Rose (gold) to the occasion

Metallic colors are usually difficult to pull. Especially the ones that are on the shiny side.

That's why when my Mom and sisters need to wear something gold or silver, my instinct is to go for the more matte and subtle versions of that hue.

But in a random shop in Cubao Expo, the exception presented itself.

It came in the form of this rose gold gown.

The colour - whilst metallic - isn't too shiny or garish. Maybe it's because of the material, but it's not blindingly shiny.

And of course, the design is so nice that you go past the colour to focus on it. The draping, the details, they all make the dress look super elegant.

We hit gold with this one.

Salt in SG

While Donki in Vivo City might be closing, it didn't stop me from going there and finding this:

Salt and Litchi!

Yup, my favorite drink from Tokyo is also here.

To paraphrase Miranda Priestly:

That's salt.

Zimms familiar

Was at one of my haunts when a brown dress which had an embroidered, eyelet like pattern caught my eye.

The reason it caught my eye was the fact that it looked very, very, very familiar. Something it nm said" "You know this dress. You've seen in before."

After a little while, an epiphany happened and the mystery was solved.

This was the dress:

This is why it looked familiar.

It's a Zimmerman dress that passed by my feed after viewing the brand on Net-a-Porter.

And this has to be my best buy for the month.

Book of Wrap

On today's edition of "Things you find when your'e not looking for them."

While looking for my one-hole puncher, there was a book that was discreetly stuck behind my side table. After pulling the book out, voila!

It's a book of wrapping paper!

The book was purchased during one of the cut-price book sales at National Book Store in 2017. Yup, I remember this book clearly because it was the only one left. I actually wanted to buy 2 or 3 more of these, but alas, they had no more stocks. 

Inside this book are 15 different gift wrappers with various designs. They range from flora and fauna, botanicals, watercolour prints, patterns, among others. Plus, it has 24 stickers that you can use with the gift.

It's providential that this book reappeared since I've been looking for wrappers for Mark's gifts. And this has everything I've wished for, and more!

Now, that's one for the books.

A you're...

Adorable! Cream Cones!

Yup, this is my latest snacker discovery at the online haunt which I've been frequenting the past months.

Honestly, I've been seeing this product for months already, but never got around to trying it. Something that changed last week, when, out of both curiosity and boredom, I thought of ordering a few packs.

Gosh! Why didn't I do this earlier! 

The sugar cone reminds me of the classic dirty ice cream cones that you get from the street. Then, the filling is rich and creamy, and the flavoured topping gives it just the right amount of added oomph.

This sort of reminds me of the old "Kean's Marshmallow Cones" that we used to buy as kids. But that one had mallows and chocolate coating, while this has cream and assorted toppings.

Regardless of that, this is definitely a good buy which will definitely find itself in our home again. Very soon.

On the whole, Adorable definitely gets an "A" for me!

Bling it on!

Or, “Things you find when you’re not looking for it. Part 4.”

The leftmost part of my closet is for clothes that I don’t use as much. That includes suits, leather jackets, winter jackets, Barong Tagalog, and the like.

While I was fixing that area last night, I found out that aside from those articles of clothing, there were other items there that wasn’t mine. They were my sister’s clothes! I think they were inadvertently placed there when my Ate Lissa was preparing to move to the US and sorting out what she’d bring and what she’d leave here.

Most of it were her designer dresses. But i’ll talk about that another time. What struck me among the lot was this very chic, and very blinged out dress.

I remember this dress. This was from River Island when the brand still had their stores in the Philippines. This is a neoprene dress in a refreshing pomelo color, all decked out in stones, gems, and paillettes, in colors both complementary and contrasting.

It’s a nice dress because it’s one of those designs that was “party on top, business on the bottom.” And yes, I remember this dress was on sale, around 80% off, which made it even more attractive.

Give the situation now, I don’t think my sister will wear this dress anytime soon. But it’s good to know that when there’s an occasion that needs a chic dress with a lot of bling, it’ll be right there, waiting.

Maroon in Multiples

Or, "Things you find when you're not looking for it, part 3."

This weekend's find came about while I was looking for a book I bought sometime last year. I knew it was in the attic, so that's where I went. And while the book was found, there was another item from the attic that saw the light.

It was this long, maroon jersey dress from The Florence Fling, bought sometime in September last year.

The nice thing about this dress - aside from the fabric and the color - is the cut. It's a classic t-shirt dress with a high, round neck, short sleeves, and as an added "oomph," it had a cascading sash at the back which flowed nicely in the wind.

Here's the thing with that sash. Initially, it was just created as a nice design detail for the otherwise straightforward dress. But while I was trying to fold the dress, the realization came that the sash could actually be used in different ways to make the same dress look different.

Observe:

The sash can be a belt to accentuate the waist, a "sweater sleeve" to wrap around the shoulder, creating that cardigan look, and finally, a full scarf that could cover the entire arms and bodice in case things get a bit chilly.

Yes, all these just came to me while I was trying to fold the dress.

Oh, the things you think of when you're just at home.

LFLTAT: Happy Hues

Or, "Things you find when you're not looking for it, part 2."

As the Marie Kondo tidying up project continues, bags that are hiding in unexplored crevices of my closets are inadvertently found.

Which includes a red eco bag which has been hiding for many months, only to be found today. 

I still remember this red eco bag. It was from my visit to Greenhills, particularly Shoppesville. Initially, my purpose there was to look for Oreos from my favourite PX store. 

Now, beside that PX store is one of my go-to dress places, Apartment 8. They had a rack outside their store with big signs shouting "Sale," "P500," and "P300" which I couldn't refuse. So, after shopping for Oreos, it was off to shopping for sale items.

And that yielded 2 dresses in bright, cheerful and happy colors.

The first is this mustard yellow dress with a ruffled hem and a belt. It's a fun, flirty and flowy dress that's going to be great this summer.

Second, this off the shoulder dress in a colour that's a slightly darker hue of cornflower. It also has an asymmetric hem that keeps it from being boring.

And yes, these dresses were under the P500 and P300 categories. So, together, they're beautifully hued, fashionably designed looks for less than a thousand!

I wonder what other things I'll find the next few weeks.

Mouret of Light

Or, “Things you find when you’re not looking for it.”

Was rummaging one of my closets looking for one of my old backpacks. While carefully removing some items, a black, folded piece fell out. I didn’t know what it was initially. I just knew it was a folded piece of heavy, stretch wool fabric.

Curious to see what it was, I unfolded the item and was pleasantly surprised what it was!

It was a Roland Mouret x Banana Republic dress that I didn’t even know I had!

This was part of the 2014 capsule collection that he did for the American fast fashion brand. I wrote about it several times on my blog, but I didn’t know I had a piece from that collection. And it’s a piece that I wrote about as one of my favorites!

Surprise, surprise indeed! Now that I found it, I should give it to Ate so she can use it!

LFLTAT: Check please

A visit to Seoul wouldn’t be complete without a quick swing by to Dongdaemun. This area is their version of Greenhills and Pratunam, and they have a lot of great finds at awesome prices.

And my quick visit was well worth it. If only for the beautiful checkered dress that I found.

It had 2 types of checks, but they’ve been blended so well that it complements rather than clashes. It’s so unbelievably chic!

And you know what’s even more unbelievable? It’s actually just around P400 when converted from KRW!

Score!

Somewhere, Someday, Sambal

Whowouldathunk that shrimp-chili paste could be used as a bread filling!

Apparently it can. Exhibit A, a grocery find in SG.

It tastes strange, but strangely interesting.

It'll probably take some time before I get used to the taste, though.

Cause Sale-ebre

What's better than finding an awesome piece of clothing at Uniqlo for this price?

Finding out that this was the original price!

Sales are awesome!

A harvest of citrus

Even if it was launched a few years ago, the trend of fruit prints on clothes doesn't seem like it's withering away anytime soon.

Need proof? Just check out these beauties I found during my different mall runs. And it includes the D&G dress I wrote about a few days back.

From just one pick, it became a full harvest of chicness!

I'm sure the Ates would agree.

The Art of the skirt

I've written about several art-inspired dresses the past few months.

I've also written about several cool skirts the past few months.

Now, I'm writing about a cool, art-inspired skirt I found recently.

Here it is!

The first time I saw this art-printed skirt in some hidden corner of Robinson's Galleria, all I could say was: "sublime!" It was so sublime, I had to buy it on the spot.

Because the skirt is so ornate, the accompanying top should be very simple. But simplicity doesn't have to mean boring. That's where this off-shoulder top with long sleeves comes in.

Now that's an artful ensemble!

Stylish surprise

Sometimes, you see an interesting fashion item at an unexpected place. You check out the price tag, you're pleasantly surprised at how affordable it is, and you decide to buy it.

That's what happened to me and this dress that I saw tucked away in some quiet corner of Robinson's Department Store.

This nicely draped jersey dress was a steal at P1,099. They had Ate Bullet's size, so I knew I had to buy it.

As I was walking to the cashier, the sales lady told me that the dress was actually on sale, and it was 50% off! So, this beauty was just P550.

When the cashier scanned the item, there was another surprise.

Apparently, it was on clearance, and it was just P248!

This is now officially my best buy for the year-to-date.

A hidden Target

One of my favorite fashion haunts is this nondescript department store in Quezon Avenue. It's actually inside the National Book Store complex, tucked away in a quiet corner.

What makes this place different is that it sells off season clothes from Target. Yup, Target from the U.S. So, whenever you're looking for Merona, Xhilaration, Cherokee or other Target brands, this is the place to go.

Aside from the usual brands, they also occasionally carry some items from the designer collaborations. A few years ago, they carried some items from the Target x Alexander McQueen collaboration, which I didn't care for.

But when I passed by that haunt this weekend, look what I found!

It's the "Meet the Parents" dress from the Prabal Gurung x Target collaboration. Yes, this geometric dress with the custom print was there for the taking. And to think this item completely disappeared from the shelves when it was launched.

It's a "NWT" dress, which makes me wonder where it came from. Were they returns? Or were they overstocked.

Who knows? All I know that it's Prabal Gurung!

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, it just did!

It's the "Sparkle" dress from the 3.1 Phillip Lim x Target collection!

See, even the tag says so!

Imagine these finds just by looking around for a few minutes. I should spend more time there next weekend. Who knows what else I'll find!

Triple Treat

During a recent shoot, I was talking to the stylist and asking her what her considerations are when buying a dress. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that we look for the same three things:

1. A classic silhouette

2. A vibrant print

3. Nice draping

With so many brands to choose from, it's easy to find dresses that fall under these three items. But once in a while, you find a dress that doesn't just have one or two, but all three.

Such as this winner of a dress.

1. It has a classic shift silhouette. The neckline is a modified boat neckline. The length of the hem and sleeves are both very flattering.

2. It has this vibrant firework print that looks slightly abstract. From a certain distance, it looks like a galactic print.

3. You'll notice that both the bodice and skirt are draped. It makes the dress fall nicely on the body, flattering what needs to be flattered and hides what needs to be hidden.

Finding this dress was definitely a treat.

Stellar Stella

While SM Department Store (or now known as The SM Store) is a treasure trove of fashionable finds, I could always count on Robinson's Department Store to yield some hidden gems. One of those gems is in the Ladies Wear Department under the name "Stella." It's their house brand for working women. 

The first time I saw the dresses hanging from "Stella" racks, I was impressed by the materials and designs. They were very fashionable, on-trend and cool. This made me wonder if it got its name from another fashionable, on-trend and cool Stella - Stella McCartney.

Since I've discovered the brand, I've been snapping items for my sister's closet. These were pieces that were unlike anything she has in her dress collection, which is great. Among the lot - which is literally a lot - here are the top 5 finds that I snagged from Stella.

1. A black and cream floral jacquard dress. The pattern is embossed, which gives the dress this elegant texture. With such an elaborate material, the dress was cut simply, which was very appropriate.

2. A black rosette dress. This one combines several trends in one dress. It has a sheer yoke, a rosette skirt, an exposed zipper, and all made with power knit.

3. A black ponte dress. This is a good example of a classic LBD with a twist. The material is heavily textured, giving it a distinct sheen. It also has an exposed zipper, which breaks the solid color at the back.

4. A black draped dress. The shape of this one is already worth the price of admission. It has this easy and effortless feel to it. But it doesn't stop there. It has a teal inset on the shoulder for a visual pop.

5. A fuchsia petal dress. Here's a dress that's business on top. party at the bottom. The classic boatneck gives it a classic look, but the swishy petal hem says high fashion.

More short stories

When people think of "shorts," they think casual, athletic, or even lazy. But when paired with the right top, shorts can be very chic and fashion forward.

Take for instance these two ensembles:

The first look combines khaki shorts with the top-du-jour, a loose, boxy top. The sheer shoulders give it that fashion edge, while the colors both echo and complement the color of the shorts.

The second look has a heavily patterned top - a piece from the Camille Co for Tomato collection - and grounds it with plain white shorts. Again, the loose top serves as counterpoint to the short shorts.

I don't see anything casual, athletic or lazy about these ensembles.

Lacy lady

Here's further proof that lace is a continuing trend for the year.

Of course, we all know that there a lot of lace dresses, tops, shirts and shorts. But aside from using actual lace in clothes, some brands print lace on fabric to give that lace feel without the added layer. Just like this dress from the S/S2014 collection of Dolce and Gabbana.

Well hello there! Here's a pretty dress that I found at The Haunt. Does it look familiar?

From afar, it looks like a lace overlay, but when you come near, you'll see that it's just a trompe l'oleil -ish print.

I like how this version lowered the lace in the bust area. The space on top adds drama to the dress.

Since the dress has a very lady-like, Charles James type of silhouette, I threw in a black belt to emphasize the waist.

Overall, it's a very versatile dress that can go from Sunday brunch or to an office event. 

Heck, it will even be perfect for a 7:45 am wedding in U.P. Diliman.