Caught in Zara's web

A few weeks ago, there was an item at the Zara store in SM Megamall that caught my eye.

It was an asymmetric blouse in this vibrant fuchsia hue. It was made of jersey, and it draped and fell beautifully. 

Knowing that Ate would rock that blouse, I told myself that I'd come back for it in a few days since their sale was about to start.

The sale did start, but upon visiting the Zara store, the blouse was nowhere to be found. It wasn't in the racks, and upon inquiring from the staff, they didn't know where it was.

It came to a point that I had to check out 3 Zara branches to look for it. To no avail.

Then, an idea popped in my head.

The Zara website!

After logging in and patiently poring through so many items - along with keyword searching - it turns out that the blouse was on-line!

Woot!

And that's how I made my first web purchase for Zara. And this is just a few months after my 1st web purchase for Mango.

Let me just say, the packaging of on-line orders are top notch. Aside from the box, it came in wrapped in Japanese paper.

Looks like I'll be doing this again soon.

When Pocky met Pepero

This is what came out:

This must be said, though. What it lacks in originality, Pockero makes up for size. The sticks of this snack are huge! My estimate is that it's 12" in length, and about 1" in diameter. Just one stick is enough to fill you up.

Amazing what snacks you meet when you browse on-line.

Take me Back (Issues)

One thing I miss doing is going to branches of Book Sale and scouring the racks for back issues of InStyle US Edition.

Since Bufini closed and my other magazine haunts folded up, it's so hard to find current issues of InStyle. I'd often get them abroad, but even that is difficult now with all the travel bans in place.

So, my only recourse is to look for back issues at Book Sale. Which I usually get to do often at the Makati Central Square branch because they have a good selection there. But the last time I checked that store out was March. That's 7 months ago!

Thanks to the internet, though, I found them online and found out that they have these magazines on their racks.

Now that I've found them, the only thing to do now is take them!

Soon. Hopefully soon.

Puff the Magic sleeves!

Sleeves are making a big comeback these days.

What's even more interesting is that they now come in different shapes and sizes. So, it's no longer the traditional shirt sleeve or cap sleeve, or even the split sleeve. Now, they're getting bigger, and the shapes, more interesting.

Like this dress from Zalora which has an all-around pleated detail which creates an interesting puff shape on the sleeve. 

The tapered edge of the sleeves add a dramatic touch - making it look voluminous yet streamlined at the same time.

That's what elevates this dress from a seemingly simple silhouette to something more fashionable. Amazing what magic sleeves can do.

Country Conundrum

Come on, guys! We're Filipinos. We should know how to spell the name of our country.

Where do these people get their writers? And editors? And proofreaders?

This baffles me. Seriously.

Z the deliveries!

A few weeks ago, I was talking to 2 of my Creative Directors and the topic was missing working at the office.

One of the reasons why we miss Raffles is its proximity to a lot of the big malls like The Podium, Robinson’s Galleria and SM Megamall. And of late, I also rediscovered the joys of Ayala 30th and Estancia.

Back then, whenever lunchtime came along, we’d simply walk to the malls to give our eyes a breather. Also, to drop by the supermarket to,get supplies for our Batcave. Also, to do a bit of retail therapy.

Now, since we’re all confined to the house, the only way to do that is on-line. And I made a joke that once the ECQ is relaxed, our home might be deluged with packages from Zalora.

Mark sometimes says: “Jokes are half-meant.” And in the case of that Zalora joke, we’ll, he might be right.

Here’s what we have so far.

(This photo doesn't include the first few packages that came in several weeks ago!)

And I’m pretty sure there are a few more on their way.

On the dots

Previously, whenever i’d buy clothing from Zalora, it would be under their house brands - Zalora, Something Borrowed, Zalora Basics, and the like. They’ve got great designs, they’re very affordable, and they reach your doorstep in days. (Pre-ECQ, of course.)

Lately, though, i’ve discovered the joys of other brands on their website, particularly the imported ones. Brands like Willa, Tussah, Cali, among others. The designs are classic with a fashionable twist, the fabrics are nice, and the price points - very Zalora in its affordability.

One such find is this dotted dress from Tussah.

It’s a silk dress with kimono sleeves, with a knotted waist highlighted by a tortoise-shell detail. Very chic and stylish!

And when I got this on Zalora, it was 70% off with an additional 40% thrown in! Imagine how ridiculously cheap that is!

Dots another reason to love this dress even more.

Shirt Order

Now, here’s what came with the 2nd batch of items that I ordered from Zalora.

Since it’s summer (yes, hard to imagine it is when we’re just in our homes), I got some items that are breezy and cool to wear during the warm weather. And what can be cooler and more classic than t-shirts.

Zalora had a few of nice t-shirt dress options on their website, but these 2 were what really struck me,

First, this beige shirt with an exaggerated pocket. It also comes with a belt in case you want to dress it up.

Second, this army green shirt with an interesting knot detail in front. It’s what elevates it from being too plain, to fun and fashionable!

These are cute and cool dresses to wear this summer. And as soon as people are actually allowed to go out, these shirts will be able to have their debut as well.

Green and Greek

So, here are some of the first items that came in from Zalora while we're still on Quarantine.

They were 3 pieces, and all imported ones at that. The reason it took them a long time to deliver it - in contrast to some items that they can deliver 24 hours after you order them - is that they had to ship the items from SG and MY. The airport shutdowns around the SEA regions made it difficult for the items to arrive. But eventually - almost 2 months after - they did.

The first item is this one-shouldered fitted dress in a beautiful shade of Emerald Green.

It's very streamlined and modern, and it has grommets! There's 1 in front and 2 at the back, and that's where you attach the separate straps.

Then, there's this flirty, flouncy dress with a lot of ruffles, a lot of joie-de-vivre, and a lot of attitude. And yes, it's also a one-shoulder dress in Emerald Green.

Just as the title states, these are 2 fairly different dresses with 2 things in common. And I'm so glad they finally made it here.

Hey to Z!

It has begun!

Hey there, Zalora! Good to see you again!

The Zalora items i’ve ordered, starting with the one’s that I actually purchased pre-ECQ, has begun to arrive.

I think this is just the start of more - quite more - to come.

Little joys!

Today's little thrill is courtesy of this little header on the website of Zalora:

Yes, since malls have been closed, Zalora has been my defacto mall. But with the ECQ happening, they couldn't deliver their items since they're not considered as "essential items."

Actually, I ordered something from them during the 1st week of March. But just as they were about to deliver it to the house, the ECQ happened, and the item got stuck in their delivery hub.

Now that they're back to normal, I'll most likely get the orders I made the past few weeks.

Yes, "orders."

Good luck to me!

Dots about it

Zalora never fails to surprise me.

Last night, around 8:30pm, they had a flash sale and some items were really cheap and chic. One such item was this dotted dress that I ordered.

And less than 24 hours later, that same dress was delivered to our doorstep. No additional fees. Just efficient, speedy delivery.

Dots - I mean that’s - one of the reasons why Zalora will always be one of my go-today.

Shop talk

I'm sure that everyone and their Mothers are currently on-line and shopping to their heart's content. This is a red-letter day for shopping, of course.

Behold:

I still can't get over the fact that someone spent P1.2 million during the 11.11 sale.

Let's see if that record will be broken this month.

Bath time!

It's that time of the year!

So now, I'm in front of the computer at 11pm, browsing pages upon pages of scents.

These are the times that I wish I was in the U.S.

LFLTAT: SG is So Good!

For this particular post, I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

These goodies from Zalora in SG cost me less than SG$20! That's less than P800 for a knockout dress and a fabulous, fabulous pair of slides!

Shopping on-line has never been so good!

Zalora-mpage

As I told Mark, my luggage is already full even before leaving MNL for SG.

Jo and I were talking about the Great Singapore Sale, or GSS for locals and frequent travelers. She sent me an article that stated that GSS isn't as Great as it was before, and good deals were few and far between. Jo seconded the article, and that made me think that I might not be able to do much shopping while in SG.

Then, while browsing the Zalora PH site, I thought of checking out the Zalora SG site.

And they were on sale.

AND THEY WERE ON SALE!

Things were super duper cheap, and super duper nice!

So, I ordered stuff from Zalora SG. Had them sent to Jo, and told her that I'll pick it up when I got there.

Then I ordered some more.

Then I ordered some more.

Until I ended up with these:

All these!

And that's why even before I left MNL, my luggage was already full.

But it was so, so worth it!

Perfectly Packaged

There are many reasons why I shop at Zalora.

First, the selection. They have a good range of fashion forward products - from clothes to shoes to accessories to stuff in between.

Second, the convenience. Yup, it's true when they say you can shop 24/7. There are times when I'd be shopping at 1:30am. (Hey, I can't sleep. No judging.)

Third, the speed. Some of the stuff I ordered actually arrived a day after I ordered them. Nifty!

Fourth, the packaging! Their products are always impeccably packed. Their clothes are in see-through dust bags with tissue lining and silica gel. And then, there are the shoes!

Look at these 2 pairs that I got from them. They came in sturdy, high-quality boxes that don't easily fold or get crushed.

The boxes aren't shabby either. The one from Velvet has this nice, blush color and is well designed.

Then, the shoes from Zalora come in individual dust bags, aside from the nice box.

If that's not enough to delight you, maybe this will. These shoes actually cost less than the ones in SM Department Store! (And those are really affordable to begin with.)

Now isn't that just perfect?

Getting some more Zzzzs

Zalora, that is.

Time was when I'd go to Zalora pop-up store and website often, and would always end up with a virtual cart full of stuff. The past years, though, their selection weren't as awesome. In fact, I was checking my account, and my last order there was in 2016.

Last week, thought of checking out the Zalora website, and was surprised that there was a lot of really uber pretty dresses in really vibrant prints. And everyone knows that I'm a sucker for a good print. Ergo:

I ended up ordering 4 pieces! And they were on sale!

Looks like I'll be hanging out the Zalora website more often this time around.

It's a Fling thing

The first time I encountered the clothing brand "Florence Fling" was way back when there was still The Ramp in Shangrila Plaza Mall. Their area was near the entrance, and it stood out for its chic and classic designs made with bright and eye-catching fabrics.

Eventually, they opened their own store in SM Megamall. It was on the 2nd floor, and it was a usual stop-over for me during my mall visits. Some of the Ate's prettiest dresses were from there, including Ate Bullet's favorite purple crepe dress with teal dots.

Then, sometime last year, they closed their store. Sadness.

They didn't totally disappear, though. They still had their website and on-line shop which I'd still visit occasionally. And this week, I decided to order on-line and rekindle my sisters' love affair with the brand and their clothes.

My order arrived promptly, less than 2 days after I made the purchase.

It was wrapped in a very pretty and delicate manner, true to the brand's essence.

Look inside, and there are 5 pretty dresses that I'm sure will be in the Ates' wardrobe rotation after I give it to them.

And with that, the Florence Fling continues.

Counting down the Target date

In less than a week's time, Victoria Beckham x Target is going to finally drop!

I'm going to do an Altuzarra and stalk the pieces I'll buy for my sisters on their website. I hope it'll be as easy as that collection. (And not like Missoni.)

Because I really have my eyes on this pair!

Let's go, Target! Let's do this!