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: 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!

Separates Lives: Lovely in Lavender

If I'm not mistaken, it was during S/S 2024 that the Plains & Prints pleated skirt with the lavender print came out. It had a matching sleeveless top that was also pretty and feminine, and the ensemble looked like a dress when paired.

Never got around to buy that outfit back then. But as the Purple Sale rolled in, it was the perfect time to check if it was still on the rack.

Both the skirt and blouse were still available, but in an effort to not be too matchy-matchy, we eschewed the blouse and just bought the skirt.

The print of the skirt is so eye-catching that a plain top would be a better pair. This lavender boxy shirt from The SM Store was just what the fashion doctors ordered.

While the matching pair was nice, this combination is much lovelier.

Separates Lives: Knit wit

I've always been a fan of knits. 

Although our weather doesn't really go well with knitted clothes, a number of fast fashion brands still incorporate knits in their collections. The trick is using lighter knits, and incorporating them in other pieces of clothing - not just sweaters or tops.

Just like this knit skirt from Plains & Prints.

It's made of a knit material, albeit not too heavy. The material makes it flattering, and it also falls nicely. The print is also visually interesting, which adds to the appeal. And because of the black waistband, a black top would be the perfect accompaniment to this skirt. Enter this jersey, boat neck top from For Me.

See, knits can be weather appropriate. And cool!

Weave got it all for you!

No, this isn't a post about SM.

It's about Gateway. We went there last week and saw that there was a trade fair happening at the mall's atrium. It was particularly interesting because it was a showcase of different Filipino weaves.

Chanced upon one of the stalls and found a trove of pretty weaves with interesting embroidery. The pattern reminded me of aboriginal drawings of people, or cave drawings from ancient times. And the white embroidery against he colourful weave actually worked.

This pattern was from a skirt. Naturally, it went from the rack to a shopping bag that went home with me. A few hours later, it was off to The SM Store (wait a minute, so this is a post about SM) and got this white knit top with gold buttons from GTW.

And with that, the ethnic, Filipino weave can now be worn as a casually cool ensemble.

Putting the "fab" in "fabric"

Textured fabrics never fail to catch my attention. Whether it's a patch, a weave or a embossed detail, little grace notes like these really elevate a fabric.

Just like this one.

It grabbed me by the collar and let me to it the moment I saw it from afar. The fabric looks so luxe and rich, thanks to all the details it had.

The fabric was from a Stella full skirt. It''s so gorgeous! Since the fabric is already a showstopper, the design of the skirt is very simple and classic.

Because there's a lot going on with the skirt, the top had to be simple, but with a twist. This Kashieca blouse was just that. It's a knit blouse with speckles of gold that are so subtle, but they shimmer when the light hits it.

This is yet another fab holiday outfit idea.

Sketchy Stories: Skirting the issue

Our neighbour - Grace - likes skirts a lot. She's also into denim and ethnic fabric. 

With her birthday coming up, it was an opportunity to take those things that she liked, and come up with a unique and bespoke birthday gift.

That led to this sketch:

It's a combination of denim and ethnic fabric. The silhouette is the classic A-line, but with a touch of flounce for some femininity. Also, the combination of the two fabrics make it visually interesting.

After bringing the fabrics and sketch to Ofel, she came up with this:

It's the skirt in my head, and now it's real. Bonus: it turned out exactly the way my mind envisioned it.

No issues there.

Best Laid Plaids part 2

Back in the 90s, plaids were a big trend.

From shirts, shorts, jackets, even Tretorn shoes, you can find plaids in different colours. 

Since then, the pattern has been finding its way back to fashion in one way or another. In one decade after the other.

Just like right now.

After my plaid outfit post last month, we have another one:

This outfit from Bench takes a more classic route. The plaid skirt is in pretty primary hues of blue and green, with an A-line cut, with functional pockets in front. Echoing the blue, a navy blue tee completes this outfit.

And before you think that the blue tee is your usual design, check out the back!

Now, that's a fabulous plaid outfit!

Skirt week: LFLTAT, too!

And here's the big reveal for skirt week.

Each of those skirt ensembles are also Looks For Less Than A Thousand!

Yup! The checkered one was the cheapest, while the green tribal ensemble is closest to a thousand.

Fashion can be fab and frugal, too!

Skirt week: Ready to flounce

After all that color, time to go a bit muted.

Found this skirt at a Zara clearance sale a few months back. It's a tiered, lace skirt in classic black. It has the right structure and the right flounce.

Then, there's this black top from SM Department Store. It's made of soft jersey, and it also has that flounce on the sleeves.

When put together, the ensemble gives double the flounce, double the flirtiness, and double the fun.

At less than half the price, by the way!

Skirt week: Mixed-up tribe

Whenever you find an article of clothing that's really nice and chic, you buy it in all available colors!

That's a philosophy I often follow, especially when it comes to t-shirts.

So, that beautiful tribal skirt in green that I wrote about yesterday? They have it in mustard! So I had to buy it!

Now, this color also had a matching shirt, but I decided against buying it. Instead, I decided to mix it up and pair this printed skirt with a plain shirt!

This shirt is from Penshoppe, and it's amazing how the color perfectly blends in with the dominant colors of the skirt. Then, the blue sash is what breaks the monotony, giving it a much needed breather.

See, a plain and printed combination with a tribal theme can be just as chic!

Skirt week: Green Tribes

This week's posts will be about skirts. And it all started with this quote that Mark and I suddenly remembered:



But no, it won't be about hideous skirts. On the contrary, this week's posts will be about some nice skirts that I've found over the course of the weekend, at some of my favorite haunts.

The first one is this green, tribal print skirt from Calliope. I'm really digging the African vibe, the vibrant color, the contrasting belt, and the ease of the design.

Lo and behold, the skirt had a matching shirt! And since I'm super in love with the print, I had to get both.

Together, it looks like a pretty, tribal printed dress. But, as separates, you can wear the skirt with a plain top, or the shirt with jeans.

No skirting the issue. This ensemble is definitely fabulous.