YStyle Picks

Shoe gaze

MANILA, Philippines - It’s no secret that retail behemoth SM Department Store once started out 50 years ago as a small shop that sold shoes in Old Manila, manned by Henry Sy himself. Today, you’d be hard-pressed to find a city that doesn’t have its own SM and instead of selling just a couple pairs of shoes, the department store now boasts 25,000 pairs — the largest shoe selection in the Philippines — specifically in SM Makati. Apart from in-house brands like Parisian, Milanos and Salvatore Mann, they feature proudly homegrown brands like Figlia, Figliarina, Gibi, Rusty Lopez, Janilyn, Janeo, Mario D’ Boro and Chelsea alongside international brands, like Badgley Mischka, L.A.M.B., Jeffrey Campbell, Joe’s Jeans, Nina, Adrianna Papell, and Marie Claire. There are also sporty selections with brands like Nike, Adidas, Merrell, Converse, Skechers, Reebok, New Balance, Saucony, Puma, Fila, Accel, And1, Vans, and Sperry Top-Sider. Even kids have their own brands to choose from with Kids and Tough Kids. If it’s shoes you’re looking for, SM’s definitely got you covered.

Lucky break

It’s been a week since Beyoncé stealthily dropped her fifth solo studio album and by now, it’s safe to say that people have sufficiently stopped freaking about it and how genius ‘Yoncé is. Dubbed a “visual album,” her latest offering, which dropped exclusively on iTunes, contains 14 songs and 17 videos, one of which features 2011 Ford Supermodel of the World Philippines runner-up Manuela Basilio. In the video for the song Pretty Hurts, which is about the pressures Beyoncé had to overcome to become Beyoncé, she takes on the role of a bulimic beauty pageant contestant who’s addicted to diet pills. In one particular scene, Manuela sits beside Beyoncé during pageant rehearsals, then shoots her a dirty look before schooching her chair away. Hey, if we were sitting next to Beyoncé, we wouldn’t be able to handle it either. Manuela has done pretty well for herself in the Big Apple, having walked in NYFW S/S ‘14 for Mark & Estel and Ammerman Schlösberg, but this is her first music video appearance. We’ll be keeping our eye on this one.

New faces

It was only last May when Kristen Stewart told former Balenciaga creative director Nicolas Ghesquiére that she “would totally run away” with him shortly after hearing the news that he was planning to leave the French couture house. Well, either she forgot she said that or she got bored or whatever because now, she’s officially the new face for Chanel. She will be fronting the Métiers d’Art Paris Dallas collection campaign, shot by Karl Lagerfeld, natch, which will be released next May — exactly one year after she made a certain promise to a certain designer. Hey, at least Nicolas knows how Robert Pattinson feels. In other news, Rihanna has officially been named the face of Balmain. “In front of the camera, she makes you feel like she is the only girl in the world,” Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing told Vogue.co.uk. “When the woman that inspires you wears your creations, your vision feels complete.” The S/S ‘14 campaign featuring Rihanna, shot by Inez and Vinoodh and styled by Mel Ottenberg, RiRis’s personal stylist, will be released as early as January next year.

Last flash

It is with great sadness that we report the death of photographer Kate Barry, who was found dead outside her apartment in Paris after falling from the fourth floor. She was 46 years old. Kate was the daughter of fashion icon and actress Jane Birkin and James Bond theme composer John Barry. Though he wasn’t her biological father, she was raised by Jane’s long-time partner, Serge Gainsbourg, who gave Kate her first Polaroid camera. “I was always being photographed as a child. That must have had an effect,” Kate told French daily Libération of her choice to be behind the lens rather than in front of it. Her work has appeared in British Vogue, Elle,  Paris Match, Telegraph magazine and the Sunday Times. Her first major exhibit opened in the Bunkamura Gallery in Tokyo in 2000 and her most recent one, “Point of View. Portraits. Still Life” was held recently in Paris. According to The Independent, Kate had a history of substance abuse and was treated for it at a London addiction clinic when she was 17. She would later open a free residential facility for addicts at Soissons, outside Paris, in 1994. Her death is still being investigated by the local police, who found anti-depressants in her apartment, where she lived alone. She is survived by her 26-year-old son, Roman de Kermadec.

House rules

As fun as it is to browse through the magazine and vinyl selection at Heima, if you are a dude, you may have felt a little out of place amid all the pastel furnishings and twee tsotchkes thrown around, which is why the Rossy and Bong Rojales, the wife-and-husband team behind the homegrown home accessories brand, decided to launch My Apt. A sub-brand of Heima, My Apt. delivers a more somber-hued line of bespoke furniture and décor, including media consoles, storage and shelves, various tables and accent chairs and sofas. “Maybe think of it as Heima for men, a dream bachelor’s pad, a man cave or, as we position it, a source of unique solutions for the modern urban dweller,” Bong explains. Using materials such as wood, metal and leather, the color schemes are darker and more subdued with the use of muted colors. The designs are mainly contemporary, but with a particular take on traditional favorites, like leather club chairs and armchairs for the man of the house. The store was launched last weekend with a special collaboration with 13 Lucky Monkey on unique hardware and skull décor pieces. Bloom EXT., an extension of Bloom Arts Festival curated with My Apt. is currently on exhibit at the space. They have more collaborations mapped out for the future, including new furniture pieces for release in early 2014, plus more books, magazines and a growing product line.

My Apt. is located at 225 LRI Design Plaza, 210 Nicanor Garcia St., Bel-Air II, 1209 Makati City.