Printed Matter: Dainty details

My penchant for botanical prints is well documented on this blog. In fact, Ate Bullet has a number of nice, botanical print clothes in her closet.

But there's always room for another one. Especially if the print is this cute.

This is a botanical print, but done in a dainty way. The prints are small and delicate, simple in its execution and colour, and spaced adequately so that you can appreciate it more.

And this dainty print is from an equally dainty dress from The Landmark.

You really can never have too many botanical print dresses. 

Printed Matters: Florality

We have an art director at the office - Logie - who's a master at sketching. 

While he does a lot of different subjects, one of his works that really caught my eye was his floral sketches. And no, it's not spring yet, so this should be groundbreaking. Harhar.

One time, he sketched this pretty rose bouquet, and I told him that it would look great as a print on a piece of garment.

So that's what we did:

Noel, our creative director, has a printing business. So, when asked if he could print Logie's flower sketch on a denim skirt, he said yes. And that's how this piece came about.

Since we're in the mood for florals, the skirt was paired with this top. It's a vegan leather top with floral embroidery.

Together, this pair of florals make this outfit bloom.

(Okay, enough with the floral references.)

Printed Matter: Glam Bot(anicals)

In the many times that Plains & Prints has done botanical prints, they've always done it well. 

Ate Bullet has a closetful of dresses, skirts and tops from the brand, and it's time to add another one to the collection. 

It features this print:

It's an array of flowers and leaves, all light and bright in colour, set against a backdrop of deep green that makes it pop. This pretty print is the canvas for this even prettier coords.

It's a crop top with a ribboned strap, plus a flowy skirt.

This is a perfect ensemble to make everyday a glamorous one.

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!

Organized chaos

Whoever said that you can't mix too many prints have obviously not seen this dress.

This maxi-dress is so pretty! Despite the fact that it's covered in so many random prints, it doesn't look garish or chaotic  The prints actually work with each other to give this dress a modern and fashionable boho vibe.

See, chaos can be beautiful.

Printed Matter: Instant Doodles

I've been drawing since my childhood days. It's something I've carried until now. Occasionally, I'd find myself doodling on random pieces of paper. It could be a house, an animal, a paisley print - things that just pop in my head randomly.

This love for doodling is what drew me to this print.

It looked like someone gave a kid a piece of cloth and asked him to doodle anything he wanted. The result are random doodles featuring shapes, faces, even plain scribbles.

And these doodles are the centrepiece of this beautiful dress from Urban Revivo.

This dress is just GOR-GE-OUS! The print is the main focal pint, but the 60s silhouette with the ruffle detail elevates the whole look.

That's why I knew I had to buy it the instant that I saw it.

Printed Matter: King of Pane

Yes, floral and botanical prints in vibrant colours are my jam. Ornate, Tromple L'oeil prints are also things that catch my attention.

But there are days when things that things that are quiet and muted are more up my alley. Just like this printed pair from Plains & Prints.

It's a skirt and blouse ensemble with a subtle window pane print. The base is this very light peach colour, which makes the print almost meld with the hue. 

Sometimes, subtlety is king.

Printed Matter: Petal Attraction

Plains & Prints has mastered the floral print. 

They have a way of making it fun and fresh, yet classy and chic at the same time. That's why Ate has quite a number of floral printed pieces from the brand.

And she can now add another ensemble to that collection. Thanks to this print:

It's so dainty and pretty. It has that botanical print feel, rendered in soft, pastel colours. And the off-white background makes it pop-out even more.

This pretty print is found on this skirt an top ensemble.

It's such an attractive ensemble that's perfect for summer.

Printed Matters: Toile order

You know me and Toile Du Jouy Prints. For me, it’s irresistible!

Just like this print:

It’s a quintessential toile print - florals. 

And this fab print is from an equally fab dress from SheIn. 

It’s no wonder I ordered it the moment I saw it.

Printed Matters: Wonder-ful

As a fan of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland,” things that have that visual theme automatically catch my eye.

In my Aeoul trip last year, one of my pasalubongs for Ate Bullet was an earring with Alice and the Mad Hatter. I’ve got a few pairs of socks with the Cheshire Cat. Back in grade school. One of my lunch boxes had Tweedlesum and Tweedlesee.

That said, it’s no wonder that this print caught my eye.

It’s from Plain & Prints’ Holiday collection called “Wonderland.: They had a whole line inspired by the tale, and there were. Lot of gems in that collection. But this print captured the fun and Joy best. And this print is part of this gorgeous dress.

It’s printed on chiffon, and translated to this flows dress with fluttery sleeves and a black belt. Everything about this dress is a knock-out, which is why it had to be in Ate Bullet’s closet.

It should n]be no wonder why this is an instant fave.

Printed Matters: Ode to Jouy

To paraphrase Nigel:

"Give me a toile du jouy print, and I'm on board."

That's why the moment my eyes met this beautiful toile du jouy print, I knew it was something worth buying.

The bonus part, the print was turned into a beautifully classic yet uniquely designed dress from Plains & Prints!

Oh joy! Oh joy!

Printed Matter: Bananas!

The type of prints that catch my eye are prints that aren't just decorative, but tell a story. When it has a theme, each detail of the print comes to life and one understands the narrative from where it came from.

Plains & Prints is a brand that's very good at this. After all "Prints" is in their name, so they're consistent in coming out with visually interesting and theme-driven prints for their clothes. 

For their Spring/Summer 2023 collection, there was one print that caught my attention the moment they put up the poster in their store. It's this tropical print with bunch of bananas, some flowers, and a dancing woman.

The print gave me "Chiquita" vibes and reminded me of those Chiquita ads that I'd see in the U.S. But make no mistake, bananas are very Filipino and is one of our top exports. So, it's fitting that this fruit finds its way into fashion.

This banana print is used in several Plains & Prints pieces. But the one that really stood out was this asymmetric dress with a ruffled top and button details in front.

The print, colour and cut work so well together. Giving the dress a tropical, calypso vibe that's a perfect summer dress.

It won't be hard to go bananas - both about the print and the dress itself.

The bold and the beautiful

Nope, this isn't about one of the longest running soap operas in the U.S.

And when I say "longest-running," note that TBATB has been on air since 1987! That's 35 years!

This is about floral prints.

When people say floral prints, the first thing that comes to mind are dainty, delicate florals. They're usually mall prints set against a contrasting colour. Which is what people usually see.

But there's another type of floral print. One that's big, bold, and vibrant. Just like this print from a dress that I got from Zanzea.

From the striking hues to the oversized graphic florals, this dress looks so happy and chic. And it's perfect for a weekend stroll in the mall or just lounging around the house.

Wherever it's worn, folks will definitely remark how beautiful it is.

Printed Matter: Mapping it out

Even as young as 4 or 5 years old, I've always been a cartography nut.

I'd always buy maps at National Bookstore and Alemars Bookstore. While my siblings would have posters of pop stars, I'd have maps as posters. Heck, one thing I saved up for as an elementary school kid was a globe.

That's why it comes as no surprise that whenever a map print comes along, I gravitate towards it. Just like this print.

This map isn't on a poster or a postcard. It's on this dress from Plain & Prints' "Femme Power" collection. It's inspired by Amelia Earhart, thus the airplane, compass along with the map. And they've turned this print into a midi-dress with a puff-sleeved faux jacket.

You can't get lost with a fashionable choice like this.

Up your sleeve

The sleeve of a dress is often an underutilized place. Most of the times, dress designers and fast fashion brands don't use this part of the dress as a focal point.

That's why whenever I see a dress with a lot of details on the sleeve, I'm drawn to it. 

Just like the dress from Plains & Prints' 2022 Spring/Summer "Picturesque" collection.

This white, easy and breezy dress is called "India." No surprise because of the beautiful and ornate print that you find on its sleeve.

It's an elephant and some foliage that harks back to the country after the dress was named. It's a beautiful detail that really elevates this white dress into something that's ultra-fashinoable!

Plains & Prints really has a lot of fashionable tricks up its sleeve.

Printed Matter: Fowl play

When I was loving in HKG, i’d pass by Kowloon Park almost on a daily basis.

One of the reasons why I enjoy passing by that area was the fact that they had a small aviary of sorts. The space held several members of the fowl family, particularly Pink Flamingos and Peacocks.

Those fowl friends suddenly came back to mind when I saw this print. 

They're 2 peacocks perched on a branch of beautiful flowers and greens. And this print is from the latest Spring/Summer collection of Plains & Prints. A print that’s on a comfy and fashionable t-shirt that I couldn’t resist buying.

Because the print is already ornate, I thought of pairing it with a plain, belted and wide-legged khaki trousers from Bench. The shape complements the shirt and gives the entire ensemble a very chic and carefree vibe.

Nothing and everything about this ensemble is fowl.

Printed Matter: Postcard Perfect

Because traveling is still limited these days, it's always nice to see different countries - even in prints.

Case in point, this nice postcard print of Bali in Indonesia.

What's even better is that this print is something that you can carry with you everyday. 

It's actually on a dress from the Summer 2022 collection of Plains & Prints entitled "Picturesque."

The print, the design, the fabric - everything about this dress is so perfect!

Which makes it an equally perfect choice for Ate. (That's why I bought it for her.)

Printed Matter: Fashion Flock

My liking for avian prints have been well documented on my blog.

Here's the latest addition to that documentation.

Such a pretty print that is so detailed, it's almost scientific. It feels like something you'll see on an Ornithology poster. The story would probably about how flocks migrate from one country to another during the changing of the seasons.

No surprise that this classic and classy print is from a dress from Plain & Prints' Holiday 2021 Collection.

I think there's only 1 or 2 dresses from this collection that we skipped. That's testament to how fashionable this collection is.

Printed Matter: You Kente-ll

The traditional Kente fabric of Africa is something that i’ve always loved looking at.

From the first time I saw it in an African Shop in HKG, to the times I would see some of Mark’s classmates from that continent wearing their traditional clothing during events in IUJ, i’ve Always admired the colours, patterns and craftsmanship that goes into it.

That’s why this particular print caught my eye.

Although it’s not really a Kente fabric, it gives out that same vibe. Maybe it’s because if the deep, saturated color or the geometric prints. For me, it’s close enough.

It’s no wonder that this print is from Plains & Prints “Wonders of Africa” collection from 2020!

This is probably why I was so drawn to this. I could tell the inspiration behind it.

Printed Matter: Slipper hit!

Not only does Plains & Prints come out with beautiful dresses and prints, they’re names are equally beautiful and thought of as well.

This is “Tsinelas”

And this print of a native, local slipper celebrates something truly Filipino. It's the centrepiece of this equally fun, flirty and fashionable dress.

Their Holiday 2021 collection is filled with so many beautiful dresses that are a hit, No wonder Ate’s closet is quickly filling up with them!