Growing up in the 90’s, travelling the world, I witnessed the great influence of American Pop Culture wherever I go, Tom Cruise’s 1986 TOP GUN poster stapled on a barber shop in Boystown, Pattaya-Thailand, Brad Pitt’s 1994 Legends of the Fall poster in a “mostly censored” movie rentals in Al Khobar-Saudi Arabia, Leonardo Dicaprio’s life-size cardboard cutout in the streets of Lan Kwai Fong-Hong Kong, Jason Priestley and Luke Perry’s of Beverly Hills 90210 in the 1990’s all over the notebook covers of teenage girls (and boys) in my highschool in Manila, I have to confess I bought my first Tiger Beat with River Phoenix cover to wrap my Calculus Textbook (to get me through my most boring class ever).

James Dean
(February 1931 – September 1955)

In an “fun experiment” by Irina Aleksander on her article “The New Male Beauty” (June 23, 2009) for The New York Observer. She suggested that the latest “It boys”sort of look alike– High School Musical’s Zac Efron, Twilight’s Robert Pattinson, Gossip Girl’s Chace Crawford, Star Trek’s Chris Pine, Hairspray’s James Marsden, Fantastic Four’s Chris Evans and the list goes on, and she calls it the NEW MALE BEAUTY: those wide-set eyes, the narrow nose that flares up at the tip just so, the childish puffy cheeks and the not-too-rugged jaw lines, topped with carefully placed strands of layered hair. (http://www.observer.com/2009/style/new-male-beauty)

Although I agree with her that this twenty-something James Dean doppelgänger’s has been dominating the box office and prime time tv this decade, whats new? Since James Dean starred in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), he’s reincarnation’s in the “Male Beauties” of the 60’s (Warren Beatty), 80’s (Tom Cruise), 90’s (Leonardo Dicaprio) has always been prominent. The 2000’s Young Hollywood cannot deny the fact that “another swoopy-haired, pretty-faced actor dominating the box office” has started in the 50’s. Although I was born in the 80’s and Tom Cruise was the king, I acknowledge the fact that on my list of top 10 Male beauties of all time, it’s a not a Mr. Pattinson or a Mr. Efron topping my list- its the original, Mr. Dean.

River Phoenix
(August 1970 – October 1993)

The American film actor who starred in Gus Van Sant’s 1991 Semi-documentary footage of Seattle street hustling “My Own Private Idaho” is one of the reason I fell in love with american filmmaking, not only its sexiest Homosexual road movie ever made, its casted perfectly with beautiful talented stars all at the top of their respective games. The film’s success solidified Phoenix’s image as an edgy actor with leading man potential, without even trying, he is the most authentic reincarnation of James Dean’s beauty and talent in the 90’s.

Brad Pitt
(December 1963)

Yes, its not a surprise Mr. Pitt’s in the list, has been cited as one of the world’s most sexiest men over and over again in some top 10 list all over the world. But I can’t help but put him in this one, because am only human. Most of my favorite movies of all time are starred by Brad Pitt, and three of the sexiest and most beautiful characters that the silverscreen ever produced he had played – J.D., the cowboy hitchhiker who seduces Geena Davis’s character in the 1991 road movie “Thelma & Louise”, as Louis de Pointe du Lac in “Interview with the Vampire” (1994) – the most referenced vampire of this decades’ teen vampires and Tristan Ludlow in the 1994 drama “Legends of the Fall”, how can I resist?

Johnny Depp
(June 1963)

There is something so mysterious about this American actor that I find so mesmerizing and beautiful, after 50 films and running, from “A Nightmare on Elm Street” to “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” from “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” to “Pirates of the Caribbean”, he just makes me ask for more.

Joe Dallesandro
(December 1948)

Aesthetically speaking if the Greek philosophers will have a perfect mold for the male beauty, it will be “Little Joe”s face. Thanks to Andy Warhol, the 70’s underground films will always have their nude James Dean. Although he never become a mainstream film star like Mr. Dean, Mr. Phoenix, Mr. Depp and Mr. Pitt –Mr. Dallesandro is a sex symbol of the 20th century in his own right, and an iconic beauty on my list. Like Mr. Phoenix he starred as as a beautiful teenage street hustler in the 1970’s film Flesh and hailed as one of the 10 most beautiful men Scavullo had ever photographed. As a photographer how can i disagree?

Gabriel Aubry
(January 1976)

“Quick, name one male model.” asked by Lauren Streib on her article “The World’s Most Successful Male Models”(May, 07 2008) for Forbes Magazine. Gabriel Aubry, Mark Fisher, Marlon Teixeira, Jon Kortajarena, and Greg Knudson and yes, Fabio doesn’t count. In my personal list of Top 10 Male Beauties of all time, it only make sense that half of them are models and three out of five are signed with Wilhelmina Models in New York City. All five of them have the moviestar goodlooks minus the Zoolander ego that plagued most male models this decade.

Signed to Wilhelmina Models in New York City, the only male model to ever appear on the cover of Uomo Vogue while appearing in 4 different campaigns at the same time, in the same magazine. Aubry is a Canadian male model, that has been the face (and body) of blue chip clients like Gianni Versace, Calvin Klein, DKNY, and Valentino, achieved supermodel status after modeling for Hugo Boss.

Mark Fisher
(January 1976)

One source of male beauties for me back in college are the men’s fashion magazines, I have converted my room in a mini-magazine library and nobody can avoid all the muses for more than four decades of the legendary photographer Bruce Weber, Mark Fisher is my favorite. Mr. Fisher is an American model best known for his campaigns for Abercrombie & Fitch, Polo, Versace and Ralph Lauren. In my book he is one of the original male models that carries the James Dean charm without even knowing it.
Fisher was born in Detroit, but grew up in Atlanta and considers himself a little boy from the South.

Marlon Teixeira
(September 1993)

Signed to Wilhelmina Models in New York City, Teixeira appeared on Dior Homme Campaign, the provocative Diesel Ad shot by Terry Richardson, the face of the 2009 Christian Dior Summer/Spring collection to name a few. The brazillian beauty is half Portuguese and has Indian and Japanese origins and at the very young age and early of his career he is becoming one of the top working male model right now.

Jon Kortajarena
(May 1985)

Those chiseled cheekbones, full pout and sexy stare has placed Spanish male model on my top 10 male beauties, signed to Wilhelmina Models in New York City,
Kortajarena has been the face of Just Cavalli, Tom Ford, Bally, Etro, Trussardi and now on his film debut on the upcoming directorial debut of designer TOM FORD “A Single Man (2009)” alongside Colin Firth, & Julianne Moore.

Greg Knudson
(November 1978)

Whenever people ask me who’s my favorite model I ever photographed, this American male model, native of california always come to mind,
I never thought I’ll ever meet a real life James Dean in my lifetime, but I did, and his body covered by Oriental tattoes of his gang memebrship on his teen years,
a troubled teen like the characters that James Dean, River Phoenix, Johnny Depp would ussually play in their films and his striking resemblance to Brad Pitt is uncanny.

Excerpt from my book Acknowledgement “STARK”: I remember buying my first photo book, Just Between Us by LA photographer Greg Gorman, when I was in Fine Arts college majoring painting. I will never forget that, because I had never before spent so much money on a book; but that day and from this day on I knew it was all worth it. The moment I saw Greg Knudson on the book cover in the display, I considered him the most beautiful person on the planet, and I still feel he is.

When I shot him in LA last year—8 years after I bought the book—Greg told me I might be the last photographer he would ever work with since he is thinking of retiring; he has worked with most of the top photographers in the 1990’s. Now he is gracing my photo book, and I am elated.

After enduring 9 months of pregnancy, spending thousands of dollars on preparing a baby room and struggling to pick the perfect, not too bizarre, not too common, baby name, the last thing a parent wants is an ugly child. While some celebrity kids look like they’ve taken a shovel to the face (cough…Rumer Willis), here is a list of the top ten, model status, celebrity children. If not on the silver screen, these kids will most likely end up on a runway: 

1.) PRESLEY- son of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber 

2.) ROMEO- son of Victoria and David Beckham 

3.) NAHLA- daughter of Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry

4.) KINGSTON- son of Gewn Stefani and Gavin Rossdale 

5.) SHILOH- daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

6.) SURI- daughter of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise

7.) APPLE- daughter of Gwenyth Paltrow and Chris Martin

8.) JADEN- son of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith 

9.) VIOLET- daughter of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner 

10.) HENRY- son of Heidi Klum and Seal 

Mrs. Cruise is going the K-Fed route, she has revealed that she is developing a clothing line for young girls with Suri as inspiration. Katie’s teamed up with celebrity stylist Jeanne Yang to launch the collection.

“Jeanne Yang and I have been working together. We started about a year ago, sketching different things, trying to find comfortable clothing for our daughters that is also pretty and cute… We both grew up with mothers who sewed, we just started, and we’ve played around with doing things for women as well.”

LINKAGE: Popcrunch via Glamour Mag

Eek.

If Katie Holmes had gone for more of a nude lip color instead of matching it to her vintage Christian Lacroix dress, I think this look would have gone over a lot better.  There’s just too much going on.

Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise were in Brazil Tuesday for a Valkyrie premiere.

Photo from Just Jared.

Looking a little frail but mad elegant (and tall!), Katie Holmes hit the red carpet Tuesday for the German premiere of Valkyrie.

Katie cleaned up in a Morticia Adams-like black jersey v-neck Escada gown — and I’m not a fan of her short hair, but it looks pretty cute here!

Image from Just Jared.

This past Sunday, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes hit the shelves in The New York Times Style Holiday 2008 issue. Shot by photographer Solve Sundsbo, the black and white spread looks like an old world Hollywood movie…probably one involving a sappy, infidelity filled love story. The photos are absolutely stunning…at least they will tie me over until I can see Holmes in the January Miu Miu campaign! T Style is available in stores and online now. 

Thanks Fashion Copious!

Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Karl Lagerfeld all in the New York Times Style Magazine this Sunday.

It sort of makes your head want to explode doesn’t it.

Dear Sirs,

I think it’s great that society has progressed this far. We’re hardly into the 21st century and already a huge population of the country, and maybe even the world, has embraced gay rights. Free-thinkers are cool with men loving other men, women making out with other women, and so forth. In some states you can even get married, just like boy/girl couples!

…What?  You’re who?

Oh.

Images from I’m Not Obssesed.

Ahoy there mateys!!! Shiver me timbers and swap the poop deck cause a new trend has hit the seven seas.

Eye patches have suddenly become the accessory of choice amongst a select few of the fashionable elite and before you all begin gouging your eyes out in an attempt to be worthy of the Satorialist’s lens I figured I’d let you know that you don’t actually have to blind to reduce your 20/20 to a 10. 

While I must admit this whole eye patch thing looks cool and dangerous, for the most part I have trouble endorsing fashion that limits your ability to see and makes you an easy target for anyone looking to smack you over the side of your head without noticing. Seriously, when did looking like a pirate become the new shit?!?

Aggy was one of the first to drop the look, opting for a House of Holland eye patch after she walked his show last season. Then we started seeing previews of Tom Cruise in Valkyrie, in which he wears a wicked patch to take down Hitler. And now we’re seeing the trend hit the pages of W magazine, in which an unsuspecting model gets beat up by some overpriced garb wearing dom.  It’s official, the eyepatch has been sparked.

It is undeniable the Suri is one of Hollywood’s most darling kids, she’s also a growing fashionista. Look at her darling little pink dress, red bow and gold Mary Janes. My only question; why are both Katie and Tom bundled up in sweaters and Suri is in a short sleeved summer dress?

Thanks Dlisted for the pic

What has been going on with the fashion senses of Tom Cruise’s wives. First you have Katie Holmes, whose style has been in a tailspin every since she arrived in New York. This past week was photographed wearing the largest set of wide legged jeans paired with the LARGEST Birkin I have ever seen. I think Tom Cruise is hiding inside that Birkin!

Now look at this picture of Tom’s second wife Nicole Kidman. Once considered the most stylish woman in the world, Kidman’s outfit is a mishmash more suited for Helena Bonham Carter.

What is Tom Cruise doing to these women and their poor fashion sense?

Oh no Tom! Should have borrowed from Katie!

Refuse to wear grey to a hot a sticky night club in attempts to avoid humiliating shirt discoloration? Doubling up on undershirts so your boss won’t notice you profuse sweating during that crucial board meeting? Carrying a stick of clinical strength anti-perspirant to apply during every bathroom break? Well, fear no more! Last season’s Project Runway contestants Jack Mackenroth and Kevin Christiana have come out of the bathroom closet with their resourceful and basically foolproof way of eliminating those always mortifying pit stains. Panty-liners! Yes ladies (and gentlemen… if you have the guts to buy/borrow them), keep those panty-liners in use at any time of the month by placing them, sticky side down, in the armpits of your clothing. They collect the moisture, keep you feeling dry all day long and even give off a shower-fresh scent (if you choose the scented route!) Thanks for the idea guys! Pit stains are now one less thing Tim Gunn is concerned about!

Thanks New York Magazine and Asylum!