Happy Holidays!

Jumping on the bandwagon of taking a picture at SM Lanang Premiere's well-known 40-feet tall Christmas Tree.
I wore a vintage floral top, Jag jeans, G by Guess bag, Primadonna brogues.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, lovelies!

How's your celebration going? Have some innocent fun. Don't forget the essence of this season.

I apologize for the lack of updates for months. I've been really busy with our church activities and at work. I'll be back soon, my lovelies. Got a lot of stories to tell. Brain, I'm in dire need of my creative juices. 

God bless you! ;-)

Pocket-Friendly Trinkets

Hello again! Before anything else, I just want to apologize for the lack of updates here in my niche for the last couple of weeks. That is because I’ve devoted much of my time in church. I attend our Prayer Meeting from 6pm to 8:30pm every Wednesday night. Saturday afternoons are for our church’s Music Team preparation, and of course, Sundays are dedicated for God. Yes I do have a lot of free time, but because of this crazy thing called blogger’s block, I couldn’t squeeze my brain for topics that could interest you my beloved readers (if I have any).

Now, let me not dwell on the explanation part. Let’s just talk about what every girl loves to have… Accessories! What woman wouldn’t want to accentuate herself with such fine embellishments? Some girls are obsessed with high-end jewelries, while some are otherwise. I wasn’t born with a golden spoon and I still don’t have a job, so obviously I belong to the girls who are “otherwise”. I am very fond of affordable yet striking trinkets. In times of crisis, I wouldn’t buy something too costly just for a luxury. I believe in the power of practicality.

If you’re on a tight budget and you’re a fad enthusiast from Davao, I suggest you head on to Chinatown at Uyanguren. This street has an array of thrift shops that can both satisfy your wants and needs. I‘m still not very familiar with the place though, but there’s a spot there that I can truly call a fashion haven. The store is called TOMLIZ Butingtings. The word butingting is actually a Filipino term which means accessories. From the word itself, you can then conclude that their main products are stylish ornaments marketed to women and women-at-heart.

The following are some of the accessories I bought from my recent trip there.

This originally costs 60Php, but it was on sale for 50% less. I got it for only 30Php.

30Php – 0.70 USD

30Php – 0.70 USD

30Php – 0.70 USD

25Php – 0.59 USD

23Php – 0.54 USD

These leather wraps and over-sized ring and studs are identical things you see and buy from online shops, and yet you probably get them for twice or way more than the original price. Nevertheless they’re all fake, so why settle for something expensive yet phony when you can have something cheap that still has the same faux quality. Be practical, you girls. If you’re worrying on the durability of these cut-rate items, I say it’s just a matter of being a good owner. Take utmost care of your belongings, and they will last long. Nothing’s permanent in this world anyway. Eventually, everything’s still going to end. You’re smart, I know you get my point but hey, that’s just me ok?

On that note I say, ‘til next time my lovelies! I hope you understand if I get lost again. Much love! God bless everyone.

Child’s Play: Pop of Red

What I Wore

Polo Blazer: So-En

White Top: Dorothy Perkins

Skirt: Uniqlo

Belt: from England

Purse: RinaRich

Flats: Manueto

Tassel Danglings: FashionConvict

Oversized Black Floral Ring: Broadway Gems

Connector Ring: Thrifted

Heart Bracelet: Thrifted

Before anything else, let me just say that I love all the shots my sister Janine took for this outfit. They’re all very nice, well, at least for me. She really knows my best angles, and I love her for that. Thank you so much sissy! I would post them all here, but there are 35 beautiful photos just for this look. That’d be exhausting, right? I’d bore you if I do so.

Color-popping is in for this season, and I love red a great deal so I thought of making it pop in this achromatic get-up. Red is a very vibrant and stimulating color so I decided to rock my red belt, red velvet tassel dangle from FashionConvict Online Shop and my red Bourjois rouge a levres to add a hint of radiance in my neutral clothes.

I sported this ensemble during my little sister Mikee’s elementary graduation. The sun was so high that day, but I didn’t mind the heat because I know we’d be heading straight to the mall afterwards. I’m aware that this is not summer appropriate because of the dark black and gray hues, but I beg you to spare me of your judgment. LOL!

We went to SM City right after the program to purchase my parents’ gift for Mikee, and to have lunch at Pancake House as requested by the graduate herself. I guess I’ll just have to save that appetizing experience for another blog entry. I’ll talk about it on my food blog series (Gastronomy) soon. Sorry to cut the story short for now, lovelies.

Try and add a pop of color in your outfits too! Don't forget to HYPE this look here. ‘Til the next episode of Child’s Play, pretty dolls! Much love!

PS: I’m sorry if I haven’t been blog-hopping lately. I’m just so busy with school. Good news is, my thesis has been approved, and I’m finally graduating next month. I’m stoked for April 18!

Child’s Play: Color Blocking for Plenary

What I wore

Mini-Floral-Dress-Worn-As-Top: FOVL (Japanese brand)

Polo-Blouse-Worn-As-Blazer: Rosella (Japanese brand)

Skirt: Vintage

Dark Brown Boots: Janeo

Sleek Belt: SM Accessories

Bag: Secosana

Earrings: Gift from Mom

Necklace: from England

Bangle: from England

Two days ago was our Thesis Plenary (final defense), and I’m just so glad and proud to say… I made it at last! We still have a few things to add for our final draft though, but what I’m sure of is that my sacrifice for this major subject is about to end soon. I’m ultimately stoked to don our school’s famous sablay for our much-awaited graduation come 18th of April. Now that it’s nearing the finish line (and it's only a month to go), it’s becoming even more nerve-wrecking! The anticipation is killing me!

Now on the glam side of this post, presentations at school has always been the BA Communication Arts students venue for dolling up. A fashion enthusiast like me would miss chances like this under no circumstance. Of course it’s uncommon for a shutterbug like me, to play dress up without photography. What good are lovely clothes when you don’t get to capture them? That’s just what I personally think. Maybe that might wrinkle your brows, but for me it’s something that I totally dig.

I always plan my outfits days ahead, and with that I mean I have a sort of “dress rehearsal” so that I won’t go panicking in front of my closet on the day itself. I chose to throw in some vivid hues for this get-up to uplift my mood, because I’ve been in some neutral colors like white, black, brown/beige lately. I also decided to wear my mini floral dress as a top, and my blue button-down top as a blazer. I tucked the dress in the skirt, put the blouse over it and cinched everything with the sleek belt.

I love that my printed top and bangle made it pop in my plain color-blocked ensemble. It’s like having two fashion fad in one – print popping and color blocking. How ‘bout that? I also love that the combination of this vibrant blue and yellow shades made a cheerful effect in my mood for this day. Blue is associated to the calm waters and yellow to the bright sunshine, so putting them together definitely helped me be in good spirits that lasted for the entire day, and hopefully for the whole week as well.

How could I not be in a pleasant disposition when I wore clothes that look so happy, and I got one of the best news in my college life? Color therapy and good news indeed have the power to make us feel so great about ourselves! Thank you so much dear God for the blessing! Now I’m off to write the abstract, acknowledgement  and biographical sketch to cap off my final thesis draft. I’m almost done! And oh please hype this look in Lookbook. ‘Til next time and have a good day, lovely dolls!

SVS: Paris Fashion Week

There's nothing quite interesting in my personal life these past few days, so let me just share some lovely photos I found in the web about the latest buzz in the City of Love and Lights... The Paris Fashion Week 2012. Here are my top picks among all the fabulous pieces showcased in the said event.

Yang Du Ready-to-Wear Fall/Winter

Animal-inspired Style

Crystal Vision

Chanel Autumn/Winter 2012 Collection

Stella McCartney's Fall/Winter RTW Collection

Beautiful and Beguiling
Valentino Autumn/Winter 2012 Collection

Kanye West Fall/Winter 2012 Collection

Oversized Capes

John Galliano Autumn/Winter 2012 Collection

Oversized Sleeves
Black and White Trompe L’oeil

Givenchy Spring/Summer 2012 Collection

Alexander McQueen Spring/Summer 2012 Collection

Cute Seductress

Vanessa Bruno Autumn/Winter 2012 Collection

Yves Saint Laurent Autumn/Winter 2012 Collection

Lanvin Autumn/Winter 2012 Collection

It's one of my wildest fantasies to get ahead of the fashion pack, and wear even a few of these extravagant collections. I hope someday I get to witness what's hot on and off the runway of Paris. I know it's sort of  impossible to happen, but hey, it's never a crime to dream big right? All I can do is pray.

What do you think about this year's PFW, pretty dolls?

All images used in this post are not intended for copyright infringement.

DIY Detachable Collar

I love statement accessories to death. I love everything that spells femininity. God knows how much I've been wanting to start collecting all those prettily detailed embellishments from SM Accessories, Mia Casa and ExtremeFinds; but I still don't have enough in my pocket so I still can't begin quite yet. Anyhoo, good thing I have the artisitic bug in my system, I can seriously produce some on my own.

As you can see, I'm already smitten to this thing Chriselle Lim coined as NECKORATING which only means decorating the neck, for an instance, with detachable collars. On that note, I would like to share to you how I did my very first DIY for this year's collar craze. But before that, I recommend you to watch this tutorial from Chriselle Lim herself. Don't forget to subscribe to her Youtube videos.

Video Courtesy of Chriselle Lim

Here are the materials I used:

I got this from my father's old and damaged Tommy Hilfiger polo. Remember, it's advisable to use collars from men's polo (not polo shirt) because they're sturdier compared to that of women's.

Take it from me, because I've tried cutting some collars from women's polo, and I just failed. They're so wobbly, and you wouldn't want that. This is actually my third and successful attempt. Thank God!

These cute hot pink wooden beads are from my necklace that I bought from a college classmate who used to sell DIY accessories five years ago. I wonder where she got these stuff.

I'm supposed to use fabric glue, but to no avail since I didn't have time to go down town just to buy one. I used Mighty Bond instant glue instead.

Just squeeze your brain for some creative juices, and think of a fun design to embellish your collar. What I did on mine is that I patterned and glued all the necessary amount of  beads on the collar until the lining is no longer that visible. Without further ado, I now present you my NECK-oration.

FRONT

BACK

This detachable collar can be a very nice replacement for your necklaces if you want. It's perfect for color blocking. This can also be an instrument for color popping if you want to spice up a neutral-colored outfit.

This is what happened to my fingers after the process!

That's it for now. I'll keep you posted on my next DIY Collar Craze adventure.

Have you tried creating your own detachable collar, pretty dolls?