Remembering stylist Ruben Nazareth, ‘the ultimate free spirit’

Ruben Nazareth, a pillar of game-changing hair and makeup styling from the 1970s to the present, passed away on Easter Monday, March 28, of multiple organ failure at the age of 69.

The first time I met Ruben was at the Filipinas Hotel, when his BFF Luigi Javier from New York was doing my hair and makeup for the Miss Gay Universe Pageant at Jade Vine Restaurant.

Ruben was wearing a white sando and red pumps. “It’s all in the walk. Stalk like a tigress and pout those lips,” he said. I was crowned Miss Universe a few hours later.

Ruben’s mentor Joe Ramos took his protege to Europe. Ruben lived with Maurice Arcache and Alex Van Hagen for a year. Marcy Halili, who worked at Kenzo in Paris, got Ruben to create some shocking looks for the runway.

The next time I saw Ruben was in 1978, after he had come home from Paris with fellow stylist Petussa Lopez. Overnight they turned Manila upside down. Fashion shows became avant-garde, as their trademark Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra look became the norm. Metallic colors and dark berry lips were favored by their favorite designers like Auggie Cordero, Ernest Santiago and Tony Cajucom.

I had the pleasure of being housemates with Ruben in the sprawling Rene Knecht compound in Pasay, glorious memories of the golden years of Philippine fashion, before  the end of the ’70s. It was about dinners, vacations and hard work, with Ruben teaching me all he had learned in Europe. I was a designer back then, and we were a formidable pair.

I recall a copy of Women’s Wear Daily, with style writer Marian McEvoy noting, “Ruben Nazareth, main man of Kenzo, says makeup is not complete without a little blush on the ear lobes.”

A 45-year career came full circle for Ruben last year. He returned to styling, working on a teleserye set in the ’60s. Ruben also created the Diana Vreeland look for a stage performance of Cherie Gil in the title role.

Hardworking, soft-spoken and humble to the end, Ruben’s last act of rigorous kindness was dressing up santos with flowers and jewels for the Good Friday procession in Lingayen. In three days, he was gone.

 First exclusive gay bar

Designer Oskar Atendido, a close friend, also recalls meeting Ruben at Jade Vine: “The owners requested Edong Lazatin, a family friend and its interior decorator, to run it in the evening. So we opened that portion of the restaurant in June 1969 and turned it into  the first exclusive gay bar in Manila.”

Jade Vine would stage many presentations, like excerpts from Broadway plays and Academy Awards, aside from the gay beauty competitions.

“In one event, Ruben competed as Miss India,” Oskar recalls. The press photographed him in his harem pants and bare midriff costume, sprawled on the winding staircase.

Ruben never boasted of his talents, Oskar says, and there were many. “In the early ’70s he left for abroad, and like a gypsy, traveled to Europe and found employment in the best fashion houses of the world, among them Chanel and Kenzo; designer Kenzo Takada became his friend.

He was in the whirlwind of fashion week shows, doing the makeup and hairstyle of top runway supermodels in Berlin, London and Paris. In Paris he created the famous “China doll” look, introducing the short bangs for Chanel.

“He was a friend to designer Jean Paul Gaultier, whom he met in Manila when Gaultier was the resident designer of Pierre Cardin,” recounts Oskar.

After Ruben and Petussa had returned from Paris, Oskar says, they were prodded by close friend Budji Layug to help him establish the Budjiwara Salon. “As a first job, Ruben and Petussa did the makeup and hairstyle of roughly 50 regular models in the Valera Awards Design Exhibition and Competition. The Paris style of makeup and hairstyle was introduced by the duo. The word ‘styling’ was born. They didn’t just do the makeup and hair, they styled the whole fashion collection—how the clothes should be worn and modeled on the runway.”

Precision cutting

At Budjiwara, they also introduced Vidal Sassoon’s precision cutting. Fresh, bold hairstyles were created by the team of Ruben, Budji and Petussa, who were all schooled in Vidal Sassoon.

Ruben was chief stylist for hairdressing and makeup, says Oskar. “The salon branched into a hair science school teaching the Sassoon style, and Ruben became the chief instructor. He gained popularity and became chief stylist for many local and foreign fashion shows.”

Among these were the Hanae Mori Show at the Westin Philippines Plaza, and the Renato Balestra and Balenciaga shows at the Manila Hotel.

Ruben was also sought after by advertising agencies, which was how he met Tessie Tomas. Because of his early training, he became a master of makeup for the movies and television.

It was also at this time that Helena Guerrero established the phenomenal Azabache boutique, Oskar says. “Ruben was  not only doing hair and makeup for Azabache models, but assisted creatively in design and production. Azabache staged two New York launches, where top supermodels like Pat Cleveland and Mounia were booked.”

Ruben would eventually leave again for the US, where he stayed for several years, shuttling between San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles.

In Manhattan, Oskar recalls, Helena Guerrero, now Carratala after the end of her marriage,  opened a tapas bar. Ruben helped in the interior design and operation until 9/11 put an end to the venture.

From New York, he again moved to San Francisco, where many of his relatives lived. “He would also go to Los Angeles to visit our friend, Tirso Umale,” Oskar says. “In Los Angeles, another friend from Manila, Ricardo Martin, put up a high-end boutique, Il Particolare, on Melrose Avenue. Ruben was employed as a purchaser for  precious stones. Ruben also did the styling for their brochures.”

When Helena Carratala returned to Manila, she persuaded Ruben to finally come home. And so he did, opening another chapter of his life with bookings from advertising agencies and local movies and television.

“Ruben was never interested in becoming a US citizen, so this homecoming was final,” says Oskar. “Helena was a mother to Ruben, too, and took care of all his needs. When she purchased a private island in Palawan called Manguenguey, Ruben was once again called upon to help in its operation. This lasted for two years. The storm that hit Palawan damaged 70 percent of the resort.”

In 2014, Ruben did the successful teleserye  “Ikaw Lamang” for ABS-CBN, which starred Cherie Gil, Coco Martin, Jake Cuenca, Angel Aquino, Kim Chiu, Ronaldo Valdez.

Eric Pineda, costume designer for the show, commissioned Ruben to do the impeccable “period” hair and makeup for the cast, Oskar says.

In 2015, Tessie Tomas hired him to do her hair and makeup  for “Once Upon A Kiss” for GMA 7. Tessie was one of the many people he had assisted creatively, such as in her numerous stand-up shows, doing impersonations of Imelda Marcos, Cory Aquino and many more. He was behind her mind-blowing transformations.

 Sheer talent

“Ruben’s persona is not easy to describe,” concludes Oskar. “His career and life were about creative overflow. He talked fast and worked fast—no gimmick, only sheer talent and a friendly smile and stories and laughter. Applause for Ruben, for a life well-lived!”

Filipino supermodel Anna Bayle has her own fond memories of mama Ruben and his ability to bring cheer: “In a split second, he could get us out of the doldrums, lift our spirits, and put us in a different frame of mind—a happier one. That was his gift.”

Anna describes how Ruben “never let us forget how unique and special he was—if he was not wearing the shortest shorts, the snappiest ensembles, he  sported that platinum blonde hair to stand out.

“And who could forget his obsession? Many of us have seen the altars he made to the love of his life, Keanu Reeves, all done in fun and fantasy.”

For Anna, Ruben was the real “artist of life” and the ultimate free spirit. “He never wanted to be tied down. Of course there were times when he went to the dark side, but he would always tell me, ‘Hija, how will you know what is good, if you do not know what is bad?’ Those bad times were few.

“Ruben was forever young —young at heart, young in spirit, and he looked young! We all know Ruben loved music, but one of the sounds he loved most was the laughter of children. During our many walks on the streets of New York, Ruben would always become happy when we would pass by a school and hear children playing. He always told me to be around children because they had very positive energy.”

Anna remembers how Ruben was looking out her apartment window at the multicolor leaves during one fall in New York, then said to her, “You know, hija, if you just look at nature, you will find the answers.”

“I looked at Ruben with a look that said, ‘Where did that come from?’ My mother Ruben, telling me not to worry about anything. There are seasons, he said. There is change and with every death, there is rebirth, like falling leaves, and then the blossoms in spring.

“I think this is his message to all of us. No regrets, Ruben.”