cebu fashion blogger – Page 17 – Gizelle Faye Creative Studio

head over heels

as kids, we grew up watching cinderella getting help from mice, birds and her fairy godmother. we watched how ariel and eric were serenaded “kiss the girl” by frogs and how a candelabra and a teapot were singing to belle and the beast. these fairytales amazed me and instilled in me an optimism that had carried on till’ now.

having grown up, we now believe in different kinds of fairytales. aside from the usual soulmate-fate-take the risk movies, there is one kind of fairytale that i constantly long for. the fairytale of a place where all ladies can wear heels without strain. i watch how Carrie Bradshaw, Serena Van Der Woodsen and Andrea Sachs walk, romp and run in heels that i can’t help but wonder how it is possible. my shoes and theirs may differ in price by the thousands so theirs might have the extra comfort but it certainly can’t be denied that the constant tiptoe form of the feet would still eventually hurt.

so i may own all those heels above but the longest time i can tolerate the pain is 5 hours (12 hours if i’m in a carpeted room). running around in heels on hard pavement will always be a fantasy.

i’ve been electri-pleated!

one of the perks of rummaging through thrift or vintage shops is finding a good number of good quality pleated skirts and dresses and every time i score one, i immediately sift through the folds and am just amazed at how it flows. i’ve been lucky enough to score 3 electric pleated skirts in the last 3 weeks on our recent thrifting trips and i can’t wait to wear all of them. meet the first one: a black double-layered electric pleated skirt. and i can’t help swaying with it when i walk.

printed tee – thrifted

black pleated skirt – thrifted

black wedge sandals – parisian, sm dept store

stacks of bangles – carbon finds

rings – carbon finds

faux snake skin belt – pratunam, bangkok

oops, i thought this was a dress!

growing up in a catholic school, strict rules about dressing up and grooming were enforced. we were always to wear sandos or undershirts underneath our white cotton uniform (which became more excruciating when we reached high school because our blouses became long sleeved). we were not supposed to wear any manicure, pluck our eyebrows nor dye our hair. to be more conservative, we were to wear undershorts beneath our skirts. well, on regular days unless we had to wear our white skirts, most girls in our school wore undershorts that is, except me. our uniforms were warm enough what with the long sleeved blouse and the below-the-knee thick skirt that wearing shorts was excruciating for me. so now, i’ve carried on the non-undershort wearing habit unless absolutely necessary like wearing this dress.

actually, this dress, as it turns out required more than undershorts but really a pair of denim ones. when i was dressing up this morning, the dress felt like a dress until i was moving about the whole day and was rummaging at lower bag racks in the department store, did i realize that this dress is actually a blouse. LOL.

cotton printed dress – thrifted

multi-colored gladiator sandals – khaosan road, bangkok

stacks of brass bangles – carbon finds

necklaces: fairy – props | diamond-shaped oriental pattern – gifted from ivy

rings – carbon finds

aviator sunnies – mongkok, hongkong

and oh, before i forget, i’d like to ask for a little favor from you guys. PensandLens is holding a ‘Fashion Stylist’ photo contest in her Facebook page and the winner gets to win a complete Forever21 ensemble. it may not be a big deal to some outside the Philippines, but i am such a sucker for Forever21. so the little favor you can do for me is to like the photo i entered by clicking on that image on the above. here are two simple steps:

‘Like’ the PensandLens Facebook page.
‘Like’ my photo entry.

your votes would certainly make my day if i am announced the winner on november 21, 2010.

thanks a lot for your support! ♥ ♥ ♥

honey, we can talk about anything

as a kid, i remember my mom asking me to stay silent for even just 5 minutes. yes, it was that impossible for me to stop talking. i was infamous for blabbering about anything that was on my mind. ironically though, despite how talkative i am, i also enjoyed being alone. but i did talk to my stuffed rabbits or dolls or sometimes to myself, as i attempted to write an amateur novel.

years later, i never thought i could my meet my match and in my soulmate at that. harry talks more than me. his brain is filled with so many ideas and information, i am rendered speechless. so on our usual saturday night date over pasta and cheesecake, while listening to harry talk about one of the authors he spoke to at work, i realized that one thing i should always be thankful for is how harry and i never run out of things to talk about. after 34 months of being together, you would thing our conversations would go in circles and would grow duller by the moment. we will never have that and i’m thankful because not everyone can have that.

printed maxi dress – thrifted

long black cardigan – thrifted

beaded sandals – gifted from harry (people are people)

black belt with gold studs – pratunam, bangkok

necklaces: fairy – props | watch – hongkong

bangles – props and carbon finds

rings: blue stone and skull – carbon finds

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.

making over my boyfriend

harry asked me yesterday what for me is fashion’s significance in society. it felt like a miss universe question and i wanted to immediately answer, “world peace” without batting an eyelash. haha! kidding aside though, i had to think hard before answering because weirdly, i’ve also been wondering the same thing for the past few days.

here’s my answer: “even if we want to deny that physical appearance doesn’t have anything to do with our well being, it does. by looking physically good, we feel mentally and emotionally good as well. take for example, “how do i look” (the reality tv show in lifetime tv). the ones who undergo the makeover initially don’t agree that they need one not necessarily because they don’t like to dress up but because they’re not confident enough to do so. by dressing up (and at the same time being modest about doing so), i’d like to believe that i inspire other people to do the same and in the end, they feel good about themselves.

harry said: “exactly. just what i thought. and for that, i’m not only getting inspired but i will be joining your world.”

i said, looking at his ratty outfit: “in that???”

we had to burst out laughing because that’s just how we are. we take turns annoying each other. seriously though, i have indeed seen a transformation in harry ever since i met him more than 2 years ago. back then, he used to own only one pair of sneaks, a handful of shirts and one pair of jeans. he admits to having his eye opened to personal style by me. by being passionate about my personal style, i guess i’m transforming one person at a time.

white top with lace shoulder detail – pratunam, bangkok

brown pleated pants – chatuchak, bangkok (originally armand’s)

lace-up wedges – gold dot

camel braided belt – pratunam, bangkok

zebra-print fedora hat – sm dept store

cross necklace – borrowed from aimee

rings: skull and blue stone – carbon finds

bangles – carbon finds

teenage excitement

although this has caused a little argument with harry (which has been resolved so don’t worry), i miss my teen years — the ‘kilig’ and excitement that came with it. i am not specifically talking about my love life as there are other important aspects of life other than that. i am talking about the general feeling of being a teen. being filled with hopes and aspirations. being all set to conquer the world. having this determination to be the best that we can be. reality takes a huge bite out of these things and certain dreams have to be set aside. i was never in denial that growing up is easy but i also never thought that there are times that it would be really hard, like having to accept that people i love would eventually have to live separate lives from me. it’s inevitable and i should have had this wisdom now that i’m 26 but it’s still hard.

in my usual way of dealing with things, i am looking at the bright side after wallowing in the confusion. immediate plans for the last 2 months of 2010 are: canvass and window shop for a bigger bed for my room and a new shelf for all of my books (and the books that i have yet to buy), search for interior design inspirations for the room that will now be all for myself, plan a family getaway and finally, learn how to control the waterworks when we do have to be at the airport come december.

ps. thanks to everyone for all your thoughts, wisdom and opinions on my last post. fashion is indeed a tricky business and if we’re not careful, it can draw us into a world of materialism and vanity instead of art and self-expression.

cotton printed dress – chatuchak, bangkok

green tunic used as cover-up – mom’s closet

brown peep-toe platforms – CMG

necklaces: charms – carbon find | fairy – props

bangles: wooden green and blue – props | brass ones – carbon finds

rings: brass skull, burnt orange stone – carbon finds | oval blue stone and green stone – props

zebra-striped fedora hat – sm dept store

fashion: art? or plain vanity?

an old friend whom i haven’t spoken to in maybe 8 years recently caught up with me in facebook. we used to write all the time when we were kids until life got the hold of us and we were soon too busy to talk. in the past 8 years, that friend has travelled the world and is currently taking up a masters degree at a prestigious university. we’re the same age and knowing of my friend’s current activities, it got me wondering if my interests are shallow compared to my friend’s. while my friend is busy studying and advancing his knowledge, here i am obsessed with shoes and waking up thinking about what to wear.

everyone have different interests and passions. some are passionate about music. some are passionate about computers. others are even bizarrely passionate about maps. i am passionate about fashion; about personal style and i have constantly said that fashion is my form of art and how i express myself. but where does art end and vanity begins with fashion? or does it always have to go together?

blue polka maxi dress – props

white knit cardigan – thrifted

white wedges – borrowed from mom

necklaces: watch necklace – hongkong | square with bird – gifted from gelie

bangles – carbon finds

rings: butterfly – platinum mall, bangkok | white stone – props

halloween 2010: harajuku twins!

for Aimee’s last halloween in Cebu, we decided to dress up as Harajuku Twins. the zombie school girl is our third Japanese sister who died, thus the gore. nothing much to say as i’m just enjoying my long weekend so here are the photos of the night where i ended up getting too many free vodka from the bartender, i woke up at 3PM the following day.

on both of us:

top with studded pocket – props

ruffled tulle shorts – props

colored tights – metro ayala

blue wigs – manalili finds

dogtag necklaces – custom-made

sneakers – vans and chuck taylors

DIY turban and pink bow

bangles: gun-metal stacks – props & carbon finds | colored bangles – DIY

a nude kind of high

the truth is, i’ve been more afraid of wedges than of 5″ heels. yes, they both get me to better heights or at least not make me look small beside harry who is 5’11 and the extra height sure make up for our 9″ difference but i was afraid that wedges would make my thighs look bigger than it already is. so i avoided them until jeffrey campbell and those awesome girls who wear them convinced me to give wedges a try. i must say, i’m a convert. oh my heels will still have enough attention from me but my alfreda wedges from gold dot will surely be a wardrobe staple. this is my first online purchase and opening that package was really a treat — it was like christmas. haha!

white striped top – platinum mall, bangkok

mauve blazer – linea italia

skinny jeans – chillypapa

beige suede wedges – gold dot

silver robot necklace – borrowed from aimee

pink sunnies – carbon find

stacks of bangles – carbon find

maxi + stripes = answered questions

i think i’m getting bad at blogging mainly because i’ve been trying to juggle so many new things in my life and welp, because when i get home all i want to do is watch TV, ‘imortal’ to be more specific. i just can’t resist john lloyd cruz’s good looks.LOL. to those who are not from the philippines or do not follow teleseryes or local tv series, ‘imortal’ is the pinoy’s take on the vampire-wolf craze. it’s something between twilight / underworld / anne rice plus the pinoy cheesiness.

just so you guys won’t think that i’ve totally forgotten about the questions you posted on my last giveaway, i’m going to answer a few right now. here goes:

which one would you prefer most — stripes, plaid or polka dots? (27chic and tortured artist)

well, for those who have been following my blog for some time now, you would know that i have such a weakness for polka dots. although it’s weird saying this because the photos above show me wearing stripes..hehe.

have you tried wearing neon leggings? (27chic)

as much as i’d like to, no i haven’t and i don’t think i ever will. constant running and drills from my old football days have developed my legs to be most unforgiving in bright colored pants, what more leggings. but i will be wearing a pair of metallic purple leggings this halloween.*wink*

who is your fashion icon and why? (eelectroCutee and style-haus)

i normally say mary-kate olsen because i just adore her laid-back, boho-chic style but i just recently discovered carine roitfeld (yes, it took me an issue of preview two months ago to appreciate her style) and i am just blown away by her. her style is just chic, slightly disheveled but very smartly done. she dons embellishments and layers accessories without going to far. i just love how she layers and pairs her clothes.

what is the major change you had recently? (sweet)
i think most of you know this but i’m going to say it for those who don’t — 2 months ago, i resigned from a high-paying job which was making me unhappy in exchange for a job which pays only half of my last salary but is very close to my interests — the arts and marketing.

where do you go thrifting here in Cebu? (alexa luna)
cebu freedom market or carbon is a fail-safe way to thrift although it may be a bit chaotic. you can find vintage dresses, cool shirts, frayed or washed out denim shorts, beautiful scarves from P10 – P70. for a more comfortable environment though, walk around the areas nearing cebu doctor’s hospital. they have several air-conditioned spots that sell ukay-ukay from P50 – P280. and when you do plan to go on an ukay trip, tell me so i can go with you.hehe.

chic in the tropics is holding a CSN giveaway exclusively for US and Canadian readers. go check it out!

grey striped top – thrifted

grey maxi skirt – thrifted

grey flats – gifted from charm

red studded belt – pratunam, bangkok

cross necklace – borrowed from aimee

rings: studded owl – carbon find | orange howlite – dane’s giveaway

gun-metal scales bracelet – tseng accessories