welcome 2013!

Happy New Year, friends! May 2013 bring you good health, success and more awesome fashion! 

Business casual ideas

Our new intern at work is always dressing like she's heading to the beach instead of heading to the office - short tube dresses, spaghetti strapped tank tops, mini bandage skirts (paired with tank tops - oy! i'm having a heart attck!) and flip flops (oy!). Yes, we are a startup and yes we are in sunny Singapore, but c'mon! Who will ever take you seriously if you come into the office with your boobs and butt hanging out? Her questionable dressing choices even led one of my co-workers to exclaim "Can you please ask her to put some clothes on?!"

So here are some business casual must-haves that are still casual and fun but appropriate. 

Internship by style-irl
From L to R: Denim vest is a casual layering option that can take tank tops and tube dresses from the beach to the office; pencil skirt - swap out the super short bandage skirt and opt for this figure hugging pencil cut with a fun colorful print; oversized white shirt - cause every girl needs one in her closet; tailored shorts - I'm no prude, show some skin if you must but keep the look tailored and appropriate - this pair of shorts is so business casual; flats - pick a pair that is versatile enough to go with skinny jeans or skirt; loose simple tee - paired with jeans or under a denim vest is so simple and easy; finally, pullover in cat print - to keep things fun and young.

There are a lot of cool ways we can dress up for work without being ~too corporate and maintaining our personality. The most important rule is that we dress appropriately.

  

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas, dear readers. May you have a wonderful Christmas with your family and loved-ones.

sneak peak

One of my favorite new buys is the printed pants from Shana. Here's a sneak peak of the looks I've got planned for these pants.

sequined

Wore my old sequined jersey dress and paired with ever-dependable Nikes. 


I think pairing with the sneakers tones down the ~festive feel of the sequins on the dress. Topped it off with my boyfriend blazer. Somehow I think jersey dresses are incomplete somehow and they need to be accessorized with a blazer like this or a vest. 



Love how casual but unique this look turned out.



Got a new friendship bracelet from a random store in Cathay Cineleisure and I'm loving wearing it with more dressy accessories.

I was wearing: H&M jersey dress and gold cuff, boyfriend blazer from Topshop, Nike sneakers, Massimo Dutti leather bracelet.

just in: Chistmas buys

I've been working so hard - at work and at the gym lately and since we're not going anywhere for the holidays, I decided to treat myself this Christmas! :) (Like I need an excuse.)

Remember I told you guys about my latest discovery. Well dropped by Shana again over the weekend and all items are on sale at 15% off! Aside from the storewide sale, some older stocks are also marked down. 


I simply couldn't resist this camo pullover. The material is so soft and comfy. Perfect for the cooler weather we've been having here in Singapore lately. The best thing about this is that this costs only $29.90! Honestly, if you pick up a similar shirt at Zara, you'll have to fork over at least $59. The printed harem pants are on sale at $27.90 with further 15% discount! Shana is fast becoming my new favorite store. They have cool rock and roll print tees, printed pencil skirts and jersey dresses and are all very reasonably priced. Printed tees range from $17 to $22. Shana is located at Level 2 of Bugis+, next to Uniqlo.



And for my bookish side, finally got a copy of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. On sale at 25% off. Check out Prologue's storewide sale til December 26. Prologue is located at Level 4 ION Orchard.

the A

You know how much I love pencil skirts, but last week I dug up a really old pair of A-line skirt that I haven't worn in years!


(Sometimes, it's great what we dig out from the backs of our closets, no?)

Paired with my safari-styled shirt for a full safari style. I love the pleating on this pair and am already thinking about a sexy librarian for a next look for this. :P

BTW, it's been nothing but raining here in Singapore and I'm finding it a big challenge to dress up. I can't even wear a lot of my shoes since I don't want to destroy them in the rain so I'm almost always in these pumps or my sneakers. Sigh.

I was wearing: Top from Divisoria (Manila), skirt from a now-defunct store called Ness, pumps from Charles & Keith.

salmon

I've been planning to pair my favorite white, slouchy button down with my pair of pleated salmon pants. I just never got around to it til now.


This is one of those comfy, no-brainer outfits. But using the colored pants just added a little something unexpected to this look.





And how about this for unexpected - I decided to pair with my sandals instead of pumps. (I don't care much for sandals, tbh.)

I was wearing: Cotton On button-down shirt, pleated pants from Zara, sandals from a random shoe store in Athens.

deco inspiration

I saw this beautiful Penguin Classics book cover poster and I just fell in love. 

But I just couldn't find where I can get my hands on a poster that I can order online. My room's wall would look so perfect with this. I'm almost tempted to make this my DIY project.

just in: bookish post

I've been preoccupied with a lot of book shopping lately. I've always been a bookworm and not a day goes by that I don't read. Books are my constant companion. Ever since I've signed up at the public library though, I normally just borrow books from there - which has an impressively wide catalog! 

This past month though, I've been doing a lot of book-shopping. (And it looks like it won't be ending any time soon as I've got a few more titles I've been eyeing to purchase.)



From L-to-R: Yann Martel's Life of Pi that is recently turned into a movie. First read the book in 2005 and decided to pick up my own copy and re-read in anticipation of the movie. The story remained fresh and original as the first time I read it. The Book Thief is a title I've discovered from Quora. I've been following a lot of bookish posts on Quora (which turned out to be a great community for book lovers like me!) and so intrigued by it that I can't wait to check out. Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood - my first Murakami read. Murakami is supposed to be a great storyteller and this is one of his defining works. Finally, DH Lawrence's Lady Chatterly's Lover. I don't know - I love literary fiction of women caught in affairs like Madame Bovary and Chopin's The Awakening. 

my favorite thing

...is pair a classic black pencil skirt with a pullover and boots. 
This is my favorite trick in making a boring, everyday pencil skirt just a little bit rock and roll. :P



BTW, I'm really loving this new pullover I picked up from my newly discovered store, Shana. I can't wait to drop by again and check out more of their stuff.

My friend Iggy from Plus Size Fasyon Mudra invited me for a guest post. Check it out here.

I was wearing: Shana jersey pullover, pencil skirt and flat ankle boots from Zara.

Tis the season

It's that time of year again! And here's the first item on my wishlist:
 

A pair of slim-fit trousers. Saw this pair from H&M at a reasonable $59.90. Also available is the perfect shade of pink. Ahhh!

just in: November part 2

Some recent buys from last month.


I picked up tops from this new-ish store, Shana, which I used to by pass. I've only seen one branch in Singapore so far (at the newly re-branded Bugis+). I was delightfully surprised that they have a pretty good mix of casual tees. Liked this sleeveless graphic tee. Would go well paired with black skinny or pencil skirt. The striped slouchy top comes in a nice worn-in jersey. Also dropped by the newly opened branch number 2 of H&M (in ION Orchard Basement 2) and found this mint light pullover. You know how much I love a good pullover and I couldn't resist this mint one. Honestly, I thought we've said goodbye to the pastel trend along with Spring/Summer, but I guess they will be sticking around. Great as a color-blocking piece.


 
Gold cuffs from H&M 

Just in: November part 1

Been awhile since I've done a new in post so I'm breaking into two parts.

 
My Mom went home to the Philippines last month and my cousins sent me some goodies. They know my love for oversized graphic tees and got a few. Perfect to pair with pencil skirts or skinny jeans. The wide-leg pants is from Cuz who bought this pair from her recent trip to HK. (Thanks Cuzzy!)

Sunday inpiration: mixing prints

A couple of weeks ago, I showed you a new pair of kitty-heel leopard printed pumps I picked up from Charles & Keith. (Up until this point, the pair is still stored in the box they came in - blame unpredictable Singapore monsoon season.)





Image via The Sartorialist

Inspired by this image I spotted at The Sartorialist. Great mix print concept. The best way to mix to prints is to prints of similar shades together. Taking notes for the time I can (finally!) take my new kitty heels out for a spin. 

just in: the breton

A staple in every girl and guy's closet, the striped Breton shirt. Been searching for one for a long time and I always end up looking for one at Muji. But the fitting is never right (too boxy). I found this in Forever 21. I fell for this one because of the great fit:

 

There are many different ways to wear a Breton. For my first look, decided to keep it casual paired with a simple denim and sneakers. 

Love Olivia Palermo's take on the Breton

Image via Wikifashion



I also love the thoughtful button detail on the forearms.


 


I was wearing: Breton stripes from Forever 21, skinny jeans Mossimmo (US), Nike shoes.

accessorizing

I've been invited by a colleague to her wedding next month. I don't plan to buy a new outfit and instead wear an old dress that I've actually already worn to work. The trick to keep it looking fresh and more wedding appropriate is to accessorize. 

I applied the same trick to my everyday wear. 

To dress up my old favorite boyfriend tee, I added some silver bling. 



And paired with my new favorite dicker-style booties for a tough-girl touch. 

Imagine how dry and plain this look would've been without the accessories. We don't always need to have new and trendy clothing to keep our everyday looks interesting. Just make sure to invest in ~statement accessories. Forever 21 actually has very good variety of affordable accessories.


Loving these booties, btw. I don't think I've been giving them the love here in the blog as much as they deserve. These are perfect with skinny's and short skirts.

I was wearing: H&M boyfriend tee, shorts from Cotton On, Bershka dicker-style boots, accessories from Forever 21.

just in: leopard print pumps

To be honest, I've been doing more book-buying lately than shopping for new clothes and shoes (my wallet enjoyed that bit of reprieve!), but over the weekend, I dropped by Charles & Keith with Ma and while didn't have any plans to buy anything, saw this pair and instantly fell in love.
 
What's not to love? It's animal printed and pointy. 


Refinery 29 can hate on kitty heel as much as they want, but to me, these are a god-send when you have to spend the entire day walking to the MRT, running after my bus and sprinting to the gym. I think it's the best balance of being fashionable yet comfy without towing the lines of wearing Mommy shoes. 

sporty chic...again

I did another attempt at the sporty chic trend. In my previous attempt I've paired sporty sweat pants with heels to make them ~fashion. 

This time around, I've paired a gym-friendly pair of Nike's with dressier pieces. Here's how it turned out:


Paired with my favorite animal print pants and to up the chic factor, topped it off with my blazer. 

BTW, this little modification project I did with Ma's old short-sleeved blazer is one of my genius ideas! I saw recently a similar waistcoat at Zara:
 
Image via Zara Singapore


It doesn't get any comfier than wearing gym shoes the whole day. :P


Really loving this pair! Perfect for street styling but also handy for Body Combat days.

I was wearing: Tank top from Topshop, animal print pants from Divisoria (Manila), Nike shoes and modified vest from Ma.

cool days ahead

For the past two weeks, we've been enjoying cooler weather mainly due to the almost daily downpours here in Singapore. Since weather like this (in the mid-20s) come so rarely in Singapore, I take this opportunity to wear my leather gilet out for a spin.

Woke up one Monday morning in the mood for an all-black look. Just piled on my colorful leather bracelets for a touch of color.



 
And with my comfy mustard flats.

A key piece like an accessory (in this case, my leather vest) can really take a simple meh outfit to the next level. Look how plain without the leather vest.

 


I was wearing: Cotton On button-down shirt and leggings, H&M leather vest, shoes gifted from Cuz (Kashieca - Manila), leather bracelets from Boracay and Massimmo Dutti.

swooshing it!

As I told you recently, I am on the market for a new pair of sneakers to replace my ever-reliable Chucks. I was leaning towards picking up a new pair of Nike's this time because I wanted a pair that is street-perfect, but can also double as my dance shoes for Zumba and BodyJam. 

Though I originally wanted the Waffles Cortez model - the yellow one makes me drool! But couldn't find this model anymore. I did find a perfect replacement!


Meet my brand new pair of kicks. I love the understated gray with a the silver swoosh. Perfect with colorful skinny jeans or casual pencil skirts. 

fashion girl, emanuelle alt

"Effortlessly chic" is the very definition of Emanuelle Alt's style - skinny jeans and sky-high heels lend as foundation for the killer jacket/blazer. She's so punk-rock! 

This is my favorite photo of her, taken with her equally chic little girl, Francoise.


I love that oversized jacket and everything about this look! Since we don't have Winter here in Singapore, we can appropriate this look by swapping the wool blazer with an oversized vest and the over-the-knee boots with killer stillettos.

craving

So I've been on the market for sneakers for awhile since my only pair of Chucks are now begging for retirement. I was thinking of replacing with another pair - a white one this time. 


Because Chucks are LOVE!

But then again, I'm seeing a whole lot of awesome Nikes lately and I'm just so in love. 


I mean check out The Man Repeller's Nike Free's. Nike Free's are comfy, slim and they are NEON!



But these are what I'm really craving for! Waffle Cortez Running Shoes. It's got that old-school vibe, perfect for street wear, can double for the gym and most of all would look perfect mixed in with skinny jeans and or pencil skirts! I hope I find these in Singapore.

Style - In Real Life turns 1

Can't believe it's been a year since I started this little side-project. I've been enjoying putting together all the looks and hope that my friends who follow this blog are enjoying the outfits and getting to know a little bit more about me with each post. 

Here's to more years to come!

audrey

Found these old pictures while I was clearing out my files. Realized I haven't shared this on the blog yet. Taken just before the holidays last year and one of those uncharacteristically cold day in Singapore.


Bought this Audrey Hepburn t-shirt dress in Chinatown while I was playing tour guide to Cuz and her hubby.


Layered with my leather vest. I love the different dimensions created here, with the asymmetrical bottom of the tee and the vest.

 
I long for colder days now. It's been so hot in Singapore lately! I miss wearing my leather vest.

I was wearing: Audrey Hepburn t-shirt from Chinatown, Cotton On shorts, H&M leather gilet, lace-up booties from Zara.

just in: september

Sharing some new items I bought the past month. I should state here though that this should be it for awhile - I should put a stop to all these shopping and little treats to self as the holidays are drawing near and I must save! 



H&M neon tee. I love the relaxed fit and the eye-catching color! Perfect for dressing up a pair of bell-bottoms or dressing down a pencil skirt.


Sling bag from Zara. The moment I saw this, it was love at first sight. It's soft leather and all black style reminds me of my dream bag - the Alexander Wang Rocco bag. But with a hefty price tag that comes that, this similar one is a great alternative.  

 

Graphic tee from Pull & Bear. Never underestimate the power of a graphic tee. This simple tee looks great with casual outfits - paired with denim shorts, for example or acid wash skinny jeans. But my favorite is dressing it up - I've got a pair of pencil skirt in mind for this. 


Soft denim shorts from Bossini. I must admit, I'd never thought I'd be ever shopping at Bossini. I'm not a big fan of this brand, but my Mom is. I spotted this while she was shopping and I just fell for it. It reminds me of a very similar pair I saw at Zara Spring/Summer 2011. Instead of a casual look, I'm looking forward to pairing this with high heels and button downs.