studs and ruffles.

spotlight on: Maita.

ladies and gentlemen, let me formally introduce my good friend Maita. i can truly say she's one of the most chica girls in school. this is what she wore today.

what do you think?

the inspiration for this look are said to be the editors and stylists attending Fashion Week. they're known to wear black at runway shows, as not to clash with the designers' creations. it's supposedly the safest color one can wear at such events.

certainly Maita would've blended right in,

if that was the case.

sporting an all black ensemble could be difficult. on an ordinary day, the first challenge is to avoid looking dull. the second one would be to shun away from looking like a mourner. that's why it's important to have different textures in your outfit. as you can see, the soft shiny details of her top goes well with the hard tailored look of her jacket.

choosing the right accessories is also essential to the success of your desired look. the cosmopolitan design of her YSL bag paired with the offbeat style of her studded shoes gave her that edgy sophisticated appeal that i'm sure she was aiming for.

top: Topshop

jacket: Topshop

pants: Topshop

bag: Yves Saint Laurent

shoes: department store

to see more of her style, check out her blog.

plain and simple.

spotlight on: Malone.

i hung out with Loris and Maita today. while we were making tambay at the ACB lobby, this guy just happened to pass by. for some reason, he caught our attention. we liked how he looked.

what do you think?

his name's Malone and he's a freshman. 

it's not the outfit per se that made him stand out. there's obviously nothing special about it. in fact, it's pretty darn simple. but i guess that's what we liked about his look. it's easy and straightforward. there are no nonsense frills. a perfect example of uncomplicated style.

and with that blatant simplicity, he still managed to look sleek. let's give him and his skinny tie a round of applause, please.

glasses: Oakley

shirt: unknown

tie: Topman

pants: Topman

shoes: Hush Puppies

black and peach.

spotlight on: Tin.

ladies and gentlemen, meet my ever-so-bubbly friend, TinTin. i thought she looked incredibly cute today.

what do you think?

looks like she just jumped out of a time machine. as Loris points out, she could be one of the original Charlie's Angels. and she could be, indeed. i'm totally diggin' the whole 70's vibe of her outfit. how groovy.

the high neckline is perfect and her hairstyle compliments it really well. even her choice of accessories is flawless. the vintage timepiece and the diamond studs work hand-in-hand to create that whole retro-chic look. 

check out the details on the blouse.

wonderful job, Tin. so effortless.

top: thrifted

pants: thrifted

shoes: Zara

watch: vintage Coach

earrings: hand-me-downs

the end.

this week in school, i saw some people still wearing the Blair-inspired XL bow bands and the ever-so-popular shemagh/keffiyeh (or whatever you want to call it). if you're reading this and you've just realized that you're one of them, please, for the love of God, listen to my advice:

stop now to redeem your pogi points.

don't get me wrong. i'm not saying they're ugly or baduy. if you wear them with the right outfit and the right attitude, they're incredibly stylish. it's just that, Gossip Girl has already finished its first season and the whole Middle Eastern trend thing is no longer the rage. in other words, laos na 'yan.

Blair Waldorf.

it was nice and cute when she was still wearing it.

but she's already moved one. so should you.

destroy all the evidence! haha!

David Beckham.

celebrities loved the shemagh. you've gotta admit,

it was such a hot trend.

too bad the flame spread like wild fire.

everybody's wearing it now. and i mean everybody. not good.

it's time for them to retire, folks. they've had their fair share of fame.

yup. i also got into it. i even had four of them.

wore this last summer (which was already pretty late).

i've never worn them since. 

neat and cluttered.

spotlight on: Loris.

if there's one fashionista worth featuring, it would be this gal Rizzy. she never fails to surprise me with her outfits. this is what she wore today. what do you think?

this is actually her being subtle. wait until you see her in her crazy-bright-colorful-flamboyant attires! it's absolutely entertaining. it's either you'd get super duper irritated or you'd get entirely captivated by her pizzazz. depends how you see fashion. of course, as a friend, i'm obliged to feel the latter. haha! but really. you can't help but admire her personal style.

about this outfit. i like it. very much. in fact, i'd even say this is one of her best. i love the uniquely tailored pants paired with the sexy stilettos and the wala lang white shirt. totally in vogue. plus the socks made it even more stylish.

brava, Loris. brava.

and yeah. excellent choice of accessories. what a good way to stack trinkets. not too much. just right. but ultimately, hon, the bag pulled it all together.

top: Topshop

pants: Topshop

bag: Fendi

shoes: People are People

watch: Philip Stein

accessories: hippie bazaars, hand-me-downs, vintage

to see more of her outfits, check her blog.

long and hard.

spotlight on: Laureen.

you all know my buddy, Lau. i bumped into her again. this is what she wore today. what do you think?

this look is actually hard to pull off. i'm sure most of you will agree that the long skirt isn't for everyone. for one thing, it's not at all flattering to a woman's body (sex appeal, where art thou?). but you've gotta hand it to this girl. she wore it well. styling truly is crucial when it comes to odd pieces like this palda.

although personally, i think the entire outfit would've looked much better if the skirt was a lot shorter (show those legs!), i still think she managed to look cute. besides, if you're a schoolmate, you know how strict the university dress code is. that's why we kids need to be more creative!

what tied it all together? her accessories.

i love the Cartier-ish cheetah ring. just wonderful.

sunglasses: Mango

top: Zara

belt: Topshop

bag: Marc Jacobs

skirt: hippie bazaar - HK

sandals: hippie bazaar - HK

the sorrow.

i. am. sad.

i saw my favorite band on MTV. just now.

i guess that means they're on their way to become a mainstream sensation.

that sucks. i frickin' hate it. look what happened to Maroon 5. i liked them better when they weren't so sikat.

yeah. i know. i'm just being selfish.

hats and blazers.

it's spring time in the world of fashion.

when i think of spring, the paintings by my favorite Impressionist genius Claude Monet definitely comes to mind. above is one of his many exquisite works, The White Water Lilies (1899. oil on canvas). i love his use of color and texture. especially the way he treats every individual surface as its own spot of light. sheer brilliance, i tell you. just looking at the painting gives you a feeling of serenity. like every thing's so calm and beautiful. it makes you want to drive and take a picnic on the countryside.

well. some designers were probably thinking the same thing as they took inspiration from their scenic road trips from Milan to Paris for this season's S/S 09 runway shows.

i think Lanvin did it the best. the sandals, i love.

a more casual look from Burberry Prorsum.

Junya Watanabe's nostalgic twist.

lastly, Moschino takes it to the upper crust.

somehow, the look reminds me of one of my best-loved films, the Age of Innocence (1993) starring the breathtaking Michelle Pfeiffer. i know i'll blog about that movie sooner or later. but for the meantime, a stroll in Central Park, anyone?

photo credit: men.style.com

bright and bold.

i'm sure you've all heard about these polymer watches clasped around the wrists of 'em cool kids in New York.

the NOOKA ZUB ZENV 20.

i'm just dying to get the purple one. my BFF Loris and i actually saw a tiny store in Glorietta which sells these space-age watches. unfortunately, i don't think they have the one that i want (bitches!). funny how we just like them 'cause of their uniqueness and style. they're so colorful and funky! i love. fo sho, i'm just gonna use them as a fashion accessory. come on. you don't expect me to compute all those bars and toggles just to tell time, do you? i'll do what a normal person does and peek at my phone. haha! bobo. they retail at around Php 6,000 (125 dollar$). not bad, eh?

but what really caught my eye are these very limited edition glow-in-the-dark Zubs for Kanye West's "Glow in the Dark" tour last June (tell me, is the tour over?). when i say very limited i mean very limited. only 15 pieces were manufactured and most of them found their home with Kanye himself. asa pa ako, di ba? but! i heard Nooka will release these very limited edition glows for purchase this month.

still. they won't be available here in the third world.

so asa pa rin ako. ugh. shoot me.

by the way, i don't like their "leather" versions. they look so serious. i imagine math geeks from NASA sporting them on the streets. but the one in gold is cute. i just like it 'cause it's gold. haha! for more information about Nooka, check here.

shapes and lines.

spotlight on Laureen.

ladies and gentlemen, meet my good friend Lau.

this is what she wore today.

what do you think?

i like it (obviously).

it's so contemporary. very chic.

top: Comme des Garçons

blazer: Modista by Elle

pants: UNIQLO

shoes: Kenneth Cole

bag: Philippe Charriol

watch: Baume et Mercier

notebook: Paul Smith

compare and contrast.

i'm sorry. i can't help it.

so tell me. who does it best?

the original Upper East Siders of Cruel Intentions?

or the new batch of rich kids from Gossip Girl?

if you ask me, Kathryn Merteuil could crush Blair Waldorf into a million little pieces. sorry, B. but i think the original Queen Bee is a bigger beetch.

as for Sebastian Valmont versus Chuck Bass, Sebastian has a bigger heart, therefore he's the bigger man. haha! you have to give him credit, you know. he died for the woman he loved. i don't see Chuck ever sacrificing his life for someone else. he's too vain for that.

but as an ensemble cast, i like the Upper East Siders of GG better. their lives seem to be more interesting. i like how they're all so f*cked up.

saling pusa:

*click to view the larger image*

but of course, us Asians even have our own version.

nope. it's not a new show. thank God.

it's an editorial for Vogue Korea.

not bad, actually. click here for more photos.

i got it from Cecile Zamora Van Straten's blog.

the frustration.

yes. i'm utterly frustrated.

man. i miss my long hair.

for some reason, it's not growing back as fast as is expected. forgive my vanity, but i think i looked better with bangs. haha! ugh. i hate waiting.

here's another frustration. i miss my old gang.

here i am with (bangs!) my friends Martin, Jiro, and Bart (respectively). this photo was taken three years ago. i think this was at Laureen's birthday party at Cuisine. i'm seriously missing the good ol' days. too bad Bart and Jiro transferred to different colleges. things were never the same after that.

oh well. enough with being emo. i just miss my hair.

ipod and laptop.

...cases

two years ago, my mom got me an i-Pod case from Christian Dior.

i love how my i-Pod's so old school. i have no plans of replacing it anytime soon. but really. Apple shouldn't have made things complicated for us consumers. it's like they "upgrade" all their stuff every two weeks. i haven't even thought of getting the new i-Phone yet, they already replaced it with the i-Phone 3G. oh well. i'm probably just bitter 'cause my daddy didn't get it for me. haha!

anyhow, what i'm actually driving at is that i want my mom to get me another case. but this time, i want a case for my laptop. knowing the OC retard that i am, i also want it to be from Dior. Dior Homme, specifically, to match the small one.

i realize the bag (above) isn't exactly made for laptops, but i think my old school iBook G4 will squeeze in there just fine. if it won't, then no biggie. i can still use it for my school sh*t.

now. the problem is, the bag isn't available in the PI. shoot me, please.

the original.

Sebastian Valmont.

you all know him from the 1998 film Cruel Intentions. man. can i just say? that movie was incredible. i remember seeing it for the first time as a child. i think i was just ten. i loved every minute of it. and i still do. i should get myself a DVD copy (i already have it on VHS and VCD. haha!).

i couldn't get enough of the leading characters. Sebastian and Kathryn (played by Ryan Phillippe and Sarah Michelle Gellar) were no less than impeccable--in every aspect. forgive me, but i loved how they were so vicious. so, in my opinion, they were flawless. haha!

but i especially liked Sebastian's sense of style. he had this certain flair that screamed charm and sophistication. i wanted to be just like him. he even got me wearing designer sunglasses at a very young age. basta. i dare say, he was my "idol". if the other boys idolized Michael Jordan, Eminem, or whoever, my demigod at that time was him. haha!

and of course, who didn't salivate over his 1956 Jaguar XK-140?

beautiful. just frickin' beautiful.