MANILA, Philippines - A magazine’s September issue is always a statement issue. This week, we ask the local scene’s biggest, most prestigious magazines why we should spend our hard-earned pesos on them.
‘Metro’
“This month, we pay tribute to 35 top designers and retailers for their contribution in shaping the local fashion scene. We have fashion forecasts for next season and some of the best looks from Philippine Fashion Week and Samsung Metrowear, plus an article on fashion bloggers to look out for. Metro represents independent, well-rounded women whose sense of style goes beyond clothing, so we also have features on fashion-inspired desserts and personalities to look up to. We also have an exclusive scoop on the local soap, Magkaribal.” —Bianca Consunji, associate editor
‘Rogue’
“Our September issue is our annual Style and Design Issue, which covers the latest trends and ideas in fashion and design. This is in line with the celebration of Fashion Week around the world and marks the beginning of the “ber” months, which are most profitable as they lead up to the Christmas shopping season... Being a style and design issue, we don’t just focus on fashion, but on the timelessness of style itself. In this very special edition we celebrate two ideas and execute them in features we’ve never done before. The first idea is a return to classicism and traditional tailoring practices, which we present in Rogue’s first ever Style portfolio — a collection of portraits of a new and exciting generation of made-to-measure tailors, designers, and craftsmen, who readers can go to to personally customize every item in their wardrobe from suits to accessories. The second theme of this issue is a statement on the global nature of fashion, as evidenced in our Style Guide trend reports from New York, Tokyo, and Florence, as well as in our first-ever cover shot outside the Philippines — model Tanya Tankiang, whom we shot on a chic junk boat/restaurant on Hong Kong Harbor.” —Jose Mari Ugarte, editor-in-chief
‘Preview’
“This issue has a great mix of stories for anyone interested in fashion. There’s a round-up of all the hot Autumn-Winter 2010 trends —and our interpretations of them. We have a style story on the international editors and models and what they wore to the Autumn-Winter shows. We also have a styling guide on how to dress like the Philippines’s best and most high-profile stylists: Liz Uy, Agoo Bengzon, Ana Kalaw (the first two are contributing editors of Preview, while Ana was our former fashion features editor), Pam Quiñones, and Jenni Epperson. We also have our annual Ten New Designers To Watch Out For, where we introduce a fresh crop of brilliant young designers to our readers. This year, we’re having an event to honor this year’s batch and to launch the Emerging Talent Program for 2011.” —Pauline Suaco-Juan, editor-in-chief
‘Uno’
“Putting together our September issue was an experience that was by turns trying and touching, harrowing and heartening. You could say that it’s a special on cinema, but through the lens of a great loss: the brutal murder one year ago of our friends, film activists Alexis Tioseco and Nika Bohinc. Whether or not the reader is aware of who they were, though, he or she should pick the issue up because it is full of incisive, engaging, brave writing — by people like Lourd de Veyra, Butch Dalisay, and Patricia Evangelista — on Philippine film, art, justice and the obstruction thereof, friendship, memory, and responsibility (not to mention an all-girl surf camp). It has visuals by people like acclaimed artist Kiri Dalena and the legendary Cesar Hernando. It’s a genuinely rewarding reading experience.” —Erwin Romulo, associate editor
‘Mega’
“We not only have a very comprehensive trend report on what will be in vogue for the next six months, we have also translated foreign trends into relevant outfits for our sensibilities and climate. A copy of the September issue of Mega is truly an investment for the fashion conscious. Ruffa Gutierrez in a dynamic stance wearing wide-leg trousers on the cover is just the beginning of the many exciting features inside.” —Sari Yap, editor-in-chief and publisher