keeping the heat and humidity away sans the intermittent rains

tank, bench ph (similar). lace shorts, tally weijl. denim vest, old navy. boots, rubi by cotton on via zalora. bag, kohl's.

A white tank or t is default wear when I'm at a loss as to how to style highly detailed bottoms. I'm currently thinking of stocking up on more basics from Bench...sometime soon, I guess.

Here in the Philippines, there are two giant clothing companies that are competing: Penshoppe and Bench. It's easy to spot chains of these two in malls and in small, quaint city centers. They are just everywhere here. When I was younger, say, around late grade school to early high school and with not much knowledge of fashion and styling I used to prefer Penshoppe. I noticed more people I came to know preferred Bench then so I'd go the other way and choose the one people don't pay much attention to which was Penshoppe. There's just so much fun in going the opposite way from what most people go to or for. But having grown older now and at the same time, growing to love basics more than the frivolous non-basics, I've grown to appreciate Bench more. Nowadays, Penshoppe does seem to get more of the notable faces in the fashion industry, however. I saw on instagram in passing last night that they were able to get Kaia Gerber---yes, that Cindy Crawford's daughter---to endorse them. This is when they've had Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner and even Cara Delevigne among a few others as their pretty recent past faces or endorsers. I'm notorious for sticking with brands that aren't overly endorsed by such well-known people so as of the moment, I'm enjoying all the basics that Bench offers. I might be the only one though...I don't know. It doesn't matter. It's more fun this way.

one of the rare days we had all day's worth of sun...

shirt and shorts, target. bag, gianni bernini. wedges, primadonna ph. 

 

for the unpredictable days

top, something borrowed via zalora (similar). suede skirt, vintage. boots, rubi by cotton on via zalora. clutch, ninewest.

Daily weather has become unpredictable. One can never know when it'll rain and when it'll keep being sunny when here nowadays. Regardless of how cloudy it is almost everyday this latter half of the year, it's still pretty humid. It's still quite acceptable to dress up in mini skirts and sleeveless tops. And if the cold is too much to bear---in which case, it frequently isn't here in the tropical islands---then out come the sweaters and tights. I wore this skirt with light, see through black tights on my way to pick up a new-old cat a new-ish girl friend left me as she is in Spain right now. Those 24 Php tights sure are handy these days. I'll try to stock up on those more again. I might be almost out of those and I can never tell when I really need them anyway.

 

faux one-piece

slipdress, vintage. top, emoda. wedges, primadonna ph. bag, ninewest.

However way it looks---whether a dreamy, layered one-piece or a two-piece---this is actually a two-piece dress ensemble masquerading as a one piece dress. The slipdress is the favorite palest of yellow vintage piece with lace details. It's established fact that I'm a notorious serial repeater when it comes to wardrobe favorites. The reversible, or it looks like it is that reversible anyway, top is from Emoda (my default favorite Japanese brand for their love of functional basics, this is always integral in me deciding which brands to love or patronize or whatsoever). When both are put together, the result is something fantastically hazy, Lula magazine pages-worthy faux one-piece floaty dress.

Speaking of fashion magazines, it's devastating to find out recently that Nylon (US) magazine is halting production of their monthly printed versions. Nylon US is reportedly going to focus on their digital content from now on. There's always the Japanese and probably even the Singaporean and Korean Nylon but nothing beats Nylon US which I have a good collection of from the local Booksale (secondhand books and magazines, etc.) and from the US airports/magazine stands whenever I find myself there which is really rarely. Now...how am I going to find American indie music, indie and good mainstream film, and miscellaneous but good books suggestions from now on? Nylon used to be my fix for those...apart from fashion news, that is. Also, some weird, really random story, I follow Nylon on twitter, right? The one running the account during the Emmy's was cheering loudly for Big Little Lies early this week...it was imperative I retweeted said BLL cheering tweets as I was as much a Big Little Lies fan as that one was or is.

dusty pink, maroon and the emmy's

vest top, what a girl wants ph. slip dress, vintage. heels, zalora. bangles, vintage and souvenir shop.

This is what I wore to dinner out to a pretty affordable vegetarian cafe and/or restaurant with the best girl friend last Saturday. In the previous posts, the top is a sort of asymmetrical vest but I was able to make it work as a tied-top this way last Saturday and today so it's all good. It's really good to have versatile pieces in the wardrobe so outfits are kept fresh even without having to shop constantly for all things new.

The cafe we went to is the one in Centerpoint Arcade and that which is owned by a lady who has been vegan for 15 years. It's name? Pili-an Cafe. Vegetarian/vegan restaurants are frequently expensive btu this one is not. It's most likely because a lot of the ingredients of the things they serve there are locally sourced. The friend and I shared the PIKA plate which consisted of vegetarian meat barbecue, a tofu burger/sandwich sliced times four, sweet potato (camote/kamote in our local language) fries and vegetarian chicharon (cracklings) priced at 280 Php. If you're a duo or trio of small eaters, this should be enough to fill you when in said cafe. It was enough for us and there were just a couple of us there for the dinner date. 280 Php is basically 5-6 USD when converted so yes, the things on the menu are indeed accessible price-wise. A lot of the things on their menu are interesting to me as a struggling vegetarian/vegan (I'm mostly pescetarian...) so I'm definitely going back there pretty soon. Other than food prepared in their kitchen and served in the cafe, they also have other things for sale like cookies at 65 Php a bag. The cookies are really good, they're pretty addicting. Other vegetarian/vegan cookies usually cost 300+ Php. They also have locally made basket woven bags, baskets and others. There's also virgin coconut oil at 180 Php a bottle I've been thinking of getting soon since the ones on drugstores here cost 20 Php more. The latter also doesn't come off pure or authentic, seems they add other things to the coconut oil they stock at Watsons and/or Mercury Drug. When it comes to these things, it's always best to buy the most local and the most limited in stocks. At least you're sure the oil is made from young coconuts and is purely virgin coconut oil this way. The only drawback we experienced in the cafe is that the ordered food took some time to be done and served. But this is not such a pressing matter as it assures you that the food is prepared fresh and clean in the cafe's kitchen since they make them the moment you give the server your orders. ....and next time I'm going back there, I am trying their all day breakfast just out of sheer curiosity of the corned vegetarian meat meal... Yep.

The Emmy's was last Sunday night, US time and Monday morning here. There were no channels, however, that aired it from what I've gathered channel surfing the contents of our basic cable package. I was able to watch the red carpet when it re-aired on E!News Asia yesterday (Tuesday), though. I kept tabs of the main awarding event on Twitter since I was too lazy to attempt getting hold of a live stream. I'm a huge television buff---well, I mean, I lessened my television watching lately but I'm still one regardless---and I watch a few things from American television like Brooklyn Nine Nine (season 5 is coming out! Yes! And Diva channel is airing it here, and I think, so is Jack TV!), HBO's Big Little Lies and Westworld so I was euphoric to find Big Little Lies nominated 16 times and winning most of their nominations at the Emmy's. Westworld did not get wins where they're nominated but as long as Big Little Lies made it there and gained recognition as good television content, I'm good. I don't watch the other big titles so I'm not so affected by the other results the same way others were. The Emmy's and the Grammy's seem to be the only American awards shows I'm into lately. There're so many things wrong with the Oscars and even the Golden Globes for me to keep tabs on both constantly. At least from the Emmy's I'd found new (to me) television series to check out like American Crime, Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale (it won best drama), and British series, Black Mirror. I'm curious about those. The Crown and FX's The Americans seem to have a lot of fans on Oh No They Didn't too. Anyway, moving on, I didn't mind Stranger Things not winning any of the nominations they had, I'm not a fan of the show nor have I seen an episode of it. I'm also glad HBO let Game of Thrones sit this one out. Actually, the thing is that the magic of Game of Thrones has gone, for me, after season 2 so I've abandoned that already since. My honest opinion is that Big Little Lies deserved all that they got out of the Emmy's. What I'm disappointed about, however, is Brooklyn Nine Nine not getting any nominations. This was more disappointing to me than Westworld not winning anything that awards night. 

In other rather everyday news, rain has been a constant as of late in the afternoons. There seems to be a low pressure area hovering around the islands. It's not really as major a concern as the hurricanes devastating the Caribbean Islands as of this moment so we're pretty much alright, still. It's the rainy season, however, so here's to everyone taking care not to get too flooded, wet and such.  

an ivory shapeless not-so-mess

love lace insert balloon sleeves dress, zalora (in blush). heels, zalora (old). leaf necklace, forever21. bag, gianni bernini.

This zalora dress came with the two-piece swimwear set from Something Borrowed from last week's orders. It's as magical as I dreamt it would be in real life. Confession: I've actually been eyeing this one for so long from the site but only bit when the price went down to about 700 Php. It's currently perfect lounge piece for me now. The sleeves' wrist opening can be tightened but I somehow prefer it undone. It keeps the dress magical that way, giving it the illusion of being, well, shapeless. The inside is fully lined so nothing shows. I have a feeling that apart from being a lounge piece, this will be sort of party or get together dress for me this last quarter of the year, too. Well, we shall see with that...

Lately, the days are getting shorter. It's technically fall in other areas, I suppose but here, to us here in the tropical belt, this signals the long countdown to the Christmas season. I guess I got this dress at the right time to wear for the colder, not really that chilly days.

Is it time to start looking for dresses for parties here and there now then? I suppose so. I'm not sure if I'll be doing that, however, as after acquiring this and the two-piece swimwear, I'm most likely abstaining from buying until next year. I'll make do with what I have in the wardrobe like I always do again. Maximizing the use of everything in a pretty limited wardrobe is creatively, resourcefully fun and at the same time, quite thrifty. Nothing new to me as it's what I'd been doing for awhile now.

Moving onto fandom everything I miss updating about: my pop music mood today is Cream's Change album released last year. The title track is really pretty cute...err...very fun everything. I'm a huge fan of Cream's singing half, Minami, as she spent a part of her childhood in Hongkong and is fluent in English and Japanese at the same time. Needless to say, I have the album on constant repeat slash loop on the itunes as of this moment...here's a snippet of said really fun title track (the remix here is alright but I like the regular album version more for some reason...hmn...):

b & w

top, h&m. shorts, secondhand lowry's farm cut offs. bag, kohl's (apt. 9). boots, rubi by cotton on via zalora ph.

The top and the black denim cutoffs in black are both new additions to the wardrobe. The former is new from H&M in (Long Beach) California from an aunt while the latter is something new-old, rather, secondhand from a thrift shop I frequent---it's really just a block away from Silliman University---whenever I find myself in Dumaguete City. 

I've been hunting down black denim cut-offs or jean shorts for a while now since losing a dressy plain (trouser-type?) shorts of the same color somewhere I've likely forgotten about long, long ago. I have the dressy black lace shorts but I frequently feel too dressed up in said pair so this is a welcome addition to the wardrobe this latter half of the year. This is definitely one of those I can wear with everything in the wardrobe with thus making the dressing up daily even more fun than usual. As for the top, I like the dressy, draped nature of it. It feels and looks low maintenance (no need to iron it!) to me and is alright to be worn with skirts, too, to any occasion. It is nearing the holidays so definitely, I'll be in this should I find the usual dresses I haven't replaced with anything new or something close, very repetitive. I was hoping the neck portion would go lower as a v-neck but it being not the case is actually alright, too.

finally back!

shorts, tally weijl. t, (probably soen, I'm not sure) from mom. bag, giani bernini. belt, vintage. boots, rubi by cotton on via zalora (old). bangle, vintage.

Rainy/monsoon season is in here in the islands. We've been having afternoon rains on some days. The storms seem to skirt the lower part of the Visayas islands and the whole of the island of Mindanao whenever they come though, and instead, they would wreck havoc in Luzon. Proof of which is the news on parts of Luzon being flooded frequently. Temperature-wise, it's getting a little bit colder at night now. It is September, the first of the -ber months leading to Christmas month/season (December) and it's usually that way in terms of temperature changes at this time. So then, it's about time to layer up a little bit, I think? My idea of layering up this season is wearing the hoodies, the cardigans, and the tights. I might bust out the scarves here and there but I very rarely get into them as it's not common to see people wear them here so we shall see. The cold here is pretty tolerable and isn't as extreme as those with countries that experience 4 seasons yearly.

There isn't much to say about today's outfit pictured here except that the shirt seems best fit for the colder night we're having. I like it that I can still get away with wearing shorts, too, as the cold is tolerable here. The tights will probably be brought out and worn with the shorts over them however, should I go out in this tonight.

It's been eons since I did outfit of the day posts. I'm officially back to it. Hopefully, there won't be much hiatuses to follow but I can't really be sure either as things in life crop up unexpectedly and at the times when I least expect it. Then again, that's life in general. Anyway, things to look out for from this point on: clothing I've been keeping tagged and haven't worn since for this blog or elsewhere.

365-days a year's wardrobe dissection

Next week, we'll go back to the regular outfit posts. It should have resumed this week but I have this post to get over with before that one so... So anyway, this post kept being pushed aside, postponed until further notice but not anymore, and not this time. I can't move on to daily outfit posting without this which, one can say, should make up the core of this blog site.

To start with, this blog and myself can come off quite contradictory after the conclusion of this post. This is a fashion blog, mostly, I'm a/an aspiring fashion and lifestyle blogger. But, and here's where the contradiction comes in (rather, the irony if that's what you think it should be...), I confess to not owning a lot of clothes, shoes, bags, accessories and more...like your regular fashion blogger. Or all around fashionista. I'm a pretty serial outfit repeatoffender  who rarely buys anything new in the span of a year. This latter half of the year alone, I'd only spent on a pair of black denim cut-offs (or I suspect they are, anyway) from the thrift shop in Dumaguete City and a few other things are coming my way from Zalora next week, too. Other than those...I haven't really purchased anything else since the start of this year. Also, even though I don't really own a lot of things to showcase in this blog, I still feel like my closet/wardrobe is still too cluttered so I'm constantly removing stuff from it as well, putting them on sale online through my ebay (a random plug in for local readers: I'm going to upload stuff on a rotational basis there every Friday from now on) and its accompanying, tie-in tumblr shop site. Or just giving them away as presents to others whom I think can make better use of them over me. So you could say that I pretty much survive on a loose capsule wardrobe on a daily basis. It certainly feels that way to me. Living this way as a fashionista and fashion and lifestyle blogger doesn't mean I don't like clothes, shoes, bags, other accessories and more. I love them as much as I love to browse on some shops here and there when at the mall or the thrift shops when I can. I think I may have just become more choosy and specific with things I really like I can't justify overspending on things I know I won't wear and/or use to death anymore as of late. Browsing, shopping for me is just a random passing activity although fashion is always something that will stay on mind even when sometimes, I don't like to think about dressing up, clothes and other things related to it. Another confession (this post seems so full of it anyway...): I like living with the most basic, boring pieces, actually. They make up the big fraction of my current wardrobe. I don't find them boring at all. Okay, so they may be basics to me but some might not consider them so. Anyway, moving on, this post will be largely on that: a closer look at the wardrobe's contents that's working for me right now. Now, before moving onto the next section of this post, one, who has been following this blog, should know that I'd posted an entry giving readers a peek into my closet's color scheme this year. There are also some pieces taken photos of there but they were mixed with the others as sneak peeks into the outfit posts on here. It follows then that this post is basically a more specific version of that where I look into or examine the basic (to me) items in my closet individually.

A lot of the items pictured on here and posted about are appropriate for where I currently am in, where I live and the lifestyle I lead. It's definitely very tropical islander friendly. So this kind of wardrobe may not be for everyone.  

TOPS
Pro tip: having an assortment of tops can make mixing and matching with bottoms, accessories and more really fun. So it helps to have a good number of these just for the sake of rotating them around with one another. Nary a day an outfit would be bland and boring should this be taken to mind.
 
1.camis, tanks

Everyday temperatures here in the island tropics range from 25 degrees Celsius to 30 plus degrees Celsius. Sometimes, it even reaches way past the normal body temperature or that is, more than 36 degrees. Due to this, sleeveless pieces like the camis and racerback tanks pictured here are quite comfortable to lounge around in with denim shorts, dressy shorts, mini skirts and even jeans. In neutral colors, they're also great to put on for errands and other daily life activities. These are a great lifesaver for the times when the sun shines its brightest and the days feels the hottest. Here in the south east asian pacific islands...I just can't be without these. Muscle tanks are a great thing to have, too and should be included here but so far, I only have about a couple of them so I didn't bother including them here. One is a diy-ed muscle tank from a white men's t I'd bought from a department store in Dumaguete City, the other is a thrift shop find I just wear as sleepwear or as, well, comfortable home clothes.

2. white t and graphic t

There is only one plain and basic white t showing on the photo here but I actually have a lot more...Hanes ts, included. Or even the locally made ones (Guitar, Bench, Maldita/Blacksheep etc). Next to the neutrally colored tanks and camis, white ts are great to have for the days when one feels too naked in camis and tanks. They go together well with denim cutoffs for one. I like graphic ts...sometimes. I think my love for plain white ts just exceed the latter thus the white ts get more love. The graphic ts are really great for when I feel the plains are boring. Or when a daily outfit needs spicing up. 


3. 3/4th and long sleeved ts and thermals/tops

When it comes to long sleeved shirts, those with thin fabric are best. Otherwise, one could end up sweltering under the heat on the ones with thicker fabric when here in the islands. I also have one in black that's a Dolce and Gabbana that I rarely really wear just because... I'll probably take it out when it gets colder. Probably sometime between this month and December. Probably now. I've already begun to feel the cold since the night of September 1st but the days are still as hot and humid as ever. 

P.S. Fashion-wise, I'm pretty boring when it comes to this so plain solids and stripes are about the most I can get into when it comes to these long-sleeved ts/tops as well as other tops for that matter.

4. silk button ups

These two have made appearances on the travel posts and if I were to make packing lists for those two trips, one in Tagaytay City and the second, to Dumaguete City, you'd find one of these two in each. I didn't make any packing lists for those two and instead just briefly mentioned what I'd packed in passing in the said posts. Anyway, so as much as I like a crisp white button up, silk shirts like these feel more me. Also, I find them more convenient and more comfortable than the crisp white button up shirts. I have one of the latter I was able to score while thrift shopping. However, I hardly use it because the wrist part gets pretty constricted at times. Silk shirts wrinkle and/or crinkle but they're still the easiest to pack when traveling and the most versatile to work with while out. These shirts are also quite low maintenance (although still delicate) while regular white button ups, I find, aren't. 

5. plaid button ups

Sometimes, the plain solids get overwhelming. Enter patterns in the form of plaid button ups. I have the oversized flannel version that's perfect for the cold and when dressing down with a pair of dressy or denim shorts and tights but the other three here are better as tops. Or as a thin, comfortable jacket like the silk tops, that one can tie around the waist to keep an otherwise boring, all solids outfit colorful or livelier (just...less boring, that is). 

6. denim button ups

I currently don't own a single chambray top (although I'm stalking those from Straightforward yet, just because...) so denim shirts will have to make do for now. The folded one is long enough to be worn as a jacket (it's a men's denim button up, actually) and the shorter one works great both as a shorter cover-up or jacket and as a top. 

Bottoms
Tops aren't enough to have, the corresponding varied bottoms are needed too, to make both work when playing with styling the daily outfits.


1. denim cutoffs, denim shorts

I can't live without these. I just...can't. They're an integral part of the everyday and on some nights as well's outfit concocting. The Forever21 navy and deep blue shorts should be here, too but they're really not exactly denim, are they? When in the tropical heat on a daily basis, denim shorts and/or jeans cutoffs trump jeans in my book. It's usually too hot to wear jeans here anyway...

It's not really weird that I have way more denim cutoffs and jean shorts than I have jeans... It's an islander must-have after tanks, camis and really comfy ts.

2. dressy shorts

Most of the time, dressy shorts just are the easiest to pull on over the denim shorts... They're also really comfortable during the 365-days' heat around here. They can be lounged around in or worn out for errands, brunch and more.

3. skirts

If shorts appear too informal for some daily living events, then enter the skirts. Skirts of every kind just has got to be had, somehow. Leather, suede and the blended fabric (cotton, etc.) types. The bodycon, the pencil fit types and even the flare or fit and flare ones. After denim and dressy shorts, they're the easiest to pull on when deciding whatever to wear on a daily basis. Or even when going out at night to dinner or some other. Most of those I own are the mini skirts. Midi and long skirts are unfeasible in this kind of daily high heat temperatures. I do have one long pencil skirt somewhere from Topshop but it hasn't seen the light of day or the moon at night since my acquisition of it. And I might have given away the few midi skirts I owned so only 1 or 2 should have been left. I'll have to dig those few midi skirts up if I'd like to wear them in for this blog.  I usually don't, however, because they're not really in the style I usually prefer/want. I'm sort of warming up to the midi and long skirts though so expect me to be getting a few that actually are just my style.

4. trousers

If I need to be more dressed up for, like, more formal events (and if I really practiced my original profession which I don't really disclose here, but if going by the graduate studies course I took and documented on here before, you'd probably know then what that is...), my current wardrobe would comprise mostly of this: the trousers or pants. Due to the heat, I can't really bring myself to wear jeans and be the regular jeans + t or button ups girl most women are.
  
5. jeans

Black and grey jeans are the most useful, I find, when traveling. They're perfect airport wear, to me, in the least. I especially love them for long plane rides, the international ones. For everyday wear, however, I would default to pants and skirts.

dresses, rompers

One pieces are just the least difficult to style so it helps to have these in neutrals. If one finds oneself in the islands, definitely, definitely invest on these. They're really useful for running around, jumping and exploring mountains, beaches and other such, really refreshing bodies of water. Bonus sartorial points if one can get them in light or soft colors as well like pastels and the cheery yellows and edgy, fun lime green to name a few.

1. plain black romper

This is the most basic I could find on Zalora and the most useful of two rompers I own. Next to really plain little black dresses, this, to me, is pretty easy to dress up, whatever the occasion. And I do own a couple of really plain everyday and every occasion little black dresses. The romper is just easier to don and wear a jacket or a scarf with, with killer footwear and then I'm good to go. Also, I got this while it was on sale. I very rarely actually get anything from Zalora that's not on sale...unless I really like what I end up getting and can't wait for it to go on sale to get it.

2. white dresses

I've just added a dreamy with lace inset/details longer sleeved of this kind to the wardrobe awhile ago granted my orders from Zalora just came in then. White mini dresses are my achilles heel. I'm weak to resist really good, wearable ones and especially the ones that seem to have no shape. Reason? They're default everyday wear for me after the denim cutoffs/jean shorts and t/tank/cami, and mini skirt and t/tank/cami formula. I like them, too, as they're really easy to move on. Perfect to keep the heat out in, as well. Any color, the darker ones especially, of this kind of dress and I'd probably be dying in the heat...

3. slipdresses

Once upon a time, in my second home of Dumaguete City back when I was completing the graduate studies, I went on a slipdresses buying frenzy. I don't think I've stopped since because when I find myself at a thrift store even here in my native Cagayan de Oro City (CdeO), I'm still as drawn to these as I was way back. They're really easy and comfy for anything from grocery shopping to errand running to just hanging around a cafe with a friend and even to just beach bumming. This seems to be the most that comprise my current wardrobe and my stash on this continues to grow...still. Hah. I confess that I'm a huge fan of the from bed to out of the house pajama dressing trend.

4. tank and t dresses

T dresses and tank dresses are the put on and go out type of one-pieces I have a never ending obsession with after the slipdresses, the white dresses and plain rompers. One pieces are really easy to wear and go out with, no? Also, I find, they go together well with whatever footwear there is at one's disposal. I'm quite a lazy dresser frequently and I don't like to think much about clothes most of the time as I much as I'd like to think about them more frequently so these are for when I can't really think of anything to go out in, in style.

5. black dress (lbd)

This is for the more formal events as well as some semi-formal ones. It's a Topshop in Ayala Cebu City find from so long ago. It has actually come with me to Long Beach, California and been the solution to the question: what to wear to an extended family Christmas dinner and games? with a Forever21 red, black and white slightly furry plaid sweater and velvety, gold chain embellished knee-high flat boots. I packed only a bit for that trip back in late 2015 to early 2016 as well to make room for some new items purchased from the United States so you could say that this, for me, was a lifesaver on events like the Christmas extended family gathering. I have a few other mini black dresses. One that's embellished with some beads and another that's with sleeves. Like the white mini dresses, black dresses can be great summer wear but mostly, they're for dinners and other special events for me.

6. shortalls

One thing: this is summer wear of the year for me. I don't think I can go with the jeans version of this yet. At least not now. Maybe next time. I haven't worn this one out a lot but I definitely like this for going out to play during the day...and with the fun inner tops to boot!

I forget, I have a couple or four...well, basically a well-maintained stash of flowery dresses as well. I like the ones with the black background mostly but I am fine with those with the green background as well. Effortless stylish dressing, I feel, can't really go without those as well. 

outerwear
When it's a tad bit colder, say, at night or when in an air-conditioned room. When going out and one feels the need to get just a tiny bit more covered up, it's outerwear of every kind to the rescue.
 
1. corduroy jacket

This spot should be reserved for the denim jacket which seems the most versatile in whoever fashionable girl's wardrobe but since I gave my one and only of its kind away to someone who doesn't even wear it that much...the corduroy jacket it is! This is in the lightest skyblue, it is the most used in my wardrobe and yes, it is the most used. I like to use this over anything and whether it's to the beach or to some other place for just about whatever, it's just, to me, as versatile as the cropped denim jackets.

2. blazers

Blazers have so much uses for me who can't really wear anything else thicker when here. I find these useful for travel, too. Airport wear appropriate, yes. Street wear appropriate, yes to that, too. These are thrift shop finds. I might have to start looking for the boyfriend and military styled kinds which I think I'm missing to have in the wardrobe. Well, next time or rather, on the next shopping trip or session.

3. hoodie

This is not the only zip hoodie I have, there's another somewhere in the small close door closet cream. Hoodies' use for me isn't just for running or working out and lounging, frequently I wear them over dresses when out, too. I like using them to dress down anything I have on that makes me feel too dressed up. Hoodies, to me, balance out some of the fancier clothes I own that I wear for every occasion. Next to the blazers, the corduroy jacket, this also gets a lot of use out of the limited outerwear I own.

Other outerwear includes a hooded utility jacket, a red coat/long jacket, a trench coat and some cardigans. I suspect that the utility jacket or coat is an anorak but I can't really tell as I don't own much outerwear. Down here in the tropical islands or the more tropical part of the world, outerwear for the cold isn't really so useful so there's less of it in the typical islanders' closet. For one, I only use these when I'm in the colder regions of the world. The coats I bought from the thrift shop prior to the 2015 trip to Philadelphia then to California have been maximally put to use there and they're still the only thicker, warmer kinds I own, still. Although, since it's the rainy season here, I'm considering investing on this one and a good pair of rain boots. Both are what's missing in my wardrobe as well.

footwear
Really, gotta have fancy, futuristic and some plain footwear. My bit on this is go all out especially if everything else you own that you wear on a daily basis are pretty boring and bland.
 
1. boots (but mostly the ankle boots...)

I love, LOVE ankle boots. 'Nuff said.

2. heels (edgy chunky heels, pumps...)

Sometimes one just has to own some things that could break the boring mold of everyday-ness. Such is the case of edgy heels and other than black colored stiletto pumps... The latter could be very useful in some not your usual events.

3. wedges

Confession: I like heels, of every kind, of every height, a lot. As wedges are the easiest heels to walk on, it only follows I seem to have more of these than the chunky heels and stiletto kind. The simple wedges go together well with virtually anything just as the edgy kind of footwear do so, too.

4.basic black flats/doll shoes

Need to dress up something fast and still remain comfortable for a day or so of short walks? Plain black pumps it is. I find these, from Urban Outfitters' BDG from so long ago aren't too comfortable but I don't own a few other pumps of this kind so I'm kind of stuck with this. I don't really wear plain black pumps that frequently, to be honest.

5. slip-ons

These are tailor made for when one has miles and miles to walk on and when terrain just isn't conducive for the regular, staple heels. Although I'm not usually completely sane most days and would frequently still have it my way and push for myself to wear heels even in rugged terrain with lots of walking to do, so... But I guess it won't hurt to have back-up flats like these slip-ons in the bag too when there's so much walking to do. Just one would be good to swap the sartorially edgy and fun heels with.

6. strappy flat sandals

I wear this mostly to beaches. I used to have one in black from SM which is also a strappy pair but not as bandagey as these grey ones but that one disintegrated from over use in the span of a year. I got it on sale at less than 200 Php in store so I guess the expectation for it to survive more than a year's frequent use is just as much as its cheap, less than 4 USD upon acquisition's cost. I'm definitely on the look out for fun strappy flat sandals for daily use again in the same store or some other local department store like Robinson's... I'd be really over the moon with something more durable but that kind is tough to find here. A lot are just faux leather that self-destruct easily within a year or so's use.

7. birkenstock-line slippers

I've used this one to the pool and around some beaches although I imagine I should get some cute flipflops by now so as to keep these still in tact after a year of owning them. They're not as comfortable as the original Birkenstocks but I like them for some poolside fun and some resort walks here and there. I also like them for some general walks around the city sometimes. They're only probably 3/4ths the comfort that I suppose the original Birkenstocks offer but they do their job when I find myself sartorially challenged with a tank dress or t dress on or with the usual tank, cami or t and jean cutoffs.

This definitely does not include the accessories that I usually have on standby in the background, ready to go when I need some not so serious and only somewhat serious styling but these are the core contents of my current wardrobe that see a lot of use of on a daily basis. This is also not the whole wardrobe's contents, I suppose I have a lot more but I'm in the process of working on getting the latter leaner so basically, let's just say, these items are the most I get the most use of from those I own. 

Quick or rather, a brief in-a-nut-shell personal style discussion: Where intriguing, really unique personal styling is concerned, I'm definitely not the most reliable. I don't ascribe to the edgy-ish South Korean/Seoulite style most asian girls (and guys, too!) are crazy for. I'm also only very mildly a maximalist. I'd really rather have a leaner, and a tad bit cute here and there wardrobe, honestly-speaking. So, if anything, I follow the more cute Japanese-y (think, Ginza) style at times and the more every day-edgy-ish Japanese-y (Shibuya!) syle fan. I guess both show in bits and pieces on my daily outfits posts. But yes, I love my basics more, uhm...yep. Bonus 101 points if the basics are the highly futuristic-ally elevated kind like the ones Alexander Wang and Are You Am I offer. Sadly...well, those aren't really readily available in this part of the world (ugh, noooo!) and it sucks. The solution? Get them on said specific shops abroad instead. Ugh...again. Also, they're pretty expensive for someone like me so I can dream, I guess. I...don't think I'll ever get gaudy Seoulite fashion but I guess I'll try to understand it? I don't know either... That said, minimal, slightly futuristic and more classic street style and every day style is surely and totally my jam. There are apparently only so few of us like this...is there? Yep, sad.

Also, I'm a fan of 90s silhouette being someone who grew up and was born at the cusp of that era. I love, love the 90s fashion. Grunge or otherwise so there's definitely hints of that in the way I dress on a daily basis, too. All these combined pretty much make up my personal style. I'm not really averse to experimenting with other styles, however, I think I just found the right combination of personal styling I'm at home with, with the endless browsing on thrift shops, personal style blogs, magazines (mostly, Japanese magazines by way of Vivi as well as french and american and some australian ones like Nylon---I love Nylon, yes! Russh etc.) and more I've been doing since getting seriously into fashion and/or personal style.

And yes, I'll be back to daily outfit posting from the coming Monday and so on now that I have this outed/posted today, Saturday, Philippines' time/South East Asia time. 

P.S.

I'm pretty aware a lot of my wardrobe's contents is Zalora and its affiliated brands. It's just that I can't really help it though. I like the site because I can shop for things I like/love from it from the comfort of the home or anywhere else for that matter. I just somehow don't shop much in local department stores, fast fashion chains and well, generally the malls nowadays. I'm not too into crowds either so Zalora shopping and pretend shopping is the way for me to gain access to fashionable finds... I'm definitely on the way to building a mostly Zalora-bought stuff wardrobe, lol. I swear I'm getting into other brands as well like Straightforward to name a few. Next to Zalora, I think Straightforward's stuff is the kind that minimalistic-ish, cozy everyday dressers' dreams are made of. I definitely covet a lot of things from there I know I would wear to death in real life. Neeeexxxttt time...