cebu fashion blogger – Page 21 – Gizelle Faye Creative Studio

what do i know about fashion?

kristine of instylecebu.com and glamarazzi.com invited me and a few of the cebu fashion bloggers and fashionistas to be contributing writers to Instyle Cebu —- to write about Cebu fashion, lifestyle, shopping or anything related to it. i am still undecided about taking on this great opportunity and challenge because after all, what do i really know about fashion? there’s so much to know about it and so much to take in. i don’t have a full grasp on upcoming trends or even upcoming designers and only do when i see a few picks of other fashion bloggers from recent collections. i am neither avant-garde nor have enough guts to rock daring and out of this world accessories. and i have never in my life purchased a designer piece and haven’t purchased a single piece of clothing (except shoes) from the mall in the last 5 years.

what i do know about fashion though is how it is supposed to be a medium of self-expression. i am able to assemble and put on good outfits that are a mix of classic and quirky styles without breaking the bank. for a whole outfit, the most expensive i’ve donned cost me only P3000 ($65) and the only item of clothing i own that went beyond P1000 ($20) are shoes. so if i were to take on this writing gig, what can i write about anyway?

ps. i am happy to announce that since my current work allows me to be creative and flexible with my time, i am now able to take more outfit shots and easily manage my schedule in accordance to the normal life patterns of non-vampires. this means that i might be able to do posts more often, if not daily!

floral top – mom’s closet (thrifted)

black leggings – random

black platforms – forever 21

stacks of bangles – carbon and bangkok finds

rings – all from props

now a day walker

after my two weeks vacay or more like bumming around, i went back to work. for those first-time readers of my blog (welcome), i resigned from my comfortable but very sad life in the call center last July 27 and planned to take the whole month off but after a week of sitting at home, browsing the internet and watching DVDs, not to mention piggin’ out, i decided to take my position as marketing executive at DrawingBoard Creative Studios yesterday. i did have until september to start and i know you think i’m crazy for giving up a whole month’s worth of rest but i am too restless and too much of a workaholic to stay at home and not be productive. i just felt like if i didn’t move around and make myself busy, i’m wasting my life away when i could have done something about it. i’ve realized that it’s really not about taking a break from work alone but taking a break from work that i was unhappy with — which is what i did. so for the first time in 5 years, i now hold a job which requires me to wake up in the morning and end the day just when everybody else does. believe it or not, i actually found the water in the early morning to be colder than at night and it took me a few seconds before i fully stepped in the shower. i have also discovered the blinding light and the very warm heat of the sun as i drive to work (which reminds me to buy some lotion with SPF).

i still have plans to fulfill my ‘i have never’ challenges though so don’t fret — i have not forgotten about those adventures. i might peel an orange next and believe me, because of my traumatic childhood orange experience, this feat is going to be very difficult for me!

of course, i will not end this post without telling you guys about Drawingboard Creative Studios. as marketing executive, i am after all responsible for handling existing accounts and most importantly, finding new ones. Drawingboard is an advertising and design company that offers printing and design services, as well as marketing or branding packages. a few of the specific services that Drawingboard offers are calling cards, event or company posters, brochures, flyers, invitations, menu design and printing, mascot design (especially for new companies like restaurants), and logo design. this is not just a sales pitch but we have competitive prices and one of a kind designs — surely an investment for a company or individual seeking to improve their marketing strategy. for those interested, just e-mail me at drawingboardcreative@gmail.com

plain white tee – props

boyfriend jeans – abercrombie vintage

long black cardigan – thrifted

beaded sandals – people are people

tan zebra-print hat – sm men’s dept

round imprinted necklace – gifted from gelie

gun-metal wire cuff – props

i love you like i love reese’s

after the crazy night we had, my sister and i unconsciously just decided to stay home all day friday and lock ourselves in our room. what with the really painful headache and hangover, we couldn’t really move around. so we spent the whole day watching How I Met Your Mother or taking turns using the computer. we did get bored by 7:00 PM and at one point decided to go to SM and go shopping but we were too lazy to take a shower and dress up. it wasn’t until 10:00 PM that we felt that we needed to go out and since watching How I Met Your Mother always makes me hungry, i convinced Aimee to grab some pizza and hot wings.

so we drove over to Banilad Town Center and visited Yellow Cab Pizza what we needed to cure our hangover was an oily and cheesy pizza and the super yummy Yellow Cab hot wings. and since we were already there, we had ourselves some frozen yogurt from Yo-Go Boy too. if you’re asking what those round toppings on the fro-yo are, those are the awesomely yummy reese’s puffs. the puff just melts in your mouth and the peanut butter and chocolate just explodes in your mouth! perfect combination to the blueberry and cashew nuts! the pig-out was definitely worth the 20 minute drive from our house!

white graphic tee – borrowed from boyfriend (props)

black leggings – random

black beaded sandals – people are people

bangles: gold and pink rhinestones – gifted from india | enamel bangles – HK find

fairy long necklace – props

black handbag – nine west

on aimee:

multi-colored top – marc jacobs (from my manager’s garage sale)

white shorts – props

white oversized bag – celine (gifted from her bf)

off to the next adventure!

these photos are in continuation with my weekend at my most favorite beach house in Daanbantayan. i think we might have abused the use of this beach house and i’m really thankful for my dad’s friends who have allowed us to use this place whenever available. this is the first time i’ve spent my birthday here and being at such a pivotal point in my life — turning 26, just having resigned and soon to be taking on a new career, it’s only fitting that i be in a place where i can think and just take in the silence because in the next week, i will be diving into a whole different world. more details about my new career next week. all i can say is that it will involve meeting a lot of new people.

on to what i wore here: i’ve always loved 80’s fashion and i think i can say that the cut-off shoulders are definitely 80’s. i’ve had this for years and have only worn this twice. i usually let go of clothes i have seldom used but i just love the pattern and color of this top. this is of coursed paired with my undying denim shorts and my favorite beach hat.

and by the way, i’d like to announce that the winner of the Cryst Jewelries giveaway is Gessyl of Gessyl Enchanted. Congratulations! I just sent you an e-mail so just reply to that with your contact details.

To the rest of my fabulous readers, I am nearing 300 followers and you know what that means — another giveaway! This of course will be grander as this will be my birthday blowout to you guys as well. So definitely watch out for that!

striped cut-off top – thrifted

denim shorts – thrifted

beach hat – boracay find

bangles: gun-metal and blue – props | wooden – raw materials store

necklaces: gun-metal imprinted – gifted from gelie | dogtags – custom-made

blue rhinestone bra – bench body

brown sunnies – thrifted at carbon

twenty-six candles

there really is no turning back. i am not getting any younger and the best thing to do is just to enjoy life as it comes —- making to sure to make the most out of every moment and make a fool out of myself, if needed. so for my twenty-sixth birthday, i dyed my hair to a really light shade of brown, bought myself two books — haruki murakami’s ‘norwegian wood’ and nicholas sparks’ ‘dear john’ (yes, i’m sentimental like that), spent the weekend at the beach and danced under the rain!

harry was so sweet and gave me a bouquet of lilies and three pairs of sandals. just what i asked for! after the 3 hour ride from the beach, my family and i had dinner at a filipino restaurant and ended the night eating frozen yogurt — our latest obsession.

printed boho dress – thrifted

pink headband – torn off from my fringe shirt

necklaces: round imprinted – gifted from gelie | dogtags – custom-made

bangles: gun-metal and blue – props | wooden – raw materials store

the thing with rompers

so i finally know what everyone means about rompers being comfortable. yes, they sure are. but the funny thing is, it is such a hassle when you need to pee! haha!

so spent the day at Drawing Board Creative Studios, just getting the feel of the office and basically, just bugging everyone. this extra energy is making me jumpy and just willing to do any work, even operate the photocopy machine!

i want to write more but this means divulging initial plans for our clothing line. i have to keep quiet until everything is definite. *crossing fingers*

black romper – props

teal cardigan – thrifted

black faux snake-skin flats with gold chain details – parisian

grey bag – mongkok ladies market

elephant necklace – thrifted at carbon

enamel bangles: props | hongkong gift shop | gifted from april

pink rhinestone bangles – gifted from india

waking up whenever i want to!

i am officially free from the corporate world! and i am jumping like a kid on christmas day!

and then after jumping, i ran to my room, turned on the AC and watched 2 movies and totally cried over another nicholas sparks movie…haha!, slept, went to Harry’s place and ended the night drunk after jager bombs (say, jager bombs!) and my favorite kurant sprite (oh i love vodka) and with the infamous Orange Brutus Burger Steak…tihee!

so i woke up the next day with a really bad so-worth-it hangover, got a mani-pedi, went off to watch Inception with Karen while eating the mini-sampler burgers (5 mini-burgers with different toppings) from Flame it.

the best thing about this freedom is waking up whenever i want to! this break is like my summer. the best thing about school was getting summer and semestral breaks but when you start working, you don’t get any anymore. so here’s my chance, just for a month.

i hope everyone is having a great weekend!

ps. i know my mustard cardigan is a repeat and it may be too soon but i just love it too much! you know when you get a cardigan or jacket in a certain color that you think you can pair with anything? my mustard cardigan is that one for me now. it’s mustard and it has a hoodie. what could be better? haha okay, so maybe i’ll get over it and move on to the next one.

star-printed tee – thrifted

mustard cardigan – thrifted

denim shorts – thrifted

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

silver spring cuffs – thrifted at carbon

bronze bangle – props

printed enamel bangle – a gift from april mae

rings: orange howlite – dane’s giveaway | burnt orange stone – thrifted at carbon

round imprint necklace – a gift from gelie

brown sunnies – thrifted at carbon

a failed attempt to un-plan

for someone who intends to just unwind and not make any plans for my long-awaited permanent vacation from the corporate world, i am failing badly at it. my mind is just built to plan and look at least 5 steps ahead. i plan when i’m driving, i plan before i go to sleep and i just plan even when i’m doing something else. ironically, i like being spontaneous when it comes to having fun like road trips in the middle of the night or just deciding to go to Bantayan island without any plans where to stay or where to eat but when it comes to making a living and making sure that i am able to support my family and survive, i simply cannot just be spontaneous about it. so when i told my manager that i do not intend to plan for the next month, oh no boss, i think i was partly lying.

here is my failed attempt to un-plan:

start planning a clothing line with Armand Alforque next week | do part-time online article writing to earn extra bucks (and learn new stuff too) | celebrate my birthday in Daanbantayan with my family | Bangkok trip with family on the 3rd week of August | invest a little in my sister’s clothing shop, Props by being her shopper and wholesaler | start working as marketing executive for Drawing Board Creative Studios by September — it’s a growing advertising agency my sister and her fiance manage so at least i’ll be working closely with people and meet new ones as well AND it’s a day job — yey! |

my friend and i also planned to list down ten things we haven’t done in Cebu and pursue them over our vacation in August. apparently, quarter-life crisis is common among close friends so we both took leaves together. she’s on a one-month leave while mine will be permanent. will update you on our list..soon!

floral dress – thrifted

mustard cardigan – thrifted

white peep-toe heels – janeo, sm dept store

vintage-y long necklaces: watch – hongkong gift shop | safety pin + trinkets – DIY

rings: orange howlite ring – dane’s giveaway | burnt stone – thrifted at carbon

bangles – props and a gift from april

a need for forty percent

harry is out of town and i was staring into my computer screen, just feeling really restless and bored. i needed to go out, grab a bite with friends, get a bit tipsy and maybe dance the night away. although i used to be the girl who couldn’t not end her week without a trip to the bar and have some drinks, i haven’t been going out regularly because 1) i am always so freakin’ tired and just want to sleep 2) i have found to hate being in a crowd of pretentious people. with having nothing to do at work anymore, i have surprisingly stored a lot of unused energy over the week and was itching to just move!

i initially was able to convince my friends to go dancing at Loft but after meeting here at my house, we ended up deciding to just hang out at my friend’s friend’s bar — just a place to chill out and have a few drinks with grilled pork on skewers or what we call ‘pork barbecue.’ i have such a weakness for barbecue and am able to devour several sticks at a time. our barbecue here in the philippines is the smartly skewered lean pork then ended with a piece or two of fat. the pork is then smothered with barbecue sauce — just a mixture of soy sauce, maybe a bit of vinegar, ketchup, sugar, a little chili and oil. damn, we ended up eating more rice with the barbecue than expected. guilt-trip at its best!

ice cold tanduay ice was a perfect complement to the barbecue but with only 7% alcoholic content, i ended up drinking about 5 bottles with only a tinge of tipsiness and a really bloated tummy at the end of the night plus a painful headache the next morning. guess i always need my 40% of alcoholic content per volume from my favorite absolut kurant!

diagonally striped top – thrifted

zipped-up grey denim skirt – thrifted

long black cardigan – thrifted

navy blue bejeweled flats – parisian | sm dept store

metallic blue thin belt – props

pink polka bangle – DIY

square gun-metal with bird imprint necklace- a gift from gelie

dog tags – custom-made

what would you do?

on monday, my resignation became official. yes, i know i already wrote about submitting my resignation and talking to my manager but for the last 2 or so weeks, they have been holding on to this hope that i will change my mind so they kept me talking to higher management and have tried postponing my decision by saying, “let’s talk again on monday…just spend the weekend thinking about your decision.” they told me that on 3 fridays. so i just nodded only to come back every monday with the same plan in mind. i didn’t mean to give them a hard time and i am definitely not trying to give too much importance to myself. i am sorry guys, but you can’t hold this girl down.

so i have 6 more working days (counting tonight) until my last day in the corporate world. i am counting the days and have been counting the hours, literally! i have already transitioned all my tasks to the other supervisors that i have ended up not doing anything on my shift. i get home but cannot sleep because i have all these things running in my mind, like what i am going to do with my freedom. two things top my list but that’s it. so out of curiosity, i am going to ask you:

what would you do if you were 25 years old and you just quit your day job, taking enough savings you’ve made over the past 4 years?

grey oversized knitted top – thrifted

black long cardigan – thrifted

jeans – bebe jeans

grey metal-embellished flats – a gift from charm (so fab!)

my over-used grey bag – mongkok ladies’ market, hongkong

pearl and bead necklace – DIY-ed in college

stone ring – thrifted in carbon

cuffs – both from props

work watch – swatch

a craving i regretted

after having spent the whole weekend at home and just mostly sleeping, i was in serious need of something good to eat. reading other blogs post food porn didn’t help either. it made me all the more hungry for something to comfort me — ah, the perils of comfort food. it was 9:00 AM and i have been up for almost 4 hours. i already had a hearty breakfast at 6:00 AM but i still wanted to eat something that would fill in this void in me. (what void? i don’t know) does this sound familiar to you? do you get food cravings too?

i wanted to eat a full order of pasta or maybe a grilled quarter-pounder and have a brownie or cheesecake after. it’s then i realized that with the coming months of conscious unemployment, shoes are not my weakness. FOOD IS!

i immediately texted karen and invited her for lunch. we decided to eat at sbarro because we know they’d have good italian food and have big servings. boy, did i regret ordering my humongous sausage and pepperoni stuffed pizza! i mean, can somebody get dizzy after eating too much? apparently, i did! i wasn’t able to take photos of the food before i started gulfing it down. i couldn’t resist the dripping tomato sauce over the baked bread stuffed with cheesy goodness and perfectly salty sausage and pepperoni. here’s how my plate looked like (and trust me, i am not doing this again!):

karen couldn’t finish her half-order of baked zitti in white sauce. she said she was drinking too much of her raspberry iced tea so she got easily full. and no, we didn’t get cheesecake or dessert after. i had to buy some menthol rub from the pharmacy because my head was aching from how full i was. describe gluttonous and that’s me!

for filipinos out there, i think you’d know what i mean by the ‘pinoy attitude’ on food. i couldn’t eat the last slice of bread on my plate. it was all too much for me! haha! to those who don’t know, the ‘pinoy attitude’ on food means that we are always too shy or embarrassed to eat the last slice. ‘pinoys’ or filipinos usually leave the last bite for someone else, afraid of being deemed ‘greedy.’ so when we share a pan of pizza or a dish of chili wings, tendency is, there’s always a last slice or piece left and we’d have to banter and tease each other as to who gets to eat the last one because we are so ‘pinoy!’

striped top – thrifted

navy blue cover-up – thrifted

high-waisted denim skirt – thrifted

grey flats with zebra printed bow – sm dept store

dog-tag necklace – custom-made

gun-metal layered cuffs – props

stone ring – thrifted at carbon

grey bag – mongkok ladies’ market, hk

brown sunnies – thrifted at carbon

a weekend of nothing

nothing to do. nothing productive. this is exactly what i needed this weekend. it’s been raining intermittently all weekend and it’s just what our city needs. saturday morning after work was spent blog surfing and just discovering more awesome fashion blogs (ie. grunge manners). if i have schizophrenia, she would be my other personality — i wish i have the guts to dress like her and don’t give a shit about society. being a fashionista is already defying certain rules here in our small city and being grunge will definitely be a cause for more raised eyebrows and head-to-toe look-overs. the next hours of my saturday were spent sleeping and waking up to harry bringing over mcdonald’s cheeseburgers, large fries and an apple pie — major junk food fest, while watching karate kid which was good but so predictable.

here’s my sunday, so far: waking up next to harry, making my sunday even better. a breakfast of eggs, spam and leftover dinner. 2 episodes of how i met your mother season 1. sunday mass at 7:00 AM. caramel sundae and pancakes. and ongoing DVD marathons with harry. he says this may be a glimpse of sundays in our married life. if this is, sign me up as i’m packed and ready to go!

ps. it’s funny two competing fast food chains in the philippines are just right across each other. if i have to choose, i’d choose mcdonald’s over jollibee. i hate mayonnaise in my burger. haha!

floral electric pleats dress – thrifted

gun-metal layered necklace – props

silver cuffs with pink shells – props

oval stone ring – props

grey bag – mongkok ladies market, hk