the uniform

Rain already started when I woke up on Monday morning. So I ditched my plan to wear a pencil skirt and sandals in favor of a pair of skinny jeans and pumps - my new uniform. 

This is the easiest combo especially on lazy, rainy days. 



Classic pumps can instantly dress up a pair of jeans. 


Added my own personal touches: 

My favorite partial tuck



And the cuffed hem


I find myself living in this look a lot lately. It's just so comfortable especially with the unpredictable weather we've been experiencing lately.


I was wearing: Collezione (Manila) snake-print top, red skinny jeans from Forever 21, Charles & Keith shoes, black belt from Landmark Dept Store (Manila), Raybay wayfarer frames.

breaking in

On Friday, I decided to break in my new pair of black pumps. This is only the second time that I've worn this pair of high heels (my highest ever at 4 inches). At this point, I'm still not 100% confident walking in them, but I am sure I will get there soon. As always, I've put in a pair of Dr Scholl inserts to reduce the strain on the balls of my feet. Do you have any tricks when wearing high heels?

I was initially turned off by this detailing on the back but now I've grown to love it. 



Paired the shoes with my skinny cargo pants to balance out the casual look. (I'm loving pants and pumps combo these days!)

serendipity

Since I loved how my latest foray into the world of boyfriend jeans turned out, I decided to work with the boyfriend jeans again for a similar look.

If I am being completely honest, I had planned to pair the pants with a different top but couldn't find it so I came up with this. I didn't think the baggy on baggy will work so well but I really love how this turned out. I'll even go as far to say that this is one of my favorite casual looks so far.



I think in order for the baggy on baggy look to work even for those of us who aren't stick thin, we should stick to a top that is loose but not oversized. This top I picked out is semi-cropped. Second, a proper footwear will complete this look. I made this mistake of pairing this same boyfriend denim with booties but I just looked bulky all over. Cuffed hems also help streamline the silhouette.



Finally, I gave the top my favorite trick - the partial or the haphazard tuck - to highlight the waist.


I was wearing: H&M polka dot cropped top, boyfriend denim from Pull & Bear, pointy shoes from Charles & Keith.

marni at H&M

I know, I know, everyone and their mother has already talked about this exciting new collaboration from H&M. But really I'm so excited for this to hit the stores! 


I've first heard of the Marni label back when I was still obsessed with Teen Vogue and Marni was a staple - featuring the label's signature colorful, quirky and original style. I was even inspired by their chunky, colorful plastic accessories in my DIY projects. 


Teen Vogue even did a feature on the super chic Marni heiress Carolina Castiglioni:

Image from British Vogue

I'm also curious to see what they have in store for the men's collection and happy to finally see what guys can expect from this collab. This is my favorite:


From the women's collection, aside from the accessories, I am most looking forward to:
Colorful pencil midi

Above images from The Guardian UK

Silk printed cropped pants:

Image from Red Carpet Fashion Awards

Marni at H&M will hit the stores on March 8. Mark you calendars!

in the pink

I'm not a V-day scrooge or anything but I'm not one to make much fuss about it, this year though I  had this idea to wear this outfit for Valentine's last week, y'know just to be a bit ironic, I suppose...but no, I won't hear the end of it so I chickened out and now wearing my supposedly V Day outfit a week later.



Look who's ready for the summer?! 


Actually, I was inspired by this styling from Zara's March 2012 lookbook







Image from becomegorgeous.com


I liked the combination of bright pink neutralized by solid white that I decided to dig out this skirt - which I've only worn once before - and paired with my favorite button-down.



To add to the colorful outfit, I've matched my Greek evil eye DIY necklace.



And knotted the oversized top to add a bit of structure.


I was wearing: Cotton On button-down, skirt from H&M, shoes from Athens.

under the tropical sun

It was extra hot and humid last weekend here in Singapore and though we got an all-too-short reprieve by the sudden downpour on Saturday afternoon, the temperature quickly tipped back to the 30s soon after.


So on a day like this, I decided to wear the comfiest, coolest items in my closet.
.
My top is in the lightest, coolest material and the denim is so baggy and comfy.



I know I've been lately going on and on about how much I am falling in love with my skinny jeans all over again. But time to show the ever-dependable boyfriend jeans some love. 



Normally, I wouldn't pair baggy jeans with a loose top to balance out the silhouette. Decided to try it out this time. But to keep things more "refined", I gave it my favorite partial tuck.



Kept the back loose and relaxed.



Kept the footwear simple and "streamlined". With everything else loose and baggy, it's best to keep things tighter at the bottom. 



Felt a little self-conscious taking outfit photos outdoors but I hope you like the pretty greens in the background. 


I was wearing: Cotton On animal print top, boyfriend jeans from Pull & Bear, shoes from Bayo (Manila), Parfois bag (Manila).

february wishlist

I've been looking for a nice dainty, embroidered white dress or skirt for the longest time. Thankfully, the stores are now finally stocking up on spring pieces. 
There are so many cute possibilities from Zara's TRF. These two are my favorites:

Embroidered dress
Paired with my utility vest and flat ankle boots for a casual look or dress up with black opaque tights and pumps.



Lace skirt
Paired with a casual men's tee like in this look from Zara or with a denim shirt.


All images from Zara Singapore.


Alas I have to curb my spending though so that I'll have a fatter wallet by the time Marni for H&M hits Singapore on March 8th. Can't wait.

the top

First wore this full look for lunch on New Year's and I loved it so much so I thought I'd repeat it again and share with you here in the blog.
I'm really glad I picked up this pair of dark-wash jeggings from Mossimo. Dark-wash is just perfect to dress up with a more dressy top like this pairing or dress down with a checked shirt.  



I love the print and fit of this top which is a great buy from Manila's Divisoria.






Tucked in the hem of my jeans in my favorite lace-up boots.


I was wearing: Top from Divisoria (Manila), skinny jeggings from Mossimo at Target, Zara lace-up boots.

neutral

For Valentine's, I had this idea to dress up in soft, romantic, full skirt. But then on Valentine's Day, I didn't feel brave enough to be jibed by wearing a hot pink skirt. Ha! (Kind of as embarrassing as carrying a bouquet of flowers on V Day.)


So, I decided to just go neutral - and casual



Complementing the so-casual animal print shorts with a crisp white men's-inspired button down.



To avoid getting too casual, topped off the look with wedge sandals. 


I was wearing: animal print shorts from Cotton On, Uniqlo oxford shirt, color block wedge sandals from Sapato Manila.

hearts

Can't eat. Can't sleep. Butterflies in stomach. Silly grins. Twinkle in eyes. Fireworks.


Happy Valentine's Day to all.

just in: nude pumps

Dropped by Zara yesterday with just a plan to browse but then I found this pair of nude pumps, tried them on and fell head over heels.

I need to buy a new pair anyway for my cousin's wedding in March. (Yup, that's my excuse!) Actually, I've been looking for a similar pair in black that Zara released last year. Saw them everywhere in blogs, like Carolina Engman's metallic pair. Sadly, I don't think this style was ever made available here in Singapore. So I'm glad I finally got my hands on a similar pair and in nude (I don't own a pair of nude heels yet) is a nice bonus.


Now since the main purpose for these heels is for my cousin's wedding in March, I have to control my EQ and refrain from wearing them. But I do plan to wear them once or twice them before then to break them in. (Yup, that's my excuse!)

greased

My style has always centered on the juxtapositions of the girly with the manly - like a floral dress + utility vest or men's tee with a full skirt. But on Tuesday, the theme was all out androgyny.





Black + white 



A co-worker commented that I am just a black eyeliner away from goth. Umm, actually I was going for Danny Zuko (see blog title, duh).



Added touches of silver to the black and white palette.



And men's inspired footwear to complete the look.


I was wearing: Black skinny pants from Tangs department store, Cotton On muscle tee, H&M leather gilet and shoes from a store in Central World in Bangkok.

shapes and sizes

I saw this Nike Women ad making the rounds in Facebook:

I wanted to post this here to put things back into perspective. Sometimes when I look at all these fashion bloggers with their long skinny legs and arms, it's so easy to fall prey to want to achieve that model/waif-ish figure. I admit, even until now - if I don't check myself - I can so easily fall victim to this mentality. "Drainpipes look so much better on long skinny legs, etc. etc." 
So this post is me reminding myself  to embrace and love what my body has become after 7 years of working hard at the gym. No shame in muscles and strength. 


Cheers!

the wedge

Saw this cool pair of wedge heels from Zara's Spring-Summer collection:

Image from Zara.com

This reminded me of an old pair of wedges I picked up from Aldo. So I decided to wear them today.



I was attracted to this pair because it recalls a similar style from Celine. Unfortunately, I have to use this sparingly as they are not the most comfortable pair. I tried all sorts of cushions and inserts but the balls of my feet still end up battered after a long day walking in these shoes. 

sky blue sky

I'm not a big fan of pink. In fact, before I even picked up this pair of shorts, I was already carrying a similar pair in white with black print. But then I saw this and thought it's time to give bright colors a try. 



Yes! I am still color-blocking here. I just love the counterpoint of the sky blue men's button-down to the girly pink shorts. 
Something easy and comfy for the endless summer weather. 



To emphasize the summer theme, went with a pair of sandals.


I was wearing: Muji men's short-sleeved shirt, printed shorts from H&M, sandals from Athens.

TGIF

What with today's lovely overcast weather and it being Friday, I wanted to wear something "lazy" and comfortable. (Sorry for the haggard face - lack of sleep.)



It's deliciously cool (well, relatively speaking) today and since it's freezing in the office, I wore my favorite knit again.



This time, instead of pairing with my pencil skirts as usual, I've decided to wear with my balloon dress (worn as a skirt).



Lately, I've been pairing my ankle boots a lot with skirts and dresses. At first I hesitated to do this because it feels so Teen Vogue. But if you find just the right style of boots paired with just the right garments, this styling can be age-appropriate. 


I love how this look turned out. So comfortable for a lazy Friday.


Have a good weekend!


I was wearing: Bysi dress worn as skirt, knit from SM Surplus (Manila), flat ankle boots from Zara.

first of February

...And just like that, we are already on the second month of 2012. It feels like it was just yesterday that we welcomed the new year. How are you holding up on those New Years' resolutions? :P



Navy + green is my new favorite color combo. 


For a change, I've decided to pair my midi pencil skirt with a shirt in my size. :)
Here's a closer look at the top:



I'm pretty happy with this and I got it for such a good bargain - P300($10)!



Love this little hip-band detail. 


I was wearing: Striped pencil skirt from Rockwell Powerplant Mall (Manila), navy top from Divisoria (Manila), Charles & Keith shoes