rooftop hangs

t, secondhand/thrifted. shorts/cut-offs, gap. boots, something borrowed via zalora. bag, giani bernini via macy's.

I should hang around the grandparents' roof top/deck more. It's such a good place to be in when hermiting? And yes, that's a solar panel you see there...they have those in the grandparent's home to help keep from overspending on electricity. The view is good here, anyway, especially around the time the sun rises and sets.

T and shorts was the uniform the whole week I'd stayed at the grandparents'. If it's not the trusty ts then it's the tank/s.

DIY Monday: tie dyed tank from a t

tank, a t turned (diy-ed) tank gifted by an aunt. cutoffs, gap. boots, rubi by cotton on via zalora ph. backpack, gucci (thrifted/vintage and most probably authentic). bangle, vintage.

Beginning Saturday night, last weekend, I was bitten by the DIY bug after puzzling over how I owned one too many t-shirts from random events (like benefit walks, family events and more...) and not enough tanks and such to keep the daily humidity and heat at bay. This shirt which is really cozy, by the way, was one of the many I'd ended up cutting, sewing a tiny bit and customizing to the length and cut of my liking. There are a few others that met my scissoring and mediocre, at best, skill of running and/or back stitching. There are also still a few others I haven't decided what to do with yet but I'll eventually get to customizing them with the scissors, as well as the needle and thread. ....maybe later.

I would have liked this t a bit more destroyed and the print faded in the pretty vintage-y way but this will do for now. It might reach that through more washes. At least, to me, it's so much more wearable now for the day and sleeping in. I like clothing that's perfect for both and tanks, cropped and not, are that for me even though I like ts as much.

I'm currently in the process of making braided headbands from the excess t fabric to gift this year to girl friends and more.

DIY Mondays should be a thing, no? Well, then, just occasionally as I don't really DIY stuff as much.

everything neutral-y

ribbed tank, daiso. cutoffs, gap. heels, zalora. bag, sr squared by sondra roberts. filigree cuff, forever21. straw fedora, jessica simpson.

t, secondhand hot topic. lace shorts, tally weijl. heels, zalora. bag, vintage. bangles, vintage and Dumaguete City souvenir shop. straw fedora, jessica simpson.

Photos 1 and 2 from Thursday; photos 3 and 4 from today.

Sort of really untimely post especially for Thursday's outfit. I have yet to pay the annual fee for my original photobucket account to keep uploading photos on here from there. In the meantime, I have a second account to use yet. If I can't drum up the funds to keep my other pb account active for this blog's photos, I might have to look for an alternative image hosting site. Until then, photobucket is still the easiest for me to use more than even flickr so I'm sticking to it on here.

Bandagey heels, dressy lace black shorts and striped shirt go together well, it seems. Then again, so do grey ribbed tank tops and denim cut-offs. The vintage bag on today's outfit is something I put on eternal repeat day in and day out. Bags this medium sized and the larger, spacier ones usually are the most used weekly because I tend to put a ton of things in them. Fedoras/straw hats and baseball caps (as well as snapbacks) have been my go to lately to shield the eyes from the glaring rays of the sun. After some rainy afternoons, we're having a slew of hotter days again just like the summer that has supposedly passed---weird how everywhere else it's summer and here in the islands, it's just not, anymore (I need it back!)---so those are things I deem necessary nowadays. I'd gladly go for the accessories-free head of hair and sunglasses if I found the right classic aviators and wayfarers though. I keep losing my sunglasses somehow or breaking them...I'm not the best at handling these things with caution/care.

Nothing much on pop culture/fandom today except, yay! We finally have our first Filipina Asia's Next Top Model...on season 5, no less! Yep, I watched the replay of Wednesday night's encore episode on Thursday, near-lunch time. I really was thinking Shikin would win it all thanks to Maureen's Julian-esque (from Asia's NTM season 4) dead fish-like eyes on the runway...it seems to me that, that is a trademark thing among Asia's Next Top Model contenders that come from this country.

two days worth of outfits

photos 1-3: button up shirt, vintage. cutoffs, gap. bag, ninewest. boots, rubi by cotton on via zalora ph. photos 4-5: tank, bench ph. shorts, mags. wedges, CLN. clutch bag, gift from aunt. blazer, vintage. 

Yesterday and today's outfits. 2 days worth of outfits for several days' worth of going missing from the blogosphere from some time last week. There's really not much to share about this week and last week either. At least not a lot of good news to share. A lot of things going on this side of the world is bad news, instead. Let's not dwell on that however. It's just...all bad and depressing. National and inside the island issues, yes. You'd think Mindanao Island in the Philippines is sunny and warm and paradise-like but at this time, it's really not...that...much a paradise.

It's around 30 degrees and up, 33-36 to be more specific, Celsius here so it's definitely hot. Very hot. It's close to the regular body temperature, even. Yet, the weathermen on the news say the rainy season is upon us. I definitely hope it cools down a little more. Otherwise, I'm happy being mostly in shorts and mini skirts until then.

no drama

 button-up shirt, vintage. diy partly bleached denim cutoffs,  gap. boots, zalora. headband/wrap and long leaf necklace, f21 (unsure where it's from however, faulty long-term memory to blame, haha). 

Really dramatic real life, no drama clothes. If only they can be one and the same then the world would probably be a better place somehow...

Regarding this pair of bleached cutoffs...I just had to, like, DIY my own pair way, way back when half-bleached denim shorts were a thing. I think Zara had something similar a few seasons back. Definitely, you can be trendy or in fashion without having to spend much...and that's what I like about being into it.

Lighting is too bright in this area apparently. The photo here and in the previous outfit post are evidence enough I probably need to find another place to take outfit blog photos from. Ironically, I shot this near-sundown, basically golden hour. And I'm going back to the favorite by the gate photos next week.

plain and simple

 t - secondhand, bag and belt - vintage, denim cutoff - Gap, boots - rubi/cotton on via zalora, sunglasses - dad's, necklaces - aizilim, rings - aizilim, bracelets - vintage from gandmum and LC Lauren Conrad

....and there are times I prefer to simplify. Currently thinking about cutting this shirt to a better length as it's really huge, rather it's really long that it has to be tucked in when worn with shorts or a skirt all the time. I'll work on modifying this thing one day later...maybe the weekend.

summer in december

 Daiso tank (it's men's originally), gap buttoned cutoffs, zalora heels, from aunt's (last year) ribboned bag, aizilim wooden cuff, necklaces and rings, forever21 cat ears ring (not very visible in photo), vintage belt

with an old navy denim vest

Pretty busy---which should explain the week-long blogosphere absence---and yet still mellow week last week between running personal errands and working on the items for the ebay shop. Still...I can't put everything up yet because my tape measure, recently acquired last week, was borrowed and has not yet been returned. Until then, stay tuned...? 

It gets cold enough in the late afternoons to evening and the really early mornings but it's nothing a lightweight cardigan or a pullover can handle. This is the most layering I can do this time of the year here. I still count myself blessed to be living in this side of the world as it keeps me from committing fashion disaster/crisis one after another due to the lack of layering skills that could possibly be developed by practice. This year's 15 to 20 degrees celsius in the Philippines, the southern part of it specifically, is definitely more tolerable than the 4-5 degrees early to late morning coldness in Philadelphia same time last year I had the opportunity to experience.  

....and I'm finally feeling Christmas-y so here's my current always on repeat Jpop Christmas track:

 

I actually love the fact that it still has the hints of electro-dance music...definitely my kind of Christmas song this season. Happy holidays, then. :)

hints of boheme and some music talk that might be a constant now here

 benchPH tank similar here, Gap cutoffs, vintage belt, rubi via zalora gusset ankle boots, smashbox choker, sm department store heart & cross dangling earrings, secondhand (from grandmum :D) and LC Lauren Conrad bracelets, aizilim necklaces, diy braided headband

I lean towards the more boho side of the style spectrum than I'd care to admit. I'm suspecting much of it has to do with the fact that I reside in the most tropical region the world knows and that the city I'm in is also by the bay. Beach casual boho, style-wise then, I guess?

 with the secondhand corduroy jacket

The jacket is probably one of the favorite ways in which I'd dress casual things up to get ready to go out with. Well...since I don't have the jean/denim jacket equivalent...yet. I gave away one that came my way before and definitely regretting it at this time. I'll go hunt for something similar most likely in the thrift stores.

Music talk (this might be a constant here since I do love music as much as I love fashion...which means...by a huge lot): I'm not so sure if it's a coincidence that the one very east Asian (Jpop) record I'm listening to since the weekend is 1 Finger's One Dream 2. I don't think it is, knowing me and my preference for everything sunny and summery like this sun belt I've been touting since the early days of the blog---the dim dark days when it had a more bohemian free spirited girl title that matched my LiveJournal's. If you don't have this record, I recommend looking for it. It's so, so, so good I have, like, 4 of a total of 8 tracks on it on eternal repeat the past 2-3 days now. 

Favorites from this record include track #s: 2 サマラバ☆, 4 Dawn Night, 7 Try Again, and 8 ヤシの木~Sha la la~. These four? Really effective in taking the gloom away from the rainy season at the year's end...in the tropics. And if winter isn't your thing, definitely listen to these to get the tropical island cheery living feeling in. They're proving the most effective in warding away depression to me nowadays. Case in point, today: it's gloomy and about to rain outside but I have summer music on. I'm all well and good now.

I caught wind of 1 Finger thanks to their contribution to Kamen Rider Drive and Kamen Rider Ghost Chou Movie Taisen Genesis's OST. They sung the ending theme to the film and their performance of it in Chou Eiyuusai 2016 is quite good, too. One of my favorite parts from there. So I searched for that track to no avail and came across this record instead. Well...it was still a win-win thing in the end so let's leave it at that.

Yesterday's news of Fukushima and Miyagi in Japan being under tsunami warning watch made me nervous. This was after the 7.4 magnitude earthquake they had. Then later, the warning had been lifted, I was relieved nothing else like 2011's followed through. As a Japanophile living a few hours by plane outside of it, of course, I'd be concerned by this. It's a given.

black and blue

 secondhand cutoffs and gap t, vintage belt, zalora heels, ninewest bag, aizilim necklaces and rings

The many times I've blogged an incarnation of this get-up...I can't really recall anymore. Played it up a bit with a vintage belt in deep brown that's quickly becoming my favorite, however. Never said you can't wear one too many things with multiply buckles in them in one outfit post. I guess I just am the type to not get enough of the good edgy things. A repeat outfit can never get old with different variants of accessories---how to make a repeat get-up on a daily basis not boringly repetitive 101...

 plus secondhand corduroy jacket

Luckily, I caught the tail end of the golden hour enough to shoot this one. I almost didn't today.

Even when making the Chun-Li buns, I'm a mess. Let's just leave it at that. My skill in hair-styling is as hopeless as my make-up skills...yep... Even if my life depended on those two, apart from clothes styling...I...can't. I'll just be the clumsy ardent disciple learning the art however I can't really promise anything on that front... I can bleach and dye (blonde) the h*** out of hair however, so that's a consolation, I guess?

And now a couple music recommendations because...just because...

 

Just. How good is this Da-iCE cover of Ariana Grande's Into You? Like how good, GOOD, exactly? If you get what I mean in the midst of incoherently flailing on this one here at the mo...that is.

I seem to have this on eternal loop on itunes today...well, since the weekend that is. That I prefer this to the original version of Shakira's for the Zootopia soundtrack is...well...a no brainer. I am a semi-E-girls fan. Like an on/off one.

tiny bit of yellow cheer during the rainy days

 Gap t and buttoned cutoffs, vintage belt and hoodie (Ann Taylor Loft), Rubi gusset boots via Zalora, Smashbox net choker, aizilim necklace and rings (latter not clear/visible in the photos)

Found this shirt in a forgotten bag of clothes from so long ago while trying to see what else I can do away with so others can make full use of them much more than I have. A lot of things I own currently need new homes. I'm putting a lot of these older things I have, that I hardly used, on sale on ebay between this month and the next. It has been kind of irritating that I have given a lot of stuff away last year and I still ended up having a lot more...that I hardly used. Much of this I'd have to blame the maternal side of the family that's in the US. They're mostly 3 women (aunts) and the grandma and being women, they looove to shop when they get the chance to. I'm partly kidding here as I love them so much either way. Haha.

Either way...hmn...there's fun in styling something so old and hardly used when you dig them up from the deepest depth of your seasons' old clothing storage. This might also have contributed to why I only have isolated shopping trips or binges now and then for the past two or three years or so now...

Speaking of shopping, a brief spiel of it and how I've been going about it lately here: shopping for me has been about...say, just twice or thrice a year for about two or three years now. I don't really shop a lot anymore as opposed to how I did almost daily while attending graduate studies in Silliman University in Dumaguete City. I shopped a lot more than I do now when I was in college, too. This is mostly because the thrift shops are in close proximity to the schools I attended way back when. I guess I just came to a point where I'd had enough of owning a lot of things I use once then discard to the deepest depths of my wardrobe storage. I'm currently making it my life's mission this time to build a wardrobe of stuff I use frequently...for lounge and casual since I seem to be an expert on that. I still like the idea of owning a lot of clothes to last me a lifetime since I do love clothes but one thing I'd really like to have the most is a more edited closet/wardrobe because...isn't this always the goal to our getting into and loving fashion in the first place? Well, unless you're the kind that just love shopping for the sake of shopping (or stress relief) and hardly cared about personal style or fashion but otherwise, yes, that, exactly.

Back to the shirt one here. It seems this blog has been seeing a lot of stripes...I still have a few more I'd like to make use of here...okay, for real, just one now since this is done (not saying I won't be wearing this piece a different way here again one day however because I know I totally will... and like the next normal person, I have the tendency to overuse momentary favorite pieces so...). Stripes...they're being a constant in the wardrobe and have been relegated to my definition basics. They just are so, so fun to wear with everything.

95% white

second hand ralph lauren t, gap cut offs, vintage ankle boots, beaded bracelet from aizilim, vintage bangle/bracelet, Maica wrap choker in pink from verano.ph c/o zalora, dad's sunglasses

Monday, May 9 is Presidential elections for us here in the Philippines. The race to the Malacanang is just as hot as the days' 30-35 degree celsius (we go by celsius here in reading daily temperatures) ...not forget, chaotic. I bet it's going to be in the 30s again tomorrow. other than that, I haven't really decided who I like as President. Ha. (Don't follow my example.)

sailor shorts

Just got back from a rewarding night run by the local Sports Center's oval/track and posting these that were just taken earlier.

secondhand gap shirt, f21 shorts, payless ankle boots, random bracelets and necklaces