SM means Stunning Mayon

Methinks that SM City Legazpi is probably the SM Mall with the best view.

Imagine eating at a restaurant with this as backdrop!

Yes, SM has a full, unadulterated view of the Mayon Volcano! (If it's not covered in clouds.)

This is definitely a mall with a view!

Just Add Cher

This year's Christmas decor theme for SM Megamall's Fashion Hall has to be their most ostentatious yet!

Look at all that glitz!

Look at all that glamour!

Look at the horse with a feathered head dress!

All this decor is missing is Cher descending from the steps.

Mega-merry

The Christmas decoration at the Mega Fashion Hall is up, and it's uber chic and impressive!

It's a Christmas tree atop a fashionable carousel. I reminds me of the carousel that Chanel had in one of their fashion shows.

The color palette is Tiffany blue and gold, which is such a classy combination.

When I was still living in HKG, I looked forward to seeing the Christmas decorations at IFC and Elements. They were really well-thought of wonderfully executed.

Seeing this today, I was suddenly transported back to that time. Mega Fashion Hall's Christmas decor is definitely at par with the ones in HKG.

Elle-mentary

Living up to their "We've got it all" mantra, SM Supermarket carries a yogurt brand and flavor that I only used to find abroad.

The first time I came across Elle & Vire was during a trip to Paris about a decade ago. Eventually, I found it in other parts of Europe. When I was living in HKG, Park and Shop carried this brand, which was awesome.

Now, not only do they have it in Manila, they also have it in my favorite flavor - Cherry!

This is a great reason to start eating yogurt again.

What's not to Lake?

Whenever we're in Tokyo, Mark and I like scouring the supermarkets to buy juice. Whether it's in Ozeki, Prece, My Basket or a random combini, I usually stop by the chiller to see if there's any interesting breakfast and snack beverage that we can buy.

Usually, I gravitate towards apple and grape juice. Mark, on the other hand, usually buys the fruit and vegetable mix. At first, I found that combination odd, but warmed up to it eventually. It turns out a fruit and vegetable combination is not only refreshingly healthy, but yummy as well.

When I dropped by SM Supermarket, I found out that Oishi's juice brand - Great Lakes - had a Fruit and Vegetable juice. 

Needless to say, I bought a pack, and it was really, really good. It had the right tartness, and a taste of healthy greens. It's pretty much like the one we get in Japan, albeit a tinge bit sweeter.

I also bought the other variant, Tropical Blend Fruit Mix.

This one tastes like Four Seasons, but with a bit more sourness.

It's great that we now have more varied choices when it comes to juice.

Merchandising is everything

So I was at the Fully Booked branch in SM Megamall Fashion Hall when my eyes were drawn to a bag tag display area at one corner of the store.

I'd love to say that I was drawn to the area because of the fabulous tags on display, but I can't. 

Here's the reason why:

Seriously, what was the merchandising display person thinking?

Stepping on a classic

To say my sisters have a lot of clothes is an understatement. They actually have enough clothes to last them a year (or more) with no repeats. They have casual dresses, formal gowns, cocktail frocks, and black tie couture. 

The tricky part of having too many clothes, though, is that you also need to have a lot of shoes. After all, certain clothes call for certain types of shoes. Not to mention certain types of occasions. For example, a cocktail dress will require pumps for an office event, but for an evening out, it should be worn with strappy heels.

So, it can be potentially complex, unless you have shoes that are a classic and will go with almost anything and everything.

Just like a perfect pair of pointed pumps. (Ah, an alliteration.)

As shown by Cate and Lilly, pointed pumps go with pretty much everything you wear. It's timeless, seasonless, and when worn, effortless.

Surprisingly, SM has a pair of these classic pumps under their house brand. It's so classy and classic, I knew I had to get them for my sister.

They had it in plain colors and funky patterns. But to keep things classic, I opted for the black pumps.

Nude heels does wonders in elongating the leg, so I had to buy one in that color as well.

Aside from looking good with dresses, these heels would look awesome with boyfriend jeans as well.

Makes me wonder what will Ate wear these with first.

The 7-year itch

Way back in 2007 and I was still living in HKG, the population went into a tizzy when they heard that H&M was finally opening in Central. Being a country that prides itself as "Asia's Shopping Capital," adding Sweden's fast fashion leader was a feather on their fashionable cap.

If I remember correctly, this was H&M's first foray into Asia. After their HKG store, they eventually opened in Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. And the question on everyone's mind was: "When will they open in the Philippines?" With H&M open in our neighboring countries, Pinoys were itching to have their own H&M at home.

And now, after 7 years, their shopping itch will finally be scratched. Presenting the future site of H&M in Manila. In particular, it's in the new Fashion Hall of SM Megamall.

The board up says that it'll open this fall, so that would be around August or September. That's a long wait for fast fashion fans.

Well, there's still HKG and SG if they need to scratch their itch now.

Matchy matchy 2

Call it fashion serendipity, but two items that I bought 3 months apart turned out to be a perfect match!

The first item is this pair of brocade pumps from Rajo Laurel's Parisian collaboration. I bought this sometime last August during one of the sales. Aside from the fiery red color, the Japanese print on the shoe was the deal breaker for me.

Last December, during one of SM's ladies wear sales, I found this pretty jacquard shift dress. Aside from the fiery red color, I was drawn to the bold, floral pattern. It added so much oomph to the seemingly simple silhouette of the dress.

After connecting these 2 purchases in my head, I proceeded to put them together, and voila!

It's a matchy-matchy made it fashion heaven!

Holey and Moley! Part deux!

Presenting the confirmation that I've long been waiting for!

Since it's now on their corporate website, it's now safe to say that H&M is really, really, REALLY coming to the Philippines.

(Insert collective gushing of shopaholics here.)

LFLTAT: Mega-nanimous!

SM Megamall is really determined to make people spend! For the second time in just a month, they held a 3-day sale last November 15 to 17. As expected, people came in droves, looking for good buys.

Those people included me, of course.

While scouring from shop to shop to shop to shop, I was able to gather bits and pieces of clothing to come up with a classy and chic look for less than a thousand. 

I wasn't disappointed!

The first item came from Surprlus Shop, and it was a blouse with a eye-catching print, an interesting neckline and a fabulous gold accent near the shoulder. I scored this for P249.00!

Item # 2 is a classic pencil skirt in beige, made from a ponte knit that's very flattering. It had a black waist band which gives the body shape. The great part is that it was marked down by 70%, and this beauty ended up costing P249.00 as well.

Finally, this pair of flats from Parisian completed the look. It's made from brown suede (or suede-ish) material, and had gold hardware right in front. The gold echoes the detail of the blouse, and the color fits well with the brown tones of the blouse and skirt. This retailed for P499.75, but since there's a 10% discount for SM Advantage card holders, it eventually rang up to P450.00.

The result is this very Audrey Hepburn looking outfit that's classic in silhouette but modern in print and style. And yes, the entire ensemble cost P948.00. So it falls under the LFLTAT category, and you still have P52.00 for a Jollibee meal, or treat from Bread Talk, or even a Spam Musubi at Spam Jam.

Indeed, SM Megamall is a mega place to shop.

Much more when there's a sale.

Into the wild

Some people would like to unleash their wild side, but aren't willing to go all out and push the boundaries. So, while some people are brazen enough to incorporate animal prints into their wardrobe, some are still to shy and would want to be "subtly wild."

The solution for these types of "subtly wild" folks? Use their feet to get wild!

One way to do it is with these funky flats from Parisian at The SM store.

The colors and shapes are classic, but it has a wild side! In particular, it has metal cheetah emblems in front.

Or, if you want to get a bit more wilder than that, these shoes from Payless will definitely do the trick.

These Christian Siriano Gold shoes are made of rose colored faux snakeskin, and have an interesting shape. It's sure to pop out when worn with a simple black sheath, or with jeans and a shirt.

With shoes like these, you can be wild, without being too wild at all.

The trickle down effect - Shoe edition

It's amazing how fast fashion brands put the "fast" in fast fashion. What you see in one store today can be seen in another store in a month. And as the item trickles down even further from a boutique to a department store, the price just keeps on going down and down.

Take for example this pair of red, nude and black d' orsay pumps:

The topmost photo is where it all began, The pumps were first seen at Zara in March, and retailed at P2,490. A few months later - around May - the same design was seen being sold at a local shoe store named Primadonna. They sold it for P1,599.00.

Finally, last June, The SM Store launched the same design under its house brand, Parisian. And it was priced at P899.75.

So, it's the same shoe (probably the same supplier in China who made all 3 brands) in 3 different price points, sold just months apart. That's how fast designs (and prices) trickle down these days.

North Pull

Something unbelievably cool just found itself up north. And no, it's not the North Pole, Antarctica or a glacier.

It's an unbelievably cool place!

Yes, Magnolia Ice Cream House just opened a new branch at SM North EDSA's Sky Garden!

I just chanced upon it when I passed through the area, and was so giddy upon seeing it. Much more so when I found out that they're serving "Ernie and Bert" again. Woot!

Looks like I'll be pulled to the north for Magnolia Ice Cream house very soon.

SM-thing old. SM-thing new.

One of the many reasons I enjoy shopping at SM is the fact that most of what they sell are classics and timeless. In fact, they're so classic and timeless that it's so easy to mix and match things that I bought recently, with ones that I bought a few years ago.

Here's a perfect example:

Today, I saw this pair of blue brogues at the Milanos section of The SM Store. Initially, I wasn't planning to buy it, mainly because I already have a pair of blue brogues that look very similar to this. But I thought of trying it, and boy, I'm so glad that I did! They're so light and comfortable, it felt like I was walking on air. Very blue and very fashionable air, that is. Needless to say, I bought the pair.

When I got home, I started to look for items in my closet that would go well with this new pair of shoes. That led me to this pair of jeans from Baleno. It's another in-house brand at SM which carries fashionable basics. If memory serves me right, this pair was bought almost 2 years ago. And it still looks current, even until now.

Then, I found this chambray shirt, also from Baleno. This shirt is more than a year old, and it still looks as good as they day I bought them. Talk about good quality. And proper washing, of course.

With these three items - all from SM but all bought across 2 years - I was able to come up with something to wear for work. It's a look that's a combination of classic cuts with a youthful vibe. All in blue, of course.

I'm sure I'll find another item to top up this look the next time I go to SM. Which is most likely very soon.

In the meantime, I'll be looking at this: https://www.facebook.com/TheSMStore

Borrowing from the Boys

Ever since Katherine Hepburn and Diane Keaton made appearances wearing loose and baggy men's clothing, the concept of "borrowed from the boys" fashion became universally accepted. Soon enough, more and more women found themselves wearing apparel and accessories meant for guys.

That's why there has been a proliferation of "boyfriend" clothing. There's the boyfriend shirt, boyfriend jeans, boyfriend shorts, heck, there's even a boyfriend perfume. Likewise, women are wearing oxfords and brogues, and carrying satchels - items usually seen on Preppy Prep School boys.

Ate Bullet is a big "boyfriend" fan. In fact, she borrows things from me. One time, she ended up wearing my jeans, and she also wears my watch with the faux crocodile strap.

That's why when I saw some mannish items, I immediately thought of her and whipped up this look:

It started with this nice denim shirt that I saw in SM Department Store. It's made of light denim but with a dark wash. The fit is loose and comfortable, which is perfect for our unpredictable weather. 

Surplus Shop has these men's style khaki trousers, but cut very low to fit a woman. Ate has been in a khaki state of mind, and she's wearing out the khaki Forever 21 trousers I bought her before. She'll need another pair of trousers to go on rotation, and this fits the bill perfectly. And yes, they're cuffed, too.

The final touch? These cool "lolo shoes" from Primadonna. They're 50% brogues, 50% golf shoes and 100% cool! This is the perfect way to punctuate this "masculine" look.

Overall, this look is actually very, very tomboy chic. If Ate still had her long, wavy hair, she can go all Alexandra Chung on you.

As a testament to how masculine this combination is, I usually wear a denim shirt and khaki trousers to school. But no, I'm not into brogues and don't wear shoes of this style. Give me my Chuck Taylors and Jack Purcells anytime.

And I think it's the pair of shoes that separates the boys from the "boyfriend" girls.

Color story: Citrus Zest

The incessant rains have definitely put a damper (literally) on everyone's mood. The skies outside are dark and gray, and along with it, everyone's feeling gray as well. 

Like many folks, I'm praying that the rain stops and the skies brighten up really soon. In the meantime, I'd like to let the sunshine in by adding a little color today, courtesy of this little combination that I've picked up from SM Department Store, The Landmark and a little accessories store named Girl Shoppe.

A lot of fashion folks color block using contrasting colors. I thought it would be fun to use complementary colors, particularly some hues from the citrus family. I started off with this lemon yellow blouse from one of the house brands of SM. It has a nice, loose shape that's airy and comfortable. then I added a chunky green necklace to anchor the look.

The pants are from The Landmark, and I call this pair "Mandarin pants." The color of the pants is a deep, lime color, and it reminds me of a variety of Mandarin orange that Lolo Iking used to grow outside his house in Bicol. The skin of that one has a deep, lime color. 

Meanwhile, the accompanying belt has the color of the ripe Mandarin orange, and this combination works well with each other.

Individually, you'd think the colors are too much. But if mixed using the right proportions, you have a color blocked outfit that's full of brightness and zest.

And that's something we need to ward off the gloom that the rainy days are bringing.

And still more moments of sales lady greatness

This time, it's at SM Department Store Cubao.

There was a dress. A nice, scarf print dress that has that Givenchy vibe.

I got it from the rack, examined it, and noticed that the dress had no zipper.

The sales lady came up to me and said:

SALES LADY: Sir, new arrival po namin yan.

So, I asked:

ME: Wala talagang zipper ito?

To which she replied:

SALES LADY: Wala po, Sir. Slip-up po 'yan.

Classic!

Singular and Floral

The chatty and irritating sales ladies at SM did not deter me from soldiering on and buying the items I was checking out intently. I was single-minded in my goal to get the ensemble because I found it fashionably cute and refreshingly chic.

Here's the ensemble. A casual garden of delights that will go everywhere - from a relaxed day at work to a Saturday at the mall to a Sunday get together.

The top is a soft, chambray polo shirt with folded sleeves. It reminds me of those classic Ralph Lauren shirts, albeit a bit softer.

Both collar and pocket have the same floral motif. It's a dainty pattern with small English roses and ivy leaves.

It's similar to the look and feel of the pants. The first time I saw this pair from afar, it called to me. It said: "Can't you see how cute I am? Buy me! Take me home!" And needless to say, I heeded the pants' call. Harhar.

Patterned pants are still very much in style these days, and the dainty rose and ivy leaves print echoes the one on the pocket of the polo shirt. It's the concept that ties the two items together.

When you have an ensemble this dainty, the footwear to go with it is something more substantial and slightly chunkier. And that's what I found at The Landmark. This pair of platforms in green and khaki - colors that are also found on the prints of the whole ensemble.

Honestly, this pair wasn't part of the plan. It just so happened that I passed through The Landmark and spotted it. While I was checking it out, another girl stood beside me and checked out the pink version of this same shoe. The girl was a foreigner - an Australian, if I use her accent as an indicator. 

She tried on the shoes and exclaimed - yes, she exclaimed - to her companion: "Wow! These shoes are so comfy! I can run in these!"

And those words sealed the deal. At first, I was wondering whether I should get the pink or the green. But I opted for this pair because there might be too many pink elements in the entire outfit. A green pair of shoes is the perfect foil to all the daintiness up on top.

It's really amazing what department stores sell these days. And it's amazing how a look like this can be conjured up in a few hours.

Of service and sarcasm

On my way to Shash's office, I passed by SM Department Store in Makati and decided to browse for a bit.

There were a few pieces that caught my eye, so I stopped to check them out. While I was doing this, there were 2 salesladies who were chatting away, unmindful of a customer checking out the merchandise.

I began scouring the racks, checking out shirts and jeans. Normally, at this point, the saleslady would come to assist me. They'd usually ask what size, who is it for, what other colors are available, and what not. But no, the 2 salesladies continued on with their conversation about boys and what he texted her and so on and so forth.

Seriously, I was there for about 20 minutes and they just stood there, talking to each other.

Finally, one of the ladies took a break from listening to her friend and looked at me as I was reaching for a pair of jeans. She stood around 10 feet away from me, and from where she was, asked me:

SALESLADY: Ano po yon?

Mind you, she didn't even make an effort to come near me. She asked the question while still standing in front of the other saleslady who was yapping away. Miffed by their lack of customer service orientation, I gathered all my sarcasm and said:

ME: Huwag na miss, mukhang busing-busy kayong dalawa diyan.

To which the saleslady answered:

SALESLADY: Ah, okay.

Then, she proceeded to continue her conversation, still not moving from where she stood.

Gosh! Someone should teach these ladies the concept of customer service. Or just plain good manners for that matter.