Jordan
Photo Assistant: Ashanti McIntosh Styling by Jason Rembert Fashion Assistants: Craig Dwelling & Deandre Dacosta Makeup by Paul Innis Hair by Dante Blandshaw Manicurist: Naomi Yasuda
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suit by Moschino shirt by OBESITY AND SPEED
I like to keep an effortless edge to everything I do. I think the kids get that, and that inspires them to do the same.
was 2006 when Cassie shook MTV with her music video for “Me & U;” that’s where I first laid my eyes on her—in an empty studio. Her feline eyes are watchful of her reflection as she stretches, shows off what she can do on the dance floor, croons with her soft R&B vocals, and kisses herself on the mirror. Donning a hoodie, a bikini top, sweat pants, and some Nike sneaks, she was new in the game, a rising star at that time, and she never looked back since, eventually transitioning into a sexier outfit—leggings, high heels, and gold hardware. Fast forward to year 2011—we’re at a studio in Brooklyn, New York. Cassie is recognizable as ever although, this time around, she shows off a more daring and fashion-forward side of herself. Unlike every other been-there-done-that star, Cassie didn’t morph into the quintessential diva. Her little joys— “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Cow Tales, and Skittles”—show that, with all the fame, she’s the same sweet-toothed girl from New London, Connecticut. She always has a smile on her face, her soft voice invites people in, and she even responds to her fans on Twitter. “I do like the convenience of sending love to the kids…supporting me and showing me love,” she says.
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Having started off at 14, she remembers, “[I was] totally [a] tomboy…I started modeling early, so [dressing] up always felt like work. I used to love to wear my brother Rod’s clothes.” To this day, she still plays dress up for big campaigns like CK ONE, for which she struts her stuff—dancing and laughing in a cropped top and denim shorts—with token male models inside an empty room. She shares, “I had a blast, [it was] really [a] fun shoot. Looks as fun as it was.” Banking on her good looks, this stunning beauty has packaged a unique product that only she could sell—herself. Recently appearing on the red carpet of the MET ball (where she wore a custom Rag & Bone—a paneled black-and-cobalt calfskin dress—with Lorraine Schwartz jewelry) and gracing the covers of magazines like Complex, VIBE, and i-D, it’s a no-brainer why Wiz Khalifa, Kanye West, and Chris Brown prefer her over tired vixens to appear in their music videos. She also joins the ranks of Mary J. Blige, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Solange Knowles as current spokesbeauty for Carol’s Daughter’s new tress-enhancing product. Cassie says, “I have been crazy busy, back in the studio getting my album done. Lots of new editorial shoots coming out. Really been blessed lately—feels like my time is now.”
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jacket by Tom Ford
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cropped top by OBESITY AND SPEED jeans by Tripp NYC sunglasses by Jeremy Scott bracelet by Betsey Johnson
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top by Jeremy Scott shorts by Haleh Nematzadeh gloves by Carolina Amato
has just evolved... I’m a whole new version of myself, and I love it, so I know the people who really love my music will, too,” says Cassie who’s finally releasing a follow up album this year. Though critics have slammed her for pushing it back too long, this good businesswoman knows, for a fact, that quality is over everything—even if it means making them wait. She excitedly continues, “Every session is fun, actually—the producers and writers are dope. I couldn’t be happier.” Cassie specifically mentions a new track called “Bang Bang, Mr. Valentine.” She says, “It has a cool out ska vibe. Just really unexpected [from] me, and it’s the kind of new music that I’m doing that really set me creatively on fire.” But she holds off, saying, “I wanna surprise people,” that whoever’s in her album will be kept a secret for now. Ah, yes, just another strategy, something she must have perfected overtime. Giving them a little taste, so you’ll leave people wanting more. Currently listening to Q-Tip, Mark Ronson, Frank Ocean, and Adele, Cassie is also taking a break from acting and movie roles, saying, “Focus on the music—that’s my priority now.” So while we wait for the release of her new album, images of her in cropped tops, combat boots, cutoff shorts, XL earrings, and her “I’m here!” aura should more than suffice. Cassie explains, “[My style] is cool, fun, and me. I love Kate Moss, style-wise,” adding, “I love shopping. I love to mix it up.” Cassie indulges us with her favorite brands and cheap thrills: “I love Balmain,
Givenchy, but then, I can go crazy at Joyrich in LA or buy ten pairs of Jordans or buy all the men’s T-shirts at Zara and cut them up. It’s all about having fun and making things your own.” Mixing high-end designer brands with products that an average person can afford makes a style icon on our list. She flat out confesses how she collects “mostly Jordans, Chucks, and some Iros—[they] feel like I have no shoes on!” We realize why lots of kids look up to her and her style: “I like to keep an effortless edge to everything I do. I think the kids get that, and that inspires them to do the same.” It’s almost 5 in the afternoon, and the shoot is soon coming to an end. Music is still blasting from the speakers, and our photographer, Itaysha Jordan, is wrapping up with a few more shots. Cassie, although tired, is still posing like a pro. A few years in the industry has given this girl so much: maturity, a calmness around her, and this newfound self. She’s been beating critics before, and every time, she proved them wrong and gracefully moved on to her next agenda. She has managed to diversify her assets from being a song-and-dance sensation to, now, being a sought-after personality. This time around, she’s coming after the world, with love from her fans and an album that’s about to remind us why we loved her that first time. Expect her stock to rise, well, as if it hasn’t been always up there.
cassie.com
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fur by Roberto Cavalli shirt by OBESITY AND SPEED pants by Ksubi hat by Adeen NYC bracelet by Dsquared2 earrings: stylist’s own
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suit by Moschino shirt by OBESITY AND SPEED shoes by Casadei sunglasses by Gucci
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HEAVY HITTER
GLITCH IN THE SYSTEM APICHATPONG WEERESETHAKUL may be too long and unpronounceable for some (read: white people). With his more accessible moniker, Joe, the Palme d’Or-winning director shows angsty film critics how to chill with his Zen-like babies. By Don Jaucian Images courtesy of Kick the Machine Films
In
Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s films, nothing is steady; flickering in and out of nowhere, souls appear in different forms, and the living talk to them like it’s an everyday occurrence. Tales of jungle creatures intertwine with consummations of love, and strings of scattershot stories told by way of an old surrealist game form a grand anti-narrative as puzzling as life itself. Then, of course, there are sex scenes, but they never appear gratuitous or excessive—at least not to the most fastidious festival grand juries. Each of his carefully crafted films forms a grand tapestry of folk stories. Growing up steeped in the fantastic, the director is big on reincarnation, something that he has explored in most of his films, and if given the chance, he curiously opts
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to be reincarnated as a tree. “Being human, we have a symmetrical body. There is a balance between left and right. But trees branch out everywhere with no two eyes, one mouth, nor two hands. It must be liberating in a way to branch out,” he shares. It is a lived wish. Drawing from his architectural background, Joe, as he is fondly called, crafts films that blend the spiritual and the visceral while following the philosophical and aesthetic foundations of the discipline. “When you experience a building, the viewer has to go from a certain point, from point A to point B. This is the same with cinema. You watch the film through time, and it’s about the manipulation of time and light and space,” he elaborates.
“…a guy came up to me and said, ‘This movie is nonsense. I want my money back,’ so I felt very guilty, and I gave him his ticket money back…”
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“I just continue working; that is the only way to work against the system. You can’t change people. The problem for me is not the law but the people who use it.”
From Uncle Boonmee...(2010) Photo by Nontawat Numbenchapol
Uncle Boonmee...(2010) Poster by Chris Ware
Since he released his debut film, Mysterious Object at Noon, Joe hasn’t been stranger to negative reception, something that he has encountered firsthand. He narrates, “I remember vividly when I first showed my first feature-length film, and a guy came up to me and said, ‘This movie is nonsense. I want my money back,’ so I felt very guilty, and I gave him his ticket money back, and I said sorry.” Over the years of working as a filmmaker, Joe has learned to factor out such criticisms. His films Blissfully Yours and Tropical Malady have earned numerous accolades including the Un Certain Regard at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. His latest opus, the beguiling Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, won the Palme d‘Or at the Cannes last year. It beat out films of quite established filmmakers such as Mike Leigh, Ken Loach, and Alejandro Gonzalez-Inarritu. It was the first Thai Film to win the prestigious award. Boonmee’s win also signified a renewed emergence of Asian Cinema; the last Asian Palme d’Or win was shared by Iranian Abbas Kiarostami and Japanese Shohei Imamura back in 1997. This kind of worldwide adulation should have prompted praises from his homeland, but Thailand hasn’t been the kindest to his films. His fifth one, Syndromes and a Century, was banned from exhibition when the director refused to obey the censor board to cut four scenes from the movie. Demanded decapitations included shots of a monk playing a guitar, doctors drinking hard liquor, a doctor getting an erection, and monks playing with a remote controlled UFO toy.
From Tropical Malady (2004)
In response to this, Joe started a petition called Free Thai Cinema, amassing signatures calling for the liberation of the Thai film industry running under a censorship law dating back to the 1930s. The petition was also backed by Joe’s fellow Thai filmmakers Pen-Ek Ratanaruang and Wisit Sasanatieng. “The country cannot be in a closed shell forever. For Thailand, the country is opening, and the conservative thinking is slowly withering away in a positive way, I think,” he says. “I just continue working; that is the only way to work against the system. You can’t change people,” Joe understands this well. “The problem for me is not the law but the people who use it.” Syndromes and a Century went on to become one of the highest ranked films of recent time with Film Comment ranking it as the fourth best film of the decade and with the best film of the decade rank given by the Toronto International Film Festival Cinematheque. Despite his fallout with the Thai government, Joe has helped Thai filmmakers with his own production company, Kick the Machine, founded in 1999. Mainly championing experimental works, it has been active in promoting the films of Thai filmmakers in their homeland and abroad. The company’s most recent project, the multiinstallation work Primitives, occupied the entire third floor of the New Museum in New York City. His love for regional cinema has also led him to some of the most groundbreaking works from the Philippines. Among the numerous projects posted in the Kick the Machine website is a short film dedicated to the late Filipino film critic Alexis Tioseco.
Joe also cites the works of John Torres and Lav Diaz as his favorites. “I have met John, and he’s like his movies. He’s not doing whatever is trendy. He’s just expressing himself, and that’s something that I cherish about filmmakers,” Joe shares. “[As for Lav,] I really admire his way of working and his determination. This is rare not only in Philippine Cinema but also in World Cinema, and that’s a treasure for your film industry.” “Film and other arts are always evolving, and there are always new ways to explore, and I hope I can explore to the last day,” Joe shares. His films may not have exploding robots or babes with D-cups running in skimpy outfits, but they have the capacity to make the everyday and the mundane worth looking at; they are chances to break away from the rapid-fire chaos of our social network-mediated lives. With several new projects at hand, including a film involving the Mekong River, plus serving as the head of the Orizzonti sidebar jury at the 2011 Venice Film Festival this August, Joe’s triumphs has helped in ushering a new perspective on Asian cinema in a Euro-Hollywood-centric film industry. Asian filmmakers such as Joe, Jia Zang-Ke, and Hou Hsiao-Sien have all been finally getting the respect that they have long deserved. What Joe is doing may be new to the rest of the western world, but more filmmakers have started to toy with fresh notions on the cinematic language that he is championing, challenging our moviegoing experiences and instilling new filmic memories—IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes ratings aside.
kickthemachine.com
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NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
IAMTHEBOSS.COM New faces, new media—fresh blood is what’s pumping the digital pipelines, and they’re in full motion, at terabytes-per-second in delivering your news, music, photos, movies, and folios on the brightest screens. Make way for these online stream stealers.
Ryan Dorshorst & Lucas Buick Founders, Synthetic Corp How they came up with the concept of Hipstamatic: Lucas: What we wanted was an awesome way to have an analog photographic experience with an iPhone. We have this old SX-70, and when Polaroid stopped making film, we were dying, and the last couple of rolls that we had—it cost like $2 a photo… We thought that we could make an app that recreated everything we loved about old instant cameras, and it would be way cheaper and easier than searching for more instant film on eBay. What’s keeping you busy lately? Lucas: We opened our new space in San Francisco... finally. Having a place to call home has been fantastic. I think that the best part is the new espresso machine we have—I’ve become the office barista. I’ve always wanted to work at a café. Qualities of a Hipstamatic user: Lucas: We talk about our users as being part of the “Creative Class”...people who have a higher design IQ than your average homo sapiens. So our culture is all about art, music, and fashion, and most importantly, self-reflection. Yes, there are loads of unappetizing lunchroom photos taken with Hipstamatic, but there are many more truly inspiring images that our community is capturing with their Hipstamatic cameras. What would you call your own biopic? Lucas: It’s Hip to be Square. Because, sometimes, being uncool is the coolest. [The Social Network] is a great movie, but Hipstamatic’s would be the best of all time—not to be all Kanye about it. We would get Matty Libatique to be the cinematographer—it would be epic! Being a CEO has... Lucas: left me fat and exhausted. But I love what I do, and when that changes, it’s time to move on. Passion is what drives our company, products, and community. If you don’t like what you do, the solution is super simple: don’t do it!
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Bobby, Mick, & Mike Benedicto
Bobby, Mick, & Mike Benedicto photo by Macy Reantaso. Album artwork courtesy of Number Line Records
Founders, Number Line Records
How they came up with the name and concept of Number Line: Mick: We like to name our projects after math terms (i.e. We Are Triangle), and the term Number Line seemed to fit a record label. It’s simple and easy to remember. The idea behind Number Line is to spread our artists’ music as widely as possible by releasing them as free downloads. We have a diverse line-up but they were all carefully chosen; they’re all artists we admire. What must an artist have to be part of Number Line Records? Mick: We always keep an eye out for talent and great songwriting, but they must have an aesthetic that fits into this identity we’ve built for the label. I can’t really pinpoint what that is, but we’ll know it when we hear it! Also, it has to be someone who agrees with this concept and is willing to release his songs for free. How do you stay on top of this age of virtual media empires? Mick: Number Line practically thrives on the Internet, and we were able to put up a record label of this nature precisely because we live in an age where social networks and blogs exist. We started in the music industry just 6 years ago, right when things started developing in this direction. Instead of mourning the loss of radio stations and plummeting CD sales, we’re just glad and amazed that we can put up a song online, and people from other places can listen to it instantly. Nothing was ever as easy before. What would you call your own biopic? Mick: It’ll take a long brainstorming session to come up with a good title, but we’ll get the three brothers from Hanson to play us. Being a CEO has... Mick: allowed us to watch a movie in the middle of the day, and finally take long lunches.
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new kids on the block
Scott Belsky
Founder and CEO, Behance
If Behance were a real city, how do you envision its culture? It would be frictionless. There would be no paperwork, logistics would be automated, and streams of feedback and inspiration would flow seamlessly. As a culture, there would be a powerful sense of creative meritocracy—the best talent would be matched with the best opportunity. How do you stay on top of other social media ventures? Well, I think the most important mindset for the digital age is to stop feeling the need to “stay on top of it” because it’s not possible. It is most important to prioritize the information that is accessible to you and allocate the majority of your energy on the stuff that really matters... I also try to be present with people. During conversations or lunches, I am forcing myself these days to put away my mobile devices and engage the old-fashioned way. Do you ever get lazy or feel the need to stay still sometimes? I never get lazy, but sometimes I want to just sit and think— or stare. I make time for this quite often, and I always have a pen and paper handy. Given a job that’s so forward-thinking, how do you deal with the idea of preferring tangible objects? There are certain parts of work and life that should remain “analog.” This is actually the story behind CreativesOutfitter. com: Our team at Behance created our own “Action Books” and other notebooks to use for sketching and brainstorming... we felt that the tangibility was extremely important for productivity in the creative process. I believe in the power of tactile project management and surrounding myself with “billboards” as a way of shifting my attention from one thing to another.
How did you come up with the name and concept? Mike: We were schoolmates in San Beda. RedMedia was named after our school’s color. Our blueprint was originally Customer Relationship Management (CRM), but now, we’re a full-service digital agency that delivers integrated brand experiences. We really love basketball, and like in sports, our philosophy is that we’re really competitive. It’s for the love of the game and fame.
Ronald Lucero & Mike Abasolo managing partners, REDMEDIA 84 - statusmagonline.com
What’s your edge? Mike: If we didn’t come along, nobody would’ve done digital media [in covering local sports]… We’ve been giving inside scoops [when it comes to college basketball]... Also [as part of our CSR], we’ve been organizing a national development of [basketball] coaches for the past 4 years. It’s networking for coaches, a grassroots development program, where coaches from the provinces get trained by the best coaching minds like Alex Compton and Norman Black.
Ronald Luvero & Mike Abasolo photo by Evan Tan. Scott Belsky photo by Julia Soler
Being a CEO has... been frequently humbling, extremely educational, sometimes exhausting, and always an honor. There is never a dull moment at Behance, and the past 5 years have been truly exhilarating.
Efe Cakarel Founder and CEO, MUBI
What’s keeping you busy lately? From Berlin to Tokyo to the Festival de Cannes, I follow films wherever they may lead. Cannes was obviously the most exciting. I got to see some great films—Woody Allen, Terence Malick, Lars Von Trier!—meet very exciting people, and help launch our collaboration with the Critics’ Week there which brings their past programming to online audiences. Did you find the marriage of science and art daunting at first? Not daunting at all! What’s great about film is that it has always been a marriage of technology and art—in fact, that’s one of its defining characteristics, the way an evolving mechanic process—photography, duplication, projection—has interacted with workers and artists to create cinema. So it is only natural that a new
What would you call your own biopic? Mike: The School of Hard Knocks
technological platform has been developed specifically to make this art more accessible, easier to find, and more fun to watch. What brought the new name MUBI from formerly being The Auteurs? When our community started building from cinephiles spread all around the world, we realized we needed a name that anyone could say anywhere, no matter what language they spoke. We decided on a word that rather than coming burdened with meaning—the notion of “auteur” formed a terrific, volatile debate in our forums!—we could invest with our own, unique meaning. What would you call your own biopic? MUBI Says You Can Sleep Later. How do you see technology and social media 5 years from now? I don’t care. What’s most exciting is what’s happening now. This revolution in media has nothing to do with technology and everything to do with the change in the consumer behavior in the way we discover, discuss, share, and consume from Beijing to São Paulo. The future is now. Being a CEO has... [been] about moving confidently in one direction, with no apologies.
What are your future projects? Mike: Everything is hush-hush, but apart from the inboundPASS website, were doing the VISA tracking system for the US Embassy... We’re also developing apps for clients and working with people from consumer electronics, sports drinks, beers, sports apparel. Being a CEO has... Mike: meant that we’re the captain of our ships. You’re Jack Sparrow. Before you were ensign, now you’re admiral. We’d like to think we’re pirates—our business model is disruption.
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NIGHTVISION Quedada 2.0 Pull & Bear by Gerard Estadella
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NIGHTVISION
Plastico ADC by Gerard Estadella
Saturdare @ Attica
by Ralph Hilario
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NIGHTVISION
Kyss Kyss Bang Bang: Vans X Hellz Bellz Afterparty by Melvin Sun
Pool Disco
@ Shoreditch House,
East London by The XOXO Kids
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NIGHTVISION
Paris After Midnight by The Cobrasnake
DJ JayCeeOh @ Palladium by Joel Lirio
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NIGHTVISION
Fresh Fridays @ Fiamma
by Jessica Roasa & Isabella Marcos
Republiq 1st year Anniversary by Isaac Gube & Charles Rudolfo
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DIRECTORY BRANDS 5CM SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City 7 FOR ALL MANKIND Greenbelt 5, Makati City 21 MEN Forever 21, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City ACCESSORIZE Greenbelt 5, Makati City ADEEN NYC adeenyc.com ALDO Greenbelt 5, Makati City ALISON RAFFAELE Beauty Bar, Greenbelt 5, Makati City ALL SAINTS allsaints.com AMERICAN APPAREL americanapparel.net ARMANI EXCHANGE Power Plant Mall, Makati City THE BALM Beauty Bar, Greenbelt 5, Makati City BEYOND RETRO beyondretro.com BETSEY JOHNSON betseyjohnson.com THE BODY SHOP Power Plant Mall, Makati City BORGHESE borghese.com CALL IT SPRING Greenbelt 3, Makati City CALVIN KLEIN SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City CARLY ELLIS carlyellis.com CAROLINA AMATO carolinaamato.com CASADEI casadei.com CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN christianlouboutin.com CLAE GreyOne Social, Greenbelt 5, Makati City CREATIVE RECREATION Complex, Eastwood Mall, Libis, Quezon City and Shoe Salon stores nationwide DC Urban Athletics, Greenbelt 3, Makati City DEBENHAMS Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City DIOR Rustan’s Department Store, Makati City DOROTHY PERKINS Power Plant Mall, Makati City DSQUARED2 dsquared2.com FOREVER 21 SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City FREDDY freddy.com GENERIC SURPLUS GreyOne Social, Greenbelt 5, Makati City GIVENCHY Art of Scent, Resorts World, Pasay City
GHOST ghost.co.uk GUCCI gucci.com H! BY HENRY HOLLAND Debenhams, Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City HALEH NEMATZADEH halehnematzadeh.com HOT TOPIC hottopic.com JEN KAO jenkao.com JEREMY SCOTT jeremyscott.com JOHN ASHFORD johnashford.ws JOHNNY VINCENT SWIMWEAR johnnyvincent.com JURLIQUE Greenbelt 5, Makati City KENZOKI kenzoki.com KEVA JOHNSON kevabykevaj.com KSUBI ksubi.com L’ORÉAL Available in department stores nationwide LOUIS VUITTON louisvuitton.com MAC Power Plant Mall, Makati City MAKE UP FOR EVER Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City MARIO BADESCU Rustan’s Department Store, Makati City MERCURA mercuranyc.com MIRIAM HASKELL miriamhaskell.com MOSCHINO moschino.it MUNDO The Ramp, Crossings Department Store, Glorietta, Makati City NIKE Nike stores and shoe departments nationwide, Urban Athletics, Greenbelt 3, Makati City NINE WEST Power Plant Mall, Makati City OBESITY AND SPEED obesityandspeed.com PANTORA BY ANDREA PITTER pantorabyandreapitter.com PENSHOPPE SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City PETER THOMAS ROTH peterthomasroth.com PONY Complex, Eastwood Mall, Libis, Quezon City and SM Department Stores nationwide PUMA Puma stores and shoe departments nationwide THE RAMP Crossings Department Store, TriNoma Mall, Quezon City
RED HERRING Debenhams, Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City REVALESKIN revaleskin.com ROBERTO CAVALLI robertocavalli.com SEKKISEI Rustan’s Department Store, Makati City SINEQUANONE SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City SMASHBOX Beauty Bar, Greenbelt 5, Makati City SPRINGFIELD Greenbelt 3, Makati City STACY ARMAND JEWELRY etsy.com/shop/StacyArmand STAR BY JULIEN MCDONALD Debenhams, Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City STEVE MADDEN Greenbelt 5, Makati City TARTE tartecosmetics.com TERRANOVA SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City TOM FORD tomford.com TOPMAN Power Plant Mall, Makati City TOPSHOP Power Plant Mall, Makati City TRIPP NYC trippnyc.com VANS Vans boutiques, SM Department Stores, Landmark Department Stores, Urban Athletics, Toby’s, Olympic Village, American Rag, Athlete’s Foot, Sports Warehouse ARTISTS Alissa Anderson (Photographer) alissaanderson.com Stacy Armand (Stylist) stacyarmand.com Derek Bahn (Photographer) dbahnphotography.com Victoria Barban (Stylist) uk.linkedin.com/pub/victoria-barban/25/374/4b0 Baudouin (Photographer) baudouin.fr Bobby Benedicto (Photographer) thirdworlder.tumblr.com Nikki Benson (Photographer) ssgmusic.com Sandra Bermingham (Hair and Makeup) sandrabermingham.com Dante Blandshaw (Hair) wtmanagement.com Bruce Casanova flickr.com/photos/brucecasanova Ming Han Chung (Photographer) runwaynewswire.com The Cobrasnake (Photographer) thecobrasnake.com EJ Constantino (Photographer) ejconstantino.multiply.com
Gerard Estadella (Photographer) icanteachyouhowtodoit.com Everywhere We Shoot (Photographer) everywhereweshoot.tumblr.com Torrence Forde (Hair and Makeup) tesscafe.com/5481 Jay Goldman (Photographer) jlgweddings.com Isaac Gube (Photographer) isaacgube.com Brantley Gutierrez (Photographer) bmgphoto.com Ralph Hilario (Photographer) miracleman.tumblr.com Paul Innis (Makeup) wtmanagement.com Itaysha Jordan (Photographer) itayshajordan.com Joel Lirio (Photographer) lirio3joel.multiply.com Stevyn Llewellyn (Photographer) stevynllewellyn.com Lee John Mann (Photographer) leejohnmannphotography.co.uk Isabella Marcos (Photographer) im.isamarcs@gmail.com Leah McIntosh (Photographer) ohdarlingdearest.com Miguel Miranda (Photographer) miguelmiranda420@yahoo.com Nontawat Numbenchapol (Photographer) mobilelabproject.com/nontawat.html Lyka Orhel (Photographer) lykaorhel.blogspot.com Ana Paredes (Makeup) ace030524@yahoo.com Red Ivy Pictures (Post-Processing) redivypictures.com Macy Reantaso (Photographer) mch.reantaso@yahoo.com Jason Rembert (Stylist) balanincagency.com/jason/ Jessica Roasa (Photographer) jessie.roasa@gmail.com Charles Rudolfo (Photographer) facebook.com/pages/Charles-RudolfoPhotography Paolo Ruiz (Photographer) paoloruiz.com Armando Sierra (Hair) Jing Monis Salon, 09178306515 Julia Soler (Photographer) juliasoler.com Melvin Sun (Photographer) melvinsun.vans@gmail.com Evan Tan (Photographer) evantan@statusmagonline.com Anna Thiessen (Photographer) annathiessen.com Anja Verdugo (Photographer) flickr.com/photos/anjalouise The XOXO Kids (Photographer) thexoxokids.com Naomi Yasuda (Manicurist) naomiyasudanyc.com
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Mask from Mexico
I found this in a tourist shop. He was high up on the wall, but he instantly got my attention with his sweet, benevolent expression. He now watches down on my living room, blessing all my guests.
Grandparents’ Wedding Portraits
My Nonna and Nonna took these photo booth pictures on their honeymoon in Niagara Falls. They are just perfect.
Giles & Brother Cuff
A gift from my hubby, Philippe, this horseshoe/horse hoof bangle rarely leaves my wrist.
As the official office shoe stalker (check our Instagram feed), you could say I have a bit of a foot fetish. So I definitely appreciate having some beautiful pairs in my own collection.
PIERA GELARDI Refinery29.com co-founder and Creative Director PIERA GELARDI has a keen editing eye and a unique style that made it into an online fashion phenom. She takes a break from her shoe-stalking and offers you a peek into her trove of vintage finds and treasures.
Rachel Comey and Dieppa Restrepo Shoes
Maine Plate
This Maine license plate on my shelf reminds me of two beloved things—my great home state and my old dinged-up ivory Dodge Caravan “Vanna White,” who sadly met her maker a few years ago.
Pencil Portrait I got this for 99 cents at a yard sale, and I swear this drawing has a soul.
Nude Needlepoint
When I was in college, I went to a vintage store with my good friend Eli, and we found this and instantly fell in love. We were too broke to buy her, and were a little heartbroken. 9 months later, Eli surprised me with her for my birthday.
Vintage Bags
I love little vintage minaudiere bags and clutches, and I always look for them on eBay and when I’m thrifting.
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High-Waisted Shorts
My style often veers towards a kind of grownup Girl Scout, and my large collection of high-waisted shorts, which I wear in all seasons, really takes it there.
Camel Hassock from Lahore As a child, I was always so fascinated by the exotic decor in my grandmother’s home— she lived all over the world—and this bright red camel hassock was my favorite piece. When she passed away a few years ago, I inherited it.