“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
Blog | Cebu Street Fashion by Armand Alforque
Tag Archives: cebuana style
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
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?
special discount: what a girl wants!
what a girl wants is one of my favorite stores in the mall. i really love, not just the clothes they sell, but also their interiors and how they arrange all their items. i love their display window too. really smartly done.
what a girl wants will be having a big sale this october 15 to 31 and is offering all you lucky readers a special discount. just print the coupon below for a discount of P100 for every P1,000 purchase (and this is on top of the discounts they already have on display!).
what a girl wants is located in the following branches:
3rd Floor, the Gallery, Robinsons Galleria
2nd Level, Paseo Cuidad, Ayala Center Cebu
2nd Floor, Main Wing, SM City Cebu
1st Level, West Promenade, Limketkai Cagayan de Oro City
ps. regular outfit posts will resume once i purchase a new keyboard for our PC that has the adobe photoshop to resize my photos. my mac still doesn’t have photoshop sooo…..watch out for it though because i will be showing you my BLOG PET!
headache in style
so yeah, i’m totally copying vanessa east of one frozen margarita. i am just totally jealous of how she rocks turbans and scarves. don’t get me wrong, i am totally a scarves girl and have a dozen at home but they only get worn at home or at the beach. but today, with full conviction, i decided to wear them to work. sure i got a few stares from people coming into the office and at one point, when my sister came in, she joked and asked if i had a headache. well yes, a headache in style. *wink*
pardon me for the photo heavy post. this is what happens when the electricity has gone out twice in a day and all work is paused because everything we do is dependent on it. so we opened up the blinds and took advantage of the warm afternoon light. and yup, that’s armand at my back, totally posing as if he didn’t know i was taking photos of myself. haha!
polka dot scarf used as turban – thrifted
striped tee – thrifted
grey shorts – props
beaded sandals – gifted from harry
necklaces: key and fairy – props
bangles: wound brass wires – carbon find | white wood – chatuchak, bangkok
rings: white stone – props | butterfly – gifted from sweet
fashionably outdone!
so yeah, if you’ve noticed, this is not a post about my outfit but of my sisters’ and cousins’. i have been fashionably outdone. especially my little sister, aimee (on the 2nd photo) who stole my camera to take photos downstairs at the basement parking lot. this was taken almost a month ago on a random friday night with my sisters and cousins at the penthouse. this was also the night i kept stealing sips from vodka shots that are supposedly for my cousins, handed by aimee, and ended up so drunk, i fell on my hands while crossing the street at i.t. park. i also had to walk barefoot all the way from pent to a food place a block away because my shoes were killing me. saving enough dignity as i used to work in that building where the food place was located, i managed to put my shoes back on before crossing the street only to fall on my hands, causing my nails to get super dirty with mud. i haven’t gone drinking since then. i can still imagine the confused state i was in and the hell of that hangover. i want to go on a hunt for that drink that causes zero to less hangovers but then i would have to go on a lot of trial-and-error. and i’m not sure my being 26 can handle it anymore. oh well.
on me:
embellished LBD – maldita
black handbag – nine west
faux suede black peep-toe booties – celine (gifted from harry!)
stacks of gun-metal silver bangles – carbon finds
on aimee:
floral dress – thrifted
black wedge pumps – leaveland
black handbag – gifted from her friend
chained necklace – pratunam, bangkok
bangles – chatuchak, bangkok
Gizelle Faye Creative Studio 