Our love affair with Retro Looking back and getting inspired by ‘70s trends

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Our love and fascination for everything vintage can be thrown back at the 1970s when pop culture was at its peak. If there are three things words that embody the era, it they would be fun, creative, and free. Disco fever doesn’t really die; it just keeps heating up with every revival.

Feminine silhouettes were highlighted in the ‘70s, a time when femininity dramatically evolved. It was a liberating period for women. They were finally able to go out and have full-time jobs and it was the time when they purchased clothes for various occasions, which led to the expansion of the female’s closet for the home and the office, both formal and casual wear. Individuality came into play and women started to feel empowered and free.

Men’s fashion, on the other hand, was bold and daring. They wore wide, colorful ties, flared pants and bright, fitted shirts. Some even grew their facial hair. Thankfully, the trousers started to straighten again, although the flares are revived every few seasons as we look back on the decade with nostalgia.

Some of the trends that we have now are actually a reflection of what was in vogue during the ‘70s, only with modifications and fusions with other eras. Glam rock emerged with the introduction of high-waisted denims and trousers, the arrival of platforms and satin-quilted jackets. The birth of wrap dresses, the maxi dress, mini- skirts and crop tops are all part of the ‘70s look and style and are prevalent in today’s fashion trends. Suddenly, everything old is new again.

In the athletic scene, the sports industry had been a huge business and the demand for innovative and performance-driven footwear became a necessity. Jogging was one of the most popular activities, as well as court sports like basketball, tennis and volleyball. One of the favored styles that made a trend was the herringbone tread in track shoes.

This distinctive herringbone tread became famous for its excellent grip and function for maximum mobility. It was highly prized by rafters, bushwalkers and even contractors. Today, it is considered one of the staple styles in performance footwear, and as well as with a popular lifestyle shoe brand.

This year, Crocs, the global lifestyle footwear brand known for its profound comfort and fun has adapted the herringbone style for its Crocs™ Retro Collection. The shoe brand incorporates the ‘70s track shoe design with its signature comfort; recreating the classic looks of its clogs, slip-ons, and Mary janes to give a sporty, performance-driven feel which will let you walk in comfort and wear in style.

“Vintage designs have a fascinating pull on people that goes beyond the trend and this is why we took inspiration from the ‘70s track shoe and incorporated it into our collection. It was a decade of fun and carefree spirits, similar to the feeling of wearing a pair of Crocs. It gives an exciting twist to our line and it further boosts our shoes’ functional benefits,” says Franco Limjuco, Vice President, Six Degrees Inc., Crocs’ local distributor.

Crocs looks back but moves you forward with its funky new styles to bring a smile to your face, and ease to your feet. The new collection is set to be in the stores by mid-February in varied designs and Crocs colors.

Whether it be in apparel or footwear lines, we now see why brands take inspiration from the ‘70s. It was a time of vibrancy and freedom, much like how we live our lives today, always in good spirits and with a happy vibe.

About Crocs, Inc.

A world leader in innovative casual footwear for men, women and children, Crocs, Inc. (NASDAQ: CROX), offers several distinct shoe collections with more than 300 styles to suit every lifestyle. As lighthearted as they are lightweight, Crocs™ footwear provides profound comfort and support for any occasion and every season.  All Crocs™ branded shoes feature Croslite™ material, a proprietary, revolutionary technology that produces soft, non-marking, and odor-resistant shoes that conform to your feet.

Crocs™ products are sold in over 90 countries. Every day, millions of Crocs™ shoe lovers around the world enjoy the exceptional form, function, versatility and feel-good qualities of these shoes while at work, school and play.

Visit www.crocs.com.ph for additional information, or visit Crocs Philippines on Facebook and @crocsph on Twitter.

Five ways to make business less complicated—with help from Globe Business

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Entrepreneur and Globe Business Ambassador Rose Ann Bautista, being in business for 20 years , has taught about the need to simplify her business, while at the same time sustaining its growth. Rose Ann, FINO Leatherware’s Vice-President for Marketing and Retail Operations, shares some of the things she learned about how to make business simpler, more efficient, and cost-effective.

“FINO Leatherware is into manufacturing and retail. We do the whole nine yards, from finding materials to ordering them, to the actual manufacture at our factory, and then making deliveries to clients and to our retail outlets. We deal with so many suppliers and partners throughout the whole process.”

“We have about a hundred or more employees—80 at our factory and and 20 to 30 at our stores. As you can imagine, we have to deal with so many challenges in our operations. Complications are part of the game. That’s why we had to find a way to operate that helps us prevent, reduce, or cope with these complications,” said Rose Ann.

Being informed, hands-on

According to Rose Ann, she’s “hands-on” not in the sense that she’s physically present at her factory.  Rather, she always keeps herself informed about business operations even on-the-go, thanks to telecoms technology from Globe Business.

“What I do is I always make sure that I know everything about what’s happening in the business, while also having time for myself. This is only possible through the use of my cellphone, the Internet, and my laptop.  It’s only when I’m informed that I can make the right decisions and quickly respond to any problems,” she said.

Communication is vital

Rose Ann says that she would not be able to run the business without a reliable, quick, and convenient means to communicate with clients, suppliers, partners, and employees.

“I’ve been using Globe solutions for a long time. When I started using Globe, they were still offering plans at 100, 200 pesos. So that’s how long I’ve stayed with their services. I wouldn’t be able to run the business effectively without them.

“Since we practically do the entire process, from finding materials to making the products, to distribution and retail, it’s very important to communicate with everyone involved. Otherwise, we’d encounter delays, make errors, be much slower to react,” she said.

Rose Ann says that she depends on her cellphone and mobile Internet connection to ensure smooth operations. “We also use Globe Business TxtConnect to keep in touch with our customers. It’s a very effective means to touch base and connect with them,” she said.

Globe Business TxtConnect is the most effective solution for sending high-volume text messages and SMS blasts to groups of people.  It’s be used to make SMS broadcasts to customers, employees, and a group of business associates.  One can send announcements, advertising, greetings, reminders, and urgent alerts easily, fast, and conveniently because it is Internet based. All it takes is a few keystrokes on the computer to reach a pre-determined group of people. Globe Business TxtConnect also charges much lower rates for text messages, compared to using a cellular phone.

“With so many telecoms products available today, and with the advantages they bring to our business, we really can’t run business without them. I send emails through my cellphone. I receive reports. I can call the factory to give instructions. I can even write letters using the cellphone and mobile Internet,” she said.

Establish culture

According to Rose Ann, many complications can be prevented by establishing a reliable system that everyone can follow.

“In our business operations, we’ve developed and established a system that already runs itself most of the time. Actually, we started out with a system of operations but we’ve already gone beyond that—we’ve leveled up to the point where we can say that we already have a company culture,” she said.

Rose Ann explained that establishing a company culture creates more confidence on the part of the entrepreneur and the employees that everyone is doing things properly. The culture integrates and cements  proven and effective operational procedures, so that they become second nature to everyone.

“When this culture is established, there’s a reduced need for the entrepreneur to be physically present at the office or factory premises. We already know that our people are doing things properly—we need to still monitor them, of course, but no longer in such a tedious, micro fashion,” she said.

Trust and respect, she said, are vital to company culture. “We need to develop mutual trust and respect between employees and owners. As owners, we also need to show them that we are professional, that we are team players, and be good examples to our employees,” she added.

Research

In order to sustain and grow their business, Rosa Ann never stops doing research and getting creative inspiration. She said that her Globe-powered cellular phone is very effective at this.

“I remember years ago when, when I saw a design in a magazine, a design that inspired new ideas, I had to tear off the magazine page. Nowadays, all I need to do is take a photo of the design on my phone. Then I can send the photo to my partners or to the factory.

“This technology helps me do research even when I’m on vacation. I see things that inspire me and I can take photos or type notes in my cellphone. It’s a fun way to do research and doesn’t feel like work at all,” she explained.

Intuition and planning

Rose Ann also notes that there’s really a cycle in business. There are good times and bad and the best way to cope with this cycle is to plan ahead and create back-up, contingency measures.

“I notice that the business changes every ten years. The market also changes. For example, in year 2000, our market shifted. Then in 2011, it shifted again. Today, the fashion and the taste that prevail in the market is younger and funkier. That’s why we have to identify trends and anticipate what the market wants and what it will need.

“To do this, we have to do analysis then forward planning. We also have to have back-up plans that we can quickly implement if things do go exactly as we anticipated at first. When we plan ahead and have back-up measures, we can respond to challenges and changes quickly,” she said.

She also added that long experience in the business sharpens her intuition. “I’ve developed a feel for how things are going. Even when I still don’t have all the facts, I can sense that something’s wrong. This is what I mean when I say that we need to have a feel for the business,” she said.

For Rose Ann, all of these steps are founded on information and communication. “We can only implement these steps if we are informed enough and if we are able to communicate quickly and effectively with our people,” she said.

She also said that new technologies are a big help to sustaining and growing a business. “Right now, for example, we keep track of deliveries using our cellphones. We call each other to know where the deliveries are and what time we can expect them to arrive. But I’ve heard that there’s now a Globe Business service that keeps track of company vehicles and employees using GPS. If our operations grow to the point where this service is needed, then it’s good that we have this option,” she said.

Rose Ann was referring to the Globe Business Fleet Management System. This service uses the GPS technology and the Globe network to keep track of the location of company vehicles. With this service, business owners can regularly keep track of where their vehicles are headed, determine the best routes as well as alternative routes, and also know what time the vehicles arrived at the delivery point.

For more information on how to cope with complications in your business, and make it simpler, more efficient, and more cost effective, consult your Globe Business Account Manager;  visit any Globe Store;  call the Globe Business Hotline at +632 730-1010 or log on to http://www.globe.com.ph/business.

Globe Business is the corporate arm of Globe Telecom, the leading mobile telecommunications company in the Philippines. Globe Business provides wireless and wireline solutions for a diverse set of industries, businesses, and commercial enterprises. It assures SMEs of affordable, reliable, and dependable services for all communication needs, both wireless and wireline solutions, to generate the highest possible profit at the lowest possible cost.

Spa Beauty Handled by Experts within your reach

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Latest technologies in the Aesthetic and wellness industry is the leading services for skin , slimming, laser, Spa and beauty passion.  As clients become more informed of these industry, a good number of them are also turning more cautious and selective in getting their dose of cosmetic treatments. True that you can get the usual facial or slimming treatment just about anywhere, you may also experience side effects and longer downtime from such procedures most especially if you availed it from untrained individuals.

One of the main strengths of SKIN REJUVE is providing its savvy pool of clients non-invasive aesthetic treatments that make use of high end, cutting edge equipment and skin care products handled by trained personnel and is most definitely medically supervised.

To support its growing number of clients, SKIN REJUVE will be adding 2 new clinics in Makati and Tomas Morato to its already established branches in One San Miguel Building Ortigas, Gateway Plaza in Malate and Kamias, QC. Keeping them naturally beautiful, healthy and satisfied it is joined by board certified doctors for consultations and appointments. It has also updated its roster of services and highlights the following:

Cryolipolysis is a non-invasive treatment that uses cold temperatures to reduce fat tissue on areas of the body with the densest amount of fat tissue, such as the abdomen, back, waist and thighs. Cryolipolysis goes against the conventional treatment of fat tissue from the last 20 years in that instead of using heat to “melt” fat, cold temperatures are used to “freeze” fat. In the past, the epidermis was cooled to prevent blistering while the dermal layers were heated. With Cryolipolysis, the cold can breakdown areas of fat tissue by targeting adipocytes (fat cells) – once the adipocytes have shrunk or withered from the cold temps, they will eventually be metabolized by the lymphatic system.

This method affects, or “freezes”, the subcutaneous layers of fat tissue without disturbing the normal temperature of the epidermis.

SKIN REJUVE’s impressive line of services wont  be complete without its NON-Surgical Rejuvinating and Anti-aging procedures, like Botulinum Toxin Treatment, V-Lift Treading, Restylane Dermal Fillers, Stem Cell Therapy and other Fractional Lasers treatments, which is spearheaded by Dr. Sidney Cu.

Dr. Cu is a board certified Dermatologist, and has advance dermatologic and cosmetic surgery training in Japan. He is a renowed lecturer and product specialist of Sweden’s No.1 Dermal Filler, Restylane and Korea’s No.1 Botulinum Toxin Cunox. He has extensive experience in Tread lifting, Fractional Resurfacing Lasers and other various dermatologic and cosmetic procedures.

Having him in the team, clients of Skin Rejuve's can experience world class service and optimum satisfaction in both results and affordability.

For Valentine’s they have treats for Skin ( Botulinum Toxin Treatment of 100 units for P17,000) and Slimming ( 25 session of cavitation + 25 session of radio frequency + 2 sessions of power slim + 10 EMS all for the price of P12,500 ). The POWER Slim was recently featured in Rated K for their What’s in for 2013 episode.

For Information, log on to:

www.skinrejuvephilippines.com

Tel.  No.  (02)4942315, (02)2680350 / (02)480-6028

Clinic hours: Monday to Sunday- 10AM to 10PM

Asian premiere of “ RED ” - the 2010 Tony Award Winner for Best Play

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The Necessary Theatre proudly announces the Asian premiere of 

“ RED ” - the 2010 Tony Award Winner for Best Play written by American writer John Logan about the famous abstract expressionist painter artist Mark Rothko. 

“ RED” is set to open on February 22, 2103 - 7:30 P.M. at CSB - SDA Theater, 5/F College of St. Benilde School of Design And Arts located at Pablo Ocampo St., Malate, Manila. The other playdates are on Feb. 23; March 1 and 2, 2013. 

“ Red ” by John Logan won almost every major award in London when it premiered in 2009 and went on to do the same in New York the following year. This brilliant play by John Logan (The Last Samurai, Gladiator, Any Given Sunday) speculates about one of the most enigmatic incidents in the 20th Century art world. 

In 1958, the abstract expressionist painter Mark Rothko was commissioned, for an astounding sum, to paint a series of murals for the cutting edge Seagram Building on Park Avenue. After completing the works, he decides to keep them and returns every penny of his commission. Years later, he donates the works to the Tate Gallery in London and commits suicide. 

The play introduces a fictitious assistant who engages Rothko in arguments and conversations that ultimately make us understand why he might decide to withdraw his work from the commission. 

Playing Rothko is theater veteran Bart Guingona who also directs. He is matched line for line by another veteran, also a director, albeit one generation younger, Joaquin Valdes playing the fictional assistant Ken. 

Bart is known for playing intense, driven characters (Hamlet, John Proctor, Oedipus, etc.) while Joaquin, who started his career at the age of 9 (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe), is carving out a name for himself as a film and commercial director. People sat up when he won the an award for his first short “Bulong” at the Beijing Film Festival and then took further notice of his considerable skill and talent when he released “Dagim.” 

Although these two directors now find themselves busy doing work outside the theater, each one finds himself gravitating back to what both consider a “true love.” 

“ Red ” the play is a dramatic look at the artistic process and it is both gripping and emotional and never less than intelligent. In a series of scenes, the two characters trade wit and barbed emotions provoking us to think about the tension between art and commerce; the cycles of fashion and obsolescence; the dynamic between teacher and student, and most touchingly, the relationship between forebear and offspring. 

“ Red ” is produced by Actor’s Actors Inc. and CSB’s The Vito Cruz Project. 

Tickets are available at Ticketworld 8919999 or through 09159108098. Like us, www.facebook.com/TheNecessaryTheatre.

Director Rahyan Carlos Introduces Hollywood's Chubbuck Acting Technique in Star Magic Summer Workshop

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Director-writer-acting coach, Rahyan Carlos recently attended an intensive teacher’s training program in the U.S. under Ivana Chubbuck, author of the book “ The Power of the Actor” and personal acting coach of Academy award winners and nominees such as Halle Berry, Jim Carrey, Charlize Theron, Brad Pitt and more.

Director Rahyan attended different levels of Acting classes from Introductory to Master class after which he was awarded a certificate -making him the only Filipino Representative authorized to teach the ‘Chubbuck Technique’ in the Philippines.

Star Magic Workshop Director Rahyan Carlos will introduce the technique that helped Hollywood actors win Academy Awards, offering it to the public for both amateurs and professionals (for the first time) in the 2013 Star Magic Summer Workshops.

There are three catagories of Star Magic Acting Studio which will be part of star magic workshop: The Introductory Class which will prepare aspiring actors from scratch and will lay all foundations in acting, the Advanced Class which prepares for a higher level of acting, focusing on applying techniques and script analysis on scene studies, and the Master Class which is all about excelling in different genres and mastery of the technique.

Aside from the acting workshops there will also be dance and voice workshops. Join now and experience how Hollywood actors are trained!

Registration is on MARCH 16 and 17, 2013. Limited slots only!

For inquiries, please call ABS-CBN Star Magic Acting Studio at 415-3828 or 415-2272 local 5142 or 5244, or email us at starmagicworkshops@abs-cbn.com.