John Legend Live in Manila

First, many thanks to my friend Len for the free ticket.


Legend's thick, gravelly voice is a great instrument in itself, but that coupled with the piano: wonderful.


The man certainly has the moves...


...and is a great crowd-pleaser.


For his encore, Mr. Legend changed into a tux and looked very dapper indeed.


Len even found a way to finagle a meet-and-greet pass for me. Which meant we said hi to the artist and had a group photo taken with him. Now I wonder if I'll ever get to see that photo.

Spelling Bee

Last Friday, I had an immensely entertaining time at this musical: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee being staged at the Carlos P. Romulo Theatre in RCBC Plaza.

Audience participation was provided by celebrity attendants, Lea Salonga and Jett Pangan, which was cool. Nothing ponderous here, just plain but smart fun.

It runs till the 4th of April, so if you have nothing to do in the next two weekends, you might want to see this.

A Yellow Ruin

My first pair of these Topman shoes got ruined in the first wash. I tried washing them again, but the staining just got worse. This pair in the photo is actually my second in less than a month (bought in a panic after the first disaster). I washed this second pair last week (with Dove soap, because I thought the first pair might have reacted to strong detergents) and because someone told me it's exposure to the sun that causes them to become yellow, I dried them indoors.

And yet look at them now.

I have other pairs of white canvas shoes, which are less prone to yellow staining, so I'm inclined to think that it's the particular fabric of these shoes. (I wore them today with the excuse that these yellowish shoes have acquired some "character.")

However, if you have some foolproof technique in cleaning white shoes, I would love to hear it. Thank you.

The Final Set

There are no words. I think I had goosebumps the entire concert--25 songs + a break long.

Thank you, Smart, for the tickets.

Fantastic Looks: Men's Collections Fall '09

And these are selected looks that I love from the 2009 men's Fall collections, in alphabetical order. (Click on images to enlarge.)

3.1 Phillip Lim (especially the droopy sheer sweater, left)



Band of Outsiders (the db jacket, center, is on my projects list)




Dries van Noten (notaby the sleeveless gray jacket, the blousy sweaters, and that sleeveless gray whatchamacallit with cowl neckline)





Hutson (Thank God the Mr & Mrs tandem of Obedient Sons and Daughters are back.)



Marni (Great styling.)



Neil Barrett (Mr. Barrett nailed the quirky-but-accessible look in this collection. All the assymetries, excesses and contrasts work in the looks below.)





Raf Simons (Those contrast sleeves slayed me.)



Shipley and Halmos (What do you call this color--old rose? I really love it.)

Winners: Men's Collections Fall '09

It took me almost the entire week to view all the Fall '09 collections available on men.style.com. An activity that is at once exhilarating, inspiring and exhausting. These are my top 3 favorites. (Click on images to enlarge.)

Burberry Prorsum

I love every single piece of garment in this collection, and all the accessories. Even the signature Burberry checks looks cool again. And take a look at those cummerbunds. They should be ridiculous. Instead, they are just cool.

Jil Sander

The shapes of the jackets--curves!--in Raf Simons' collection for Jil Sander are amazing. And the use of color reminiscent of abstract paintings is wonderful.

Hermes

Vibrant colors in a sea of neutrals. Literally, a standout.

And because I've never had personal contact with an Hermes shoe in my life, I was floored when I noticed the color on the heel in the photo below. Okay, "floored" is an understatement. The truth is, I fell crushingly in love.

All images from men.style.com

Plug: Kryolan Store

Manila finally has a Kryolan Professional Makeup store, thanks to my friend Che. She knows that many makeup artists and showbiz personalities have had to source the brand from abroad before, so she brought it here.

If you know girls who are deeply interested in makeup, you might want to mention this to them.

Kryolan
3F Il Terrazo
35 Tomas Morato corner Scout Madrinan
Quezon City

'Round the Shoes

I got this pair of shoes last Sunday. All my outfits this week revolve around it.


*White canvas shoes from Topman

Lolo Dad's Brasserie

Life is always so much brighter after a good meal, which is what I had last Friday at Lolo Dad's with my friend K.



Salad was madness, to be sure. Named wittily as "Only for the Rich," it was mesclun greens in pomegranate and molasses dresing topped with many of my favorite things: scallops, lobster, seared duck liver, jamon serrano and cured salmon.



Then we shared a ribeye. It was a perfectly seasoned and perfectly tender piece of lovely meat. The mashed potato on the side, however, could have been presented in a more appetizing manner. It reminded one of animal turd.



The warm apple tartatin with cappucino ice cream and vanilla sabayon at the end failed to put an exclamation mark to the meal. There are so many better apple pies around.

But the salad, so exquisite and perfect, will stay in the mind for a very long time.

GQ: Best New Menswear Designers in America

I'm cribbing the entire GQ feature, because it's incredibly inspiring. I think all these designers are amazing. And the looks: Wow.


Benjamin Bixby

Founded: 2008, New York and Atlanta

Designer: André Benjamin (a.k.a. André 3000), 33

The philosophy: “During OutKast’s Stankonia period, I looked like I was from Mars. The music was otherworldly, and my character reflected that. I wanted to put that spirit into classic clothes, but ones that people could actually wear.”

The look: “I think the cut of Benjamin Bixby comes from comic-book characters, which I’ve been drawing since I was a kid. In comic books, the waist is always pinched, but the legs are full-cut, kind of like the Cracker Jack man.”

The influence: “In high school, in Atlanta, when Grand Puba told us to wear Girbaud jeans, I wore Girbaud jeans. Then you had this prep movement happening: Ralph Lauren, Eddie Bauer, Bass, Sebago, and Timberland. So imagine me walking through [local housing project] Bowen Homes in the morning to catch the bus, but I’m dressed like a prep. As you get older, you go back to those things.”


Save Khaki

Founded: 2006, New York

Designer: David Mullen, 48

The philosophy: “With the jeans craze, everything was being overdesigned. I thought what was missing in the market was something really comfortable with a modern fit. I think clothes should have utility, and if they happen to be stylish, then that’s great.”

The muse: “Ben Hogan, believe it or not. His khakis and cashmere cardigans made him look better than golfers do today.”

Every man should have… “A great white broadcloth shirt that can be worn pressed or wrinkled.”

Every man should also have… “A khaki trench. You can dress it up or down; it goes with everything.”

One piece of advice: “I think people need to not try so hard. Particularly men. It doesn’t take much to put yourself together.”


Robert Geller

Founded: 2006, New York

Designer: Robert Geller, 32, former partner of Alexandre Plokhov at the now defunct Cloak

The influence: “Last season I researched Prague in the ’20s and ’30s. Even today, the city has a culture where the men are masculine but still sensitive. I really wanted to show that mixture of romance and strength in my first collection.”

The hangouts: “In New York, that whole area in the depths of Chinatown. I really love Bacaro. I love Les Enfants Terribles and Broadway East.”

The soundtrack: “Hands down, the Cure: Boys Don’t Cry, especially the beginning, where you can hear the scratches. I don’t like anything that’s too produced or too polished.”

Every man should have… “A really nice winter boot. I’ve found the nicest one that exists…it’s an Austrian brand called Ludwig Reiter. The inside is lined with shearling so you can wear them through the deepest snow.”

Yigal Azrouël

Founded: 2007, New York

Designer: Yigal Azrouël, 36

The philosophy: “I love old-school American menswear. I like things that are not perfect but distressed and worn—something that has been through an experience.”

The early days: “I used to live in a basement in Queens with, like, five roommates. I would buy vintage pieces and cut a sleeve off, sew a different sleeve on—just experimenting. I started selling things to friends. And then Barneys picked me up.”

The influence: “My mom is French, and she always made me look styled, in a way. When I look at pictures of me as a kid, I see my signatures: a cool striped tee or a plaid shirt.”

Every man should have… “A cool leather jacket that you can keep forever. I made mine myself, and I’ve worn it for the past twelve years.”

Shipley & Halmos

Founded: 2007, New York

Designers: Sam Shipley, 29, and Jeff Halmos, 29

The philosophy: “We saw an opening for a fashionable guy who embraces his masculinity. A lot of people who buy our clothes are guy’s guys.” (Shipley)

The early days: Formerly one-half of the SoCal design collective Trovata, and before that, college buddies in Boulder, Shipley and Halmos started their own line in 2007.
Every man should have… “A clean white dress shirt. You can wear it with anything, at any time.” (Shipley)

Every man should also have… “An affordable suit. Ours are slim without being shrunken. And I think people really responded to the price point.” (Halmos)

The retirement plan: “Playing guitar in a metal band called War Bonnet. I’ve always wanted to go on a U.S. tour. Seeing the country from that perspective would be wild.” (Shipley)

Rogues Gallery

Founded: 2003, Portland, Maine

Designer: Alex Carleton, 39

The real-life inspiration: “I used to work at L.L.Bean. Leon Gorman, the grandson of Leon Leonwood Bean, is a true modern-day country gentleman. He’d drive a pickup truck and wear perfectly pressed L.L.Bean chinos with a tattersall shirt and tortoiseshell glasses and the Norman Rockwell haircut. He has iconic New England style.”

The on-screen inspiration: “I want to design a tweed blazer and a flannel shirt like Jack Torrance wore in The Shining.”

Every man should have… “A pair of Carhartts.”

Spiral

Do you like eating at buffet places? I don't.

I like food cooked specially for me. I don't like waiting at a queue. And really, has any one dish at a buffet proved to be special? If so, I never had it.

Which is to say, for the price we paid for our buffet dinner last week at Sofitel's Spiral (a place that overwhelms you with a surfeit of mediocre food and good interior design), I'd rather have just a good entree and a good dessert at a fine restaurant, Lolo Dad's Brasserie, for example.

I wish more buffet restaurants were like Market Cafe in Hyatt, which includes drinks in its buffet, including beer and, occasionally, brut. Then, you could just forget about the food and drown yourself in the bubblies.

My Spring/Summer List

1. Calvin Klein fluorescent suit. I'll never have the guts to wear this as a suit, but I can think of so many ways to wear the jacket and pants separately, to introduce a shock of color in a neutral palette.




2. Petar Petrov J-Haje white shirt. Light and airy, and the drawstring hem is a nice touch.


3. David Hart plaid neckties.



4. Louis Vuitton perforated shoes. The perfect shoes to go sockless in.


5. These looks from Opening Ceremony for Uniqlo. I love the pale colored shirts and the cropped pants.

6. Unis Ron shorts.

7. Robinson les Bains swimshorts. It's really time for non-surfers and twentysomethings (or both) to do away with the immature board shorts.




8. APC sneakers. Clean and uncomplicated.


9. Tote and flap wallet from Makr. Makr is my newfound love in leather goods. Its products are simple, functional, well-designed and most of all, thoughtful.




10. Crane & Co. personalized note cards and ACME pen, with which to write short summer dispatches to friends abroad.