what i wore – Page 9 – Gizelle Faye Creative Studio

cebu fashion bloggers x parade of dresses

finally got to meet Cherie of Parade of Dresses ♥

i have always been in awe of Cherie’s blog and the style and photos it contains. the colorful and soft outfits, the breezy beach photos and the gorgeous afternoon sun are all elements of her blog that never cease to take my stress away. so you can imagine how excited i was, actually all of us, when she asked if it was okay to meet on january 7. in perfect timing, the meet-up was right after the maze event so even without sleep, i pushed myself to survive the night and survive i did. this is all to bond with the cebu fashion bloggers and of course, to meet the gorgeous Cherie. ♥

here the photos and i have to warn you, it’s really heavy. well, what do you expect when stylish people convene.

Cherie and her equally pretty sister — she’s still 17 and so cute!

jerrick, a young cebuano designer , whose necklace i covet and the gomez sisters — liezyl and chyrel

gillian in her tribal printed body con dress & ombre denim vest | mildred in her mixed print outfit & jaw-dropping leather skirt

chyrel in her ooh lala red jeans and sky-high booties | vanessa in her chic navy blazer & fun earrings

mildred and me | toni in her yummy fringe bag & gold glitter oxfords from shoe etiquette (me wants one)

chyrel, gillian, me and jerrick

mildred, eden, philip, chyrel & gillian

the super-talented wonder kid of our group, philip lapinid and me

me with the uber gorgeous toni in her pixie hair (doesn’t it suit her perfectly?)

group shot! the cebu fashion bloggers with Cherie and her sister

from the left: jerrick, eden, chyrel, cherie’s sister, cherie, me, jem and liezyl

the outfit:

my gecko ring, tassel earrings and woven cuffs

my hilariously high-maintenance fringe knit top — it was getting in everything i wore LOL

giraffe meets leopard — my giraffe printed wedge from shoe etiquette & mildred’s leopard wedges from F21

fringe knit top – primal rave wholesale | sheer printed maxi skirt – thrifted | giraffe-printed wedges – shoe etiquette | tassel earrings – DIY | woven cuff – downtown find | gecko ring – bangkok find | chain clutch – vintage from mom

photos courtesy of toni pino & mildred zapanta

freeman feature x the humanizer

on the day we left for Manila to attend the Bloggers United 2 event, Freeman released a feature of us, the Cebu bloggers attending the event, written by Kristine Roa (online article here). the miracle it took for us to get a copy of this article was so funny because Mildred and Alexa literally had to steal this page from a coffee shop at the airport. some photos used on the article were submitted by the bloggers who were not able to do the photo shoot with us the week prior. as for some of us, we did an afternoon shoot with Rolan Icban, the humanizer.

i have to say, it was really fun doing the shoot with the girls and Roland. as talkative as i am with my friends but i don’t do well with strangers because i tend do be too shy but Roland knew how to direct our poses and amazingly captured the light in all of our photos. i definitely look forward to getting another chance to do a shoot with the humanizer.

printed vintage dress – thrifted | black tights – sm department store | black lace-up booties – parisian, sm department store | black floppy hat – shopyapi.com | bangles & rings – downtown finds

gillian uang ♥ vanessa east ♥ eden villarba ♥ gizelle sembrano

we ♥ the humanizer!

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!

cheers to 2012!

Good morning 2012!

the Sembrano tres marias — meeting 2012’s first sunrise! (forgive my sister Aimee, she doesn’t realize Cebu pavements are not as clean as Aussie’s..LOL!)

Mr. and Mrs. B’s first new year as a married couple! ♥ ♥ ♥

Harry, me and my kulit sister, Aimee!

Sam, Kate, Armand, Aimee, Me and Harry

i miss Armand!

family’s night out? LOL.
Mr. and Mrs. B ~ Harry & Gizelle + Aimee + Mr. and Mrs. Tan ~ Warren & Charm

with the super hilarious Mary Ty, one of the amazing designers of MEGA YDC. our jaws hurt from laughing!

now, on to the outfit…

polka tent blouse – primal rave | bandage skirt – primal rave | black strappy heels – people are people
brass cuff – shopyapi.com | feather necklace & brass layered necklace – downtown finds | rings – downtown finds

Aimee’s outfit: pink bandage dress with sleeve cutouts – primal rave | chain bag – vintage
leopard heels – people are people | necklace and bangles – downtown finds

can you guess what those things are beside the lion?

the polka dressing tradition continues! this is my 4th new year wearing polka — they say it’s good luck and brings in more money for the year! here’s to not just more money but more love, guidance from God, opportunities to seize and risks to take…

2011 was definitely a roller coaster ride for me. half the year were mornings where i didn’t know whether i wanted to wake up or just sleep through the day but i was blessed enough to realize life is too short and took mine back. 2011 blessed me with a job that i loved [all this time], a promotion, a fiance, a family reunion and fiinally, a husband.

to 2012, may you bring as many opportunities and adventures as you’ve given in 2011 — only less confusion, heartache and drama. ♥ ♥ ♥

different but it’s Christmas all the same

true, this year was a different Christmas than all the others i’ve spent. for one, i missed a whole lot of misa de gallo because of work. i shopped too late for gifts because i was waiting for additional funds — like, 3 days before Christmas and i’m not done yet. it was the first time i decorated our tree on my own because my mom got sick with flu and it was already December 20 — Christmas is not complete without an overly decorated tree in our house. we didn’t have a big noche buena like we used to but my sisters (and i helped a little) cooked yummy seafood and hungarian pasta and we had our fill of my tita’s home-made ham. lastly, we didn’t open gifts after midnight because we didn’t wrap our gifts this year. to sum it all up, my Christmas was a lot simpler than it used to but you know what? what mattered most is that i had 85% of my family complete — with my little sister back from Australia but minus Harry who was in Bohol with his family. being in the company of people who will love you unconditionally is still the best Christmas one can have. i am, indeed, lucky. ♥

merry christmas everyone! ♥

cebu and manila style bloggers meet!

even with an energy level that of a one bar on a mobile phone, we pulled ourselves out of bed the day after the long event to meet and have a sit-down dinner at the Borough in the Podium. everyone came in their own styles, the food was good and conversations were even better. ♥

mildred zapanta of dred reveries

group photo! we look like we’ve been friends for sooo long ~ like a high school reunion photo.
from left: mike magallanes of toxic disco boy | melai entuna of style and soul | aisa ipac of drowning equilibriums | jeff, a levi’s PR | eden villarba of chic in the tropics | ava of artsy fartsy ava | sarah tirona of ms. eggplant’s chronicles | vanessa east of the detritus of an earthbound goddess | mildred zapanta of dred reveries

and the winner for the most supportive partner goes to mich! ♥

bloggers united 2: the amazing day that was

last May, as Bloggers United took place, all i can do was hold on to my iPod and check real-time updates of the bloggers who were participating and check their posts days later to continue to stalk even more — i think i drooled a bit too. this December, i drooled but i was there. (yeah baby!) and it was one of the funnest, exhilarating and exhausting yet most memorable event of my year. after months of stalking the fabulous Manila bloggers, i finally got to meet them in person. since it was a one-time event, i took my shyness aside and got the courage to smile at people i don’t personally know and it was just amazing to have met new friends. *crossing fingers* i do hope we’re still invited on the next Bloggers United event. even if we haven’t left Manila, we were all already thinking of what to do the next time. ♥

our space. our label. the CFB representatives. ♥

mildred and i were one of the firsts to arrive. those are our luggages that we almost carried through the long flight of stairs. good thing a kind guy helped us carry them.

our clothes for sale on the table. we didn’t have clothes racks but we had no regrets. people flocked to our booth because ours looked un-intimidating? i don’t know but we’re just glad we sold a lot of items.

the long line of bloggers united attendees…whoot! ♥

the cebu fashion bloggers with the gorgeous bloggers united organizers and founders, Melai and Aisa.
(we should have waited for Ana too)

with my sunshine and most supportive friend — pyangee

wrapping up! all the clothes we had unsold were donated to GMA Kapuso ♥

time for outfit shots!

eden villarba of chic in the tropics

alexa en tan luna of i am alexa

vanessa east of the detritus of an earthbound goddess

moi — looking very sleepy and more haggard without make-up..LOL.

mildred zapanta of dred reveries — she was also my roommate and we had loads of fun!

color blocked arrival | manila trip day 1

photos courtesy of Mildred and Eden

green maxi skirt – thrifted | denim jacket – borrowed from Aimee | white tank top – thrifted | blue and white striped flats – bangkok find | necklaces – vintage & bangkok find

these photos were taken upon our arrival at Manila on December 2, 2011 to join the Bloggers United 2. is it obvious that i haven’t slept for 24 hours and that what was keeping me alive was a bottle of energy drink and my excitement for the event?

i love how we all traveled and went through the hassle of airport security in not just any casual outfit but something that was what we called our own version of comfort and style. i also loved that we came garbed in our own distinct styles — with me turning to my fail safe maxi skirt, white tank top and long necklace, Alexa in her cool sleeveless top and tulip skirt, Mildred in her bright blazer and denim cut-offs and of course, Eden in her grunged up sweater and studded cut-offs. i’ve never traveled with so many stares before because not only were people staring at me for wearing such a bright colored skirt and fuchsia lipstick but at my fabulous companions as well.

well, we’ve been joking about blogging about our Manila trip for days on end (maybe in a span of 2 weeks, right Van?) but maybe it just might happen. LOL. hold on to your seats for my post on the actual day of the Blogger’s United 2 event and on our 3rd day in Manila. ♥

bowtie love x blogger’s united 2 ticket winners!

cardigan with polka cutouts – bangkok find | sheer top with bowtie – bangkok find | pleated skirt – thrifted | studded white belt – primal rave wholesale | nude wedge booties – gold dot
chain-linked necklace – gifted by Eden | gunmetal cuffs & rings – downtown finds

i know i’ve neglected this blog for more than a week now. hey, it’s not my fault. although work got to best of me last week and i ended up working 12 – 14 hours a day, i did intend to blog last weekend. i caught the flu though and was on bed rest til’ today. i got to stay at home on a Monday but it wasn’t fun and games at all. my head seemed like it was going to split and it was throbbing with pain every time i move. i’m all well now after religiously taking pain medication and antibiotics.

anyway, these photos were taken 2 weekends ago after the ‘meet the parents’ lunch we had at our place. yes, Harry has met my parents and i have met his but this time, both our parents were meeting for the first time. it was tense, awkward and funny the first few minutes but once everyone got to talking, we hardly noticed that almost 3 hours has gone by. ♥ parents who get along well together is just the bestest thing to happen to a wedding-in-the-making! ♥

so the Bloggers United 2 event is in 4 days and i can’t wait for it! i don’t know if i’m prepared enough but i am very much looking forward to meeting other fabulous bloggers and meeting Vanilla Ice Cream’s Manila readers too. so without further adieu, here are the winners of the Bloggers United 2 entrance tickets:

Lilli Elizabeth Abatayo
Audrey Noreen Deza
Rovie Divinagracia
Cez Quijada
Kristina Marie Letada
Kristabel F. Penafuerte
Sumi Go
Banegrace Malate
Grace Siy
Loty Rhae Pascua
Mae Angelie Jinang
Erna De Jesus
Diane Pancho

i’ll e-mail you guys tomorrow (and tweet you too!) see you soon and make sure to drop by our booth! ♥

writing my own story

pink blazer – thrifted (for P50!) | white tank top – thrifted | zebra printed shorts – bangkok find
lace-up heels – parisian, sm dept store | dog tag necklace – custom made | red sunnies – bangkok find

90% of the time, i’m that girl who doesn’t give a crap about what other people say about me. i like doing things my way, as long as i’m not hurting anyone. i dress the way i dress and i maintain a carefree and friendly demeanor wherever i am. i try to always give a piece of my mind and hardly resort to keeping things to myself when called for. it may be with this kind of attitude that people misunderstand me and it’s okay. i do not exist to make everyone understand how i am because that’s just foolish. one thing i have learned from Harry when we first got together is this: “People will always have their own version of your story. The important thing is you write your own and live it to its fullest.”

so yeah, people can make up stories about me. i’ll write my own as well. in the end, what matters is i know and LIVE it, my family knows it, harry knows it and my true friends do too.

stealing granny’s style

i have always had this affinity for granny clothes especially those that come with a gartered waist and electric pleats. i always get overly excited when i see electric pleats and the science behind creating those stunning folds never ceases to amaze me. so when i saw this dress at PHP 50.00 ($1.20), i was immensely elated and couldn’t believe what a steal it was. the dress is pleated, polka dotted and has scalloped sleeves — just my cup of tea.

wearing granny clothes can easily lean both ways, looking juvenile like a 13-year old girl or looking well, like a grandma. so i had my dad cut 2 inches off the hem to make the dress more modern. the only regret? he cut it too short because i measured it too short — i was bending when i made the cutting mark! LOL. so to style a granny dress more youthfully, i layered on a chunky necklace and studded belt, added gazillions of bangles and a pair of chunky rings to create that extra jingle, topped the outfit with a bowler hat and let my hair down. voila! juvenile and granny no more. what do you guys think? would you wear granny clothes?

Versace x H&M

i have to admit that up until i saw a TV special on Versace — its brand, how their company was built and the amazing siblings who ran the fashion label, i didn’t have much appreciation for it. i had this unconscious bitterness over designer clothing which is beyond my reach and it took me a while to realize that although the actual clothing is beyond my financial reach, it shouldn’t hinder me from appreciating the art and work that was put into the creation of the designs. to be a renowned designer takes a massive amount of brilliance — brilliance that is not tapped by just any ordinary being. despite the steep prices, designer clothing are still works of art.

thanks to Lady Gaga who wore a Versace dress on a casual day, Donatella decided to share Versace to the public and collaborate with H&M. when Lady Gaga fans asked where she got her single shoulder shift, a collaboration with H&M was Donatella’s way of letting those fans get a taste of the Italian fashion label at a few hundreds (and not in thousands). that leather jacket below can be ours at $299 (still a steep price for the Peso but still affordable compared to the couture line / collection). here are my favorites from the collection:

all images courtesy of style.com — check out the site for a full coverage of the launch.

my top favorites are the pleated dress with the leather jacket (2nd photo) which was also worn by jessica alba at the launch (here), the purple cutout dress and black chiffon dress on the 5th row — the black one worn by jennifer hudson at the launch (here). all the lace-up booties caught my heart too, especially the blue ones. simply amazeballs. how about you? what are your favorite/s?