Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2023 i VOGUE PHILIPPINES

“C an you dance?” our fashion director Pam Quiñones asks Bretman Rock as we set the stage for our June cover shoot. “Miss Pam, I don't know if I can dance,“ Bretman says, with his signature sass, “but one thing is for sure,” he beams, “I'm a star!” That he is. This month, he brilliantly takes center stage in our “Pride” issue, irrepressible, unfiltered, and undoubtedly charismatic. From a Manila-based studio to the sandy island of Siquijor, with his high flying kicks in patent shoes, to bare feet soaked in shallow shorelines, comes a fashion editorial that celebrates gender-fluid mindsets. With him, there is an immense sense of freedom. Whether born of a childhood steeped in open-minded nurturing, or be it from hardfought boundary breaking as a young adult, he…

ESSAY THROUGH COLOR, THE WORLD IS SET ALIGHT. Fundamental to our experience of the world, color magnifies our truths. “It is a language that allows us to communicate emotions, values, and ideas without words,” says Cecile Poignant, trend forecaster, speaker, and editor of the influential platform Trend Tablet. “It is one of the most powerful tools for expression and creativity.” To some, colors remind them of a time when palettes were rich in heritage and tradition—interwoven with the identity of the Philippines. Independent curator and critic Marian Pastor Roces says that “the subject of color is in the Philippines a field of amnesia. We lost memory of the subtlest registers of magentas, ochres, alizarenes, golds, indigos, and so forth—the palette of Philippine traditional textiles from marginalized highland to dominant lowland…

SHOPPING…

FEATURE “I like to make art that is uplifting and empowering, especially for a marginalized community, that of the trans community” ADOPTING THE COLORS OF THE RAINBOW, The LGBTQIA+ community sees each color signifying diversity, and all the colors together represent freedom. For members of the community, colors symbolize both dreams and pride. Dreams of what could be but are still elusive, and pride in who they are and what they've been able to accomplish against the odds. As time passes, even the colors of the Pride Flag evolve to be more inclusive, as members of the transgender community share in the struggle to be themselves. The community also has the The Progressive Flag, which keeps six-stripe rainbow design, but adds a chevron to signify forward movement, with black, brown,…

The Gateway of India, a monument erected to commemorate King George V's first visit to India and ceremoniously welcome colonial visitors, served as the backdrop to the historic Dior fall 2023 show in Mumbai. Incidentally, the Gateway was also where India waved off the last of the British troops in 1948, cementing her independence as an independent country. As the fashion community from across the world sat at the Gateway's feet to witness an iconic confluence of culture and couture, a symbolic duality began to take shape. A cast of elegant Brown girls with their hair in finger waves stepped out in chappals and ankle-grazing sari skirts pared back with Nehru-collared shirts and pearls. Watching them walk to the beat of the tabla layered over classical strings felt like having…

“Our identities are political,” Olsen says on Zoom, as sunlight illuminates his apartment. It's a bright and beautiful morning in New York, but Chris Olsen isn't afraid to get dark. We're discussing the recent bans on drag performances and gender-affirming care in US states like Tennessee, and I ask him about the role of social media in combating hate and fear. He responds: “Just by being queer on the internet, we are making political statements whether we want to or not.” There's an electricity to the way Olsen speaks. Maybe it's the glass of coffee he just had: the LAX blend of cold brew concentrate from Flight Fuel. But caffeinated or not, Olsen is an effortlessly charming personality. It is that openness and sincerity that has won him 11 million…

YOU'D KNOW RIGHT AWAY WHERE THE GOLDEN GAYS LIVE. After all, it's hard to miss a rainbow. After you navigate through a labyrinth of narrow alleys and walkways off Antipolo Street in Pasay, you will find yourself in front of a two-story structure. Its main doorway is adorned with glittering multicolored threads. It is a bright welcome for guests and an unmistakable marker of pride for those who live there. Inside, there is more color to be seen: posters of shows, pictures of group members past and present, memorabilia through the years, and, of course, mounds and racks of shoes and clothes, the amount of which befit the performers that the inhabitants are. Within the space's four walls, there is the warmth, joy, and dignity of the Lolas (the Filipino…

JOSHUA PESTKA Photographer, Pulp Fiction “Freedom is being able to live according to your preferences, without causing harm to others or being harmed by society.” NELSON N. CASTILLO Photographer, Chasing Rainbows “Freedom to me is living genuinely and authentically in my truth. Photography not only gives me the freedom to express myself, it also allows me to amplify the voice of my community by capturing their individuality and supporting true freedom of expression.” REGINE DAVID Photographer, At Home In The World “I find that freedom is about authenticity, visibility, and true human connection. Sharing our own vulnerabilities and emotions can be terrifying, but when we are able to feel safe to share these experiences with others without prejudice, it can make the human experience worth living.” GABBI PASCUA Makeup Artist,…

DESIGNER PROFILE IT'S NOT DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE THAT CHEETAH RIVER A'S STUDIO USED TO BE A HOME. It still looks and feels like one. Pale salmon walls welcome you into the warmly-lit trove, with a plush couch to the left, a rack of clothes to the right, a stack of books on every surface, and trinkets atop each pile. By the front door, a bowl of rolledup affirmations that Cheetah urges us to pick from. Joseph, the day's photographer, unfurls his piece of paper to reveal a message: “Your only limit is you.” He tucks the proverb in his wallet. The two-storey, three-bedroom abode (rumored to be the residence of late child actress Julie Vega, according to the landlord) was but a dream for Cheetah; the designer's first apartment was…

As the industry and the very phenomena itself of fashion face newer changes to keep up with the increasingly rapid turnovers of collections and trends— including ones that regress from our progress on body positivity—as well as a hopeful influx of designers of different ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, and class backgrounds, Vogue Philippines asks professionals in its fold whether it actually is the safe space many perceive it to be. In my opinion, we seem to be heading towards a more inclusive industry—same as the rest of the world. If there is any thought though that I can possibly contribute, let's continue supporting independent labels by our LGBTQIA+ community. Based on how we do it at Elephant, queer-run (queer meaning the LGBTQIA+ umbrella) spaces know well how…

FEATURE While Bethany Talbot grew up in tutus and ballerina shoes, her feet would eventually lead her elsewhere. She found herself playing football, which she attributes to her family being in “the beautiful game” and watching her older brother Jonathan play. Now a member of the University of the Philippines football team, her love for dressing up and makeovers (a remnant of her ballet days) also grew. She started tuning into runways and following the names of models who dominated the industry. On modeling, she shares, “I was actually recommended by my brother. There was an athlete agent who would handle different athletes for modeling/commercial stuff. He asked my brother if he knew any female athletes that could try modeling. My brother was like ‘well, I do have a sister…

I was blown away by the “ love put into the look,” McCartney says.“The intricate sitchwork, the detail” When Shanghai- and Chengdu-based womenswear designer Shie Lyu received an email inviting her to take part in a Vogue-initiated collaborative project with Stella McCartney, her astonishment bordered on disbelief. “I thought the message was spam!” exclaims Lyu, who founded her label in 2020. A short while later, in London, McCartney's team opened the first mystery box shipped from Lyu's Chengdu studio—which contained a fall 2022 floral-quilted cropped jacket and coordinating miniskirt, an abstract print top, gauzy black stockings, and chokers strung with romantic pearls and steel hardware. “There was a moment of pause where you think, Gosh, this has happened in such a different part of the world,” says McCartney. “I could…

“I like to give people the opportunity to have control over their own images” “YOU HAVE TO READ BETWEEN THE LINES, TWICE,” muses Regine David when asked about how she's been navigating her photography after moving to Tokyo. The photographer and casting director, born and raised in Metro Manila, is globally known for her unsettlingly intimate and vulnerable photographs exploring gender dynamics, Asian and queer visibility, and authenticity. Since her move, she's been discovering new spaces, both as a foreigner and as an artist linguistically displaced: “I think it makes for really interesting work because it's like I'm losing a lot more control [as a photographer]. And it allows me to kind of explore my work differently.” In the 10 years she's made a name for herself as a professional…

ONE OF THE MOST SCANDALOUS PIECES OF SEX ADVICE Dr. Margie Holmes remembers giving could have been salacious and outright vulgar, but an academic pedigree which included graduating magna cum laude in Psychology from the University of the Philippines and a master's degree in Public Health with special studies in Sex Therapy and Marriage Counseling from the University of Hawaii, established that Holmes knew what she was talking about when it came to sex. It could have been medical and antiseptic, another version of a biology lesson, but Holmes's effervescent character, her quick wit, and humor shaved off the shame and guilt built into the taboo of sex. Her topics spoke to our loins and her intellect appealed to our rationale, but it was her advice and insights, always thoughtful…

PET SOCIETY Photographs by SHAIRA LUNA Styling by RENEE DE GUZMAN Fashion Director PAM QUIÑONES PAGE 42 TEAM CREDITS: Multimedia Artist: Gabbi Constantino. Production Design: Justine ArcegaBumanlag. Producer: Anz Hizon. Production Assistant: Bianca Zaragoza. Stylist's Assistant: Neil De Guzman. Intern: Sophia Lanawan. Special thanks to Amor, Dr. Hayden Kho, Fendi Dudi, Gee Jocson, Karraminah del Rosario, Mond Gutierrez, Nico Bolzico, Scarlet Snow Belo, Solenn Heussaff. COMFORT ZONE By ZOFIA AGAMA Photographs by CRU CAMARA Beauty Editor JOYCE OREÑA PAGE 56 TEAM CREDITS: Makeup: Karmela Jabla of M.A.C Cosmetics. Hair: Noel Muncada of Toni&Guy Philippines. Nails: Extraordinail. Art Director: Jann Pascua. Multimedia Artist: Gabbi Constantino. Producer: Bianca Zaragoza. Photographer's Assistant: Lucille Raterta. Production Assistant: Zofia Agama. Stylist's Assistant: Renee de Guzman. Hair Assistant: Gerelyn Valentino. Intern: Althea Mari Panaligan. CHASING RAINBOWS By ALFREDO…