MANILA, Philippines - I’ve never really been big on heading out to the beach every summer. Even before there was widespread awareness about skin cancer in the ‘90s, baking under the sun slick with tanning oil never really appealed to me. I guess I’ve always thought that there was something inherently unhealthy about it. I’ve never dieted or exercised in anticipation of bikini season and on top of that, I don’t know how to swim. I wade a bit with my friends, but I get out of the water way before they do. Saltwater makes my face all red and itchy.
However, there was one summer when I tried being that girl the summer of ’08. That was the one time I willingly worshipped the sun (covered in Coppertone SPF 35, reapplied every two hours), splashed around all day in the water, and slept with saltwater on my skin and hair. In the morning, my skin glistened with salt crystals and I had perfect beach hair. I was with three girlfriends, a French girl, and two Frenchmen: Laurént, half-Japanese, and Barnabé, half-Italian. Laurént (as in Yves Saint Laurént, he told us) was hyper intelligent and had this shy, dorky appeal. Barnabé was your typical dream boat though short (so Italian), he was an eyewear model in France. Unsurprisingly, even he was in love with his own beauty. Anywhere we went, girls sent glares our way, wondering how we ended up in the company of two gorgeous men. Trust me, even when there’s no romantic involvement, walking around flanked by two really good looking guys does wonders for your self-confidence.
From seeing stars shoot across the sky 13 times under the wide, cloudless sky in Ilocos to perfecting my tan in Pagudpod (Alam mo namang mahirap ma-achieve ang golden tan!), then cooling off in the waterfalls of Sagada, that was the perfect summer. I’ve never had another one like it since, which I think, is a good thing. Once you’ve approximated perfection, reenaction doesn’t seem necessary memories are enough.
However, staring at these Supreme exclusive photos of Penshoppe endorsers Mario Maurer and Ed Westwick totally brought me back to that summer, mainly because they remind me so much of our handsome company four years ago. Sweet, boyish, and part-Asian, Mario is the perfect representation of Laurént, while the smoldering Ed (with his come-hither British accent, instead of a French one) brings me back to Barnabé.
Starring in Penshoppe’s highly-anticipated summer campaign, Ed is the face of Free Sprited, the brand’s new fragrance for men with notes of citrus, balsamic, cardamom, and musk with a touch of cool marine. As you can see, Ed casually left the first few buttons of his shirt undone a rare occurrence, if you consider that he’s usually up to his neck in suits for Gossip Girl. As for Mario, it’s his boy-next-door smile that’s the star of this campaign. Clad in brightly-colored sports shirts and khakis, he’s the guy who’s easy on the eyes, while still being completely easy to talk to.
If you haven't experienced that one perfect summer I’m talking about, lucky you because Ed and Mario are coming back to Manila. Rumors abound that Ed will be coming back this coming May for Penshoppe’s Fashion Week, while Mario is set to shoot his first-ever movie in the Philippines for Suddenly It’s Magic with his lucky co-star, Erich Gonzalez. Until then, these photos from their campaign from Penshoppe should keep your excitement at bay.