Shaira Luna Offers An Intimate Look Into The Vogue Philippines Young Blood Party

Through her photo diary, the renowned photographer offers a different view of the celebration of the 32 rising creatives of Vogue Philippines’ May 2023 issue.

“It’s a pillowcase!” exclaims photographer Shaira Luna as she points to her upcycled, midriff-baring top that she’s paired with a pair of patchwork jeans made from a thrifted pair dyed and reworked by Tiediet, and pointed white boots. It’s a look that is quintessential Shaira Luna, one of Manila’s most prolific vintage style stars: a little quirky and irreverent, a little rock ’n roll, and oh so cool.

She’s early at Revel at The Palace, the venue of the Monday night party celebrating Vogue Philippines’ May 2023 issue. She’s excited about the photo diary of the event that she’s been asked to do. Inside her canvas bag, which bears an illustration of rockstar extraordinaire and Luna friend Zild Benitez, is her camera, which she will bring out quietly whenever one of her friends or a person she’s a fan of (they often overlap in Luna’s world) arrives. A quick hug, a few laughs, and then she’s off, taking shots, directing them in her trademark soft, sing-song voice.

By the end of the night, Luna has amassed plenty of photographs. There’s Zild, of course, doe-eyed and looking up from a mass of hair and eyeliner; model Siobhan Moylan dressed in a slinky Louis Vuitton ensemble, pouting for the camera; Filipino-Japanese model-artist-DJ Hideki Ito, musician Jason Dhakal, designer Gabbie Sarenas, and many others. The images have dreamlike, wistful qualities to them. They’re daringly intimate, as if the subject and photographer are sharing a private joke. It’s wholly Shaira Luna.