The long and short of it

These were my Sunday shorts last weekend. Since I had to report to work for a few hours, I also wore a pullover, though not on top of my t-shirt but under.




Pinstripe shorts, Topman
T-shirt, Penshoppe
Checkered silk pullover, thrifted
Leather duffel bag, thrifted
Embroidered leather sneakers, Gucci, thrifted
Owl claw pendant, American Boulevard




Now the jumper is obviously in a larger size than the tee. That's why it flares a bit. A few more inches and it's good as a skirt. I love how it fools the eye. Of course, I like that it's shiny. And blue. And checkered.




Since I really don't do poses on this blog, I let my bag do it.




Got the leather duffel a long long time ago. Have to remind myself to use it more often. The bag and the sneakers make the look a little sporty.




After all, the bottom zipper is for shoes. Love this shade of wood (mahogany?). Though it is starting to crack again and needs to be reconditioned.




The top reminds me of brain coral. Makes me think of drawstring leather pants, or shorts.




Sadly, the American Boulevard store where I bought this pendant (Taft near DLSU) has long been closed. I love how small and sinister it looks. Almost like bared teeth.




This is antoher item I have had to fish out from my closet: Gucci sneakers designed when Tom Ford was still creative director. Even the thrift store I found these in has also ceased to exist.




As you can see, the leather laces have frayed and split in half. As it is next to impossible to find good leather here, I may need to ask bag/shoe designer friends for custom laces.




Good thing the embroidery is still intact. Do you remember the brightly colored silk jackets that were part of the same collection?




Not rust; dirt I think. That hairy design on the toes must be pineapples. The shoes are too nice to be called high-tops.

Alpaca Sports: "Just for Fun"

Got an email from Andreas Jonsson from Gothenburg, Sweden, about his new single under Alpaca Sports. Perfect for a lazy Monday. Think I'll do nothing but read (and write).




Head over to their Alpaca Sports' Sound Cloud page for "I'll Never Win".

How a modern man can tie his scarves

This is one of the most helpful instructional videos I've watched on YouTube. By Alexander Lewis, creative consultant at Purple Eagle.

My flood-dyed pants

Say hello to my "new" DIY jeans. The jeans themselves are not new; last time I used them was in secondary school. How did I bleach them? Not with any kind of detergent. The vital ingredient is called Ondoy, internationally known as Ketsana.


Jacket, Penshoppe
Short-sleeved shirt, Ben Sherman
DIY "tie-dyed" jeans, Guess x Ondoy
Sneakers, Converse, thrifted
Camo tote, thrifted




Our house in Quezon City was flooded up to the second floor. The room my brother and I grew up in was downstairs. When we returned to survey the damage, I found my navy jeans a lighter shade of indigo, with patterns that remind me of leaves and hibiscus. Naturally, I paired them with another pattern: the Union Jack and British crests mixed into checks.




I'm tired of carrying my totes on my shoulders. Why not on my neck? Why not incorporate them into jackets via detachable fasteners and buttons?




The pattern up close. Notice the subtle ombre effect.




The fourth pattern in my look: blue and white flowers.




What do you call this camouflage pattern? Only recently did I discover that just as leopard spots are different from cheetah markings, camo can come in many many patterns, such as lizard, lime, heck even scrambled egg. Quack quack.

Jeans, shoes, and sandalwood

Finally bought these navy Sebago docksides I've been eyeing for quite a while. Was a tiring day from the office and back at the stores for the third time (because idiot me forgot to jot down pullout prices).




When I thought things couldn't get worse, I discover that our house helper for more than two decades now washed my A.P.C. New Standards.




I could just go crazy. Yesterday the barber discovered a small bald spot while he was giving me a haircut. He said it was probably caused by stress. Now he sounds like a prophet.




So all that talk about washing your NS (yes, fans love their raw denim that much) only after at least six months or even a year or more in order to leave your own personal mark (stains, rips, and creases) is now gone. The jeans have shrunk and the thread is not the same — but without the benefit of any real wear. They just look old, a little like my navy Gap pair after six months of washing. (Though I was really also planning to get the Petite Standards. Then maybe I can compare methods...)




Talk about Mercury in Gatorade (my version). I swear I also had a similar string of disasters last year (should I now believe in astrology?), now replaced by my iPhone theft, my unbelievable phone bill, and the job I didn't get. Nowhere but up, right?




I forgot to show you the bottle I bought with the A.P.C.s: a fine fabric care solution for non-detergent washing, which containts lemon and cedarwood. Smells good and can also be used to wash wool (not that I have lots of that). Ironic?




But the real dilemma that has again tied me in knots is my first and real career, which is asking, entreating, demanding that I spend more time on it, ie at least four hours each day. Call it universal feng shui: all the bad things will stop happening once I let things flow properly. Aye, there's the rub.




Maybe I'll be gone a little longer, maybe I'll be back tomorrow. But know this, care of A.P.C., Aesop, and William Blake (see the bottle quote): "You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough." Or from me: "Better out of sight and out of mind than out of my mind".

Sneak peek: editorial moodboard

So I guess it's really happening. I'm styling again, and here is a moodboard for one of the looks. Can't wait!

I should do more of my moodboards, even if I'm not planning any editorials.

Goofing around

If we were allowed to at work, I would wear shorts every other day, if not four times a week. Don't care if I have chicken legs, they're just more fun than jeans.


Sweater, Iceberg, thrifted
Shorts, Perry Ellis
Shirt, I.P. Zone, thrifted
Platform brogues, thrifted
Socks, Crocodile




Yes, that is actual dog hair on my Iceberg sweater. (Am always playing with our dogs.) Now that I'm looking at it again, I think that's Pluto and not Goofy. What do you think?




Iceberg became famous in the 90s for its Disney sweaters. Though the last time I saw cartoon characters on their clothes was for their Spring 2009 collection. As this sweater says, it is part of history.




I still fall on these 2.5-inch platforms. Not practical, but I love how they look.




Back to reality, and in my jeans. I changed into a soft pair, with boots, before heading to work. Tied the sweater for the office AC.


Jeans, Jil Sander
Boots, Timberland, thrifted
Bag, Fred Perry
Tote, Ritual




It would have been nice to keep the added height, but it was raining and the platforms were covered in hemp.




Oh and did you notice my new blog banner (scroll up)? Will talk about it by and by, and also the story behind the old banner that it replaced (if you haven't heard it yet).

Good night!

The night between us

An unexpectedly cold morning caught the better of me again, so I stayed home. (No, not out of depression.) Pictures were taken last Saturday, when I went around stores to look for items for a themed product shoot.

Styling is a little like window shopping, trying out the clothes in your mind and imagining them in ensembles on models. A good way to soothe self-imposed shopping bans.




Now it's raining. The obsessive in me is making schedules again, trying to fit in everything I want to do, but with a pinch of perspective: adjusting, reconsidering, making compromises, and most importantly, slashing out things that were never important in the first place. Night of the unknown: we begin again.


Parka, Inigo Jones of London, thrifted
Tee, Dries Van Noten
Jeans, Cheap Monday
Belt, Brave Beltworks
Crocheted sandals, thrifted
Satchel, Young Camel, thrifted

Ochre and lavender summer

For guys who are too shy to don Tangerine Tango, Pantone's color of the year, I think ochre is a suitable alternative. It is near beige and brown, so is almost neutral, but has undertones of mustard.


Pajama top, thrifted
Shirt, Zara
Jeans, Bench
Belt, Structure, thrifted
PVC shoulder bag, 5cm
Portfolio, François Marot, thrifted
Shoes, Next, thrifted




To keep things a little lively, I chose a striped lavender shirt to wear under this ochre-colored pajama top I thrifted years ago. Don't you just love the pattern? The brown found in four separate items (jeans, belt, shoes, and bag) helps to tone down the ochre and lavender, and coordinates the look.




So I won't die of color boredom, I also incorporated this red portfolio.




Of course, if you can and/or want to wear Tangerine Tango, then go ahead. I would. It would have worked with the cloudy day when these pictures were taken: nothing better to counter the gloom.




Oh, and this is a bag from 5cm I bought in Hong Kong in 2006 (I think). When are the 5cm people in Manila going to stock the label's more interesting and androgynous stuff?

Happy Sunday!

Moving on

So I didn't get the job. I sent a late application last week for a position at FT magazine How to Spend It, took a test, and was interviewed on the phone by the editor herself. In the end I didn't get it (no, not because I look fat; that's just my t-shirt). I guess that's life. There will be something even better soon enough.


Sheer tee, Oxygen
Long-sleeved tee, G2000
Jeans, Bench
Belt, Structure, thrifted
Nylon sneakers, Acne x Tretorn
Backpack, thrifted




In the meantime, time for more weekend fun! Need to go back to Divisoria and Quiapo, which I sorely miss, to get some stuff.




Think I need to plan some trips, to learn to relax. When I was a kid, during summer vacation, I'd sleep over at an aunt's house for a week, then at my grandmother's the next, then another aunt's for one or two more weeks. I still love being out and about. I miss travelling.




I also think I need a more permanent change of scene, but maybe not just yet.




Something that will allow me to live (not just visit) in various cities. Yeah, that would be perfect.




Until then, see you around!