One shirt, three ways

Plains & Prints came out with another Barbie collaboration. It's inspired by country club chic, and it's reflected in most of the pieces of the collection. There are a lot of pieces inspired by tennis, some sportswear inspired pieces in tweed, plus some preppy items.

Despite all the colours and prints that it has to offer, my fave piece is this classic white shirt.

It's a crisp and clean white shirt with a standing collar. The overall shape is very unique, having this oversized silhouette, a longer back hem, and the sleeves are both cuffed and dropped. So much chic details!

While it's unique, it's also very versatile. Here are 3 ways to wear it, each with its own vibe.

First, it's paired with a flared denim skirt with buttons in front. The skirt is from Dockers, and it makes the look very carefree. It's something that you can do weekend errands with, but in an elevated way.

Second, with a long, denim skirt with a high side slit which is from The Landmark. This gives the shirt a casual yet sultry vibe, but still keeping the classic shirt and denim combo.

Third, it's paired with a classic, straight cut jean from Muji. This is the quintessential classic - but lifted.

Three cheers for this versatile piece!

Oppa-rtunity

It started when Mark said that he didn't have anything to wear on his flight back to Manila. The clothes that he brought to Seoul were just enough for the entire stay, and his only option was to wear shorts on the flight back to Manila.

Since wearing shorts in Seoul's currently cold and rainy weather was a "no can do," this was an opportunity for me to put together something for Mark.

Myeongdong was just 5 minutes away from our hotel, so the task was easier. My game plan was to first check out my go-to local brands - SPAO, Top Ten and 8-Seconds. As back-up, there are the non-Korean brands like Uniqlo and Muji.

Since Seoul fast-fashion brands are now selling Spring clothes, it was easy to find something that's appropriate both in Seoul and Manila. Something light, easy-to-wear and versatile. And with our current location as inspiration, something "Oppa" would also be a great idea.

And voila! 

The first thing that I found was the pair of light khaki slacks from Top Ten. The fabric was super soft, the silhouette was breezy, but with pleats in front to make it look sharp. The striped top is from Muji, and the cardigan was something that Mark brought with him. Actually, that gray cardigan was part of my consideration set when buying this outfit.

After buying everything and putting it on the hanger, it really did give out that K-drama vibe that I'd see in those Netflix shows.

With that, Mark came back to MNL looking like a cool, Korean.

Missing Muji

Muji always brings back good memories.

When I was still living in HKG, one of the stores that I never got tired of visiting was Muji in Mira Place. It was my "black hole" before Uniqlo came along.

I'd walk in, check out snacks and stationery items, and suddenly, more than an hour passed. Then, I'd walk b y their clothing section, then another hour would fly by.

There's something about Muji that's so calming. That's why it's so easy to just hang out in that store.

Then, there's the Muji in Tokyo Midtown. It's the place where I'd be while waiting for Mark to finish his classes. 

It's been a while since I last stepped into a Muji store. Last March, I dropped off my cousins from Spain at Muji in Greenbelt because they wanted to shop there. As much as I wanted to accompany them inside, there were other errands that needed to be done.

One of my colleagues said that there's a huge Muji store in Shangrila Plaza Mall. And now that I'm writing about Muji and missing it a lot more, I'll have to visit that store very soon.