PHILIPPINE FASHION WEEK, SCULPTURED CRAYOLA FLOWER BOX

Philippine Fashion Week 2008
SMX Comples
Roxas Boulevard, Manila

During the Manila shows I kept noting the number of variations on the chic sculptured and summer dresses. It wasn’t hard. There were those three killer examples from Czarina Villa, Mich Dulce, and Tina Daniac. I think Happy Andrada’s take on artsy fashion’s fun.

Colors are all over this season—a reason to buy. I’m entertained.

21st century capitalism, new fashion, good strategists and changes to come. There are a lot of thing that are going to have to change, that are changing, a lot of things we haven’t seen and aren’t going to see, a lot of things that will happen but not overnight, and some things that should but haven’t been highlighted yet. This is a great time for fashion and for the people who follow it. Our values and assumptions, the way we look at clothes, consume them, the way business is done—it’s all changing.

Online fun at E-bay

My new canvass Tote bag bought from E-bay. I have been obsessing over man bags since 2005. The Canvass Margiela Tote offers men items that represent both honest, thoughtful design and practical purpose. For functionality the men of today needs a messenger bag. If you are opting for a clean and sleek look, this tote’s perfect for the everyday man. There is the day bag or the field bag to choose from which both have an adjustable shoulder strap, two interior pockets, and an exterior back pocket, while the field bag measures a bit bigger with a longer leather strap. If you are attempting to fit your 17″ MacBook Pro in there, it won’t happen but if you only have a 15″ MacBook Pro like myself, the field bag is just right.

This canvass tote is made of waterproof canvas, which makes it wind-and-weather proof and keeps its contents nicely dry. The strap is made of brown taiga leather. The texture almost makes the leather seem raw, it’s very durable and I am sure it will be of great service for many, many years. Inside, you have a zipper compartment and two vertical patch pockets under the flap.I am totally loving it! This purchase is both exciting… and dangerous as well - I’ve already caught myself peeking at all the other wonderful men’s collection. The online e-bay experience is just so much fun!
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btw, no way to auction.ph! they're totally fake

Of cufflinks , trousers and the right top

Booked restaurant reservations trigger the dandy inside us men. Reservations make us shave, take a share and dig deep into our wardrobe for our finest ware. It might be the fact that we have grown up getting told not to step inside a restaurant sloppy or because proper restaurant visits are expensive, there’s just something about it which brings out the finest in us.

Typically most people tend to jump into their suit or a blazer for a more casual appearance. Unlike a job interview a restaurant visit isn’t formal, there’s a more glamorous side to it as a result of the money spending, alcohol and perhaps company in the form of human of the opposite sex. Therefore the typical white shirt + red/blue tie doesn’t cut it. Colored wool blazer, trousers and a black/white dotted shirt is not example what the most guys have lying at home. It all comes together where nicely and it’s comfortable and casual as well thanks to the absence of a tie/box tie or sock for that matter.

Generally everything doesn’t have to match and often a playful shirt and well designed cuff links is all that’s needed. Caution needs to be divas can easily over dress. One flamboyant piece is enough for a subtle but yet seductive outfit.

On power dressing….

A man dressed in a suit and walking into a room full of people attracts the same attention a woman gets when stepping inside a church rocking a short skirt. Give the man a briefcase and the effect is amplified even more. There’s just something magical and respectful about a man dressed in a suit. It’s a projection of power, respect and knowledge.

On the down side power dressing isn’t for everyone. You’d look pretty exaggerated if dressed and tell someone in the streets that you work as a cashier at Starbucks or a night shift zombie in a call center. Ideally you should be a successful executive, on a flight paid for by your company. Then again who gives a *bip*, everyone is entitled to dress sharp. I could easily see myself dressed despite my size at a wedding or on in a soiree.

Trapped in the concrete jungle of Manila

Although the metropolis has everything to offer and a bit more, the density and high concentration of modern high rise buildings, cars and people can at times be overwhelming. Sometimes I dose off and fall asleep completely exhausted at 8 in the evening, which is very unlike me since I usually can stay up very late. The city consumes your energy, and the citizens are constantly in the rush where ever they are, and they work very long hours as well.
I think I need to find spot here in the big city where I can lock out everything out of my mind and just exit, like a tiny organism in the sea. A small hide out where I can be without having to worry about the number of hours there are left on the day or about stuff that needs to be done. I need my own zone!

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for your wardrobe fix and closet update, visit Paul smith, Adora and (...) dotdotdot and Greenbelt 5, Ayala center Makati City

( Picture: With friend Camille Morato Ocampo at Capones)

New Year at the PEN

the entire stretch of Ayala Avenue hours before the new year outside the Pen.

With Charlie Rufino, Carlo Orosa, AL Bartolome and Carlo Rufino

With Danny Siegle, Charlie Rufino, Carlo Orosa and AL Bartolome

January 01, 2008
The Peninsula Manila

New years eve at the Pen just right after the New Years' ball with the boys. Free flowing champagne, moet chandon, balloons, great company and fireworks.

Fighting boredom and a can of beer

Mood : Tired, still at work, exhausted, PR guy still stuck at work ( I need all the three dailies to cooperate!) PR AGENCY WORK IS DRAINING ME!

Time: 11:11 pm on a Friday night
Music: Catwalk glamour

I so want to blog. I have had posts swimming around for days. Today in the shower (my thinking place) I planned a couple. But here is my problem. My only time I am truly alone to blog (I can't blog with others around) is LATE at night. By then I have no desire or truly the clear thoughts to blog. SO unless I get to be alone soon you will have to wait on my thoughts for a couple of weeks.

Filling in empty spaces

I feel oddly today similar to the joy of turning 10 years old. I keenly remember how happy I was to be 10 - to finally be the long-sought DOUBLE DIGITS. I think my joy had something to do with feeling a closer kinship to teenager-hood with its glorious abundance of double digits. I knew that 10 certainly didn't qualify me for membership in The Teenage Club (the coolest club on the planet!), I felt like it at least got me something like prequalifying status. That's how I feel today at 25. It's me---I'm it. Turning 26 in 5 months feels like I'm a solid member of the adult club. I no longer have to answer happy questioners! I'm getting close. I'm definitely in the prequalifying stages, at least. We're a weird bunch that feels a little less afraid, a little braver, a little happier, a little more willing to trust that this might all end up okay. We're not nearly the jittery chickens we were a few weeks ago. And, yeah, if we're badass at one-quarter through, just you wait until we hit the halfway point. We'll be killah!

avoiding That FOUR letter word

I’ve pretty much avoided the SALEs so far. I absolutely hate sale shopping. It’s just too stressful, and I just can’t be bothered to sift through rails and rails of rubbish in the hope of finding one gem, in my size, at a decent price.

Now saying that, I’ve bought a couple of things, a crisp dress shirt from Rustans, a store that is beautifully peaceful even in sale time. I don’t have the energy to get it out and photograph it, which is terrible blogging. It was way out of my price range, but it was just one of those items where you try it on, and there is just no question, you have to have it. I wore it last weekend and managed not to ruin it, and am still absolutely in love with it.

I also bought a pair of black oxford semi slim from (…), remarkable practical for me. I had eyed them up earlier in the season, but wasn’t convinced enough about them. Then when I saw them in the sale I just decided to go for them, and I’m really glad I did. But those are the only things I’ve bought.

Actually that’s not strictly true. They are the only fashion items I’ve bought. No, this weekends sale has been seriously wardrobe update focussed.

Oh well. Sometimes theses things just have to be done.

7 not so useless hours of Manila humidity

repost : Apr 7, '08 6:01 PM

I spent my Saturday morning running errands. By “morning” I mean the time after I dragged my ass out of bed at eight thirty, had pancakes for breakfast, scanned the new Details and GQs inside my den ( bathroom) , poked around on the internet long enough to realize that I did nothing of note this past weekend, made a grocery list and put on weekend clothes ( plaid shorts and preppy pique top) some people also label this time of morning as 1:00 in the afternoon. I’m not one for details.

Everywhere I walked yesterday, I hemorrhaged money. Time to renew my bags! Oh look! I forgot to give mom and dad a call! A book that I tried to read and absolutely couldn’t get into! (“The Secret” is still a secret to me… sorry Philip, I really did try). Birthday celebrate-y gift for my Ex! Grocery store! Pedicure!

I should point out that all of these errands were accomplished within about a three mile area from Rockwell to Salcedo Village. And as the day drug on (a day that I had somehow still deluded myself into thinking was all productive since I was running errands in THE MORNING THAT MOST NORMAL PEOPLE CALL “AFTER LUNCH”) I watched it get later and later and the temperature climbed higher and my weekend clothes were getting so icky from the sweat that resulted from running around in Manila humidity. For some reason it seemed bad form walking around the park with two-thirds of an iced Caramel Macchiato on my shirt. And socks? How did that happen?

I went grocery shopping without passing go although that would have been a pleasant remedy to the aforementioned hemorrhaging money situation. I’ve found that grocery shopping immediately after a 45 minute sweat on the roadl (oh who am I kidding, a 45 minute workout and a 2 hour sweat) makes the items in my cart magically more healthy. I notice a distinct lack of cookies and soda and a drastic increase in fruit. This makes me feel all healthy and superior.
But what I couldn’t figure out as I was walking was how on earth it had become 7:00 in the evening when all I did was spend the morning running errands.