30 October 2010

IF I WERE A BOY...

My "How Male Can You Go" blog entry inspired my get-up (Obviously not a costume. Sabi nga ni J, "porma lang.") for the office Halloween party...

Horror of Horrors: Masculine Me?!
Black shirt, Levi's
Black blazer, Zara
Black tie, borrowed from Hubby
Fedora, borrowed from Hubby
Customized Jeans, Defacto


My brogue spectator heels, Charles & Keith.
(Yes, heels -- girl pa rin!)


So was the experience a trick or treat? I must say, it was a treat! I'm surprised to have actually enjoyed doing the androgynous style. (Never say never.)

28 October 2010

DENIM SHIRT

Finally found me an affordable denim shirt. =)

Trend Report from meandmoo.com

Trend Report from WhoWhatWear.com

Chloe's take on Denim & Khaki

Above: Me at the Office
Denim shirt, cheap Department Store find
Khaki a-line skirt, cheap find from Bangkok
Brown Messenger Bag from Taipei

Above: my Brown Wedge, CMG

I DARED TO DRESS UP

I did it! Thirty working days in dresses!

This is the final dress I wore for the Dare -- a paisley-printed spaghetti-strapped maxi dress, a cheap Hong Kong find from sixteen years ago. Yes, had it since I was in college. And it still fits me. Yey! Wore it to work with a black boyfriend cardigan, my "M" locket and black bejeweled flats.

Day 30: Oct 26, 2010
(Oct 25 was a Holiday - Brgy Elections)


Highlights of my Dare to Dress Up Challenge:
  1. Confirmed: Dresses can instantly prettify. Kahit feeling lang, mood enhancer ba.
  2. Confirmed: No need to wait for "special" occasions to dress up. Make every day a dress-worthy day. (Thanks to my Daily Dates! *wink*)
  3. Discoveries: I was able to wear dresses that I've almost forgotten about. It's always fun shopping in one's closet!
  4. There were dresses I wasn't able to wear because they're really not for daytime or the office -- lace, tube, too short, too casual, backless, etc.
  5. Maxi dresses and tights are the answer to leg rashes.
Ladies, I say, dare to dress up! =)

24 October 2010

DARE TO DRESS UP - WK7

Week 7 update on my Dare to Dress Up challenge.
Twenty nine days down. One to go.
I'm considering extending, to make up for the "break."
We'll see if I'll be in the mood for more dress days next week.


MY 30-DAY DARE TO DRESS UP FOR WORK PROJECT

Day 26: Oct 18
Turtleneck LBD, Details (1st time to wear this during the Dare.)
Black tights, Marks & Spencer
Black ballet flats, Zara
Khaki trench-style rain coat, Mango

**Oct 19 was the height of typhoon Juan, wore pants with my rain boots.
Didn't want the winds blowing my dress away. =)

Day 27: Oct 20
A-line LBD, Zara (3rd time to wear it during the Dare.)
Gray cable-knit cover-up, Forever21 (1st time to wear this during the Dare.)
Black ballet flats, Zara

Day 28: Oct 21
Army green dress, Zara (Same thing I wore on Day10.)
But this time, I paired it with my Zara braided belt
Brown flats, Zara

Day 29: Oct 22
Gray dress, MNG (Same thing I wore on Day16.)
Covered by my black trench coat, Zara
Gray wedge, Schu

my Gray Wedge, Schu

23 October 2010

MY FIRST STYLE ICON

All her student life in Nueva Ecija she was voted as school queen. In her college years in Baguio, she was always invited to join beauty pageants and always landed on the top ten. In our family, she'll forever be The Queen. Meet my first style icon, my beautiful and loving mother.

The family's reigning Queen, my dear Mama.
Here as the School Queen for the nth time.


Like most daughters, my mother was my first style icon.

During my parents' struggling years as newlyweds, my mother had only one dress -- a salmon long-sleeved piece accentuated by lace. It was her "uniform" to church. Walang ka-alternate.Yun lang talaga. I've been pressuring her to remember where she kept the dress. Because I want to have it. If it's still in good condition, I'd love to wear it today (vintage, anyone?). Unfortunately, she can't remember where it is. So I vowed to at least find a photo of her wearing it.

When life became more comfortable, she was finally able to buy all the clothes she wanted. I'd always be part of her shopping trips. She'd buy for me too. Nothing extravagant. She prefers bargain finds. Her style rule: matching colors. As in everything pink. Or everything red and white. Or black and silver from head to toe. You get the drift.

And so that's how I was for most of my life -- a color-coordinated girl. My hubby finds this amusing. He always finds our terno-terno family pictures (all in white or all in plaid) funny. But today, when Mama asks us to dress in one color or theme, my hubby obediently follows. He'll laugh at the idea but he'll cooperate with my Mom anyway, hehe. They love each other.

We're both in plaid for my sister's bday.

My Mama loves clothes. And as a homemaker currently living abroad with my Engineer dad and sixth-grade sister, she keeps herself busy by sewing clothes! Bilib ako. I mean, I love clothes but I'm not sure if I'll ever be interested in actually making or sewing them. Some clothes she makes from scratch, some dresses she tries to alter, some pieces she tries to accessorize. And then she'd post her creations on her Facebook album. It's like having her own fashion blog, haha.

Both in nude colors.
Preparing for a wedding.

Thank you, Mama, for being my first style mentor. It's from you that I first learned how fashion is a right, not a privilege. Your bargain hunts must have shaped my "look for less" style today. As for the color coordination, I'm trying not to be too matchy-matchy anymore. =) Brown bag, blue jeans, red shoes -- mixing colors can work too. *wink*

Love your fashion style. Love your parenting style. Love you.

EMPRESS ON THE LOOSE?


Spotted at the Forbidden City, Beijing, September 2010:
A tourist with an Empress headpiece!
She sure knows how to have fun. =)

15 October 2010

DARE TO DRESS UP - WK6

Week 6 update on my Dare to Dress Up challenge. Twenty five days down. Five to go.

B
ack story: I have another silly (but fun!) personal project: A 30-Day Dress Up for Work Challenge. I plan to wear dresses for thirty straight working days. (UPDATE: Had to go on a two-week break, September 27 to October 8, due to the dengue scare.I wore pants all throughout that two weeks.)

I enjoy being in dresses, it's among my simple joys. Aside from being easy to wear, you just slip into them, they reflect my "pa-girl" style. Every day is Date Day for me! So I don't have to wait for "special" occasions to wear one. Also, the personal challenge makes waking up for work a little more fun! Try it!


MY 30-DAY DARE TO DRESS UP FOR WORK PROJECT
Yes, I dared to wear dresses, even with my rashes. =)

Day 21: Oct 11
Navy dress
Wore my thin, brown, braided belt with it, just to give it a fresh look.
Brown flats

Day 22: Oct 12
Floral black & white dress
Black cardigan
Black ballet flats

Day 23: Oct 13
Brown plaid dress
Pink cardigan
Gray wedge. I usually wore this dress with brown shoes.

Day 24: Oct 14
Black eyelet dress
Khaki trench rain coat. It was a raining. The coat gave it a new twist.
Black peep-toe heels

Day 25: Oct 15
A-line LBD
Gray cover-up. A recent find.
Black flats
Black studded headband


It was a week of repeats. I've worn all these dresses within the Dare Period. I just tried to accessorize them in a new way. Final five days next week. =)

13 October 2010

FYI

My Glamour November 2010 came in today!
Taylor's dress reminds me of a Forever 21 purchase, my lacey LBD, worn to the ballet.
But this entry is not about lace dresses.

One of my favorite features on Glamour is their "We Asked Our Staffers" pages featuring very interesting Q & As.

This month's Q: What do most people not know about you?

Here are three from me --
  1. In 6th Grade, I was one of our school's Math Olympiad representatives. The inter-school Olympiad was held in Xavier so parang soiree! =) Our team finished 2nd, over-all. (Pang grade school math lang ako. Hahaha! High school & college math were totally different stories.)
  2. Around 1999, I tried taking on two jobs -- AM job: writing for the network; PM job: teaching an early evening Mass Communications class. Proud to say my students got really excited when I laid down my plans for the term. But unfortunately, the university and I didn't meet eye-to-eye on the contract so I had to cut my 'college instructor' stint short.
  3. In my 20s, my weekend / after-work raket (aka part-time job) was Events Hosting for the music label Sony-BMG. Feeling VJ, hahaha! Highlight of my stint: a one-on-one interview with James Ingram. (LOL, blast from the past!)

12 October 2010

FROM ELLE

"Like it or not, in those key moments before a guy (Me: or any person) has figured out what a brilliant, sexy, hilarious catch (Me: or individual) you really are, the only thing he has going is, well, your shoes (Me: or your outfit)." -- Joe Zee, Elle Style A to Zee, Elle magazine, September 2010

Yes, I bought the magazine because I'm an "Eat, Pray, Love" fan.
(Was disappointed with the film.)

MY 81 & 83







#81 Two of my Statement Necklaces...

Above: A find from Forever 21


Above: from H&M


#83 My Striped Sailor Shirt
Above: a Department Store find


Above: Love the anchor patch!
Literal na "Sailor" shirt.


Above: Last week, after seeing Kate Moss' photo below,
I wore it with my Zara blazer and Topshop jeans.


Above: Kate's get-up inspired my work outfit for the next day.
Photo from Mango's KeepTheBeat.