Dots perfect

When Joanne - the Plains & Prints Ali Mall manager - told me about the Plains & Prints x Vania Romoff x Mark Bumgarner collab, my excitement went through the roof.

After all, Vania and Mark are accomplished designers who both embrace the "simple but elegant" aesthetic, so putting their heads together for one collab has all the makings of a home run.

When the collection dropped, my excitement dropped notches lower. Overall, a lot of the pieces looked more like party wear rather than every day wear. Even the 2 dresses - the pieces that I had very high hopes for - were just okay.

But there were 3 pieces that stood out and immediately went to my "must buy" list. And yes, I was able to buy them.

First is this skirt and sleeveless top made in a polka dot fabric that's SO Vania Romoff. 

Among the pieces, these 2 are the ones that look like they came straight out of Vania's core line. The simplicity of the cut, the full skirt, the minimalist aesthetic - they all came together beautifully. And if you think that's the end of it, check out the back of the top:

Now THAT is a chic detail.

The nice thing about the skirt is that it can also be paired with the other pieces from the collection. So, along with these 2 pieces, ended up buying their black & white polka dot top with puffed sleeves and an empire waist.

And as you can see, the top pairs perfectly with the skirt.

Now, that's simple, elegant and versatile fashion!

LFLTAT: Double Mark

Since I visit the Plains & Prints website regularly, i’m lucky enough to catch their flash sales, or those once-in-a-blue-moon-sales where they give out great deals.

Last week, during the Double 2 date, they had a CNY sale which had some of their older collections at Uber great sale prices. From that sale, I was fortunate enough to snag 2 items from the Mark Bumgarner collaboration from a few years back.

This very chic ensemble is composed of a cold-shoulder top with flared sleeves. The nice details are these fabric buttons in the middle of the top.

The skirt is a full skirt with roomy pockets and a self-tie belt. It also has the same fabric buttons sunning down on the side   

Because of the sale, this ensemble only cost less than P900! For something from Mark Bumgarner and Plains & Prints, a LFTAT like this is a big deal!

This buy inspired me to hang out at their website some more. Who knows what other fashionable deals i’ll snag!

Leafing through the past

The reason why the anahaw print pieces from the Plains & Prints x Mark Bumgarner resonate with me is that it reminds me of my Christmas wrapping theme in 2016.

That was the year of the Dolce & Gabbana banana leaf print. This was then carried over to a gift wrapper from Hallmark. The same gift wrapper I had to pick-up in Cebu!

Aside from the look-alike prints, I also liked how Bumgarner accented it with a black ribbon. This was the same thing I did in 2016.

And because of that, I'm definitely getting this anahaw ensemble.

Now this is what I call the "gift" of fashion.

Mark's Money Pieces

With bated breath, I waited for them to reveal the Plains and Prints x Mark Bumgarner on-line.

By the time 8pm hit, they already showed the full collection via a live video. And as expected, the pieces were super gorgeous!

The cuts were classic, feminine yet modern. And the prints, beautifully inspired by local flora.

But if I were to single out which are the most covetable pieces that the Ates would gravitate to, it has to be this dress:

And this top:

And this skirt (with the top):

(The print looks familiar, eh?)

Okay, time to head on to a Plains and Prints store next week.

Mark your territory

And just like that, Plains & Prints has another collaboration!

Just by looking at the typography, I know this is Mark Bumgarner!

Knowing his aesthetic and eye for detail, I'm sure this collection will be a stunner.

Sold!