Salt Bites into...Giordano Concepts

Korean superstars: Shin Min Ah and So Ji-Sub for Giordano's 2014 campaign

Growing up and learning to dress smarter, it dawned on me that it actually takes a lot of deconstructing and returning-to-basics that makes better dressing quite the study. I could only speak for myself, though. When I grew more conscious of the way I look, I took out all the bad and traded my clothes in for the good, Giordano being one of those brands that made its way into my wardrobe and have stylishly taught me lessons about the basics of looking better.

Until this very day, I still go in Giordano, give it a round about and always find myself liking their most basic and essential of items--chic rain-proof jackets that're perfect for Manila weather (which they almost, always seem to have), jeans that always fit well, t-shirts and polo shirts that could go from office to night outs. They just understand the way clothes should be, no non-sense, straight-forward but still a pleasure to wear and a pleasure to look at.

Just Delivered Jeans

The country's top male models give this campaign its muscle and good-looks.
Gents, all the best jeans under one roof. SM Department Store's 4th year of Just Delivered Jeans

I'm a huge jeans person. Imagining my wardrobe without jeans, is a bit of a nightmare to think about. While I've worn trousers and pants of various cloths before, I always find myself slipping in my jeans. It's the comfort, durability and strength of denim and its effortless style that pulls me back. Among the many pants any man (or woman) could wear and own, I believe jeans should be in heavy rotation simply because they could be dressed up and down and in our time, could take you from closing deals on weekday meetings to opening bottles on weekends with friends. You could live with just three basic jeans (black, slim cut jeans, the classic blue jeans and light-washed jeans) and have your wardrobe build on top of these staples. But who would want to own just three jeans when you could have more stylish options?

Season Premiere

A.P.C. Fall 2013
Simple, cool, straight-forward.
C/o: models.com

Early on, I picked up seasonal cues from the magazines I bought and the colors that marched down the runways. When campaigns change and magazine covers signal the kinds of clothes that you should be wearing, you know it's game time. And this is most evident and possibly more special during the Fall season. Obviously as the temperature drops, more clothes are needed, hence the extra effort in making beautiful items of clothing. What better way to bring out fashion's best than to showcase all of that on glossies and their campaigns. Check out some of the best campaigns, covers and pages from our favorite fashion sources. PLUS, a look at a movie/documentary that'll give The September Issue some chic competition. Welcome to a season premiere!

Midspiration

Nike fan for life. This video is genius, but probably could've been better with less talk.

Songs could definitely perk you up the same way coffee does for people like myself who swear the world by it. Other times, when you slide straight to the middle of the week, you search for other things to keep you motivated--and not just cause you want to head straight to Friday night. Here are some cool videos I've gathered from around the web that'll give you that extra inspiration and also keep you looking forward to, well, more inspiring days.

The Spectacular Now is a book. And it's one those book-to-silver screen cases where you learn of the film first before the book (for me). Believe me when I say, I haven't, in the 23 years I've been alive, have felt this "melty" and fuzzy over these two pairing up. Kilig is the Tagalog term for it, that probably won't ever find its counterpart in the English language. Miles Teller (one of the cool kids on Project X) reminds me of Shia LaBeouf-spell check, and Shailene Woodley, I've loved since The Descendants. When Miles tells Shailene she's "absolutely beautiful" and she just erupts in this candid laughter, it feels like they're not in a movie at all. It's actually like watching classmates fall in love. And that's adorable. It's reminiscent of many t-shirt-wearing, simple-town America love stories that just stay with you until you're spent. It also helps that it's a coming-of-age tale that runs the whole spectrum of life experiences from falling in love to finding ones identity, to enjoying youth, the works. I bet my non-existent ass on it, that this soundtrack will be good. If not, that's a shame. Watch this and watch these two rocket to the skies faster than you'd expect. PAY ATTENTION!



I haven't seen anything as flawlessly edited a YouTube series as Jacks Gap's. Had they been Filipinos, I'll be rallying outside their doors to sign exclusive to W, then again...But yes. It helps that the two-twins Jack and Finn Harries look boy band-ready, but they also have substance. They're funny and they edit their videos the way YouTube videos should be edited. They've got their young girls screaming for them and their early 20s as a market and when you have a platform such as Jacks Gap-which is basically a video blog of their life and things they're interested in, you could start competing with celebrities. At least, that's how we do it here in Manila. I'm not yet sure if there are Filipino YouTubers out there who could produce something as clean, as consistent and as focused as these guys.

The Review: Louis Vuitton Spring 2014

Handsome, American Times Ahead, courtesy of Louis Vuitton's Spring 2014 Collection
by Alfredo Piola (T Magazine| The Scene)

A trip around America's fashion classics and American male stereotypes, Kim Jones' Spring 2014 collection has delivered the same, quietly cool yet hyper luxurious vibe that he's championed at Louis Vuitton for years. All handsome looks, with young jackets and bags that give the collection amazing muscle for show, shoes are stars too and the prints that have striped suits, shirts and more make like beautiful fireworks for an amazing celebration of the great American style.

The Review: Givenchy Spring 2014

The Tribe of Choice: Givenchy Spring 2014 by Kevin Tachman The New York Times

While today’s glossies are celebrating cleanliness and straight-to-the-point style (white well-made blazers on top black, loose tees, etc.) fashion is already heading elsewhere, in less stringent and more hyper territory. If you take your cue from GIVENCHY Spring 2014 for what’s about to come next year, you know it’s all printed matter, musical and African-inspired.

Graphic Return

After months on hiatus, I believe it's about damn time I start flexing the blogging muscle again. I'm doing another major revamp on my blog and this time approaching a familiar way of writing for it. Reviewing Fashion Week again and I think Spring 2014's reviving my love and faith for menswear (Raf Simons, Dries Van Noten, Givenchy is crazeeee). All graphic, exciting and-well, super skinny, I'm dishing out reviews and thoughts the way I used to-without much authority BUT fueled by the desire to hopefully one day gain just that. PLUS I'll be bringing back to life Salt's Interviews, which I am too excited to do. For people who've been wondering, well, I'm back. This time around, Salt's older and hopefully, more substantial than it was. 

Writing's back!

The order of things...Dries Van Noten Spring 2014 from models.com

- Gerard

Envy

Years and years of fanning...I'll probably never stop. My all-time number one.

Imagine Saskia de Brauw and Garrett Neff on a cover? That's art! Someone make it happen please

I'm supposed to be working now, on something important, but since my brain does not permit that to happen, I'll relax and ogle at these faces that are inspiring the evil, jealous devil in me. One day I tell you, I'll be on the cover of a magazine...when what is handsome/beautiful has nothing to do with these species (which'll never happen). And when that day comes, I'll be happy, at peace, knowing that I too have a face deserving of a magazine cover. I kid. Appreciation folks, for the beautiful and the handsome on some of this month's finest glossies. Enjoy!

The Mall

Shop now
themall

I think some years back themall.ph was already up and running...Well, I might be wrong. But let me introduce you to a fresh, new online shopping spot from the Philippines. Ladies (and I am praying gentlemen real soon), Summit Digital brings you an interestingly designed and purposed The Mall.

70 brands that hit the budget quotient just well, an awesome selection of designers on their Designer Row, sections for pets, kids, men and even a section for home decorations--which has neat items you'll want in your high-rise units or chic houses, themall.ph is covering the necessities and wants of a modern-day Filipino shopper. I'm excited cause it seems that the 70 brands already available and accessible at The Mall will be growing soon and I could only imagine which brands will be housed here soon.  Of course The Mall's strength also lies in the easy design of its website. No hard-to-find items or sections, just plain and simple and easy, giving you all that you need to look for in a smooth, browsing and online shopping experience. 

With special features too such as profiles and write-ups on some of the brands they have and magazine-style features that'll help you get the look you want, The Mall is also like a personal stylist and fashion guru for things you'll usually learn from others and, we know, pay handsome money for. Here at The Mall, it's free information, just the way you want it.

And just when you thought you could box The Mall as another online start up, Summit Digital and The Mall give you the chance to be one of the brands under their roster. Not only an online destination for retail therapy, The Mall is also a genius and accessible avenue for up-and-coming brands. So if you have your brand ready for a launch and only missing that perfect venue, The Mall grants you that. Pretty refreshing for online shoppers, an edge and advantage for The Mall and most definitely a welcome opportunity for brands that have great, great potential.

I ought to be writing more about The Mall, seriously, but I'm too intrigued and excited to see what I can find here...Especially soon I have friends celebrating their birthdays, not to mention the many people I'll be giving gifts to for Christmas, I'll be staying here for quite sometime...

Check it out everybody and yes, of course, you have to get shopping. If you're running out of ideas of things to buy, give and maybe receive, if getting out of the house is just too tiring for you and traffic's awful, The Mall is the perfect, perfect solution. 

Now let me get my dog that adorable neck tie collar for, well, more serious days for him. haha

Gerard

Moving Pictures

Don't blink, cause Mikkel Jensen's here and on his way up!
Mark my words, this one's out to get it big.
VOGUE Hommes Japan Spring 2013 Preview @ models.com

Give the world a few more years for publications to achieve what Harry Potter has been suggesting us all along: photos in motion on paper. Imagine that. Imagine GQ's cover coming to life, CD cover art living behind their cases, posters of wanted criminals breathing, like snippets from a film. Not impossible for sure. This makes most sense since we're at the age of marrying realities, magazines embedded with codes to be scanned for additional features, things like that. And I believe the challenge for print to stay relevant is for it to ride along with where the world is headed to, if not give it a start towards the right direction one augmented reality at a time. 

Gray Areas

YES!
ROGUE Magazine September 2012
Facebook

September issues are all looking good and it seems the strongest hue of the moment is gray. From ROGUE's taut and glistening cover, VOGUE's historic Gaga to Skarsgard's GQ Style coolness and Michael Fassbender's Russian Esquire cover (pretty interesting), everyone's having it good in the gray areas and it's possibly, one of this year's best magazine color choices ever. Clean, simple, straight-forward and very smart, gray's never looked this good. Enjoy!

Inside A Model's World

Thanks OUT.com for posting this. Now, RJ King is the voice of our generation. Do models/talents in the Philippines behave the same way? Thankfully with the ones I've worked with, they're ridiculously good-looking, work hard and as far as I know, don't see the world the way RJ King does. And I think that's a disadvantage...

To the talents I work with, I am kidding. I love you guys. For the rest of you, watch RJ King and his ridiculously good-looking friends live the life of models. Funny. 

Kidding aside, New York Fashion Week's soon so best watch out for these faces.

NOW, I have something good to follow. Keep me sane. Excited for more from VFILES!
-Gerard

Phelps by Vuitton

Michael Phelps for Louis Vuitton
from Selectism

True to the business of show (well sort of), Olympians ought to take the "next move" as Selectism best describes and what other way to celebrate and start on that next move than to have a campaign that's as timeless as the ones shot by Annie Leibovitz for Louis Vuitton?

Shaking up the campaign trail and the start on to the next move is our most decorated Olympian, swimmer Michael Phelps. Shot by Leibovitz, Louis Vuitton puts Phelps in a tub in his usual suit with a slouchy, coolly styled Louis Vuitton duffle by his side, giving you that effortless, yet well thought-out look and feel. Pretty interesting how the entire photo leaves that impression on you. It's probably the relevance of today's sports and historic Olympic games and the long-lasting power of Vuitton that makes this an instant "iconic" coming-together of influencers. I like it a lot. Check out the other campaign featuring Phelps and another well-decorated Olympian, looking wonderful in her 70s.

I won't be surprised if Louis Vuitton launches a series of Olympians for their campaigns. Oscar Pistorius and Louis Vuitton would be just as important and beautiful too.

-Gerard

Nike LunarGlide+

The Nike LunarGlide+ reminded me of all the reasons why I love shoes, running and also a frustration as a kid. One of the many things I've wanted to become when I was younger was a designer. Not necessarily for shoes, but back then I felt like there were things I wanted and could visualize in my head that I either couldn't afford or couldn't find. Just like a famous quote about writers, I think part of the rationale of design is creating something only you could think of.

Now, I am considering a return to the times I've poured on drawing. I would want to someday be able to design something, a bag, a shoe, a suitof my own, whatever it is. I was actually thinking of designing a stadium or complex if in the future they could hold the Olympics here, but I think among my closest of friends, Bob the Engineer is the only one capable of making it happen.

Anyway, I love my LunarGlide+. Love its fit, the stability and support you feel when running through good and bad streets (Makati, I'm sorry but you have bad streets for running), how it looks and sometimes when I pass by it, I want to hug it cause I love it so much. But mine's old and the new one has a pretty neat look and design that past LunarGlides don't have. The flywire though is a little too much for me, but when it's subtly done like the black and blue one they have, I might just say yes whole-heartedly. Plus I think the Lunarlon for the new one is thicker compared to what mine has. If I could draw like him, I'd have two day jobs: agent and illustrator. So for everyday runners and shoe, design and style fans alike, enjoy the science behind the newest stud from Nike.

It'd be Christmas in my life if I could keep what I have now and buy myself a new LunarGlide....
Oh Nike.


- Gerard

Olympian Style

Kult Paper's Olympic style story
From @malemodelscene

The Isles of Wonder brought me to tears today. True. You know me, I'm a huge bowl of Soft Batch, pretty easy to make me cry. Well, not really, but when there's some heart-warming story in anything that gets my mind running on a trail such as "imagine having trained all your life and to set foot on the Olympics with the world's best..." And the story goes on to be ended with a tear. So to Danny Boyle and the team that made the Olympics happen, congratulations.

This is probably the first time I watched the opening ceremonies of the Olympics and it was amazing. First parts were a little so-so for me, but the rest were just amazing. Especially the lighting of the cauldron. Just beautiful. I started getting teary-eyed when they were introducing the junior Olympians and the ones who nominated them passed on the torch---in all sense of the phrase. Lovely. The bit with the Arctic Monkeys too was great, loved that with the fireworks and all. To people who live in London and are there right now to witness it, I know it's the best time to be there...I'm so jealous. Please send my regards to the three world superstar athletes I want to see if ever I was there, Federer, world's fastest man Hussein Bolt and, my all time favorite swimmer, Ryan Lochte.

Athletes are actually quite the mesmerizing subject for other things aside from sports. They make interesting public figures, celebrities, endorsers (in my opinion, athletes present the most credible and eligible endorsers of products out there), stories and, most of all, fashion inspirations. I wasn't surprise to hear Ryan Lochte planning to have his own clothing line in the future (though not really a fan of his green stoned sneakers), because I've always had this feeling that athletes too are as into fashion and style as other people are.

And to prove that, I present you Kult Paper's story with the Olympics as its inspiration. For me this is how you should do a fashion story on sports and the Olympics. The photos may lack the overall spectacle and the magnitude a world wide audience provides in real life, but this one makes up for it by giving you a true fashion story that manages to braid the spirit of athleticism with the flawless, beautiful world of fashion. What you have is something cool, vintage in feel and inspiring you to be good-looking, sporty and stylish (if it's ever humanly possible). Shot by Ben Lamberty with models from Kult Modeling Agency.

Salt Bites Into...Jil Sander

Jil Sander's Reversible Tote @ Mr. Porter

Fancied a reversible bag before and I still am drooling over it 'til this very day. What I want is within my price range, black nylon on one side and sand nylon on the other trimmed with leather handles and a smooth strap. This one from Jil Sander, is out of my reach for sure but is something I'd definitely recommend to those who have just about enough to spare.

The Look

Anja Rubik, what does Mark Ronson smell like?
Fan di Fendi @ DesignScene

What're we looking at? Well, only the coolest campaigns, editorials and covers happening this month. Here's a hump day treat for all of you beauty, art, fashion appreciators. Enjoy!

P.S. If you see how this post is arranged, another hint at my state of mind... hahaha

A Whiff Of Cool Air

Whiff Teaser by Robert Javier on Vimeo.

There's been plenty of startups going on around Facebook, some of them I have "liked" and most of them just fail to at least look legit and tasteful. Now here's a startup I am placing high expectations on. I believe some of the people behind this label I might know, like Luigi Alba (you better start telling me about this Alba) and all his other cool friends...

Actually, if I am right, then maybe we're truly in for a treat. I've seen these kids and how they dress and the Instagram photos they post and I know that they're not faking cool, but were just born with it. With an introduction to their label promising something like "We concretize a lifestyle of simplicity", and understanding that when it comes to fashion (and other things as well) "simple" is a fairly dangerous word that connotes not the boring, but something that is truly elegant, cool and timeless minus the fuss and the pretension, I am more than excited to see how they deliver (because they will).

When a whiff of cool air passes by, it refreshes and tells of a change in weather. I hope Whiff arrives sooner than later and bring along with it a change or at least more awesome alternatives and options for and in Manila style...

I am watching you.

-Gerard

Games Beginning

Come prepared!
More athleticism, urban feel and sporty goods to come in fashion
photo: Tommy Ton

Style disciples from our shores (Manila) know pretty well that Preview magazine, one of the most revered fashion publications in the Philippines will be holding their annual Best Dressed Ball in some weeks, with one of their better (for me) themes in the years I've followed them: Athletic Chic. Having checked Spring 2013 so far, it's evident that athleticism and sporty clothes will be staying as one of the more exciting trends for fashion. Street style blogs the world over have those pops of Nikes competing for the many Pins that old school wingtips, boat shoes and monks currently have in spades. 

And yes, I have blogged days ago about the whole sporty thing going on for me and for some cool people I know as well like the Mike Concepcion and super friend Bryle Penamante, hey guys! Aside from the fact that Sporty is no more of a joke for the stylish set, it's a look at what the world of fashion and our culture is going through. I still don't know what it is exactly that summarizes the reason why this is happening, but I am liking it. So it's pretty obvious I am having a sweating style fest here, nursing a really bad hang over for things athletic.

Since I am obsessed about it as of the moment, I bring you some of the best athletic-inspired street style photos by famous street style blogs we know of. Check out the many appearances of Nike, the subtle yet strong presence of sneakers, beautiful ladies in chic, court-ready clothes and more. 

It seems like fashion is no longer sitting pretty on the benches and is, finally, going strong on the field. Fashion says let the games begin!

Get Moving

Stepping into the future of fashion...
Josh Peskowitz by Tommy Ton for GQ

One of the most liberating things to do is to break your own rules. For quite sometime I've stuck to believing that wearing jeans with sneakers that are meant for the gym, running or anything ultra sporty was an easy entry into fashion loserville. 

Ironically, I had been madly in love with Nike Prestos as a kid and I remember pairing my orange ones with really baggy olive cargo pants and a white sports shirt. Back then I felt so impressed by how it looked, but in retrospect, some major editing would've been better for me (and for the poor people who've seen that look). That was when I was in fourth grade, when MTV still had some say in how people dressed and when hip hop was about those midriffs, tight tops and really ballooning trousers and sporty kicks. Some two years ago, I had given myself the order of going for the classics, which were mostly workwear, rugged, Americana fare that, from the looks of it today, is on its last final glory days.