Color Story: Children of the Cornflower

Saw a cornflower blue knit top at Memo, and it was on sale!

Of course, I had to buy it.

Next task was to find items to pair it with. That's when I remembered that there were a few light denim items in the stash that looks like cornflower.

Et voila!

The pants are from The SM store, and the vest is from the Plains & Prints x Marc Nicdao collaboration.

Denim & White: Go wide

Sometimes, a simple detail can elevate a classic. 

For example, wide-legged jeans with an exaggerated cuff.

This is actually a semi-D.I.Y. pair. The jeans are from the Patty Ang x Bench collaboration from 2019. Found it in one of the Bench sale racks recently, and snagged it without any second thoughts.

The original pair was designed to be very long. That detail is what made me decide to have it cuffed. Actually, cuffed jeans are making a comeback in the fashion world.

After our modista did her magic, the jeans looked so different from its original look. The contrasting colour of the cuff gave it the oomph it needed.

Of course, the shirt had to have a detail, too. Thankfully, Memo had this white shirt with an oversized silhouette and a ruched front. 

And to cap the outfit off, the red ballerinas from Stradivarius.

This is so chic in so many levels.

Denim & White: The Lady

There's something about a boat-neck top that make it so lady-like.

Maybe it's because that style has been a signature of Audrey Hepburn for the longest time. And as we all know, she's the epitome of being a lady.

So, we take that lady-like, boat neck white top and put together this ensemble.

The top is from Penshoppe and the long, slim denim skirt is from Memo. Together, the ensemble screams quiet elegance.

Audrey Hepburn would look awesome in this ensemble.

One pant, two ways: Jean-etics

There's this pair of jeans from Terranova that's been sitting in "the stash" for a time. Mainly because there wasn't a perfect top to go with it. That time, at least.

But after a weekend at the mall, this pair finally found its perfect top.

Two actually.

First is this denim button down from Black Sheep. The collar detail elevates the look of this one.

Second is this knitted turtle neck to from Memo. It looks so luxe and classy.

And with a change of the top, this pair jeans went from youthful to lady-like.

One shoe, two ways: You know the (Espa)drille

The CLN branch at Ali Mall is renovating soon. And you know what that means...

Renovation Sale!

Saw this pair of platform espadrilles and it was around 70% off its original price! It was too good to pass off. 

It's a very cool and versatile pair. It gives this very Castillian vibe and is a comfy way to elevate a look. 

LOOK # 1: Utilitarian chic

The main piece here is a cargo skirt made with twill, snagged from Surplus Shop. It has a dark khaki colour that works well with the espadrille. The top is the same hue of the shoe (it rhymes!) and it's from Memo.

LOOK # 2: Dressy & daring

This dress is from Straightforward. The sides have an interesting cut-out, and the back is open, with just a few straps. It might come across as casual, but the details make it dressy.

Given that you can wear it 2 times in an instant, it's proof how this shoe is such a good buy.

LFTAT: The ABCs of fashion - the repeat

It was almost 5 years ago when I wrote about a Look For Less Than A Thousand that was put together using brands of Golden ABC. Yes, the Filipino fast fashion conglomerate with a lot of cool brands under its portfolio.

Yesterday, at the start of SM Megamall’s 5-day Sale, we have a repeat! presenting a new LFLTAT from 3 brands of Golden ABC.

The top is a cropped, oversized shirt from BOCU. The fact that it’s cropped and oversized at the same time is such a great play of contrasts.

The skirt is a wrap around, minimalist one from Memo. 

The slip-on sneakers are from ForMe.

I’m loving the overall neutral palette of this ensemble. Very cool and chic.

But the price is what makes it even more lovable. Yes, the entire thing is a few pesos shy of P1000.

One Skirt, Two Ways: Think Pink

You can never go wrong with a denim pencil skirt. It’s one of those pieces of clothing that goes well,with pretty much anything. Just like this piece from Surplus Shop:

It’s a washed denim skirt with front pockets and a front slit. These qualities make it as versatile as it is fashionable.

LOOK # 1: Country Club Chic

The skirt is paired with a dark pink cotton pique shirt from Memo. This gives the skirt a preppy-vibe and feels very Valle Verde Country Club back in the 80s.

LOOK # 2: Strings attached

This pink top from The SM Store has an interesting drawstring detail on the sides. It gives the shirt this parachute top vibe.

Either way, i’m Tickled Pink at how easy it is to style this skirt.

LFTAT: Boy meets girl

Joggers and loafers - two fashion items that are popular with boys. But as the gender lines of fashion continue to be blurred, girls can rock these pieces as well.

With that, here's an LFTAT where boys and girls intersect.

The brown top is very feminine, with its fluttery sleeves and keyhole detail. There's also a bow detail at the back for a girly touch. It's paired with khaki joggers in a twill fabric that gives it structure. Both these items are from Kashieca.

Bringing the look together is a pair of brown loafers from Memo. 

While this whole ensemble looks expensive, it actually rings up to less than P900! 

Boy, that sound crazy. But girl, it's true!

Loafing Around

Back in the 80s, when most of the kids wore the lace-up Gregg shoes in school, my siblings and I wore something very different.

We wore loafers. Or, penny loafers as they were called back in the day.

These were leather shoes that Tita Evelyn would bring us from Spain. Some were patent leather, some were matte. She would bring one for each one of us, and we'd always enjoy wearing these super comfy shoes.

But because they were uncommon back then, our classmates would sometimes tease us for wearing them. There was a time that my 2 Ates said that their classmates in St. Joseph's College would laugh at them because they were wearing "boy shoes." But that didn't matter to them.

A few years later, particularly in the 90s, loafers became a big thing. You'd be popular in school if you wore "Haruta" shoes, which were loafers from Japan. You could only buy them abroad, although sometimes, Tokyo Hanna in Greenhills would sell them.

Now, more than 40 years after they first came to my consciousness, loafers are back!

Most fast fashion brands have an iteration of these iconic shoes, and people are starting to wear them again. Actually, Ate Bullet was looking for a nice pair of loafers, and thankfully, they had them in Memo. And they had them in her size. And it was an automatic buy!

You really can't loaf around when it comes to trends.

Color Story: More Earthen wear

Yellow, brown and taupe are tricky hues, mainly because they're too muted and have a tendency to look blah.

When done right, though, earth tones can be very refreshing and stylish.

Here's an ensemble that did it right.

The skirt is from Memo. It immediately struck me after seeing it on their display window.

Pleats and pleated skirts are enjoying a resurgence, and this is one of its latest incarnations. Aside from the color play, the shapes in this skirt are also eye-catching.

For the top, I was looking for one that had a complementing color and a non-traditional shape. Enter this top from Uniqlo.

The color echoes the middle tone of the skirt, which give the ensemble a unified look.

See, earth tones can be very refreshing and stylish. And considering this is the 2nd ensemble in 2 months with the same earthen hue, you know it's a trend that the earth is really buying.