home for the holidays

Sorry for being MIA. Between traveling home, doing some last-minute Christmas shopping and getting horribly sick, I haven't got much time for my blog lately. I promise I'll be posting some outfits soon.


Except for some comfy espadrilles (picked up after walking around Greenbelt all day in heels) and a navy boyfriend style cashmere jumper (from SM Surplus store for only PHP300/$10), I haven't done much shopping at all. I did spy a cute pair of ankle boots in Glorietta but haven't had time to check them out and try them on. Planning to drop by soon when my official holiday starts on Friday.


In case I don't get to talk to you before the holidays, have a good Christmas. May you be surrounded by friends, family and people you love the most.



Image from the Ayala Triangle light-up

challenge: bridesmaid's dress

So my cousin is getting married in March and she asked me to be her Maid of Honor. In the next 2 weeks, we will be going for dress fittings, etc and up until now I still have no idea on the Maid of Honor dress. My cousin is completely letting her entire entourage call the shots with regards to the dress just as long as we follow the color theme: color-blocking using MnM colors too - red, green, yellow, blue and orange, I think. 


Before I finalize on a color-combo, I am searching the World Wide Web for some ideas. 



Image from style.com
Who better to use as color-block inspiration than Prada?! I really love this dress but I am not sure if I can pull off the ruffled hem. And this dress works because of the awesome color combo - I am not sure the MnM colors will hold up well. Also, I want my Maid of Honor dress to be at least re-usable, this would seem sort of dated. It already feels dated, tbh.



Image from Isabel Marant website
While this is from the Ready to Wear collection, I do love this!  I love this structured voluminous top and a simple silhouette at the bottom. I may have to apply some minor adjustments here and there like use a different fabric to make more formal and a longer hemline for the skirt. 


Now I have to think about which color combo this will work in. The top begs to be in a deeper shade. I feel a light color will make this look very clown-like. 

just in: men's tee

Over the weekend, I went for another round of Christmas shopping and ended up picking up this men's tee with drop sleeve for myself. I got this from H&M for only $14! (Let me just go off topic for a sec. I also dropped by Topshop/man and can't believe their basic t-shirts cost $30+. Have they always been unreasonably priced or has H&M spoiled me?)





I was drawn to the impressionist-ish print and I'd like to think that the green cargo and gold accessories highlight the colorful details of the tee's print.


I'm not sure why but I am practically in skinny cut pants lately. I am actually thinking about picking up another pair (likely red one from Zara's TRF).


I was wearing: Mossimo skinny cargo, men's t-shirt from H&M Divided, court shoes from Charles & Keith, necklace from Santorini, Forever 21 studded cuff.

skinny

I am starting to fall in love with skinny jeans again. This pair is actually stretchy jeggings so they are extra comfortable. 



This is an old top and I wish it was one or two sizes bigger.



I love pairing my skinny jeans with my flat ankle boots. 


I was wearing: Terranova jeggings, Southaven blouse, boots from Zara.

preppy

You know it still puzzles me how I still see some girls wearing sandals even with this monsoon weather we've been experiencing almost everyday now. It's just not practical (not to mention gross wet feet.) Sudden downpours is so common here in Singapore that I expect people to be more prepared to face the wet weather.

For me, on days like these, I stick to my good old Chucks:

On rainy days, the office also becomes Siberia so I decided to wear my warm, cozy knit. Didn't I tell you fall staples can work in the tropics too? ;P



I surprisingly channeled preppy with the knit+Chucks combo. Adore this look - super comfy and perfect on rainy Friday mornings. 


I was wearing: Forever 21 skirt, white tee from Mango, H&M knit, shoes from Converse.

december

December has finally arrived - the month of eating, drinking and being merry. I'm already working out doubly hard at the gym whilst listing in my head the things I am going to eat when I get to Manila - puto bumbong, bibingka and empanada - are the top 3 things I am craving for now.



Thought I'd welcome the festive month with something equally festive - this hot pink skirt. I've had this in my closet since April and haven't had the chance to wear it until now.



Kept the shirt partly tucked to display the skirt's ruching.



Pairing a girly, short skirt with an oversized men's basic like this pullover is one of my favorite looks. 


Sorry for the bad pictures, folks. 


I was wearing: skirt from H&M, Forever 21 pullover, open-toed ankle boots from Romwe.

no sunlight

It's almost the end of the year and as expected, Singapore is again experiencing monsoon season. It's been raining almost everyday now - like clockwork too - usually in the afternoon just after lunch, the skies start turning gray and downpour ensues.


Well on seasons like this, I never take risk wearing my well-loved pairs of shoes. I either bring out the Chucks or wear these:



Because it's patent leather, water practically slips off. There's no reason to lose another pair of good shoes to this wet weather.

salmon

Remember Spring when the color salmon was everywhere? The color's pretty versatile - works well as a color-blocking piece or with basic black, navy or even white.



Today I decided to pair with a printed top.



And with colorful bracelets for color-overload!



Initially, I hesitated with a pair of high-waisted, pleated pants (that's a double-whammy right there) but because this particular pair tapers at the bottom, it avoids looking too baggy.



Going for the 80s working girl look with my gray boyfriend blazer. I should've taken a better photo with the blazer to properly show you so please excuse the bad angle and the exhausted look (took this at the end of a long day).


I was wearing: Zara high-waisted pants, printed tank top from Cotton On, Topshop boyfriend blazer and Charles & Keith shoes.

beauty post: breakouts 911

I've said this before but let me say it again. The best thing about being in my 30s is that my skin is less prone to breakouts (or maybe I've just started using better skincare products) but with an oily T-zone and life's little stresses, it can't be helped that my skin breaks out occasionally. 


I was suffering from crazy breakouts this weekend so I was glad I always keep my little secret in the form of The Faceshop Tea Tree & Bergamot mask in my stash. I woke up this morning and my skin is looking much better - even the zit on my cheek threatening to be full-blown acne has vanished. (I swear this is not a testimonial nor an ad. I just really love this product!) I've been a fan of the Faceshop products for the past 2 years and using their face masks has been a part of my skin regimen. 


I use a mix of different types:

Image from Faceshop website


Since I am not getting any younger, I use this collagen to rejuvenate my skin. I also alternate this with Vitamin C to keep the skin looking fresh and the Aloe to clear the skin and of course the aforementioned Tea Tree & Bergamot to clear skin breakouts. 


It is recommended that you keep this on for 20 to 30 minutes but for me, I just keep it on even as long as an hour. 


In my years of experimenting with skincare products, I've reached one conclusion that they all work differently for each person, even for people with similar skin types the effects are varied. So use with caution. 

tis the season

It's the first Sunday of Advent and only 28 days to go before Christmas. (Oh Christmas, your sneaky little!) I'm at the homestretch of Christmas shopping now and have just a few more to go.


In the hopes that the Internet Santa is reading this, let me share my own Christmas wishlist:


1. Denim button-down

From Zara.com
I've been craving for a denim shirt since Spring's color-block (I wanted to color-block with salmon shorts) but I couldn't find one with the perfect fit and the perfect shade. This shirt from Zara is my favorite so far.


2. Skirts

From Zara.com
You've seen my latest fixation with pencil skirts here and here. For Christmas, I want to get my hands on printed or colored pencil skirts.



From Zara.com
I've also been after this draped mustard skirt from Zara and dreaming about pairing it with a simple tailored button-down shirt. *drool*


Actually, I've already requested Cuz for a printed pencil skirt for Christmas. You see, every year, Cuz and I always tell each other what we want for Christmas. It eliminates the surprise but at least it guarantees that you get at least one gift that you really, really love. :P


3. Chunky silvers

Because I can't live without them lately, I've been piling up on my chunky silver collection. Forever 21 has surprisingly awesome silver accessories available at a very reasonable price.


4. Black court shoes

I am super in love with this pair of black pumps. I practically live in them as the style and color can pretty much go with anything - dressed up or down, like in this shot. They also have kitty heels which make them very comfortable. I got this pair from Charles & Keith, a brand not exactly famous for its durability so I need another pair as back-up. 


How about you? Have you started on your Christmas shopping list?

the blue route

While color-blocking is fun and inspiring, I also equally like wearing one bright piece with a neutral palette. 

I fell in love with this shade of cobalt blue that  I decided to pair with a simple white top to let the pants take center stage.



The white makes the pants even brighter and bluer.



The accessories are neutral too - almond loafers instead of yellow wedges



Dark brown belt and chunky silver bracelets instead of colorful leather ones.


Happy weekend everyone! I'll probably be spending mine doing more Christmas shopping - only 30 days to go now!


I was wearing: Colored pants from H&M, Cotton On button-down, Uniqlo belt, loafers from Trois + Inch, Forever 21 silver bracelets.

vintage: from ma's closet

A couple of years ago, I raided Ma's closet for all her old dresses. You see Ma has always been a jeans and blouse type of girl but on special occasions, she would go to her modista, Aling York to have dresses made. I remember as a kid going with her to one of these trips where she'd spend hours poring over catalogs for dress ideas. 



She can no longer remember which special occasion she had this dress specially made for. Ha! I love the color (old rose) and the pleating!



With Ma's (again!) classic shoulder bag. To take this look from the 70s to 2011, I decided to pair with platform shoes with socks (how current is that?!) instead of the expected pumps.



Socks + the wooden heels remind me of the Japanese slippers.
A little tip: often when we wear socks with shoes, we lose our feet lose their natural grip on the shoes and accidents can happen. I suggest that you buy those gel-type of inserts to make them less slippery. They also add extra cushioning on the balls of your feet.


I was wearing: Ma's dress, Ma's bag, Martina Pink platform shoes, socks from Commode.

layering for the tropics

All through the weekend, I was thinking about "long shirt, short vest" - something about the idea of combining multiple lengths that appealed to me. 


So I came up with this:

Ugh! I should not have put my hands in my pockets but sometimes when I have my pictures taken, I don't know what to do with my hands.
I originally intended to wear a pair of leggings with this but both pair I own are in the wash so I decided to just wear with this old skinny pants. I haven't worn this in awhile and I'm glad I re-discovered them. They fit perfectly and are comfortable.



I love layering. It gives an added dimension, a punch to the look. A vest is a great layering piece especially for us living in sunny Singapore.



Aside from the fit, I was also pleasantly surprised by how well the pants work with the boots! 


The theme of this post "long shirt, short vest" reminds of this song from Cake called Short Skirt/Long Jacket:




I was wearing: Black skinny pants from Coat's in Tangs, Zara top, denim vest, lace-up boots from Zara.

the pullover

I'm loving all the knitwear in Zara's November lookbook and I'm inspired by all the different styling. Unfortunately, most of the knitwear available now are the chunky ones for Fall/Winter, not really tropics-appropriate.




As I suggested before, even for us living in perpetual 30deg weather, we don't have to altogether forget our dreams of styling knit in many different outfit combos. The key is to find one with a lighter material, or pick up a cotton pullover! 



This one is just a light cotton fabric so it's comfortable even on extremely hot days. As usual, I picked up mine a few sizes bigger. 


I was going for I-borrowed-my-guy's-sweater look then pair with a feminine piece like this floral balloon skirt.



I normally don't seek out floral prints but I was attracted to this color combo - navy, browns and salmon.


I was wearing: Navy cotton pullover from Forever 21, H&M floral skirt, platform wedges from Romwe.

that 70s flare

Fashion really just goes around in cycles, doesn't it? (This is the reason I hardly throw old clothes out!)
For instance, flared jeans are so becoming fashionable again and I'm glad I didn't have this old pair from 2004 chopped off or tapered as I intended to do a few years back.



I'm so glad I didn't mess up with this pair! This pair just fits so well and length is perfect too. 
Decided to wear an old top from the days of the height of the peasant/boho (think Mary Kate bag-lady fashion on the pages of Teen Vogue) trend.



Look at my legs looking like they go on forever! Paired with my sky-high (but surprisingly comfortable!) platform wedges. Because flares should be paired with heels, no arguments!

To complete the bohemian theme, I used my leather mini pouch.

I was wearing: Peasant top from Kashieca (hand-me-down from my Aunt), People are People flare jeans, platform wedges from Romwe, leather bag from Athens, leather bracelets from H&M and Pull & Bear, DIY beads.

green + blue

So I obviously really love this tee based on how many times it has appeared here. I just love this shade of green and I'm still experimenting with other colors I can pair this with. 



For example, the navy perfectly complements the green.



This is also the first time I paired my ankle boots with a short skirt. I initially felt self-conscious about this because I don't have the longest legs and boots cut awkwardly can make my short legs looks even more stumpy. But I think ankle boots are good for this as they are not cut at mid-calf so there's still a lot of leg showing, giving the illusion of long(er) gams.


I was wearing: H&M men's tee, skirt from Forever 21, Zara ankle boots.

just in: cobalt blue pants

So I planned to drop by H&M yesterday at lunch to check out the Versace collection but it got pretty crazy at work that I couldn't take extra time off lunch. Decided to drop by the store at night after workout, the I looked around the women's collection on the ground floor. There were still some hooker sky-high heels left so I was hopeful for the men's collection. 


Looked around the men's on the 3rd floor and they were all gone! Aaacck! 


H&M did however put some of their old items on sale so I had a look around the store and found this pair of cobalt blue pants. I've been looking for a pair in this color (I found a pair on Topman) so I was glad to see this and marked down at $20! 



These are actually skinny/slim cut but I could only find a size about 2 inches bigger than what I normally wear so it turned into a boyfriend fit. 


Perfect with a simple crisp white shirt or striped yellow top. 

versace for H&M

The Versace for H&M collection will also be available in the Singapore store starting tomorrow at 8 am. I am not sure what the reception will be tomorrow but if the H&M opening day last September can be used as an indication, I expect chaos and long queues!


I am thinking of taking an early lunch to drop by the store. As I have mentioned here before, I've got my eye on a couple of pieces from the men's collection and I need to check them out in real life.



Jersey with silver rivets, $59



Studded shorts with pleats, $79



Tailored shirt with metal corners on collar, $79



Black and white printed pants, $119