be kind rewind – Girl Gone Cuckoo

look back once then move forward x cheers to 2013!

i’m in a bit of a panic here because not only is it another month, it’s another year and i’m still catching up with posts from december 2012. so i better hurry up then!

but before i proceed with my catch-up posts, here’s a quick look back into my 2012:

my favorite looks

it’s on this year that i have found a sense of style that is true to myself. over the last 3 years since i started my blog, i’ve been experimenting with various looks. this year, i’ve been more picky with my closet items when i shop and only get the ones that truly represent who i am.

falling in love all over again

i was civilly married last year however, it was only this year that Harry and i started planning for our Church wedding. we had our engagement session shot by the amazing Marlon Capuyan and it felt like day one with Harry all over again.

how i took the risk and chose my passion

i may have spoken about resigning in October and choosing to do what i love but i don’t think i’ve discussed in detail what i actually do for a living now. my friend April and I launched Cuckoo Cloud Concepts back in October and as Harry would say it, “We’ve gone Cuckoo!”

cuckoo cloud concepts cebu wedding stylist cebu engagement session cebu wedding

Cuckoo Cloud Concepts specializes in styling and set design for engagement sessions that have a fun and quirky vibe. we love couples who’d like to tell a story with their engagement session and want to make a fun memory of their love story. we also style weddings for couples who want handmade elements in their wedding. so far, things have been unexpectedly good. we’re still starting a bit slow but there has been a lot of potential and upcoming opportunities. we are especially thankful for Marlon and Mildred for their support — as they’ve been there for us since the start. of course, our Mr. Cuckoos have been our number one fans. here are some of the work we’ve done — and you can check out our website and Facebook page for more details:

what i did, resigning from a high-paying corporate job, is a great risk. honestly, i don’t have money to spend for personal stuff right now and my money is enough for day-by-day expenses but that’s okay. i’ve realized you have to undergo a bit of sacrifice to pursue something you love. i love fashion that’s why i have this blog but i’m also happy that i get to do a bit of that for the couples in their shoots. i’ve dipped my hands into DIY-ing again and it feels good knowing that i can create something beautiful with my hands. of course, i love weddings. am in love with weddings which makes this job all the more fun. so —

“hi, i’m gizelle. former sales and call center manager. now a happy stylist and set designer for Cuckoo Cloud Concepts. nice to meet you!” ♥

experienced Bloggers United twice!

a look back in words

in words, my twenty-twelve has been a roller coaster. it started really dark what with the tragedy my family experienced in january. we slowly had to move on from it to support my sister and i underwent hell at work, all while preparing for my wedding. i lost weight because i could only eat once a day due to work stress and my personal life almost faltered. but in the end, everything turned out well. the choices we make mold our lives to what we what we want them to be in the end. on December 22, i got married in front of God and our families in my dream bohemian wedding gown and to the love of my life, Harry. (and if some of you are wondering, i’m 28. not 22 so yes, it’s the right time for me get married. haha!)

happy new year everyone!
here’s a year of fashion brilliance (or mistakes) and hopefully a whole wall of beautiful shoes by the end of year.

be kind, rewind four | transcending time

blue floral dress – thrifted | leopard-print wedges – shoe etiquette | braided belt – primal rave wholesale | cutout cuff – downtown find | rings: mustache, spike and lion – downtown finds

it always feels like Christmas to me whenever i find a good condition vintage dress for a steal (say, P50?). some vintage clothes have a certain wear and tear in them and some have the obviously dated fit. this floral dress is definitely one of my favorites — it has that old-style feel of the 50’s like something my grandma wore and its material is made of a thicker chiffon with a thicker lining (not those flimsy ones you find in clothes nowadays) but the fit and style transcends time. at least i think it does. i am just such a sucker for girly dresses with a certain whimsy or frill.

be kind, rewind details: remember a year and a half ago that i wore this dress to formo? (mind you, i stood out and was definitely misplaced — photo below). paired it then with my Gold Dot Alfreda wedges and now i wanted to add more oomph to it by pairing it with a contrasting leopard print pair of wedges from Shoe Etiquette.

how else would you style this dress?

i’m sure there are a lot of ways and i can’t wait to recycle this on more occasions. ♥

be kind, rewind three | animalia

printed cape tunic – thrifted | over-worn jeans – chillypapa | strappy animal printed wedges – gifted | cutout layered necklace & feather necklace – downtown finds | brass bangles, studded wood bangle, bead bracelet & square bangle – downtown finds | lion & alligator ring – downtown finds (all accessories are only worth P300) | brown sunnies – borrowed from Aimee

i know it’s not just me when i say this: most days, i plan my outfit around what pair of shoes i decide to wear. despite the serious lack of sleep, when i woke up today, i knew i wanted to wear the strappy animal-printed wedges that Harry gave me for Christmas. i felt i needed to be loose and free or i’d get tantrums at work so i immediately thought of my over-worn cape tunic and more overly worn jeans which incidentally paired well with my new pair of shoes. (would you believe i own only 1 pair of jeans? believe it, because i really do). and when undecided on what accessories to wear, i say wear them all as long as the outfit can accommodate it. so voila, i’m set for work!

speaking of over-worn, this post will now serve as my third installment of my “be kind, rewind” series. i’ve worn these pair of jeans and the same cape tunic while walking snickers here and i’ve worn the cape tunic over a neon bikini here. all these posts were done in 2010 by the way. i can’t believe it’s been that long.

i hope everyone is having an awesome new year! the world might end in 2012 so let’s live everyday as if it’s our last!

be kind, rewind two | thank you, shoe heaven!

planning a wedding and trying to achieve that perfect, magical one can dampen one’s shopping spirits. since the proposal, harry and i have agreed to save, save, save every extra money we have. believe it or not, the last time we watched a movie on the cinema was July. all this time, we’ve been spending weekends at home, just watching dvd’s and pigging out. finishing the big bang theory from the season 1 – 4 didn’t hurt though and i was mighty glad Sheldon, Penny and Leonard were there to accompany us.

so as i am not able to buy more clothes or a new pair of shoes, i have decided to continue the ‘be kind, rewind…’ posts and make it a series. the first one was this one. and for this post: the giraffe-printed shirt i wore on May 2010 and the black pleated trousers i first wore on March 2011.

on other news, i guess the heavens heard my deep want to get a new pair of shoes because i just got a new pair that’s not just gorgeous but super comfortable. Mickey of Wantedshoes.com reached out to me on July and asked for a pair that i wanted from their website which they’ll send for free. i never thought it would arrive until i got this pair in the mail:

thank you, Wanted for the new pair of shoes! ♥ ♥ ♥

outfit post of the lovelies will be up, soon…

be kind, rewind

fox ring – bangkok find | brown sunnies – carbon find

for regular readers, you might find this dress and cardigan familiar. i do have this insane rule of not repeating what i wear but only for the same month. as much as possible, i’d like to keep my outfits different when i can. for me, style is not about buying new clothes to wear everyday. here are the different times i’ve worn the items on this outfit:

as we are currently saving up for our wedding, i can’t allow myself to get tempted by new retail buys. i think this is absurd but Harry says i have way too many clothes and even asked me if i have attempted to count them. i didn’t answer him, of course, but i know that i should stop buying more and it’s just a small sacrifice for me to finally wear that big yet flowy and white bohemian wedding dress that i’ve always dreamed of.

so, expect more outfit posts with items recycled from previous outfits. ♥

ps. thanks to the readers who left comments on my last post. i am glad to be back and it’s definitely heart-warming to know i’ve been missed. will get back to your comments soon! mwah! ♥