armand alforque – Girl Gone Cuckoo

photo session: head wrap

remember the behind-the-scene shots i posted about our farewell party for my sister last December? finally, with Armand’s hard work and multiple insertions to his busy schedule, the photos are here:

styling by gizelle faye sembrano

make-up by gizelle and armand

photography and editing by armand alforque

should we even celebrate farewell?

i promised i wouldn’t cry until we get to the airport so i didn’t. probably th last get together with friends before my little sister parts with the city she was born in. these are just some behind the scene snapshots of another amazing photoshoot with armand alforque. this photoshoot and paying half of the hotel room is what he called his christmas gift to us.

ps. i might not be around to blog much these days. last week, my big sister’s wedding and work has taken over my life. the next couple of weeks, i’ll be busy preparing for my little sister’s departure. a lot to deal with, i know. after all, there’s just 3 of us and after two weeks, there will be only me left at home. so please bear with me and i do hope you still continue to look forward to my post.

floral maxi dress – thrifted

orange scarf as turban – gifted from sister

photoshoot details:

make-up and styling by armand and me

photography by armand alforque

Blog | Cebu Street Fashion by Armand Alforque

“Above all, remember that the most important thing you can take anywhere is not a Gucci bag or French-cut jeans; it’s an open mind…” – Gail Rubin Bereny

behind-the-scenes: cebu fashion bloggers

armand alforque was looking for his next project and suddenly thought of us bloggers. of course we all were glad to jump on the wagon as it’s not only a chance for a little bit of publicity for us but also a chance for us, cebu style bloggers to get together and get to know each other. some our boyfriends tagged along and gillian even brought her dad. *smile*

the style bloggers who participated in this shoot are (left to right in the group photo by the truck): vanessa east of one frozen margarita, gillian uang of by details, toni pino of perfumed red shoes, eden villarba of chic in the tropics, philip lapinid of fashion toy gun and mildred zapanta of dred reveries.

a pet in pink ribbons

after being MIA for a few days, of course you should expect a photo-heavy post. i need to catch up. first up, let me introduce you to my blog pet in pink ribbons. he’s not harmful, just a bit temperamental, especially when it rains or if his feet gets wet after running in the rain and accidentally dipping it in a puddle..haha!

so yeah, this is how i rocked the cropped top. i’m not daring enough to show the tummy though so a black tank top is necessary. i love the day this photo we taken. it was raining really hard but then it stopped and the sun came out around 4PM. armand and i haven’t taken a break since that morning so when the bosses left for personal errands, we scrammed and had fun outside. thus, the pet in pink ribbons. we had this idea of him becoming my pet when i whined about him frequently being in my posts and that he should start his own blog. that’s when he told me, “i can be your blog pet then.” we grabbed some ribbons from leftovers from the last invite we made and voila! instant chic leash.

cropped top with black tank top – props

skinny jeans – chillypapa

grey flats with zebra-print bow – parisian, sm dept store

zebra-print fedora – sm dept store

dog tag necklace – custom-made

gun-metal wire cuffs – props

on another note, although i am super delayed in posting this but 2 weekends ago, philip and i attended the annual fashion show of my old alma mater. it’s a show that fine arts students from my old school put up every year as their project. while i was in school, i’ve followed the shows to make up the art school envy. i should have been part of it. if only i listened to my heart. and yes, had enough wisdom to know that it doesn’t matter if the course i’m taking is highly-employable or not, what matters is that i’m passionate about it. oh well, what happened, happened. everything happens for a reason.

anyway, these are just some of the looks i had the chance to photograph. philip and i mustered the courage to ask these models to pose for us despite not knowing us. haha! the designs are done by 19 year olds, can you believe it?

posing 101 by armand | after hours

i feel like i have wasted the effort in dressing up for the the past few days because i tend to forget to take outfit shots. i love the late afternoon sunlight and its warm glow so i always plan to take photos by that time but due to the rush at work, before we know it, it’s already sun down. and for the past 3 days, sun down has been darker than usual with the consecutive power failures. apparently, our city is running low on electricity supply so they have to do rotational power cut-offs.

this time i made sure that before going home, i do an outfit shot. i simply love this shirt and i got it from the streets of bangkok for only 110 Baht. the doodles are just the perfect creatures and monsters inside my doodle-head. i did pair this shirt with a short floral full skirt but i failed to take a photo of that outfit too. despite not being a fan of my camera’s flash, i had no other choice and had to find an interesting spot — the washroom beside the office’s cluttered bookshelf. i had to ask armand to teach me how to pose so that’s him demonstrating a pose for me. i tried to imitate it but couldn’t resist smiling. do i look like i needed to pee??? haha! my favorite photo is the last one which is directed by my sister charm and mind you, my feet got wet here when i accidentally dipped it in paint wash water…oh the trouble we go through for a good outfit shot!

graphic tee – bangkok night market

denim skirt – thrifted (one of my faves)

grey vest – thrifted

grey flats with zebra-print bow – parisian, sm dept store

stacks of gun-metal bangles – carbon find

i always go back to you

i always go back to this dress. it’s what i call my fail-safe dress. it has mixed patterns and prints. it’s belted on the waist. it’s very comfortable. it’s breezy. it’s blue. and yes, it’s very forgiving. why? because it’s a tent dress and it can fit me when i’ve gained weight or lost weight. and this time, i’ve gained some and my mixed print dress is always there to catch me when i’m in an outfit dilemma.

i’ve mentioned this on one of my very few posts when i started my new job — a day job. i’ve had this heightened appetite and have been eating non-stop for weeks now. other than a new pair of shoes, food cheers me up. vanilla ice cream cheers me up the most. i would love to have a new pair everytime i get stressed or restless or bored but it’s an expensive habit. whereas, food is there..haha! so yeah, i know i have to control this appetite or else my clothes won’t fit me anymore (which will be such a waste of money) but for now, i’m going to enjoy actual lunch at 12 noon, afternoon snacks of turon (banana and nangka fritter wrapped in chinese wrapper, coated with brown sugar then deep fried to perfection) and ice candy, little munchy breaks of yogurt or crackers, dinner at home at 7PM and dessert with dark chocolate or ice cream.

mixed print dress – thrifted

blue embellished sandals – khaosan road, bangkok

heart and clock necklaces – carbon finds

brass tangled bangles – carbon finds

work watch – swatch

brown sunnies – carbon find

ps. i should learn how to pose like armand. isn’t he fierce?

photo possibilities + body clock change

i meant to do a post last night but i had to watch and take care of Harry at the hospital — he got admitted for a bacterial infection and has had a fever on and off. he’s doing a bit well now, if you should ask. he still has a slight fever but he’s no longer having chills.

the photos here were taken at one part of the office area. the place is teeming with possibilities and i can’t wait to shoot in all areas possible. the office is located in an advent center which looks like a really big house and our room is on the first door. aside from the interesting areas to shoot outside, the building has a terrace with talisay trees in the background and white wooden panels on the walls. on the way up to the second floor is a wooden staircase, some antique stuff like old radios, typewriter and antique sofas. the the center is on a compound which also has an italian restaurant — haven’t eaten there thought as they say it’s quite expensive. good thing the aroma of the italian food doesn’t reach the office because one thing i have discovered on a ‘day’ job is that it definitely has heightened up my appetite. if you’ve notice, i’ve gained weight in these photos.

i think i’ve gained about 5 lbs. i just can’t stop eating! i think i get hungry every 3-4 hours which is not good for me because i easily gain weight. although i am not on a strict diet as i eat whatever i want like sinful desserts and all the meat i can eat, i try though to choose food items that are healthier like brown rice, whole wheat bread, lean meat or char-grilled all-meat burgers instead of the ones found in fast food chains with meat extenders in the form of eggplants that easily absorb oil. shifting to a day job has certainly shifted my hormones and body clock too and so far, i am still adjusting. hope this adjustment transitions faster because i might no longer fit into my clothes! (or the denim levi’s high-waist cut-offs i thrifted last month which i have yet to wear! buhu…)

okay, so the following photos below are a result of a gay friend who has worked for Drawingboard for more than a year but was only encouraged to be gayer because i started working their too. we decided to wear heels this day and maybe on all other days in the office. you might find his face to be familiar to you — meet Armand Alforque in black booties:

striped oversized cardigan – thrifted

white tank top – thrifted

grey skinny jeans – thrifted

black peep-toe booties – celine (gifted from harry)

pink suede belt – big sister’s closet

robot necklace – downtown find

rings: black rectangle stone + white round stone – props

work watch – swatch

ice cream special: armand alforque

i gravitate towards art because it’s the freest form of expression. and with that, i gravitate towards creative people too. here’s a monthly ode to arists. and let me introduce you to

armand alforque

photographer. graphic artist. a very good friend.

we’d like to think that we’re cousins mainly because our parents come from the same hometown — maybe, but very distant. nevertheless, this artist is very close to my heart. armand is a graphic artist at drawing board creative and has created all kinds of art for major events and establishments like loft. however, photography is his passion. discover the talent of armand and let’s take a look at his photos:

1. When did you start photography? Who or what inspired you to start it?

officially, i started 4 years ago when my mom and dad bought me my first DSLR Nikon D40x for my photography class in school. i was really into fashion at first but then i fell in love with photography — fashion photography and digital art. i can easily see the results and have more control over my work.

2. What was your first ever camera? What did you love and hate about it?

like i said, a Nikon D40x. a DSLR was quite expensive at that time. only a few of us in class have cameras. so we have a lot of respect for photography. what i love about my Nikon D40x? it was right for my use at that time. i bought a new one, Nikon D5000 with video(!!!) and sold my D40x to my close friend. my D40x is still in good hands although i hate it because it’s big. i don’t take it with me all the time. i don’t use it for camwhoring. *wink*

3. Do you have a special style of taking photos that you can say would be unique from others? How about editing?

i guess, i tend to over-edit. i look at small details. and my photography may look like digital art. my style is not natural — provocative, with my male subjects and ANTM-ish with my female subjects. not everybody can appreciate my work as some say its almost porn and some say its too “clean.” but i like it. i don’t aim at pleasing everybody. i’m an artist.

4. What do you enjoy most photography?

having full control over it, quick results and you can really do a lot of stuff with the photos. you can go natural or turn it into digital art. there is a work-relationship with me and the models, the MUA (make-up artists) and the designers as well.

5. Who or what is your dream subject?

ANTM-ish!!! ANTM makes me teary-eyed…and BENCH-ish!

5. DSLRs are selling like pancakes. What can you say about the massive DSLR purchases of the last 2-3 years in our city alone? Is it really for everyone?

hahaha, i know and it is quite disappointing. i bought my D40x 4 years ago and it was expensive. and now i bought my D5000 with video at a cheaper price! well, obviously, anyone can afford a DSLR now but a DSLR should be treated with respect. i don’t use it for camwhoring and i don’t use it as part of my wardrobe — a DSLR is not a necklace! everyone can own a camera, but not everyone can take good pictures.

7. What can you say to those who are still planning to take on photography?

don’t take photography because it’s a trend. don’t buy a DSLR because it’s a trend. take photography because you have the heart for it. buy a DSLR and make sure to use it. know your field — whether it’s fashion, weddings, events, etc. treat photography and your DSLR with great respect. and last, practice, practice, practice.

check out armand’s portfolio at: http://armandalforque.multiply.com