Larson for Less

Back in 2017, Brie Larson had the pictorial wearing this coral-colored Carven dress.

First time I saw this, I really liked the entire dress. From the colour to the cutout, from the asymmetry to the gathering, from the length to the pockets. It's one of those dresses that were deceptively simple, yet very rich in details.

Early last year, I had a flashback after visiting the R.A.F. store in Shangrila Mall. It was because of a dress that they had for their new collection (back then), and the dress looked smashing, but somehow familiar.

Today, after seeing the dress again on their website, the reason why it looked familiar was clear:

Same dress, different brands, different years. 

Well, at least there's a Carven-esque dress that's affordable and accessible in case you want that Larson look for Less.

Seeing Double: Frances is Vera familiar

There's a long list of actresses in Hollywood that are often mistaken for one another.

There's Amy Adams and Isla Fisher, Katy Perry and Zooey Deschanel, Bryce Dallas Howard and Jessica Chastain, Ginnifer Goodwin and Jennifer Morrison, Jaime King and Jaime Pressley, and so on and so forth.

Heck, I've even written about the last two here.

Now, I've added a new pair to the list.

Presenting:

Was watching a clip of Vera Farmiga in one of her films when I had that "a-ha!" moment. She reminds me a lot of Frances McDormand!

They're both great actresses, and I enjoy watching their films - Frances McDormand in Fargo, Vera Farmiga in Source Code - among others.

I wouldn't mind seeing them both in one film as sisters! That would be a double treat!

Double take

In one of my trips abroad, I chanced upon this pretty dress by Diane Von Furstenberg.

The dress was a new take on her iconic wrap dress. It played on color blocking and a bit of proportion. And it made the dress interesting.

A few months after, this dress from Plains and Prints came out.

It made me do a double take because there are similar elements to the DVF dress. The Plains and Prints version was shorter, though, which makes it more wearable for everyday. And of course, the price point is much better.

Ate Bullet already has the Plains and Prints one. Who knows, the DVF one might find itself on the Lane Crawford outlet rack in HKG, and we can make it a double.

Doppelgangers!

While I was walking down the corridor, I heard someone call me "Kuya Jun." I ignored it, of course.

Then, upon reaching the creative area, I saw Jun. And now I know why they thought I was him.

Yes, it's one of those "My-gosh!-We're-wearing-the-same-thing-day."

FMM: Hearing Double

Deja vu. Feels like you've heard that one before, right?

Well, that song title is shared by 2 of my favorite songs. One is really old, while the other was launched almost a decade ago. So, since today is set aside for old songs, might as well have a double deja vu treat.

First, from Dionne Warwick:


And from Beyonce:


Now that's a double treat this weekend.

FMM: Double Take

Once, the Melrose group went to a videoke place and we started choosing songs that we wanted to sing. Claire wanted to sing "Hey" by Fatima Rainey, so she quickly looked for the song title in the database and it was there. She inputted it, and excitedly waited for it to go on screen.

When it was her turn, the song that played was "Hey," but it was the Julio Iglesias version. Apparently, that was the only version they had. Needless to say, Claire was bummed.

With so many songs hitting the airwaves, it's normal that two songs will have the same title. In my list of favorite songs, I actually have some that have the same title. And even though they're very different, I like them both equally.

Here are two of these songs. Both old songs. And both worthy of a Friday Magic Madness post.

The song is "After All."

Here's Cher and (supposedly) Peter Cetera's version:


And here's Al Jarreau singing his version:


I don't mind listening to both versions over and over again.

They're awesome songs, After All.

Double happiness

This is what happens when you go to a double markdown sale at Forever 21.

Next time, I'll make double sure to stay away when this happens. Harhar.

Seeing Double: Of Selma and Olivia

After the whole Jamie, Jamie, Jennifer and Ginnifer debacle, there's a new pair of Hollywood actresses that leaves me destraido.

It's Selma Blair and Olivia Thirlby. 

(This is Selma)

(This is Olivia)

I'm not sure if it's because of the hair or the vibe of these actresses, but I usually mistake them for each other. Especially now that Olivia's hair is similar to Selma's.

Confusing indeed.

Seeing double

Two weekends ago, I felt pain on my left shoulder and neck area. So, when I went to Watson's, I hurriedly went over to the area that sold plasters so that I could buy my go-to-plaster whenever muscle pain strikes. That's Salonpas, of course.

Imagine my surprise when I got home. I brought out the contents of the bag and realized that I only thought I got Salonpas. It turns out that the product I picked up and bought is Mentopas.

The way the package was designed - from the logos to the colors to the layout of the pack - it was so similar that it felt like the same thing from afar. And if you're on autopilot, like me, then you'd think you're picking up Salonpas when you're actually buying the competition. Wise move indeed.

It's the same thing that's happening to 2 new shampoos in the market. They're both positioned as salon-caliber shampoos, and their packaging looks so much alike.

Notice how both products have black and white bottles, with touches of fuchsia on the label. It's enough to make you feel like you're seeing double. Again, if you're in a hurry and just grab items from the shelves, chances are, you'll be buying Syoss just when you thought  you were grabbing Tresemme.

All these product look-alikes are enough to leave consumers confused.

But I think that's what they're supposed to do.

Seeing Double: Jamie, Jamie, Jennifer and Ginnifer

These 2 sets of Hollywood actresses never fail to leave me "destraido." Maybe it's because their physical features are quite similar, but they're awfully confusing. Whenever I see them in a movie, my first reaction would be: "So is that Jamie? Or is that Jamie?"


This is Jamie King.


This is Jamie Pressley.

Movies featuring either of them require me to sit through the credits just to make sure I'm getting the right Jaime. And if my recollection is correct, Jamie Pressly is the girl from "My Name is Earl" and "Not another Teen Movie" while Jamie King appeared in "Pearl Harbor" and "Bulletproof Monk."

Another set of actresses that have confused me of late are the two "Jennifers."


This is Ginnifer Goodwin.


This is Jennifer Morrison.

When I saw the preview of "Big Stan" last year, my first reaction was: "What? Ginnifer Goodwin is doing a slapstick? That's a big jump down from her brilliance in 'Big Love'." But upon seeing the movie poster and reading the cast list, it turned out to be Jennifer Morrison. But again, Jennifer did look like Ginnifer in that movie. Just like Ginnifer looked like Jennifer in the trailer of another movie.

Gosh. I'm getting confused again.