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ZONE EDITOR IN CHIEF Paul Elposar CREATIVE DIRECTOR Debbie Nunez ART DIRECTOR Samatha Gonzales ASSOCIATE EDITOR Clem Samonte FASHION EDITOR Rei Buesing WEB DESIGNER Gwillen Pulia EMAIL thezone@zonemagph.com TWITTER @zonethemag FACEBOOK ZONE Magazine ZONEMAGPH.COM DISCLAIMER Unless otherwise noted the creators of zone magazine do not claim the rights of the contents posted . the copyright belongs to their respective owners . be rest assured that the credits are given whenever possible
CONTENTS Proud Race Sole Struck x Gold dot Perfume the Story of a Murder The NIght Circus Juliet Naked The Road to Wonderland
Wavves Trend Report Come as you are Stephanie Breezy Bright MInd Mister Carson
Your Highness It’s a touchdown to Madness Top it off
Maya Kibbel Fadeless Flowers Season of Red
Inspired by Egyptian hieroglyphs, Sportswear and Sad Girl the aptly titled collection “1990Nile” explored Proudrace’s penchant for athletic uniforms, marrying it’s classic cuts with their constant nineties streetwear direction. Staple streetwear pieces like oversized shirts, jog pants, tops and jackets with baseball jersey inspired silhouettes paid homage to Sad Girl’s style, the protagonist of the 1993 film Mi Vida Loca.Egyptian hieroglyphs that are reminiscent Keith Haring’s iconic graffiti are the swear and Sad Girl the aptly oftitled collection "1990Nile" explored Proudrac main focus for the tongue in cheek prints the duo tant nineties streetwear streetwear used direction. for their customStaple printed fabrics. The collectionpieces like oversized shows that there will always be room for old stories d homage to Sad Girl's style, the protagonist of the 1993 film Mi Vida Loca and childhood inspirations in our future wardrobes.
ffiti are the main focus for the tongue in cheek prints the duo used for their www.proudrace.com r old stories and childhood inspirations in our future wardrobes.
proudrace
PHOTOS BY:Everywhere We Shoot MUA:Sam Unson Gallardo MODELS:Pauline Prieto,Alex Omiunu FILM BY: Judd Figuerres
facebook.com/proudrace
www.proudrace.com
SOLESTRUCK X GOLD DOT Gold Dot Partners with US based solestruck.com for manila inspired shoegasm
Based in Portland Oregon, SOLESTRUCK has established itself as the international go-to website for the shoe addicted. Sky-high wedges, over-the-top embellishments, and a men’s offering that is globally recognized by fashionistas and a sea of cult like followers has made the 8 year old company a favorite among those in the know. It is only natural that Solestruck was the first US retailer of the Philippine based brand GOLD DOT; a collection of well priced and well executed shoes. The shoe-mance has been going strong since 2011 when the first collection of GOLD DOT blew off the site stateside. Team Solestruck descended on Manila just after Christmas with a supply of SS/13 shoes from top brands off their site, and met the crew from GOLD DOT in person for the first time. The two companies came together to shoot IMELDA13—a high volume, 90’s inspired lookbook that couples coveted pieces from GOLD DOT’s SS/13 collection, with key footwear pieces selected by Solestruck’s team of stylists. Model Ria Bolivar served as the muse to Solestruck creative director Ty McBride and leading Manila stylists Karl Leuterio (GOLD DOT) and Paul Jatayna (OS ACCESSORIES). The IMELDA13 video, created by Judd Figgueres, was leaked on Solestruck as a sneak peak January 3---a precursor to the lookbook which launched January 11. All GOLD DOT shoes featured in the campaign will bemaking their way to Solestruck by February---giving the sea of fans stateside another dose of the highly coveted shoe insanity that is GOLD DOT. Stay tuned to each company’s blog for further updates on not only this project but future collaborations.
PERFUME
The Story OF A MURDER Among the muck and moral filth of 18th century France, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille was born with an abnormally strong sense of smell. He doesn’t have a scent of his own, but he is destined to be an olfactory genius. Grenouille bathes himself in the knowledge of the world’s aromas, but he grows dissatisfied and embarks on a new endeavor: to find the perfect scent. This undertaking, however, takes him down the wrong path, and he becomes one of the most prolific serial killers of all time. After turning the last page of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, I’ve come to the conclusion that Patrick Suskind himself is a magnificent perfumer, except that he has words instead of scents. Like Grenouille, he didn’t draw phrases from a florid lexicon in order to produce his best product; he just strung all the hideous truths he could find in his chosen setting and set them forth sans verbal sugarcoating. The piece, as a result, is all naked exquisiteness. If gritty fairytales are your cup of tea and if you are not a happy-ever-after junkie, I think this novel is a perfect treat. Perfume is a dark fable with historical foundation. The fact that it’s hard not to be awed by how Grenouille crafts his masterpieces even if he is practically a monster is enough to
send chills down your spine. It’s one of those books that purposely place you in the limbo of indecisiveness about wanting to root for the “protagonist” or not. Grenouille as a character is a hard nut to crack. Suskind grants readers all access to this psychopath’s mind, heart, and every aspect of his personality, but for some reason I still couldn’t consider him three-dimensional. I guess this is because Grenouille lacks the “realness” of being a human for he goes around like all the senses he needs are condensed in his nose. He sniffs and it’s as if he sees with it. He sniffs and he’s like he’s eaten with it. He sniffs and he feels with it… heck, he sniffs and orgasms with it. I know this is deliberate, but it kind of snitched a large chunk of his dimensionality. Be that as it may, he still emerges as a formidable entity that begs to be stamped indelibly in the readers’ minds. He wouldn’t have a problem with that. I love how even if this is a seductively horrifying serial killer tale, it wraps up in a gloomy realization of one’s true identity not found, even tackling why it is important to be loved for who you really are in other to receive genuine happiness. The end is of course gruesome, but there’s a hint of sadness that lingers with it. 4.5 stars for a seductively chilling read.
The VIP pass comes in the form a 384-page noir fairytale called The Night Circus, and it spilled from the pen-point of literary Ringmistress Erin Morgenstern. Flipping the pages was very much like stepping firsthand into the striped tents of the nocturnal Le Cirque des Rêves, or the Circus of Dreams. The vibrant carnival scenes most of us are familiar with—full of colorful clowns, confetti, and confections—are diluted into a non-chromatic world of wonders. Caramel and chocolate scents will waft to greet you at the gates. Once you surrender yourself in the swirl of black and white, you can float and leap dreamily in a vertical labyrinth of clouds, visit a menagerie of breathing paper animals, or marvel at a garden magically carved from unthawing ice. Every tent contains a treat like no other. Fueling this feast for the senses is a pair of two young magicians— Celia and Marco—who are bound to a dangerous duel of skill and endurance where there can only be one victor. With the circus as the game board, everyone who performs with the two are unwittingly swept into the ever-perilous match…which is pushed a notch higher the danger
ladder when the competitors tumble headfirst into a star-crossed love. Almost dizzying in its beauty, I’d be lying if I say The Night Circus did not take my breath away. Morgenstern’s prose, which is festooned with rich imagery, makes every sentence a joy to read. You’ll think that something portrayed in monochrome will not come out alive, but the author’s obvious love for a sweet concoction of words inflated the atmosphere and the setting. I simultaneously commend and envy her imagination! The way she unfolds every magic is almost cinematic, the kind you think will be produced if Neil Gaiman will collaborate with Tim Burton in a carnival flick. I liked how Morgenstern shifted between third person and second person point of view. The transmission is not exactly seamless, but being given a personal portion of the book made me feel like a legit rêveur. The book is far from perfect, though; in fact, I think this is one of the few books with copious flaws that I am willing to overlook just so I can squeeze it in my “favorites” shelf. Special effects aside (which occupies
a sizable chunk of this book), the plot comes out a tad fragile and formulaic. The world of literature is no stranger to sorcerers’ matches after all, and the forbidden romance angle is quite predictable. I initially did not even care about the characters—Celia and Marco felt like cardboard cutouts to me most of the time, though they did kind of struck a chord with me on the latter part of the novel. Neither driven by plot nor by character, The Night Circus deviates from my usual favorites, yet somehow, I know I loved it. The reason for this I found near the end: it’s the charm of ordinary love between two people who grew up not knowing what real love is, and the way it blooms amidst the extraordinary nest of their competition. If Morgenstern delved more deeply into the emotional aspect of the novel early on, I think I’d love it right away. Over all I still think it’s a magnificent novel…in a “guilty pleasure” kind of way, if you know what I mean. Shrouded with enigma and magic, a bit lumpy with blemishes but generally intelligent, The Night Circus already classified itself as one of the most remarkable novels of 2012 for me.
JuLiet
Naked
Musical fandom is no strange land to many of us. No matter what genre strikes a chord with us, we are meshed together by the fact that we take a string of linked notes as some form of medicine for the soul, taken through the ears and channeled straight to our very cores. No matter how occupied our hearts seem to be, there’s always a slice that we save for music. It’s just sometimes, some people’s slices are far bigger than the others’… so much bigger to a point that the chunks reserved for something else were devoured by this slice, too. Nick Hornby’s Juliet, Naked touches on this subject. It starts in an old toilet, which happens to be an important stop in a fan’s pilgrimage in honor of the purportedly legendary American musician Tucker Crowe. The said fan is the self-proclaimed “Crowologist” Duncan, and he has dragged his partner Annie to the trip. The old toilet is said to have been the last place Crowe went to before he left the music industry and disappeared into god knows where for more than two decades. For diehards like Duncan, the toilet has some kind of historic importance and a mystery waiting to be unveiled. While Annie likes Juliet—Tucker Crowe’s last album before the commencement of his era of ‘reclusion’— she doesn’t share the same fanaticism Duncan has for the musician. In their 15 years of being tied down by a marriage of convenience, Annie has long accepted this quirk in Duncan’s personality. They’re living in some sort of bleak peace in some sort of bleak town called Gooleness, until this little bubble of strange serenity was burst by a break in Crowe’s 20 years of silence. An acoustic, barebones compilation of the songs in Juliet is released as a record called Juliet, Naked. Needless to say, it causes a fan racket in the Crowe community. What Annie and Duncan didn’t see coming is the stir it will also cause in their relationship. Duncan pens a rather hyperbolic appraisal for the release; Annie then offers the Info Superhighway her honestly lukewarm review, which in turn catches the attention of Tucker Crowe himself. Paths begin to converge, diverge, and crisscross messily until they end up in a tangle of roads that lead into a better or worse life, depending on which one you choose. This literary piece may end up looking half like a huge nod to the lives of musical snobs, but a closer inspection at the bigger picture may unveil to you something so familiar. What you’ll see is a portrait of life as we often make it: a multiplex of twists and turns that exist not only so we can prove ourselves that we can’t stay trapped in a place where we’re not happy, but also to add to life’s no-nonsense beauty. I was told that Nick Hornby’s roots are a combo of ‘music and messy relationships’, and it’s ever appar-
ent in Juliet, Naked. It doesn’t take me too long to ease to the sound of Hornby’s storytelling voice, even if he shifts every so often between the three main characters. Maybe it’s because my bookshelf has been saturated with too many YA lit lately, but his writing style seems to be a breath of fresh air. I’m totally scribbling down Hornby’s complete oeuvre in my Christmas wish list. The characters are astonishingly human and wellrounded. Their thought processes give them the mold of their personalities, with their doubts and fears acting as fingers that knead on their very being until they are as palpable as a person sitting next to the reader. Hornby knows how to extract the precise words we need to let out from the otherwise wordless complexity of aloneness and loneliness. Why do some people stay in an ‘okay’ situation rather than venturing forth to find a ‘great’ one? How can too much caution cause so many regrets that it can rival ones created because of carelessness? These questions are answered in the book. We see details of Crowe’s daily life as he unwittingly pushes his third marriage into the brink of failure; we see how Annie clings not-so-tightly to a live-in setup she’s enduring for fifteen years. It’s safe to say that banality takes the forefront in most chapters. This could have triggered a negative reaction from anyone who wants to read something extraordinary, but only if not handled deftly. Hornby purposely uses this facileness to encapsulate the feeling of being trapped and hopeless in the cage you built yourself. I couldn’t say it’s excellent plot-wise, though. It makes me a tad sad when a narrative has such good characters that don’t fit well with the rather middleof-the-road storyline. And it has nothing to do with the abovementioned banalities; it’s all about the plot that’s too easy to recognize (if not actually predict). I’ve seen it from miles away, even before halfway through the novel—a fact that didn’t stop me from finishing it. If anything, this book is the literary equivalent of a peculiar symphony that gives us a déjà vu whenever we listen to it—or jamais vu in my case, because I think I’m too young to feel like it’s too late for my life to have some kind of redemption after taking the wrong path. Not only is this a story that severs the line dividing musical evangelism and beastlike fanaticism. It’s also a story of managing to find the right moment to restart, which is often construed in three letters: NOW. It’s an overwrought power balladry of passion and hope, one that you know could have stuck to its G-Clef cleanliness but instead plunged an octave lower to poke with the deeper undercurrents of its chosen theme. 3.5 stars for an unforgettable read.
The road to Wonderland A confession of a scarred dreamer
Years ago life is full of hope and passion to succeed. Timeline of goals were written just to have proof that every step is calculated and were done according to its proper order. Funny as it may sound, ambitions and even daydreams are supervised. Then real world happened. Wonderland seems so far away and every little step takes a lot of effort. You often end up bruised and exhausted. There are many roads to this so-called imaginary place but I just don’t know the right directions. There are too many let’s just give up moments but there are more days when you just run and jump so that you’d say to yourself that you have progress. There are many routes that you can choose from. No one can tell you what road to take —it’s all up to you. Just remember on your way there, you have to know that: There are monsters out there. They will come and get you. Monsters are not necessarily human beings. Sometimes they are feelings —your own feelings that you cannot control. Sometimes there are days that you’d feel tired of proving your worth. You’ll be sick of giving all you’ve got but still you are not good enough. You can take a deep breath and pause for awhile. Continue your way towards wonderland but leave all the freaks behind.
Faults are not the reason to stop
“Nobody is perfect” has been sa often forget its meaning. Whatever up being pained and injured but do your wonderland. Learn to stand ag Do not be afraid to try again. It is alri ways it will be your road to finding t Fear can get you to nowhere.
End the what-ifs. Do not be scare pen. Just do it and trust your guts.
Trust is something you give to pe
Along the road, you’ll meet stra come friends, friends that will beco
p.
then when you care too much it makes you vulnerable. I believe that when someone shows you good things you can easily give aid too many times but people him/her your trust but I learned the hard way. Remember the rule road you are in, you might end of friendship “whatever happens I got your back?” well sometimes, on’t let it stop you from finding it’s not. Once trust was wrecked you’d feel burned. That doesn’t gain and rethink of your vision. mean you’d stop giving your trust —just give it to someone who ight to be lost because in some will also honor your strong belief in them. the exact road again. It is a long road but it is all worth it (that is what they say.)
eople who value it.
Honestly, this is the hardest to believe of all. I’m still here —in the middle of the road trying to figure out what’s my next turn. I’m still standing here confused and doesn’t even see the tip what they call wonderland. All I know is I’m going to get there.
angers, strangers that will beome family. You’ll start to care
Enjoy the journey. Conquer your dreams but also learn from reality. See you there!
ed of the things that might hap-
Wavves Imagine Brian Wilson producing a track for Nirvana with Johnny Rotten on vocals singing pugnacious catchy hooks soaked in the 1960s sugary pop. If you happen to have pictured that in your mind, odds are that the surf punk outfit Wavves might have popped in your head. Though they have gone through several lineup changes, Nathan Williams remains to be the heart and soul of the band. With a new album on deck, under their new label home Mom + Pop, Wavves has come a long way from recording homemade cassette tapes in their parent’s household. The San Diego based band started out as a oneman noise-pop project of the then 22 year-old Nathan Williams. He started creating a frenzy across Califor-
Grunge on the beach by Riff Randell
nia when he released several 7”s and a cassette tape of his self-titled debut LP in 2008. His decision to record with a lo-fi production wasn’t possibly intended as an artistic expression, probably just making the best out of what’s available, but it worked out great for him. The first record, though possibly ear damaging, accurately projected the rawness of his youthful exuberance. His lackadaisical vocal fashion stamps a punk attitude on his seemingly naïve psychedelic pop sound. The extremely lo-fi dexterity of his album slowly generated a cult following. After gaining a little recognition, he enlisted Ryan Ulsh as a touring drummer and embarked on their first US and European tour. In the consequent year, Wavves released a sec-
ond full-length album entitled, Wavvves –perhaps named to further confuse people. With wild guitar distortions, galvanized drums, and fuzzy vocals present, his sophomore effort still contained the distinctive elements that spawned the maelstrom of chatter. It also drew attention and was well-received by outlets such as Spin Magazine, The Onion A.V. Club, and Pitchfork media. In true rock n’ roll nature, Nathan Williams had a public breakdown in the middle of their European tour and wasn’t able to finish their set. That caused him to lose his drummer and to cancel the remaining dates of the tour. He then admitted that he was addicted to alcohol. After getting over his rock fiasco, he acquired new members for his band with Stephen Pope on bass and Bill Hayes on drums. In 2009, Wavves took a quantum leap and served up a slice of punk heaven with the release of King of the Beach, with Fat Possum Records behind their backs. Much more well produced the recent LPs, the album sported a chillwave vibe married with a skate punk attitude. Lyric-wise, Nathan seemed to have matured and cleverly explored on the variety of his compositions. Like
sampling 50s doo wops and venturing on electro synth tracks. Listening to the entire record seemed like taking up an eargasmic drug. Side effects might lead to hallucinations of missing aliens and convertible balloons. It may also leave a trace of sand in your ears. However, after touring for a whole year, Hayes eventually left the band. Following the success of the sensational beach soaked album, a grittier EP was next in line. Though Life Sux still contained Wavves’ hooky punk-pop trademark, it propelled a darker tone reminiscent of the grunge scene born in Seattle. One track was
bury me deeply even honoring one of grunge’s finest drummers with “I Wanna Meet Dave Grohl.” Under the label Ghost Ramp, it featured collaborations with Nathan’s real life lover Beth Consentino of Best Coast, singing Pixies-style harmonies on “Nodding Off,” and the band Fucked Up, howling along on the track “Destroy.” With Stephen Pope by his side, the forthcoming album, Afraid of Heights, promises a colossal craft with high expectations coming from everywhere. They had been constantly talking about how committed and hard they worked for this record, with carefully searching for the perfect label that would respect their efforts to remain untouched as possible. It is safe to expect a heavy Weezer influence on some of their tracks, considering the fact that Nathan basically played the Blue Album on repeat during their writing process (They also happen to have toured with the band on the recent Weezer Cruise). The surf pop punk lads continue to make waves across the globe. With endless international tours and a great amount of following, it looks like Nathan Williams wouldn’t be stopping from generating trippy pop tunes drenched in emotionally charged feelings any time soon. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself bopping your head along an upbeat melancholic track once you gave them a listen.
Zone Magaz
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e u s s I ic s u M The
June 2013
Come as you are
Photography: Gemma Albors Model: Bea Gómez Make up: Sara Ferraro Stylist: Sara Ferraro Location: Barcelona Wardrobe: Top Shop, Berskha, Zara, Levi’s, Fashion Pills.
Shining despite
all the
despites
More often than not, the modeling wonderland doesn’t coincide exactly with the megacrowds’ tangibly glamorous image of it. Runways aren’t always spilling with sparks, spotlights, and sweet rewards. We get wrapped up in its spell of glam, but before anyone from the backstage can cast it, they shed buckets of sweats and take gallons of resolve. In truth, catwalks are often studded with barbs and ordeals. If a regular model bears this brunt, how would you carry its heavier kind if you’re an underdog? Stephanie Retuya knows the answer to that: you rock your way down the runway and own it like what other models would. Because at the end of the day—whatever kind of label they may attach to you— you’re still a model through and through.
cizing me. But [of all the things that I expected to happen here, what I] did not realize is that I would inspire girls out there by just being who I am.” Like most of model’s nondescript Cinderella tales, fate has something to do with how Stephanie’s career began. A friend of her brother, Ken Batino, who is then a protégé of celebrity stylist John Lozano, decided to make her a model. At that time she said she still didn’t know how to walk or pose, but she was assured that she has a potential and she gave it a go. She got introduced to Julius Uy, Uy introduced her to Inno Sotto, and Inno Sotto trained her on the runway for Fashion Watch. It was a domino of fortunate events that lead her where she is now.
“As a model I know more now than before like how to actually do a runway walk and give This is what she proved when different poses, but as a pershe finished first runner-up in son, I still have more dreams I the recently concluded Asia’s want to achieve,” she related. Next Top Model despite of being constantly considered the Her latest feat in AsNTM seems small fry in the competition. to be her stepladder in the fulThailand’s Jessica Amornkuldi- fillment of her dreams. There lok took home the coveted were cheers when she joined the competition, but down crown. the line she was often told she “Being the country’s repre- was “playing safe” and that sentative to Asia’s Next Top she “needed to be more conModel is often overwhelming,” fident.” Astonishment primarStephanie confessed to ZONE. ily followed the twenty-three“Many people are congratulat- year-old stunner’s inclusion in ing me, egging me on, or criti- the top 3. This is because aside
from not bagging Best Photo in any of the challenges, she got to the Bottom Two five times in the duration of the show. Through all the doubts and questions, she battled her way through the finals, proving that she could stand out too.
Stephanie shared lovingly. “Her first word is ommama (omma is Korean for mommy).”
Being physically there for her daughter as much as she wants is a challenge for Stephanie. She has to work for AsNTM and she has to “AsNTM is a new experi- leave Han Sol for a long peence for me and it made me riod of time. Sometimes nervous all the time,” the she can’t help but feel bad beauty from Laguna admit- when she misses Han Sol, alted. “[But] it is a wonder- though she knows the baby ful journey despite being in is being taken care of well by an emotional roller coaster. her grandmother. It also helped me become more confident of myself. Opportunities [are] also But for what it’s worth, opening up because of it, Stephanie believes her life both in and out of the coun- has taken a turn for the bettry, and people are accept- ter. ing me as a model despite of being a mom.” “It may sound cliché but life is very interesting now. I’m Motherhood is another meeting new people and I thing you can’t take away got to work with them, befrom Stephanie. Her preg- ing part of the whole crenancy halted her trips to the ative process. It helped me modeling realm for a while become more indepenbut she came back with a dent—since I have to travel blast—as the country’s del- to model—and it helped a egate to the famous contest lot with my social skills,” she no less. Her priorities are shared with a good-natured also now arranged in the laugh. right order. Being a mother is what she does full time, Aside from emphasizwith modeling only taking ing good work ethics, the sizable slices of hours of her most important lesson she day. Han Sol, her half-Ko- learned in her chosen career rean daughter, turned one to date is to “Never second year just last January. guess yourself, just believe in what you can do, and nev“I do my best to let her ex- er be afraid to dream and perience the culture and try.” the best of both worlds,”
NEVER second guess
yourself,just
BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU CAN DO,AND
NEVER BE afraid to DREAM and
try
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