Having a ball (and chain)

And the Japanese brand invasion in Manila continues.

Now, the much loved casual bag brand from Tokyo has arrived in Manila.

"Ball and Chain" is a quirky and utilitarian bag that's a favourite pasalubong from people traveling to Japan.

Now, you don't have to go far to actually get it.

Sugoi ne!

Fitch Perfect?

I'm not sure if this is a case of "Johnny Come Lately" or "It's about time," but this once-iconic American fast fashion brand has finally opened its first store in the Philippines.

Yup, Abercrombie & Fitch.

This famous and infamous brand is known for their shirtless sales staff, dark store interiors, and love for unabashedly perfect models. Whenever I'd visit their stores in the US, and even in TYO, and once in SG, it was a bit of a daunting experience especially when their chiseled and near perfect staff would meet you at the door. 

But I'd always find myself inside their store since I'm a huge fan of their jeans and polos. This blog is witness to that truth.

The SM MOA store doesn't look like the usual A&F store I'm used to. It looks bright and inviting, very different from the set-up I'm used to. Then again, these are just pictures. It would be interesting to go there personally and see how much the brand has evolved.

So, is their timing too late? Or is it perfect?

We shall see.

Bet your Valu Dollar

This was a pleasant surprise.

An SG icon where I'd usually buy pasalubongs is now in MNL. It opened quietly, and without much fanfare. But the shop, the promise and the prices speaks volumes.

Valu$ is a grocery store in SG that sells items for much less compared to regular supermarkets. This is my go-to place if I'm buying chocolates, cookies and other pasalubongs.

It's a very no-frills place. Wooden shelves. Cardboard signs highlighting the offers. Red and yellow signs everywhere. And the great thing is, they brought all that here, so going inside the Valu$ store in Starmall feels like being in the Valu$ store in Bugis all over again.

From now on, this is going to be my destination for value buys.

Elephant in the room. The mall, rather.

Apparently, South Korea's other fave eyewear brand is also in the Philippines.

Passed through Glorietta on my way to the 4As meeting and spotted this Blue Elephant kiosk in Glorietta 2. 

Aside from Gentle Monster, this is the other brand that Pinoys hoard whenever they go to Seoul.

There's some controversy surrounding these 2 brands, though. There was a time when Gentle Monster was suing Blue Elephant for copying their designs and selling it cheaper. Not sure what happened to that, but the fact that Blue Elephant is still around might be an indicator.

Guess they acknowledged the elephant in the room.

The Seconds time around

If Gindaco isn't reason enough to go to Megamall more often, they're adding this:

Yup! This Korean fast-fashion brand which is one of my usual Seoul stops is going to be just a few minutes away. They're going to be on the 2nd floor of the Fashion Hall, where American Eagle used to stand.

After Top 10, now there's 8 Seconds!

And not a second too soon.

Fresh Pomelo

So, it's true.

Pomelo is now in MNL!

This popular Thai fast fashion brand opened its first branch in Glorietta, and it's a spacious store with a lot of good stuff.

Will drop by and pick some stuff from this brand soon.

Top notch!

Finally! Top Ten is in the Philippines, and it's in our neighbourhood.

Now, I'll be shuttling between this store and Uniqlo to get my minimalist, fast-fashion fix.

Can someone bring SPAO here, too? Please.

Top Notch

Do my eyes deceive me?

Is one of my favourite Korean clothing brands really opening here in MNL? At at Gateway 2 to boot?

Apparently, no, and yes!

Top 10 is opening here in November!

And the countdown begins...

It's in the Mix(ue)

Presenting one of my current guilty pleasures.

Mixue has been popping up like mushrooms recently. It turns out that it's a Chinese brand of ice cream and tea that's been making inroads in the country. Their main draw is their price, with ice cream being sold at P30 and brewed iced tea at P40.

My current go-to is the Hawaiian Tea, which has a lot of goodies inside. It's similar to Yi Fang's fruit tea, but a lot cheaper. The big size is only P95, compared to P190 of other similar products.

Considering all these, it's no surprise that Mixue is part of my beverage mix these days.

Hello HLA

My first encounter with the HLA brand was in Robinsons Manila. 

From afar, their logo had this strong "GIU" vibe. From the outside, their merchandise looked like stuff that you'd find in SPAO. Upon doing some research, it turns out that the brand is a Chinese brand, and the company wants HLA to be a "Chinese Uniqlo."

Despite the curiosity, I wasn't able to check out their store. But recently, they opened a branch very near us - Gateway Mall in particular.

This brand is unique because it only sells men's clothing. Yup, it's a one gender clothing brand. That's a rarity these days as almost all of the fast fashion brands are diversified. That little factoid makes the brand more intriguing.

Now that it's jus tin the neighborhood, I'll probably pop in and say hello.

Bonito Begins

After much anticipation, the first Love Bonito store finally opens in the Philippines this weekend!

To go, or not to go. That is the question.

Que Bonito!

After Editor's Market, here's another one of my go-to brands that's opening a store in the Philippines!

Love, Bonito is a fun, feminine fast fashion brand (so many Fs!) that's also very affordable. They have a good mix of classics and fashion forward items.

Maybe it's time for In Good Company to open its stores in the country again.

Flying, Hi!

Oh look, they're open!

Flying Tiger's first store in the MNL - particularly in Glorietta - is now open. Of course, a visit was imperative.

It has the same vibe as the Flying Tiger stores abroad, and the prices are pretty reasonable. And after inquiring with the sales staff regarding the company who brought this in, it's SSI!

Hi, Flying Tiger. Glad that you're finally here!

Flying near you

The thought of Flying Tiger in MNL is enough to make me go bonkers.

Now, imagine my reaction after finding out there’s going to be a Flying Tiger branch just 5 minutes away from the office.

Five,

Minutes.

Away.

From.

The.

Office1

Yes, it’s going to be at Robinsons Galleria. And here’s proof!

I’m going to fly going there once they open.

Let's get it (Benett)on!

If you're a kid of the 80s, you definitely know the brand Benetton. Or its full name, United Colors of Benetton.

Back then, it's what the cool and preppy kids would wear. It's also the uniform of "rich kids" since the brand was quite pricey and exclusive.

As fashion became more global, and more fast fashion brands came in, brands like Benetton were sidelined by these more affordable options. This made me sad because I'm a huge fan - both then and now.

So, it's such a joy to see that they're opening a new and huge store in Shangrila Mall.

Time to relive my 80s days!

Delicious in degrees

Two things that remind of of Taiwan: Boba Tea & Scallion Pancakes.

Now, these two things are just within arms reach!

I've been seeing Nineteen Degrees in SM Megamall for more than a year now, but never got around to trying their stuff. Today, I did! And I'm super glad to have finally tried them.

This combo of Orange Tea and Floss Scallion Pancakes brought me back to Taiwan.

This is awesome to an unimaginable degree.

Go, Tiger!

Mark and I had lunch in Glorietta today, and look what I spotted

Flying Tiger - Our super fave Danish brand - in will finally be in Manila!

Now, we won’t have to go to Tokyo our Seoul to get our Flying Tiger fix.

As another famous tiger once said: This is Grrrreta!

Baa-ck to Baa-ck

Oi! It's a back-to-back Thai post.

After yesterday's post on Pad Thai, today is about Thai Milk Tea.

There's a newly opened store near our house called Baa Baa Thai Tea. And being an adventurous guy, I had to go there and try it out. Stat.

Tried their pink milk, and it does taste legit. It reminds me of the Pink Milk that I'd buy at the MBK food court.

This is so good, I'll be back.

You know the espadrille

Having family in Spain made us aware of espadrilles at a very young age.

Whenever my Tita and cousins would visit Manila, we'd often see them wearing these fabric shoes with jute soles. Each one wore different styles of these shoes - some were mules, some were sandals, some were flat, some were heeled.

Aside from wearing them, they'd bring us some pairs as pasalubong. But we always had a hard time wearing them. It felt too casual to wear for going out, but it was too nice to treat it like slippers at home. So, we'd often wear them at the beach.

Whenever we'd go to BCN, one store we'd always visit it a local espadrille chain called Toni Pons.

It's been making espadrilles for more than a century, and is one of the more popular Spanish espadrille maker, along with Castaner.

Because the Philippines is heavily influenced by Spain, it's no surprise that Toni Pons will find itself here in Manila. Last month, they opened their first store in SM Megamall.

Maybe it's time for me to look for those pairs of espadrilles that I've hidden for the past years.

Looks like espadrilles will be back in style soon.

Merci Bocu

Bocu Lifestyle is an odd brand.

It's one of the brands under Golden ABC, but it's their only brand that doesn't have a physical store. So, unlike Penshoppe, Oxgn, Regatta, Memo and ForMe that you can enjoy both online and in-stores, Bocu is something that you can only browse and purchase through their website.

In terms of their products and aesthetic, Bocu is very Japanese-Korean. They have a penchant for basic clothes with a twist. It can be something in the seam, in the construction, a detail on the sleeve - little things that elevate the basics.

I've been checking out their website for months now, but haven't really gone around to buying something. 

That is, until last week. 

Saw on their website that they had these Uniqlo & GU type of shirts, and thought I'd give them a shot. So, after adding a shirt to the cart, it led to adding another, and another, and another.

Until it ended up as this:

Yup, it's a big bag of Bocu!

I'm hoping their stuff is as great IRL as it is on their website.