Risso graph

Just when you thought Uniqlo was slowing down on collabs, they come in with another one!

Passed by the Uniqlo store in SM Megamall and saw a rack that vibrant and eye catching prints. Upon approach, it turned out to be the Uniqlo x Francesco Risso collab which just dropped today!

Francesco Risso is an Italian designer who's best known for his work at Marni. With his eye for prints and a fun yet classic style, his work for Marni had a joie de vivre, but done in a very subdued and elegant way. 

That aesthetic is evident in this collab. He has colourful and vibrant prints are on tailored dresses and sharp polos. And there's so many awesome items to choose from!

And that's my cue to go back and snag some pieces from his collection. Soon.

Drawn to it

Human recently had a collaboration with another street wear brand named Hamu, and they had 1 piece that caught my eye.

It's this white cargo skirt with an interesting detail. It's an embroidery, but it looks like a kid's drawing of a flower. It's this simplicity and purity that drew me to it.

Speaking of simple and pure, this knit top, also from Human, was the perfect pair. It's simple, but the scalloped neckline (which isn't too visible) is what makes it elevated.

See, simple can be chic!

Bahnsen Burner

Was wondering, will Uniqlo be coming up with a new fashion collaborator? 

They have the regular lines with Clare Waight Keller and the U Studio. But there was a time when they had people like Phillip Lim, Costello Tagliapietra, Marni, Jil Sander and Alexander Wang doing capsule collections. And it would be cool to have something like that again.

Lo and behold, a capsule collection with Cecile Bahnsen.

She's a Danish designer known for blending femininity with her Scandinavian roots. So, think minimalism, but with a romantic twist. Something that you can see in her Uniqlo collaboration. It has a lot of ruffles and shirring, details that really elevates her pieces.

I've got my eye on the ruffled dresses, and something tells me that will land in Ate's closet soon.

Summer Rokhs!

Seeing this dress from the latest summer collaboration from GU x Rokh makes me want to transport myself to a GU store, stat!

This dress screams summer! From the plaid fabric to the easy silhouette, it's such a cool and refreshing take on summer dressing.

Gee, you're making me want to go to Tokyo!

Simply Stella(r)

The hallmark of a really good designer is the ability to elevate something that would normally be simple.

And Stella McCartney displays that ability in her new H&M collaboration.

While there are a lot of very nice pieces, my key piece is this seemingly simple dress.

Yes, it's a white, sheath dress, but the way she draped it makes it look phenomenal. It's already gorgeous as a flat piece, so imagine it when it's actually worn.

If they carried this piece in the MNL stores of H&M, it would probably be the one I'd be grabbing.

Color Story: You're the G(Oat)

There are days that you just want a fashion palette cleanser, and look for something that's not white.

For such days, oatmeal is a good option. 

It's not stark as white, but not too heavy like khaki, and not too plain like beige. It has the proper amount of creaminess, and still has that aspect of cleanliness.

Just like this ensemble:

The key piece here is the oatmeal skirt from the Nicolo x R.A.F. collaboration. Just like the other pieces in that collab, this has a lot of interesting details and cuts that make it visually interesting. Then, the top is from Surplus Shop, and it has an off-white hue that plays well with the colour of the skirt.

It bring the concept of "clean girl aesthetic" to a different level.

Rabbit in!

Looks like Target is going into overdrive with their collaborations.

Aside from Rifle Paper Co., their simultaneously launching a collaboration with Roller Rabbit.

Of course, Roller Rabbit is known for their fun and whimsical prints. The brand has this joie de vivre that's perfect for summer.

Looks like people are going to start hopping to Target because of this.

Rife for Rifle

As a gift wrapper junkie, one of my most visited sites is Rifle Paper Co.

It's actually one of my black holes. Once I'm in the site and start browsing their excellent selection of gift wrapper prints, time will pass by in a flash, and I'll be in the site or an hour without noticing.

Imagine my thrill upon learning that they're going to have a collaboration with Target!

Upon closer scrutiny, though, they won't carry the gift wrapping and stationary line at Target. What they'll do is take their iconic prints and translate them into home ware and a few apparel pieces.

Not as expected, but I'm sure this is still worthy of being checked out.

FMM: Hello Kit-tea!

Despite being more than 50 years old, Hello Kitty shows no signs of stopping.

Just saw this installation for the Chagee x Hello Kitty collab.

She's proof that a classic never grows old, and that there's always a way for you to be continuously relevant for other generations. From merch, to cafes, to tea, Hello Kitty has a midas touch that she has maintained for all these decades.

And in honour of this achievement, today's Friday Magic Madness song is dedicated to the kitty herself!

I'm not sure why I'm familiar with this song, but the "Hello Kitty theme song" has been living rent-free in my mind for a long time now.

This is the best time to bring it back.

Feeling Rich

Pete Rich, that is.

His latest collaboration with Plains & Prints already dropped, and it's a lot of fun.

The polo shirt has a very soft fabric, an interesting zipper detail, and a cute embroidered detail of a taho vendor. This taho vendor detail is also echoed in the tote bag, which I also got.

Plains & Prints has another winner here.

Rokh star: Trench revolution

One of the interesting outfits from the Rokh x GU collaboration is their reimagined trench coat.

Instead of it being a one-piece coat, Rok Hwang made 2 pieces - a cropped trench jacket and a paper bag skirt. When worn together, the checkered pattern creates the illusion that you're wearing a one-piece coat. But in reality, it's 2 pieces.

Because we really don't have much use for a trench jacket here, it was the skirt that made its way home. It's a brown, checked skirt that has a gathered waist and trench coat inspired buttons running down the front of the skirt.

Since the skirt is already a statement piece, the pair can be something simple and quiet. And that's where this mocha coloured shirt from Muji came in.

It's a new and chic way to look at a trench coat.

Rokh star: Nifty Knits

There's a lot of twofer pieces in this season's Rokh x GU collaboration.

Actually, the combo that was featured last Monday wasn't the 1st twofer piece that I bought the moment I arrived in Tokyo. It was this:

This is a knit combo. It's a knit, spaghetti strapped dress, paired with a collared, long-sleeve top.

Whether you wear the pieces together, or apart and alone, it's definitely nifty.

Rokh star: Over-stated

The item from the Rokh x GU colla that Ate Bullet liked the most was the skirt over pants ensemble. It was the one she was most excited about, and it was the first one she wore.

So, when she saw that there was another skirt over pant piece in the 2025 collection, that's what she wanted the most.

They didn't have it in GU Ginza, and that made me think that it might be sold out in all the branches. Thankfully, it was still available in the Shibuya branch.

This season's version is in a navy blue fabric, and the skirt was an A-line skirt with a ribbon detail on the waist.There was a Penshoppe tank top lying around the stash, and it became the perfect pair for the pants.

I'm sure that Ate is going to be overjoyed at this.

Rokh star: Grayer layer

Tokyo mission - accomplished!

One of things that was on my "must" list was to find and buy a few pieces from the GU x Rokh collaboration. Thus the visit to the GU Ginza store a few hours after my arrival.

This gray layered dress was one of the things that was on my list.

It's a twofer. The inner piece is a shirt dress with long sleeves that have a slit detail by the elbow. On top of it is a dress that has a gathered empire, mixing chiffon with a polyblend fabric.

This can be worn together, or as 2 separate pieces.

So, it's not just the colour that's versatile. So is the style!

Rokh rocks!

Glenn's money piece

There's not much talk about the recently launched Glenn Martens x H&M collaboration. Here in MNL, at least.

Makes me wonder if they'll carry it in stores here.

Looking through the collection, you can see Glenn's street wear DNA in all of the pieces. The jeans and trousers are spectacular, which isn't surprising giving his stint at Diesel.

Also not surprising is the fact that the piece I'm most excited about in this collection is a pair of jeans.

The design and details are so over-the-top yet still wearable on this one.

Now the question still remains, will they carry this here?

Gotta go to an H&M store to find out.

Rokh with you - again

It felt like this story just happened yesterday.

Mark and I were in Tokyo, and we were meeting Jen in Shibuya. We went to the big GU store there, and they had a big display of the 1st GU x Rokh collab. The catch was that it was a preview display, so as much as I wanted to buy pieces, I couldn't. They were launching it a few days after we left. Boo!

Good thing, Kris went to Tokyo a few weeks after, and thanks to her, was able to snag the pieces that I was eyeing.

Now, the collab is back for the 3rd time!

And I'm going to Tokyo soon!

Wait for me, Rokh, will be there to get your fashionable pieces again.

KAWS and effect

Uniqlo is really upping its game.

Look who their new artist-in-residence is.

I'm a fan of the KAWS collaborations for UT. And with his new role, he can further stretch the artistic bounds of the brand.

Can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

Printed Matter: A walk in the park

Luneta Park, to be exact.

This print is the one that really caught my eye when they introduced the Plains & Prints x Marc Nicdao "Manila" collection.

It's a print of the Luneta Park, particularly the Rizal Monument. It's done in a monochromatic way, and the red and blue mix gives it a 3D glasses vibe.

The print was in a couple of items, but the skirt was the one where the print was best utilized. The white background made the print pop-out a lot, which is what made it more impactful. And since the skirt had impact, a simple, white top is enough to complete the look.

This combo knocked it out of the park!

Two tones of style

Unpopular opinion: I'm totally onboard with the Canadian Tuxedo.

While some people might find denim-and-denim too much, I'm from the belief that it's actually cool and a great easy-reach outfit.

Plains & Prints - with their recent DNM studies collaboration - has its own take on this trend.

It's a denim top and skirt. The top is a jumper-style top with buttons in front. The strap can be brought up or to the side to give it 2 look options. The skirt has two-tones of denim, which is a good breaker.

Here's another proof that denim-on-denim is a look you can pull off with style.

A (quick) change will do you good

One of the best pieces from the Plains & Prints x Raxenne collection is - get this - a freebie!

Yup, one of the perks of buying pieces from this collaboration is the fact that you'll get this denim bag.

What's amazing about it is the fact that it isn't just a denim bag. With a quick zip, it turns into this:

A vest!

Now, this gives the term "two-in-one" a totally different meaning.