VOGUE (Singapore) - Vogue Singapore Man
Editor’s LETTER
Ibegan my fashion journey with a local men’s title back in the early 2000s and as a result, menswear has always had a special place in my heart. The landscape then was one-dimensional with archetypal jocks, blokes and the occasional rock star ruling the fashion scene. Sex was hugely celebrated— think glossy, greased-up bodies sweating through white Oxfords or pseudo-rugby players jacking up a Versace suit. The sartorial scene left no room for nuance or the middle ground.
Fast forward to the last two years of fashion and we see the rise of a different sort of man. Toxic masculinity, a phrase coined in recent times, is greatly frowned upon and men for once, are encouraged to get in touch with their softer side and not compartmentalise their emotions—as encouraged by renowned spirituality guru Jay Shetty (page 54). Gender-specific fashion has quickly given way to sexual neutrality, where heels and wispy cropped tops are no longer seen just on women but widely embraced by men. Think Gucci under the gentle hands of Alessandro Michele’s debut collection in 2015 to the current spring offerings from brands like Celine, Sacai and Gaultier. The message is clear: one’s masculinity is no longer pigeonholed by societal norms. Today, wearing a skirt doesn’t make you any less of a man.
For our cover story, Vogue Man’s fashion editor Gordon Ng explores this change of guard on the catwalks, as French model and actor Paul Hameline transforms the landscape of men’s fashion. Once ruled by the likes of Tyson Beckford and David Gandy, it’s become a space of self-expression both on and off the runway, thus redefining a kind of masculinity that is oddly ambiguous, yet still brimming with so much sex appeal (page 80).
Speaking of ambiguity, Vogue Singapore’s beauty director Alli Sim flirts with the world of shoujo manga. Here, fiction and fantasy meet. This escapist land of dreamy love stories celebrates the softer side of boys and their picture-perfect hairdos. From draftdefying beach waves to graphic braids and androgynous looking bishōnens reimaged by the ultra-talented hair stylist, Junz Loke, the novel hairstyles that soften the features are here to set hearts aflutter (page 46).
While we are on the topic of setting hearts aflutter, I had the opportunity of flying to Kuala Lumpur to shoot one of Thailand’s brightest stars, Hirunkit Changkham ‘Nani’ for our main fashion spread (page 86). Famed for playing the lead character MJ, in the Thai remake of Boys over Flowers, Nani’s boyish good looks have earned him a legion of fans from all over Asia, including Japan. His ability to embody a certain kind of softness in his gaze while turning up the dial by simply parting his lips got the assistants on set squealing.
Perhaps real strength and power do not necessarily need to come from a strapping physique or in the form of a pin-striped suit. The modern man can be vulnerable, sensitive, prone to faltering and be as emotion-stirred as anyone else. After all, he is only human. This man is open and ready to explore. And with that, I encourage you to be the guardian of your own masculinity (while I put on a pleated skirt and prepare myself for a client lunch) because no one should tell you how you should live this one life of yours.