Parking Lot Shenanigans

Grabbed the opportunity to do a quickie shoot in a nearly empty parking area shortly before getting in the car to go home. Photos by Duff Orate.

What I'm wearing: Faux leather blush cami and booties from Zara Lace bralette from Krate the Label Jeans from Topshop Denim jacket from Bershka Nude purse from Céline Velvet cord from The Bead Shop Tooth pendant necklace from Forever 21

So I've been thinking a whole lot over what I do lately.... You know, blogging and such. I thought, if I could choose only one category of blogging to fall under in, it would definitely be fashion. That is, if I'm only allowed to choose one. So a few days back, I looked through my blog entries and if I wanted to be mainly a fashion blogger, then there's certainly a bit of a shortage with my recent outfit entries. So here's a start ;)

My outfits are usually pretty straightforward. Top + bottom + shoes, or maybe dress + shoes, or if it's little chilly, I'll throw on a jacket to the ensemble or opt for a thicker top with long sleeves instead. However on this specific day I figured I wanted to complicate it a bit... and yes, this is a bit complicated for me already. This fit is a mix of different textures: faux leather, lace, and denim. Also, I love how the oversized denim jacket tones down the sultry vibe of the lace bralette playing peekaboo. I do think lace bralettes are made to play peekaboo though.

I should mention that this Céline bag is my first ever designer bag that I was able to purchase with my own moolah. All those bags you see me donning, all those are just borrowed from my mom (thank you mama ♥). So this one's pretty close to my heart what with the blood and tears (a.k.a. hardwork) behind it. Kidding, there was no blood nor tears involved, I love what I do. Anywho, I purchased it from my good friend Keith, who also happens to be the owner of A La Mode.

I know the rain sometimes sucks especially when it becomes a hindrance from us doing our daily tasks, but I miss layering. So perhaps some few drizzles here and there won't hurt? Drizzles please, not tornadoes.

So what do you think of this fit? Do you think that lace bralettes should indeed play peekaboo? Let me know in comments below. Also, a little pinky promise that I shall stay connected to my roots, more outfits for you guys! :P

Flash Flash, baby ft. Clothes Buffet Manila

A few weeks ago, Clothes Buffet Manila sent me a big zip bag stuffed with loads of clothes. Some of the pieces were so me, some weren't so Ida-ish. However being an experimental girl, I tried styling each of the clothes sent to me by combining it with pieces in my wardrobe. Want to see how I styled them? Well, read on baby girl (or boy??).

Piece #1: The Statement Shirt

Statements shirts appeal to the sight. I dressed up this piece by pairing it with something that would appeal to touch. I added different textures, namely fur and lace. It's always good to experiment with different materials, just don't go too crazy with your color palette if you plan to texturize your look, which is why I stuck to the safe side by going all black on this ensemble.

Fur Jacket by Terranova | Lace trimmed shorts by Zara

Piece #2: The Quilted Skirt

From all black to colorful neutral (lol, is there such a thing?). What I mean to say was that for this outfit, I wore more than two colors but still stuck to the more subtle, non-shocking colors. Maroon, navy blue, grey, with a hint of faded yellow on my shirt's print.

I found the material of this skirt very dressy so I balanced it out by wearing a very 'I don't care what I look like' loose vintage shirt which I then knotted up front to keep my waist's shape. Who says you can't look cool yet feminine wearing your dad's shirt?

Shirt by Nike 

Piece #3: Gold Lion embellished body-con cutout dress

I personally don't like complicated and intricate cuts on my dresses. Not unless the complicated-ness is around the shoulder (straps) and back area then it's fine. However, styled well, these kinds of peices might just work. For this piece, I wore it on its own and accessorized with metallic pieces to complement that little lion detail on my waist, I then topped with whole look with a hat. Keeping it clean and simple, this dress speaks for itself.

Hat by River Island | Watch by Marc Jacobs

Piece #4: Sequined Bolero

This piece was quite a challenge to style for me. Why?

1. The puffy sleeves made a kind of kiddie impression to me
2. Sequins have a high risk of coming off as tacky when not styled carefully

Fixing the kiddie dilemma, I thought I'd build a mature look out of it. As for the tacky dilemma, a straightforward and uncomplicated piece. So I paired it with this slitted fitted maxi skirt to address both dilemmas. Quite nice for formal events I must say. Although I might need to replace my skirt with a more streamlined one.

Skirt acquired from a bazaar | Watch by Marc Jacobs

Piece #5: Knit Sweater

Here's a versatile piece that I love so much. You can practically dress a sweater with anything (especially a plain and neutral colored one). Shorts, pants, or if it's big enough, you can wear it by itself like a dress. Just to be different from how I usually style it, I paired it with a high waist, knee length fitted skirt and to balance out the girly-ness in this look, I topped it with my favorite New Era NY cap. Wear it with sneakers or heels, sweaters go with anything.

Cap by New Era | Skirt by Bershka

And that's my styling take on these pieces! What did you guys think about the outfits? How would you have styled the pieces mentioned to fit your style? Tell me in comments below <3

The Clothes Buffet Manila is currently happening in the Elements Tent, Eton Centris until tomorrow. A great chance to go crazy shopping without even looking at the price tag! Check their site to know more details about it.

Hello, meet Ida

I'm back and I have very exciting news for you guys! It was a normal mundane day when a notification popped in my phone, "Hello from American Apparel". Yup, your girl just kind of partnered up with one of her ultra favorite brands — American Apparel.

To be really honest, it's always been one of my mini dreams to be noticed by this brand. Their clothes are just so me. Classic-casual daily grind fashion that you can actually wear  everyday in the real world. Simple silhouettes and classic cuts that hug your body in the right curves, just my aesthetic.

Top by American Apparel | Pants by Levis | Shoes by Bershka | Cap by New Era

You guys have probably noticed on Instagram that I haven't been wearing shorts lately. Opting  for nice comfy mom jeans that hug my waist perfectly instead. Also being the sneaker girl that I am, I've been braving the world of wearing heels for these past few weeks. This pair from Bershka being one of my two ultra favorite pairs with just the right amount of height so that I won't end up torturing myself for the duration of the day.

Two random style tips I came up relevant to this outfit:

• If you're wearing a loose bottom, balance it out with a fitted top - well, I guess this is common sense. Stick with this rule if you want to stay on the safe side. Of course, it's always good to experiment. I've tried a few loose on loose outfits myself and it turned out pretty well. Just make sure to have to mini dress rehearsal first to see if it looks well put-together.
• Experiment with different clothing genres - lately, I like mixing "classy" pieces with somewhat "street" pieces. Heels with baseball caps, sneakers with sleek blazers, or again, neutral colored heels with a camouflage printed jacket. Again, don't be afraid to experiment. I was never the girly type, so I really can't go all pure frills and girly-ness.

I'm super excited to show you all my loot from American Apparel! Til the next post, loves.

Photography by Michael Macalos

City Sunset

You might've noticed that lately I seldom blog about outfit posts. Truth be told, I'm having a hard time finding what to say when it comes to posts like these. Do I talk about what happened while I was shooting this? Do I talk about the logic behind my outfit? What if nothing noteworthy happened while shooting? What if there was no reason why I chose this shirt and shoes, I just felt like it? On the other hand, I'd hate to just throw a bunch of photos and then tell you guys where I got my clothes from. I mean, I could easily do that on Instagram right? Well, now that I've let that out, I finally have an enough chunk of paragraph for this post... ha ha kidding. Hit that 'read more' button!

Sunnies by AestheticEmporium | Plaid button-down shirt by Bershka | Shoes by Zara | Bag by Louis Vuitton | Watch by Rolex | Necklace by Stoneriver

In my earlier post, I shared to you guys what my lazy go-to outfit is — an oversized shirt dress and sneakers. Well here is a more dressed up version of that go-to outfit.

I wore this ensemble for a Bulgogi Brothers affair at Resort's World. It's Resort's World, I thought it would be appropriate to dress up a bit and it wasn't just some Korean fast food I was going to but at the same time, I wasn't feeling like wearing anything tight around my skin. I wanted to look like I wasn't somebody you can just mess with but at the same time I wanted to look effortless.

With that in mind, the oversized shirt dress was replaced with an oversized button-down shirt (with a printed back to retain the edgy, youthful feel), and the sneakers were replaced with classic black chelsea boots. Topped with signature accessories as my cherry on top, viola!

What would you wear if you were to go to a kinda fancy place but you're too tired to dress fancy? Tell me in the comments below!

Photos by Duff Orate