THE STARTER:

SEPTEMBER 2011
(THE BIG) FALL SPECIAL
ART. WEAR. DRINK. WOMEN. READ. LISTEN & MORE


Taking the magazine lead, THE EDGE's September 2011 Starter  braces you for the start of Fall. Wherever you are in the world, here is what matters for the season. 


Welcome to the September 2011 Starter, the (BIG) Fall Special.


>>> ART: Stanley Chow draws American Pop Culture

The Bonds by Stanley Chow @SwipeLife

Manchester illustrator Stanley Chow has a site that has gained so much of a following it's impossible for you not to know him. From caricatures of the many faces of James Bond to Rihanna with Cee-Lo Green and whole lots more (if you're lucky enough to be Chow's friend, you get to be one of those illustrations too). Download the Stanley Chow app or start keeping track of his (literally) heady illustrations found on his site. It's not just for killing time you know, it's also for art appreciation today.

>>> LISTEN & READ: INDIEBON the blog of the month

Indiebon is a destination actually, an escape for great music-hungry folks in search for something soothing (or not) for both the playlist and the soul. This is where I consider myself schooled when it comes to the music scene now and it's a great read as well since Bonnapart's blog takes a trip elsewhere, covering magazines and bits and pieces of the culture we're enjoying. Follow him on Twitter for all those awesome updates (and sometimes real fun random tweets) @indiebon and make sure to bookmark his blog INDIEBON. For now, here's a track by Charlotte Gainsbourg from INDIEBON.


>>> WOMAN: Zoe Saldana for GQ

Columbiana star Zoe Saldana is back on the scene. The sexy and svelte star strips to minimal clothing for GQ and since there's clearly no effort in doing so, for a good 30 seconds she manages to heat it all up for you...in a classy way of course. Good job GQ, superb job Zoe.

>>> WEAR: Woody-eyed by Herrlicht Wood Glasses

Nature's bet by Herrlicht Wood Glasses @ Cool Hunting

When two cultures known for impeccable know-how of technology and craftsmanship marry, the fruit shall be too good to be true you know the marriage is perfect to begin with. Berlin-based designer Andreas Licht's wood-framed sunglasses are handmade, employing Japanese joinery techniques that allows for durability, ease of use and a downright, perfect wearing experience. The only thing that isn't made out of wood here would be the lenses, imagine that! Herrlicht only churns out 200-250 pieces of these, so you'd expect a pretty hefty price tag. But, as you know, these handmade goodies are pricy for all the great reasons.

>>> DRINK: Coffee this way: The Seven Indie Coffee Roasters in America

The Round-up by Cool Hunting

Cool Hunting has tested the underground brewing scene that America's been enjoying as of late and they've come up with seven of the finest your money could buy. There's Four Barrel from San Francisco, Gorilla Coffee from Brooklyn, PT's Coffee Roasting from Topeka, Roasting Plant from New York and more, these good brews from almost all around the states will surely get your caffeine fixed. Suddenly, Starbucks doesn't sound as delicious as it used to.

There's more to read...

>>> WEAR: Lanvin's Fall 2011 Accessories

Neckties, bracelets, bags, gloves & more. Lanvin's Fall 2011 line-up of accessories @ Selectism

LANVIN for Fall 2011 has come out with an awesome line-up of accessories ranging from nylon and printed bags to delicious neutral-colored gloves to solid-printed ties to tiny cool cufflinks, all true to LANVIN's kind of chic and elegance. Though I haven't considered myself a LANVIN fan for some time, what's served at the accessories department are surely exciting. Think of navy cardigans, white shirts with a dash of a necktie from this line-up or that fox-tailed bag with a wrinkly plain tee, rolled-up jeans and high-cut sneakers? Or a pile-up of their braided bracelets? I'm praying pay day'd come soon AND a heaven-high raise with it as well (in case my bosses are reading this, it's for effect, don't panic).

>>> READ & the WOMAN: ROGUE's Style & Design Issue

The best tease of the month, Janet Emmrich shot by Mark Nicdao and styled by LA Consing Lopez
ROGUE September 2011

September is ROGUE magazine's dedication to all things stylish and well-designed. The cover is a testament to that: well-placed headlines, the cool "S&D" logo. Stories this month are sure to get every style-enthusiast much homework including a reading on Ben Chan and his guide to ruling the world, Manila's most stylish men,  a dissertation on why men ought to accessorize and why Simon Spurr just might be the next big thing in menswear. Also featured inside is a piece I wrote with my editor, LA Consing Lopez, which goes something like the ROGUE guide to clothing care. Don't worry, I haven't ignored the elephant in the room (more specifically, the babe on the cover). Janet Emmrich, I've only heard of now, but this cover will put her in so many of the Filipino readers' consciousness and I'm sure she's bound to make it big. Beautiful, just beautiful. Get your copies now on Zinio as this one will fill the newsstands by the end of this week. "Must Buy" is an understatement gents.

>>> WEAR & STYLE: COLOR by DETAILS magazine

Garrett Neff & Ryan Kennedy
styled by Brad Goreski & shot by Matthias Vriens-McGrath
DETAILS September 2011

These photos have been around for weeks and I've even blogged about it before since it's a dream casting for me (Garrett Neff and Ryan Kennedy). But why it's here now is cause it's most probably truly relevant to what's going on in fashion for Fall 2011. Styled by Brad Goreski and photographed by Matthias Vriens-McGrath, DETAILS takes you on a cool color story that's doable, wearable and incredibly chic. This is more of a how-it's-done kind of thing, pairing a dark gray suit with a light blue shirt, wearing pink and green sneakers with an all-gray ensemble, donning a lively yellow knit cardigan over ripped blue jeans, it's an easy formula to spicing up the Fall. While it's usually a bleak season for dressing, Fall 2011 is about color and balancing that with the classics (blacks, grays, browns and blues). Perfect story I tell you.

>>> ARCHITECTURE: At home with Raf Simons

The Antwerp home of Jil Sander's man, Raf Simons @ Selectism

Raf Simons, they say is a private man. Him opening up his woody, art-filled and subtly energetic home to WSJ is a blessing. Visit WSJ's piece and get a glimpse into Raf Simons life. How he's not really into rock n' roll, why he loves his 1968-designed apartment and what he could've been if he wasn't the big man behind Jil Sander and his own label.  

>>> WEAR: GQ's Blue Steel choices

Blue Steel actually looks more like this than Zoolander's.
The best watches of the season @ GQ

Again, blue steel actually looks like this, instead of the Ben Stiller look we know of. GQ's got us salivating over these blue steel watches, probably the height of a masculine watch any watch design could get. A personal favorite would be the Rolex, with a bracelet in white gold. Then there's the Longines and also the Tag Heuer that's really disturbing me. Price ranges from the affordable to the down-right heartbreaking, but when they look this good and they could go with basically everything (even with your grandson's son's no-wheel, up-in-the-skies ride in the near future), you couldn't say no. 

>>> STYLE & WEAR: United Arrows Fall 2011

How do you say "Oh God I gotta have everything that's on that lookbook" in Japanese?
United Arrows Fall 2011, I tell you @ Selectism

Japan's very own United Arrows has won me over with their quirky mix of patterns, shapes and influences for Fall 2011. From printed pouches to cool, drawstring sweats to punchy red jackets and sweaters, here's the wardrobe your fall one should start looking like. Influences are obviously Americana but the styling is certainly something the Japanese are natural at. Plus it also helps that the lookbook's well styled and gives much justice to the awesome apparel. This just made me happy.