A perfect foil

As Christmas nears and parties are starting to kick-off, the need for holiday outfits is once again upon us. Well, upon my sister, to be exact.

Since the holidays are all about sparkle and shine, those are the elements that I'm looking for when looking for a holiday outfit.

Two weeks ago, Mark and I had lunch with Patrick at Alabang Town Center. Passed through Metro Department Store and found this gold, foil skirt. 

It doesn't look like it in the photo, but it's actually gold foil. It's also light and pleated, so it moves very gracefully.

In the same store, there was this knit top in beige, which was a good pair for the skirt. The boat neckline, extended sleeves and material make it classic and muted enough to match with the brightness of the skirt.

It's a perfect outfit for a casual yet chic Christmas party.

Southern Style: Say Pleats

This is one of my fave finds at Metro Gaisano in Cebu. It's an ensemble that's a combination of classy and artsy. 

It's a pleated pair! 

The top has that Issey Miyake vibe, and the pleated skirt has a painting that's reminiscent of Rome. So, it's Japan plus Rome by way of Cebu. Capping off the look is a pair of black and white slides from For Me. Cebu branch, of course.

Pleats are just so pretty!

Southern Style: Bluer than blues

This happened to me several times. I'd go to the Cebu branch of a brand that's also available in MNL, and would find items that are unique and items that they don't have here. It happened to me at Surplus Shop, Zara, Pull & Bear, H&M, among others.

Apparently, these brands have buyers in Cebu, and they would sometimes order items that their MNL counterparts won't. Which makes shopping there more fun.

The top of this ensemble is a good example of that:

It's a navy blue body suit from H&M. It's immediately caught my eye and got me to wondering why this was never in any of the stores here. If it were, I'd immediately gravitate towards it and buy it. The design is very classic, with its boat neck and long sleeves, it's giving Audrey Hepburn.

The skirt is from the Maco brand, yet again. This pleated skirt plays with different shades of blue to give the design more depth and texture.

You can say that this outfit is... Ceblue.

Southern Style: Keeping it Knit

Despite the fact that our Cebu trip was just an overnight one, the fact that our hotel was beside Ayala Center Cebu made up for it.

After our meetings, I'd hie off to Metro Gaisano Cebu. They have a good selection of clothes and textiles, and it's always a stop-over whenever my travels take me to Cebu City.

My lightning quick visit didn't disappoint. Was able to snag a couple of chic and unique looks - mostly from their house brands.

The first find was this ensemble with a knit skirt as the key piece.

It's this thick, knit skirt with a mixed houndstooth patterns. It has a fitted silhouette that flares at the bottom. The top is a black shell top with ribbons and buttons on the side. These are from Maco - the brand that's exclusive to Metro, and a brand that I'd buy often.

This is so neat!