Walking on flowers

Still on the subject of floral prints.

Yes, they look good on ladies' shoes and sneakers, but I've always been wary about it on men's shoes.

Until I saw this pair of New Balance sneakers:

And just like that, I'm on board the floral shoe trend.

Dress distress

While passing through The Landmark, a bright floral dress caught my eye.

Yes, both the color and print are eye-catching, but what I noticed was beyond that.

It was this particular detail:

Printed fabric usually has registration marks because it goes through 4 passes. And normally, that's cut-off after the fabric has been printed. But in the case of this dress, not only did they fail to cut it off, it was also included in the final product.

Quality control, please.

Try saying it several times...

Yes, it does sound like a good name, especially if it's in a native English speaking country.

But say it several times, and with a Tagalog accent, and you'll see.

Harhar.

Of Sagalas and Skateboards

Ortigas Center, particularly Emerald Avenue, is a joy to visit on Sundays.

Today, I passed by and saw two events unfolding on the street.

First, it was a sagala featuring some beauty pageant candidates.

Then, a few steps down, there was a skateboarding competition.

Two competitions from both ends of the spectrum, and from both ends of the street. Where else can you find something like this?

Was there ever a doubt?

Nope, no doubt here.

Julia Roberts really is the most beautiful woman. Trust People Magazine. And People of the world in general.

Nope, Julia Roberts isn't just a Pretty Woman, she's the World's Most Beautiful!

FMM: Join the (Breakfast) Club

During our color grading, the production folks and I talked about our favorite topic, the 80s!

One conversation topic that made us all guffaw was Filipino movies in the 80s, and how it had a penchant for random, left-field and campy dance numbers. Just watch a Regal or Viva comedy film, and you'll see what we mean.

Then, the question popped up: What's your favorite "random, left-field, campy dance number" song. Our choice was unanimous:



It has to be "Rico Mambo" by Breakfast Club.

This song is iconic. So is the dance number, wonderfully done by Maricel Soriano.



My Friday is made!

As Gwen Stefani would say...

This sh** is:

Who would've thought that there was such a thing as a Banana festival! In Eastwood, no less.

You learn something new everyday!

Pin it!

The pinstripe is one of the recurring trends that's appearing in almost all fast fashion brands - both local and foreign.

Just like the embroidered jean, it's actually a trend that took off in the 90s. And now, it's back!

One of my favorite incarnations of this trend is this Zara pinstripe dress with a knot.

But this piece is just one of many, many, many, many, many, many, many pieces that I've seen everywhere - from the swankiest mall to the smallest Divisoria stall.

And truth be told, my sisters have a lot of pinstriped items in their closets already. Thanks to both Zara and Divisoria.

A commercial family

It's always fun to make commercials. But the fun increases exponentially when the commercial you're making involves family.

Case in point, our latest commercial for Orocan features my 2 nephews - Miggy and Kurt!

It feels just like yesterday when they were little boys. Now, they're all grown up and making commercials.

Looks like advertising will really run in the family.

Feeling animated!

The last fully animated commercial I did was way back in 2012. It was a lot of work, but definitely a lot of fun.

It's an experience I got to relive this year with this fun and catchy commercial for Gardenia Pocket Sandwich.



Yup, it was a lot of work, but the end result is so nice and uppity, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

I'm excited, actually!

Mark and I agree that "Love, Actually," is one of the best. films. ever.

That's why we're both psyched about the reunion, even if it's just a short film.



I hope they make this available in the Philippines.

Roar!

It's been a while since I've last browsed the Ann Taylor website.

Time was when I'd look at that site about twice or thrice a month and be surprised that a lot of the nice dresses there are made in the Philippines and can be found at my usual haunts.

This weekend, I found myself browsing through the website again, and found a dress that not just screams style, it roars!

The dress is aptly called "Jungle Cat," and has a mesmerizing print set against a classic flared silhouette.

Now, I'm inspired to drop by my usual haunts. Who knows, I might catch this dress there.

FMM: The shakes

One of the things I do in advertising that's really enjoyable is listening to songs and finding one that we can use for our next ad campaigns. The great part is when you rediscover all these older songs that you've forgotten. That's also when you realize how cool these songs are.

Case in point, Manhattan Transfer and their iconic song:



This group is one of my Dad's favorites. He had a lot of their cassette tapes back then, and that's how I learned about "Shaker Song." It was a constant in our house back in the 80s and 90s, and after listening to it again today, I realized that I still know the words to it.

There are some things you just can't shake off.

Up in the Attico

The great thing about reading In Style is learning about new and upcoming designers.

In the US, there's a designer born every minute - just check out Project Runway! And among the gamut and plethora of designers, a handful actually make it big in the business.

In Style has that knack of finding those promising ones, featuring them, and finally giving them the platform to be known by people who have the penchant for fashion forward clothes.

While leafing through one of the current issues, I saw a photo of a thoughtfully fashionable dress and was interested to see who designed it. After looking at the credits, it was a new label called Attico, and the designers are two beautiful and statuesque women, Giorgia and Gilda.

They say women designers are better at making clothes for women. And in the case of Attico, it's very true. Their aesthetic is very clean, modern and feminine - very women in the now.

And yes, it helps that these women designers look like model themselves. They're in the same rank as my other favorite designing pairs - The Olsen Sisters, and Keren Craig and Georgina Chapman of Marchesa.

Let's see if Attico is available in Japan or HKG. I'm so interested to see their clothes up close.

Wonderfilled!

It must be the iconic pose, or it might be the colors.

Looking at the posters of the Wonder Woman film, I can't help but be transported back to my childhood. It takes me back to a time when superheroes ruled our Saturday mornings.

After watching cartoons, the gang would meet outside and play heroes vs. villains, and I'd always be Hawkman or Firestorm. Then, we'd be running all over Sct. Gandia to defend the world from evil. It was a simple and awe-filled time.

Something tells me I'll get the same feeling when I watch Wonder Woman.

Hey Bae-by!

Early this year, we shot a commercial for NeuBake, one of our long time clients.

For this commercial, we brought in this unbelievably adorable little celebrity - Baeby Baste!



They call him Baeby because he's a little "Bae." Which is one of those newfangled coined terms that escapes me. But if it works for Baste, who am I to argue, right?

I'm an instant fan of this kid. He's funny, smart, respectful and the way he takes directions is amazing! It helps that he's with his real Mom, so the rapport is natural and unstudied.

This kid will go places. And I can't wait to work with him again soon.

A different generation of students

Back when I was in college, student meals meant a complete meal for the cheapest possible price. During that time, and this will definitely date me, student meals were in the vicinity of P30.

Even now, whenever I check out the student meals that they sell in SSC and the surrounding areas, the average cost would be around P50-P60 for a complete meal. Which is just right for a student's budget. So imagine my surprise when I saw this sign in UP Town Center.

Whoa! Their "student meal" costs around P250-P300! And they eat this on a daily basis?

I guess students around those parts are different.

Goodness Will and Grace-ious!

Seeing a real, moving trailer makes everything even more excitingly real!



Let's get this sitcom on the screen, stat!

Because it's Becca's Birthday Bash

Nothing brings D' Frendz together than a birthday, much moreso when it's the birthday of one of D' Kids!

Today is Becca's Birthday, and she was able to bring together 80% of D' Frendz! And that's an achievement given everyone's busy schedules.

Happy Birthday Becca! We had a blast at your bash!

FMM: I love the 80s more than I know

Of course, the title of this entry references the 1988 hit of Martika. A hit that was played and overplayed on radio stations that time.



I love the fact that "More than you know" has 80s written all over it. If you listen to it closely, you can hear the undertones of Tiffany and Debbie Gibson - both her contemporaries. And if you're a kid of the 80s, you know that all 3 of them had hit careers for 2 decades.

And that's more than you need to know.

LFLTAT: Elements of chic

Whenever malls go on sale, it transforms into this treasure trove of finds and it makes it so easy to come up with an LFLTAT. The only trick is, you really need to dive into every store, sift through their stocks, and find gems within the pile.

Aside from the M&M outfit I was able to come up with, there was another uber chic look that I put together for less than a thousand bucks. It was made possible because both items were at 50% off in their respective stores.

First, this white, button down linen shirt from SM Department Store. It was sold at half price, and cost me P350.

Second, this beautiful denim skirt from Maldita. It was made out of dark denim, pleated, had white piping at the hem, and had a belt. So much chicness in one article of clothing! This was also 50% off and came out at P600.

The result, a chic outfit that has that Audrey Hepburn vibe - for P950!

How chic is that?

School spirit!

Last Friday, we had the Hildegarde Awards in SSC. This is the first time I'm attending the event as a professor of Events Management, and I saw how hard the students worked to get this event off the ground.

Despite some setbacks and unnecessary difficulties along the way, I'd say they pulled off the event with the grace. relevance and the spirit of its namesake, St. Hildegarde of Bingen. The event went smoothly, despite some minor hiccups here and there.

As a closing treat, the students sang an original composition by one of their batchmates. And it gave me goosebumps.

Great show, 4th year Mass Comm! It was a perfect representation of our school spirit!

Kloss encounters

It must be because they have a new EIC. I've noticed the past few issues that InStyle is becoming more experimental when it comes to their cover girls.

The past decade or so, they've placed a lot of A-list stars on the cover - whether she's a star in Hollywood, in music or in the fashion world. But since March 2017, their choices have been surprising.

The surprises continue this May, as the magazine is fronted by supermodel and social media star, Karlie Kloss!

It's been a while since a supermodel fronted the magazine, so this is a refreshing change.

And I'm excited to see what's next.

Sketchy Stories: Nice and simple

Last Saturday, Mark's godson - Luigi - was baptized. As Ninong, he decided to give Luigi a cake, and asked me to come up with a design.

If Mark had his way, the cake would have Thor and Unicorns. Harhar. But since it was a easy, quiet celebration, I thought the cake should be nice and simple as well.

Thus, an elegant cake based on the color scheme and invite of the event.

Simple can be really, really nice.

No Wonder!

"Fighting does not make you a hero."

With those words alone, I have no doubt that Wonder Woman will be EPIC!!!



Fast forward to June, please!

LFLTAT: M&M

Yup, it's an acronym-filled "Look For Less Than A Thousand" today.

And this episode is brought to you by the letter M.

First up, this ruffled jersey shell from Maldita.

The color, cut and detail are all so chic. Best part was, I got it for 50% off.

Second, this window pane print trousers from Merona.

I got it at Surplus Shop, so you know it's on the cheap.

Together, this ensemble cost less than P900!

Marvelously Magnificent!

FMM: Cleo Awards

Way back in 1998, (gosh, we now consider '98 as way back) there was this tween group from the UK whose CD (yes, CD) I chanced upon during a trip to HKG.

They were called "Cleopatra," and they had this infectious single entitled "Coming Atcha." I listened to it on HMV, an ended up buying their CD! All because of this song:



I think they turned out to be a one-hit wonder, but boy, they're one hit is so memorable, I find myself singing it today.

Thank God it's Friday Magic Madness.

We can!

Another month, another completed commercial!

I'm particularly excited for this one we did for Orocan. Can't wait to see it on-air!

To see is to beli(e)ve

And... here's another lack of proofreading skills.

Was checking on some pharmacy websites abroad, and saw this:

Really, "believe" isn't such a hard word to spell.

Proofreader, please.

For you I Will (and Grace)

So, the rumors are true!

Can't wait to have this awesome foursome back on TV! (And Mark and I will have something new to binge-watch.)

Holy Cow!

Just when I thought Danone made the best yogurt, this local brand came along and changed my mind!

My recent discovery, 3 Cows, is just so, so, SO good! It's creamy, thick, with the right sweetness, and it has a very Pinoy flavor profile.

This is my new favorite yogurt brand!