cebuana style – Page 10 – Gizelle Faye Creative Studio

feeling the pain | health karma

i feel bad for having been a terrible blogger the past few days. i’ve failed to get back on your comments and post new outfit shots too. the goal when i started this blog more than a year a go was not just to share my personal style but also to connect with other stylistas in the world. of course, i’ve achieved that having met amazing people over time but communication is a two-way street and i wouldn’t want to be the one to start disconnecting.

but aside from being busy with my day job and with my shop (www.shopyapi.com), i’ve been sick — again! i feel like the most incompetent employee right now because i’ve missed two days of work. my herniated disc is acting up again, causing pain on my neck and head. i can’t support my head for too long without leaning on the chair or lying down. two weeks ago, i experienced terrible stomach pains due to something i ate and with succeeding illnesses i’ve gotten, my mom commented that she feels like she’s taking care of an old lady. AN OLD LADY? oh my. i look back over the 26 years of my life and realized that i have abused my body severely over the years — since high school, i’ve only had an average of 4-5 hours of sleep everyday then there’s heavy drinking in college, working and going to school a year before graduation, working night shifts for 5 years while playing flag football every weekend then drinking till dawn every after practice or game. i’ve pushed myself to the limits and this is what i get. a seemingly strong and muscular body on the outside but so fragile on the inside.

i may sound like an old lady when i say this but WE SHOULD ALL TAKE BETTER CARE OF OURSELVES. seriously. ♥

take care everyone! have a great weekend!

sheer printed chiffon skirt – thrifted

white tank top – random

peach cardigan – mom’s closet

beige suede wedges – gold dot

yellow braided belt – shopyapi.com

angel wings necklace – carbon find

a small step to color blocking

the amazing stuff that i find in the local market never fails to astound me. this skirt came with my PHP 10 dress and this one only cost me PHP 70. although you may notice that i love colors in my outfits but i’m actually still slowly succumbing to the color blocking trend that is so big this season. i guess this skirt is my step 1. tomorrow or next week, i might pair completely contrasting colors in my outfit, you never know. fashion or personal style to be more specific is that unpredictable.

on another note, if you are a shoe addict like me, then you’d certainly go bonkers for this shop owned by Denise of Denise Katipunera. the shop is aptly called, Shoe Etiquette and it offers shoes from the U.S. but are at really low prices. Denise has taken the responsibility of selling us those coveted shoes from U.S. so we don’t have to worry about the exaggerated shipping costs. with her amazing instinct for beautiful shoes (as seen in her blog), i’m sure pairs will be selling like pancakes.

there’s no place like home

i must have watched ‘Wizard of Oz’ a hundred times as a kid especially when my mom left for a vacation in Hongkong in 1991 and i had to watch over my little sister, Aimee who had really high fever from separation anxiety. we must have replayed the movie a dozen times over the course of 3 days because it’s the only movie that could calm her down and stop her from crying. of course, right now, she can’t recall the memory because she was just 5 years old at that time. i miss taking care of my little sister and ironically, i hate doing it too. we spoil her too much.

printed pleated chiffon dress – props

turquoise belt – robinson’s department store, dumaguete

black studded wedges – ebay find

stacks of bangles – gifted from Sweet | carbon finds

skull ring – carbon finds

black stone ring – props

turquoise ring – www.shopyapi.com

no to dress codes

one of the perks of working in a design company is the freedom to dress in what we’re comfortable in, the freedom to express ourselves. of course, partial nudity is not allowed — that would be insane as we have to meet clients..haha! but still, we don’t have to wear rigid business casual clothes like blazers, non-denim trousers but can wear clothes with breathable materials and even shorts. breathable clothes are really important these days because as summer arrives, so does the scorching heat. scorching meaning there is not a cold moment inside my air-conditioned car in the 15-minute drive i make to work to every morning. the heat is ridiculous and it will become more insane as summer deepens.

printed tunic – mom’s closet (thrifted)

denim shorts – props

studded wedge booties – shopyapi.com

layered necklaces – carbon finds

brass oversized carved cuff – shopyapi.com

rings: armor ring | oversized blue stone – carbon finds

i want to thank everyone for checking out my shop: www.shopyapi.com especially to the ones who’ve already purchased a few items. the shop can be overwhelming but deciding on what to purchase isn’t too difficult as the shop has a ‘shop outfits’ page where you can check out how an item can be styled. every item also has a styling suggestion — just to give you a picture of how you can rock that Yapi item.

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behind-the-scenes: SHOP YAPI editorial shoot

in less than three days, YAPI — my online store of personally hand-picked chic and casual ready-to-wear style, will launch. April 3 is the date to watch. YAPI‘s collections will be reflections of my own personal style — ‘bohemian-meets-dainty-vintage’ and takes on my favorite style bloggers’ styles. Here’s a sneak peak on the items that will be for sale on www.shopyapi.com:

if you can’t see the video, check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5lJkW659f4

credits:

bts video: philip lapinid

models: toni pino and phoebe adani

photography by: russel capatoy

styling by: gizelle faye sembrano

make-up by: armand alforque

production assistants:

john harry bunagan

philip lapinid

derrick garces

sheer delight: the perfect summer dress

people tend to stay away from chiffon thinking it’s too formal for day use or that it’s too humid out to wear them. here i am, defying what other people think and no, a chiffon maxi dress is not too formal for day use and not humid at all. it’s the perfect summer dress for when i feel like being all too feminine. to downplay a statement dress like this, pair it with flats like a studded or embellished sandal, add a thin belt to accentuate the waste and for someone like me who’s afraid of showing my humongous (post-swimming / flag football) arms, pair it with a loose cover-up. add a dozen (or one, for others) of accessories and you’re ready to go! ♥

leaf necklace – carbon find | brown sunnies – bangkok find

5 more days till the launching of http://www.shopyapi.com…♥

channeling 60’s woodstock

(the mini burgers are the sampler ones of flame it’s awesome grilled burgers. cream cheese + garlic, garlic mayo, bacon mushroom and cheese and chili con carne = LOVE)

i just can’t stop wearing this vest! haha. wearing my beloved fringe vest with this floral tiered dress made me feel like i belong in a 60’s woodstock concert but in a conservative way. i should dress this way more often as it’s liberating in the sense that i was able to channel an era of new and radical events and trends. ‘The Sixties’ was an era where social taboos were relaxed, there was an excess in flamboyance and where people simply freed themselves of social constraint. the constant swinging of the fringes on my vest and the last tier of my dress also helped with the liberating feeling.(kidding)

hmmm, so how’s my life been in the last few days? i’ve been utterly busy, it’s sometimes no longer funny because i’ve been late for work almost everyday. i’ve been sleeping until 3:00 AM everyday, not only taking care of our wholesale business (which is situated at home, taking over my sister’s old room) but most importantly preparing for www.shopyapi.com. i’ve prepared 43 tops, dresses, skirts, shorts and trousers; 5 bags, 8 pairs of shoes, 8 kinds of belts and 3 kinds of swimsuits for the shop.

floral tiered dress – bangkok find

fringe vest – bangkok find

turquoise belt – robinson’s dept store, dumaguete

tan bag – parisian, sm dept store

blue embellished sandals – bangkok find

cross necklace – custom made by sister

summer layers: sheer + prints

phew! finally got the chance to do a post. this has probably been the longest time i’ve been away and i apologize for that. i might not have a lot of dedicated readers like other blogs but i think i’m safe to say that a few do follow my posts. right? *wink*

aside from the lack of internet connection at home for almost 3 weeks now, i’ve also been very (as in super) busy with our wholesale apparel business. it’s an awesome job selling clothes to people and sorting out dresses, tops, skirts, shoes and bags, trying them out every once in a while and giving styling advice to those interested but do not quite know what to do with the item. oh i wish i can just work in a clothing store (or manage my own) and make a living out of it. i’ve got shallow, shallow ambitions huh? but dealing with fashion makes me happy. note to harry: find a great paying job so we can live off your salary…hahaha!

on another note, a very exciting one, remember how i’ve been saying i’ve been brewing up something big? it’s almost at its completion. here’s a sneak peek. hope you’re excited! ♥ ♥ ♥

sheer printed dress – thrifted (and borrowed from mom)

black camisole – metro ayala dept store

black lace-up cuban heels – parisian, gifted from harry

turquoise belt – robinson’s dept store, dumaguete

stacks of bangles: brass + wooden – carbon finds

elephant necklace – carbon find

cross necklace – custom-made by sister

elephant tusk necklace – bangkok find

rattle snake connector ring – carbon find

morbidly chic

i’ve been coveting this Alexandar McQueen-inspired bag since last year when i first saw them in the Chatuchak market in Bangkok. i didn’t get the chance to buy them though because they were selling them at a despicably high price for an imitation bag. i go to lengths to get the items i want but not for a steep price. my patience did me good because on our trip last February, i finally found one being sold at half the price it was originally sold at last year. it’s boho-shaped with a number of skull studs and a dash of fringe — what more can i ask for? incidentally, my favorite grey bag i bought from Hongkong died on me so i have another good reason to buy a new grey bag.

on another note, our internet at home is still erratic and i’m seriously considering disconnecting from Smart, our provider. it’s only now that we’ve had this issue though but it’s been 2 weeks and they still haven’t fixed it. i think it’s our location, specifically because i tried bringing our wifi router to our office and the connection was working fine. i hope you all still hang tight for posts from me. i really do apologize for not having blogged much these days and not replying to your comments. i’m doing the best i can to work around this issue so yeah, i’m sneaking in a post while on my lunch here at the office.

my prayers go out to the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. may God give you comfort amidst the chaos and strength to survive the aftermath.

ps. i laud Japan though for being well-prepared for the 8.9 earthquake. if it happened here in the Philippines (God, i hope not), we all would have been erradicated. our infrastructures are just not engineered and built to survive earthquakes, nor is our government for that matter.

pale blue dress – thrifted

knitted pink shawl – thrifted

grey skull-studded boho bag – bangkok find

layered chain necklace | letter necklace – carbon finds

stacks of silver bangles – carbon finds

elephant ring – carbon find

coral red ellipse ring – bangkok find

oversize silver flower ring – forever 21, gifted by Sweet of pens and lens

blog full of introductions

first introduction: yes, $2 dresses are cool..but hey, i live in the Philippines and $2 is still PHP90 and that can already buy someone a meal. so i present to you my PHP10 dress. something i scoured from our local market trip months ago. it needed a bit of fixing as the neckline’s threads were loose but with the help of basic sewing skills learned from years in an all-girls school, i managed to sew the neckline back. aside from the dress being multi-colored and floral, my most favorite part is that it’s a tent dress and can be adjusted using the thin strings attached on it. forgiving. very forgiving — especially for a girl who has gained so much weight from the two trips she’s been on..haha!

second introduction: F-R-I-N-G-E! i need it in my life right now. every time i say that when we were shopping in Bangkok, my mom and sister would laugh and roll their eyes. oh well, i’m shallow like that. since i couldn’t find a fringe bag, i settled for this awesome vest instead. oooh, i’m so excited to pair this with floral and printed sun dresses and maxi skirts and swimsuits. summer is here!

third introduction: my gecko ring. my gecko love. my sister was baffled at how i can love such weird accessories as last year, i also went ballistic over my fox ring but for me, the weirder the better. i’ve been finding reasons to wear this for days now and i’ve been finding myself just staring at it, even over a stop light as i’m driving and imagining that it’s a real gecko on my finger. yes, i’m weird like that too. *smirk*

ps. i threatened to disconnect my internet connection and when i got home from the service center, my internet suddenly worked fine.tsk tsk. hope this is the fix they promised.

floral dress – thrifted

fringe vest – platinum mall, bangkok

nude suede wedge booties – gold dot

layered coin necklace – platinum mall, bangkok

layered chain necklace – carbon find

stacks of bangles – carbon finds

gecko ring | turquoise ring – platinum mall, bangkok

leopard ring – carbon find

orange howlite ring – dane’s giveaway win

finally, the trouser gods heard me

i have always loathed trousers and non-denim pants not because i don’t like them as a piece of clothing for others but because it’s very hard to find a good pair that fits my oddly shaped body. in college, we had the option to wear pencil skirts or pants for our uniform. even when i was studying engineering and surrounded by guys, i opted for the pencil skirt because it was easier to wear. to bluntly say, the thing i hated the most about pants was how my crotch ate them. LOL. not to mention that my ass is huge and the pants accentuated it further, making it more embarrassing for me to wear them. when i hit the corporate world, others stocked up on slacks while i stocked up on button-up shirt dresses and more skirts. i never purposely scoured malls or department stores for those classic slacks and would only purchase one whenever i luckily find something at the thrift shop.

so you can imagine my delight when i tried on this pair of trousers. the crotch is not fitted, the pleats on the waist line makes for a forgiving shape and i just absolutely love that it’s made in linen which makes it oh so comfortable. in Bangkok, most shops only sell wholesale so you need to buy 3 items to get a good price. you can definitely guess that i bought 3 pairs of these in different colors. and oh, one awesome thing about this outfit — i finally got to wear my cape-like crocheted top. ♥

you’re asking about the necklace? oh that! it was a Forever 21 gift from Sweet of pens and lens when we met up in Bangkok. we were supposed to meet up in Forever 21 so she can finally buy me the pair of shoes as my prize on her last Fashion Stylist contest. unfortunately, they pulled out most of their stocks and didn’t have any size for me.so i’d have to wait for my new pair.

ps. i know i’ve been gone way too long. left for the Bangkok trip on February 24 and was so excited to get back and make a new post only to find out our internet hasn’t been working for days. it still isn’t and this is just one of those lucky nights that it is. i’m sneaking in commenting back on your blogs at work. *hush, don’t tell my boss*

black crocheted cape-like top – thrifted

black linen pleated trousers – Bangkok find

nude top used underneath – random

black heels – Forever 21

rhinestone & gold bohemian necklace – gifted from Sweet

stacks of bangles – carbon finds

bohemian armor ring | bow ring | snake ring – carbon finds

You can find some great Superdry designer wear at Very.co.uk as well as plenty of other designer gear. Check out the website now by visiting www.very.co.uk.

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: