psychedelic florals and soft denim

 

forever21 dress & sunglasses (gifts from an aunt and the bff, respectively); thrifted (from a long time ago in Dumaguete City) softest and thinnest denim jacket; from Japan, gifted by dad cutie bag; primadonna via zalora heels

I'm losing my a-game in the fashion or style posts contents here. I can't seen to even pose right for the camera and tripod anymore now. I'm getting rusty? I can hardly even post on my instagram now for some reason. Laziness? Procrastination? I don't know, really.

I'm still alive though. Hi!

Summer is here and it's been very hot in the afternoons. Kids are out of school, too. It's why last June 4---I know...this is a very late post, yes, but most my posts here are late rn---the bff from college, Michi/JM and I went out to try some cafes and restaurants we've never been to in uptown, Cagayan de Oro City. I'll post about soonish. Within this week.

I'm wearing everything gifted here. Lol. And at least 1, the pair of Primadonna shoes I have on, I bought some one or two years ago. The softest and thinnest, perfect for the summer heat and humidity here 24/7 I thrifted in Dumaguete City some years back. I don't think there's anything new here but yep, I'll try my best to post more daily-ish/weekly-ish outfit photos here and then make it spill over my instagram again, among other things. Let's make both this blog and that instagram account livelier this time of the year moving forward.

I still have a lot of other catch-up posts on backlog. Some are in my drafts. Haha. Life's been busy lately mostly with family things and especially now that life's back on track after the Philippines' national elections last May 9. 

Is it just me or is Flickr going the Photobucket way? I'm out of options where to host photos at the moment. I'm not keen on maintaining a pro, paid account on Flickr...yet...anyway, so... I'm sad now.

 

zalora 2021 christmas wishlist

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I usually get something from Zalora Philippines this time of the year but as I'm still on a job hunt for any writing gig I can get that pays well, I might have to pass this year's purchase for some other time instead. 

The best time to shop at Zalora is usually the last two months of the year and the first two months of the following year. It has to do with their consecutive sales during those four months. I've saved a lot from those sales and still somehow continue to save as much whenever I shop from them from time to time when I need to.

....or actually, this may be because I haven't really decided yet which among the dresses below I'd really, REALLY like to get this year: yellow cami dresses with lace details in floral print and/or pale yellow that look so close to slipdresses I'm forever obsessed with or the ditzy flower print dress that's super cute and reminds me of 2008-2009 Luella...

....and they are on sale, too, so...hmn...let me mull over it for a bit for now...

So anyway, here are some things I have in mind from Zalora tonight that just...can't seem to get out of my head until I make that one...single dress or shoe purchase I may very much need or something:

from left to right: tie front cami mini dress in blackbase florals; lace trim mini dress in yellow floral; basic asymmetric frill sleeveless dress in beige (this is also available in a really very dainty, pretty pink color that I like and if I could, I'd get both. haha); eyelet shirt dress in off white; cami mini dress in yellow floral; lace trim mini dress in pale yellow; cotton eyelet babydoll dress in white. All of these are from the same Zalora line, Zalora Basics.

Some runner up dresses I'm also thinking about from the same line but for some reason, they never made the cut because they're not much what I have in mind tonight: low back column dress in lemon yellow (hurrah! I can finally into midis? I guess...?); knot front eyelet dress in blush (probably the first kind of puffed around the sleeves dress I'm into...I still get too intimidated by puffed sleeves among dresses most of the time for some reason so...);  cami eyelet swing dress in yellow; crisscross cut out rib bodycon dress in blue/pink (this one looks good and looks different from my usual style...colors, especially because it combines my favorite color with pink, something I'm seeing myself wearing more of because...you know...if you'd been following or had read my last blog entry, you'd know...also, this is an elevated classic I definitely would not want to miss out on if I had money to spend on this and more because just regular tshirt dresses, however much I love them and would love to have more of them in my closet...err...wardrobe, are getting a tad bit boring lately); broderie crossover back mini dress in off white (I definitely don't mind an intricate looking but bare and sexy back detail with mostly just the strings and all that put the dress altogether); shortsleeves dress in cream/multi (it's leopard print/animal print, of course and I don't have a lot of that in my closet/wardrobe...I don't mind having some of this one as this shirtdress looks pretty cool); blouson cami mini dress in off white (it's dainty-looking and I feel it would look fine as an everyday dress or something)

Yellow is a shade I'm lately super into. My attachment to it started last year. I might have to blame this one on my being in a tropical country all my life and that fact that this pandemic and string of lockdowns has me missing the beach and the pool so much lately. Last year...or I think it was two years ago...? I can't remember anymore... I was able to get two yellow pieces from Zalora I may have to debut here one day. One is a cami, the other is a tshirt dress (and you know I'm just as very much obsessed with tshirt and tank shirt dresses as with everything else I gush about on this blog. lol) with a knotted front detail that's pretty cute and cozy to wear everywhere. Even my grandma loved that one when I wore it to help around the house, the kitchen and all in Jasaan around Christmas and New Years' day last year. Other than those two, I also got 1 cute babydoll from Essentiel Manila back when they still had their own website. Those three get some wear every now and then so I will definitely debut them here on the blog sometime soon, yes. 

It's not just the yellows but I also get intrigued by orange or more specifically, rust these days. I normally prefer the neutral colors but yay to me getting into colors and fun prints, finally! I think my wardrobe's contents have finally made me bored it doesn't have a lot of bright colors so I'm currently into them now. I definitely get attracted by neon bright colors when it comes to accessories and wish there were more of them everywhere but alas...I can't even find underwear in that color that can spruce up any dull outfit I have in mind that's mostly a tank and a pair of shorts or some oversized men's trousers. Ugh. Well...bye dull wardrobe and hello, more colorful wardrobe, I guess? Yep, definitely.

It's nice and good and fun to be experimental sometimes, and just super random when it comes to dressing up. 

So yes, a ton of yellows... The pale yellow one is really good to look at here and looks very, very cute. Just the right amount of romantic with the lace in there that reminds me of Pretty Baby's girls. Have you seen that Brooks Shield film? It's so, sooo good to the eyes. I love all the romantic female fashion and classic American male fashion in there. The film might have put Brooks Shield on the radar for being the youngest female star to be exploited by Hollywood but oh...the outfits... I don't know how to describe that film and their wardrobe but I'm SO in love with it. I've only seen parts of it and screen capped my favorite outfits from there and posted and spazzed about them on my fandom twitter, @kg_0917, awhile back but I'll definitely set aside time to watch that film in full one weekend I have nothing much to do. We just went off tangent talking randomly about Pretty Baby. Lol. It's a decent 1978 movie about women and children in brothels in the state of Louisiana in the US and for the characters' outfits a lone, I think, is one movie worth watching at least once. And so going back to the dresses I'm stuck with due to details, color, design or make and all...the ditzy print dress really reminds me of old school Luella (2008-2009 as mentioned earlier above). 2008-2009 is definitely a good year for Luella and the ditzy flower print and all the very pretty details in the line's dresses. Ugh. 

This is just one line from Zalora, Zalora Basics, and I already know I'm not going to other lines just see more dresses, tops and more I may like. I browsed through the tops from the same line and they have really interesting ones, too. Definitely check those out, as well, if they're your thing. 

Let's go into the shoes. We'll touch up a bit more on the shades of yellow and the romantic, cute style as we go towards the end of this post later so read on!

A pair of these Steve Madden Valiant S High Heels scream NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY ALL NIGHT LONG!!! It's only available now in size 6.5. *sob*

I just heard the national evening news on TV tonight say doctors, medical experts are currently studying the new variant of the novel corona virus from South Africa. I suppose this means we're still not allowed to gather in big numbers for New Year's Eve parties right? Oh well... 

This is way above my budget anyway and I wouldn't want to spend so much on a pair of shoes I see myself wearing only once a year so being unable to afford and get this isn't much of a problem for me. Heh. I can think of better ways to spend my money should I have any this end of the year and early next year than on these shoes, really...

Oh wow, oh wow. Ninewest bringing back the sexy slingback pumps...I see...: the really pretty Emry slingback pumps (middle) in dark red, the Holly3 Slingback Pumps in black and dark natural that aren't really that bad either. They're sooo pretty and very classic I'm sooo in love with them rn and there're only 1 pair in my size available for all 3. *sobs* Lucky are the ones to snag these three in 7 and 7.5. *cries*

I feel like a truck hit me. Slingback pumps, Nine West via Zalora, really? Ugh. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. YES! They're a definitely must have! I'd like to have at least one of these three but I'm too broke so lucky, indeed, are the ones who gets to have these in 7 and 7.5 that's just my size. /cries. If I hadn't checked on Zalora tonight, I wouldn't have seen that slingback pumps are back as per Nine West's dictate. It's amazing that they have a lot of these released all at the same time so ladies get a nice selection of them. They're really such beauties! The croc pattern...ugh. How beautiful is the Emry slingback pumps in dark red here? Just...HOW?

If I had enough money to spend on any one of these right now, I wouldn't hesitate to get a pair. They're around 3, 500 Php but ugh! Their versatility. /cries. I can just imagine how really pretty a pair would go with any of the dresses, shorts and top, skirts and top combinations I have in my head right now. There may be no occasion yet to wear this shoes to but for someone like me who likes to dress up randomly...ugh. These, especially the Emry in dark red, are everything. I'm a firm believer that shoes maketh an outfit so I always, always am quite unapologetic when I impulsively spend on a pair of shoes like this that I know will go well with anything about everything in my wardrobe.

My very depressing broke-ness makes me weep as I see all these pretty things dissipate before my very eyes...with every visit I do on their pages to check their availability. I stalk those I really like as frequently as possible, yes. 

Anyway, to keep myself (ourselves) from crying due to the prices of the things on here and especially in Zalora, here's a more affordable version of the ones above: the Alberto women's shoes Amy 20S M11996D12 pair of lower heeled slingback pumps in black and in the same croc pattern. These have lower heels than the ones above but I don't mind. If they're for everyday use, working from home, them I yeah, I think they're worth getting. I just usually prefer heels to be quite high. Sky high. They're more fun that way. lol.

....and some other shoes that caught my attention before I got stuck on the slingback pumps above...:

Some others that caught my eye before Ninewest's croc patterned slingback pumps distracted me (from left to right): Betsy Bianca Heels in dark beige, Mango snake printed heeled shoes and the asymmetric stiletto shoes in brown, and the Ninewest Holly Slingback Pumps in leather black.

Betsy, Betsy, Betsy. Wow. This brand that Zalora carries is impressing me right now in terms of design. They're edgy and really pretty. And you know I like edgy and gothic at times...in healthy doses, I mean. I missed the oxfords platform heels trend of the 2000s so it's super rad to me that the Bianca heels in beige and other neutral, bad ass colors of it exist in this time period. In Zalora. Like the slingback pumps above I'm so in love with right now, I don't mind having a pair of this in the shoe shelf to wear with any romantic and dainty dresses in there or the yellow ones with lace details above. These in beige and black would go well with anything. ANYTHING.

And speaking of the edge Betsy seems to have going on with their collection this season, let me direct your attention to their bags...ooh!!! The studs in them are to die for. They remind me of Alexander Wang back when his designs were better and the shiz between 2008 and 2009.  Seriously, other than the really cool 90s (because I was an angsty teenager then and until now so...), I'd bring back 2008 and 2009 for really pretty, cool, rad and all fashion trends. Ugh. Betsy. Even their, what looks to me to be a cross between Doc Martens (Docs) and some other, the Jayleen boots, are to die for. It's out in my size now, though, so...boohoo. 

I've mentioned every semblance of 'to die for' twice in the paragraph right above this one so...let's just say that's how Betsy from Zalora's collection makes me feel right now. Dramatic. Dark. Angsty. Just the right amount of edge that brings me back to my middle and late teens when I was all about ghosts, the supernatural and stuff and now I'm re-obsessing myself with Edgar Allan Poe's short tales of terror and still continue to reread Bram Stoker's Dracula 'til I bore of it so...yeah. Dark is pretty. Dangerous is pretty. ....much in the same way all that glitters, all that's shiny and pristine, angelic white and fun yellows are pretty. Yes.

And...that's that. So let's move onto the bags I've been talking about earlier then:

A lot of edge with (from L-R): Nine West's Torin Convertible Crossbody Bag in black; Betsy's Vera Sling Bag in black it's also available in red right here; Betsy's Celia Shoulder Bag in black and it's also available in brown right here; Betsy's Aniyah Top Handle Bag in black, it's also available in gray right here; and Lowrys Farm's Crocodile Textured Crossbody Bag in black which is also available in brown and white right here.

Oh. I didn't expect Lowrys Farm to be in Zalora but it is. 

It's actually a Japanese brand I'm a tiny bit familiar with thanks to Cancam, a Japanese fashion magazine I have 1 one copy of in my shelf here at home from my last trip to the US. The stop over was Tokyo on the way to and from the US so I got to shop some mags at some shops in Narita aiport way back very late 2015 and early 2016. I'm pretty sure this brand is in Cancam because I remember it's a different set of JP brands for ViVi. Cancam concentrates on casual and formal career woman style while ViVi often veers towards the more fun, experimental girl style which resonates more with me than Cancam's for some reason. Japanese fashion mags...they're really fun to have and they have freebies too, from time to time, so they're worth spending some 300+ JPY plus shipping over. Pro-tip, use FromJapan or some other third party shipping for them to save costs.

Japanese brands, I feel, have been, slowly, ever so, so, slowly trickling into South East Asia via Zalora. I know of one aside from Uniqlo, that has made it over here completely through that massive South East Asian online shopping mall, Desigual. They have pretty cool bags and rad, soooo much fun shoes, too. Their stuff is usually a bit way out of my price range in terms of affordability but they're worth checking out, still, if you like the Japanese street style look often seen in the streets of Harajuku. I'm more of a cross between the Ginza and Shibuya fashionista type so...yeah. If you followed tokyo streetstyle, you'd know what I'm onto here. Apparently, I just checked, they're still up and running. I like to look into their posts, especially during the spring and summer seasons for outfit inspiration sometimes. Or...I'm sometimes just there to gawk at how well dressed men and women, girls and boys there are because I just can't...ever...for some reason. Lol.

Anyway, I'm a huge fan of Japanese fashion. I already mentioned I love the fashion mag, Vivi, and I have several issues of it in my bedroom to prove it so yes, I'm all here for Zalora bringing in more clothing, shoes, bags and accessories brands from Japan that's not just Uniqlo. Seriously, Japanese style is more than just Uniqlo. I love the cute styles in Runway Webstore a lot that are always featured in Vivi. Emoda and sometimes, Mercury Duo often brings the pretty styles for me from clean and crisp, a bit edgy to really, very girly you can mess up with a bit of edge or some quirkiness here and there. I think the most I liked from Uniqlo, compared to that one, Runway Webstore, is their Sailormoon tshirt limited edition line. I know they've been doing other anime lines after that but a good friend of mine who's now in very sunny and tropical Tahiti has a Sailormoon shirt from that line and I fell in love with that one for a bit until my best friend from Davao City nearby-ish alerted me that OXGN also came out with a Sailormoon tee collection and...well, OXGN is local so it's waaayy more affordable than Uniqlo's, of course, and I'd definitely have preferred that over Uniqlo any day. I'm a huge fan of Sailormoon, especially the manga and the new anime, Sailormoon Crystal, that very closely follows the manga so yeah. That explains why I'm into a lot of things Sailormoon, including shirts. Haha. I'm not too into animes anymore but if you are, OXGN has a line for Hunter x Hunter now and the volleyball sports anime, Haikyuu!! so gooo and get those if they are your thing! They're pretty cool. I do like Hunter x Hunter, yes. Togashi Yoshihiro, the mangaka (manga artist/creator in Japanese) for it, is married to Sailormoon's mangaka, Takeuchi Naoko so that explains that. This OXGN shirt with the huge Hisoka print is calling my name right now but I'm too broke to afford anything yet so...nope. I'm currently happy with the BtoB Eunkwang shirts I got from Shopee last week so I'm okay passing on this one. (If you're an anime weabo or something, don't be afraid to say hi to me here or on twitter! I'm still mildly interested in animes but not as intensely as I used to...way, waaayyy back I was in high school, going into very early college.)

I do own some Lowrys Farm stuff. I recall I have a pair of shorts somewhere in my closet with that brand that I thrifted a while back in Dumaguete City or some other but I browsed through their offerings here in the Philippines on that massive shopping site and nothing really captivated me much outside of the bags I featured and linked y'all to here. A lot of their clothes are for winter right now and the weather or climate here isn't cold enough to warrant any and all of us into buying and owning some of those they have for sale there so...yeah. I'll pass. I hope they have some fun and cool spring/summer offerings for next year, though!

Other things I have in mind that are from the accessories section are:

from L-R: this black printed twist headband from Waikiki LC; this brown niko and... wrap headband; this big ribbon clip in light pink from joystyx; this Miraycia ribbon hairclip in light pink from Aldo and this is infinitely cheaper than the former, too; really super cute and fun patchwork super scrunchie from Rubi; Rubi's super scrunchie in dusty pink; oh my bag's oversized scrunchies satin in peach...it's not in pink. lol; HAWKERS frozen nude rose gold SUNSET sunglasses for men and women, it's suuuupper pretty!; and Aldo's pretty cool Ceram Sunglasses in pink! 

Aldo's Ceram sunglasses seems to be calling me to it along with animal print headwrap because I've never owned a headwrap my whole life and I think I ought to have one of those fun things. Ugh.

SO MUCH PINK! It's basically pink overload down here. I don't wear a lot of pink so I don't mind any of these for #KakamPinkWednesdays on my twitters and instagram. I only have so few pink ts in the wardrobe so what I lack in clothing, I would cover for with accessories. It would be cool if there were neon pink bras with no underwire too, bralettes! I'd be down for those, yes.

No jewelry this time. I'll look into that some other time. Maybe in a another post. I only really get stuff from Bagel Girl in SM Downtown Premiere now because they have some cheapie stuff that are very affordable for those with low budget on stuff like me and also, Aizilim in Cogon Market that I like to go to from time to time, too, so yeah. It would be nice to browse Zalora for these, too though. Definitely look into those when you can, too!

And that concludes what I think the most about from Zalora so far. Heh. Quite a long post. I feel like a lot of posts lately are super long anyway so yeah, no matter. It's still a post after a short while of no posting at all (2 days, yes? Yes).

Oh and bonus! I almost forgot this one because I was browsing around French Connection on Zalora and the wares there are MIGHTY pricey I can't afford any of them but somehow, I got stuck on this thing:

Alto Rosanna Drape Dress, French Connection

Something about the shapelessness of this dress just gets me as I have one or a few similar to it in the wardrobe. I don't think I'll ever be over my shapeless dresses, oversized ts and sweaters or jumpers, sweatshirts, everything phase, yeah. It must be how freeing they feel like and breezy and airy they are when you wear them with stuff...hmn...

*****

So how should we call this selection of mine from Zalora before the year ends, hmn...?

Some of it, especially the lace trimmed slipdress-like cami dresses are inspired by the romantic style in the movie, Pretty Baby, with the very, VERY young Brooke Shields, indeed. Luella 08-09 for the ditzy floral print mini dress with ribbon or tie detail around the neck and the rest are either sleek and classy (the sexy slingback pumps, to be exact, the ones from Ninewest, mostly) and edgy and dark and tough (Betsy's). 

back to my favorite place

 

vneck shirt, bench ph; skirt, f101 via zalora ph; heels, primadonna via zalora ph; wristlet, coach (gifted by aunt); mobile phone, samsung a21s; rings, mix of bagel girl at sm downtown premiere & aizilim cdeo; necklaces, forever21 & aizilim cdeo; earrings, sm uptown cdo superstore (the accessories section), pretty old; sunglasses, forever21 gifted by bff michi; bracelets, mix of necklace as bracelet gifted by aunt & aizilim cdeo; headband, I forgot...either forever21 or robinsons' department store's or sm superstore's accessories section. lol.

If I'm frowning in some photos, it's because it's really hot outside and it's already November. That's the Philippines for you. It's always hot during the day of the -ber months going into the end of the year, December. It only gets cooler during the late afternoon and evening and even then, it's not really THAT cool. It is cooler in the mountain area, though, so there's that at least. In the morning, it also gets pretty cold.

This headband is the only thing in pink I'm wearing for now. I don't really have a lot of pink in my closet but I'm working around to filling that up with accessories mostly and some tshirts.

Tshirts and tanks... This week, those seem to be the only things I'm wearing now to work from home. I haven't gone out this whole week and I don't see myself going out until next week either. Well, I am a homebody through and through.

I stocked up on tshirts and tanks last year and two years ago from Terranova in Limketkai Mall and Bench via Zalora Ph online. I'm crossing out Bench from my list of stores I buy from though...not because they lack in quality with the stuff they sell but because...because...there's this one politician they feature on an ad I'm not too into and that also caused more to call for the boycott of the brand. There are, unfortunately, a lack of local stores that sell basic shirts, tanks and stuff. You can go with H&M, sure, but that would cost a bit and our Forever21 here in SM Downtown Premiere actually just closed down last year so I've no choice but to get basics from there online through Lazada or better yet, Zalora. Paying for shipping is going to cost much in the long run but with the novel corona virus still around and still mutating...it's really not like we have any other choice but to get stuff online.

At least I have basic tops to last me awhile until I need to stock up again later. Heh.

I'm currently eyeing some pink shirts that may be affordable for me. I'll think about those yet...well...actually, it's only one from Clothes and Coffee. You can still shop their site here but they're also shopee here. I've been browsing the site and their shopee but I haven't really found anything I'm too into except some pink shirts. Their bottoms are definitely interesting though, especially the trousers which I lack much in the wardrobe. I only have about...two trousers I wear interchangeably when I go to offices so I'd love to add more one day. 

I'm thinking about posting daily from next week although I may have work to do towards the end of this week and some of next week as someone just offered me one on one site I'm in so we'll see how this goes. I might have to schedule these shoots daily though and, of course, the posts. 

the most comfortable bodysuit from essentiel manila on shopee

 

bodysuit, Essentiel Manila on Shopee Philippines (it's sadly gone there now); skirt, from a shop in Dumaguete City I forgot the name of, lol; platform heels, Zalora Philippines; socks, burlington; wallet/wristlet, coach (gifted by an aunt, old); rings, a mix of bagel girl in SM Downtown Premier Cagayan de Oro and Aizilim, old; sunglasses, forever21 (gifted by bff Michi); necklaces, mix of Aizilim and forever21 (old)

Sucky indoor lighting doesn't do this outfit any justice, especially the bodysuit from Essentiel Manila on shopee. If you squint on the photos, it's actually in the shade of nude.

This overexposed photo tells much about its color and somehow captures it so much better:

Ugh. This thing, this square-necked, tanktop type bodysuit is soooo...so comfortable I don't know how I only bought one of this when I could have stocked up on more back then. To date, I only own a couple of bodysuits. One from, yes, Essentiel Manila and another I got from a shop called Tops in Ayala Centrio some two to three years ago pre-pandemic era. I don't know where the latter one has gone to but I'm pretty sure it's somewhere in my closet. I'll try to dig that one up some other time as this one from Essential Manila already is working for me for everyday wear or just weekend comfy wear these days.

Unfortunately, Essential Manila doesn't carry bodysuits anymore but they do have some interesting onesies in nude, black, white and gray colors and they look really just as comfortable as most of the clothes they sell in there so yep, one might as well stock up on those. I predict we'll be staying in for quite a loooong time thanks to Miss 'rona still mutating to worse strains to this day.

I got this with a bunch of other things last year or around late ish 2019 because I felt I needed more clothes just for comfortably staying in since it was at that time we were given the orders to work from home. Back then, Essentiel Manila still had their own website and you didn't have to buy from them via shopee like you have to, now.

I bought stuff in two batches and some clothes I got from there still remain unworn to this day. 

I mostly bought clothes to wear at home like tops and shorts sets you can mix and match in linen, ribbed cotton, cotton and cotton-spandex cloth blends and the likes in two batches so to me, those were money well spent. I only went past 1000 Php (around approximately 20 USD) on both times but nowhere above 1500 Php, I'm sure. Their shorts are expandable due to the garterized waistband and most have laces you can ribbon or tie them with. Quite similar to some run shorts and others actually. Some shorts and tops sets only have gaterized waist bands and no laces to ribbon them or tie them up with to a snug fit. 

When buying from Essentiel Manila, however, do be careful and pay attention to the sizing of the products they sell. I have one top still unworn to this day (tried it once but...) because it's too small on me even though it looked like it could stretch on some parts of it. I also have a pair of silk shorts from them that probably would fit me better if I were two sizes smaller from my current one (thank you, Miss 'Rona and the pandemic for making me gain weight...not. I'd like to lose them because I don't really like gaining weight, to be honest, and would rather prefer to be my xs-s self from way back...). The latter actually broke or tore on some parts of it. Lol.

A good number of Essentiel Manila's wares run xs-s. Some, like this bodysuit I currently have on, run xs/s-medium so they're a good fit for those the likes of me that have grown some 1-2 sizes larger from their usual size sometime ago in the past. For those with larger frames, the occasionally do offer some clothes that run up to semi-large or large (oversized) so don't write the shop off if you can't find anything your size. A piece of advice when shopping at Essentiel Manila is to check the product descriptions for how small or big their stuff runs to. This can give you an idea which items are worth adding to your cart to and which aren't. You can save yourself the grief of buying stuff that don't fit you when you take my word for it and do this before checking your items out.

This bodysuit makes me so, soooo happy because it's so comfortable to lounge in at home and if you ever decide to go out, it's just as easy to throw in a decent bottom to complete the going out look and you're good to go! This thing will definitely see more wears from me until it falls apart. Lol. I hope it doesn't fall apart so easy.

Essentiel Manila stuff are so easy to play around with, no lies, that a bunch of orders from there is definitely worth your time and money browsing the site and checking out when you feel like getting the items in your shopping cart already. There are only so few items from my purchases in the past from there that I kind of regretted upon getting them. 

Some bodysuits I'm currently looking at to add to this one is this from the style capital in pink. It looks pretty and fun with the buttons and that it comes in a color I try to work around my outfits some 2-3 days a week due to...well...you know...is just...ugh. So, soo good. I think the small or the medium would be a good fit on me. I'm pretty sure it's stretchable anyway. Bodysuits and onesies, rompers and the likes normally are. These are Bershka overruns so they seem pretty cool. These from DNEMNLPH look similar to the one I have on, too, and dare I say they might feel the same and just as cozy and comfy in real life. This one from Trendibl Shop is also quite interesting and it's only sold for 99 Php (less than 2 USD). I think I might have seen it from Essentiel Manila way back but never really paid attention to it so I never got one of these then.

For something probably of better quality than this one and comes in different sizes so you can choose easier which fits you best, here are some pricier bodysuits I'm looking at on Zalora Philippines: this one from ONLY is really cute with lace and looks very, very comfortable. It comes in white, black and nude or beige, I think and is quite romantically styled so if you're bored of regular spandex and cotton blended ones with simple, basic styling or the ribbed ones, then this is the way to go. It is expensive though and way out of my budget at the moment so I can only stalk it for now. lol. Sizes s/m and m/l looks like they would fit me fine (I normally fit small in Zalora Philippines...it depends on how they run, normally, like should they run large or should they run small...if it's the latter, it's usually a smart idea to upsize once or twice). This pink fun number from Pomelo is on sale at only 500+ Php! I would so get this if I had enough in my bank account but alas, I still need to look for a writing or whatever that has to do with that, gig on Monday so...yeah. Later, fun bodysuit from Pomelo in a pretty (but not really my favorite) color. /cries. I hope that when I finally have a budget for zalora purchases either this year or next year, I can still get this thing somehow. Ugh. Oh...so they also have this in black! Fun! This pink one from Mango comes in black and brown colors but 2500+ Php is a price I would spend on something else for now. RIP our wallets just on really good, decent clothes that hopefully last a lifetime, or close. I do dig the top part of it though, how it's structure and seemed designed for really comfortable wear whatever occasion you decide to put this bodysuit on in. Both are available in medium so... but no. I don't have the budget for these yet. Then this sheer black one (also available in m!) from Trendyol looks fun to wear with very cute bralettes (lace lingerie!). It's priced below 1000 Php but still pretty unaffordable for me. I can dream about this one, though. Just. I've been after see-through stuff like this for a while now but never just seem to get lucky to get any. Ugh. When I find something like this on sale like it is now, I have no money to get it, at all. /cries. And when you're on Zalora, of course, you can never go wrong with Zalora Basics, my favorite of their multiple lines now on that shopping site, this one in pink with black buttons look nice and seems like it'd go anything. It's also available in black and beige. 290+ Php for a piece of this? That's a good price! A decent deal from the site already~ This one from H&M with the tiny blue flower print is really cute! And still available in m which is, like my size these days.

Oh and wow, even Terranova is already on Zalora. Today, I learned. They have some things I like where basics go and lately, it's them I like for those or Forever21 or Zalora Basics. H&M has been on Zalora for a while now, of course. Cotton On and Mango, too. 

If you notice, I veer away from the long-sleeved and fancy-looking bodysuits. I like my bodysuits comfortable for staying in and just lounging around the house, working from home and getting up and going out. I prefer them casual and I'm really always into dressing for the usual, yearly weather conditions or the climate. I think my limit, when it comes to bodysuits, is the short sleeved ones. I would only try the long-sleeved ones if they were like Trendyol's sheer one here. 

The photos above aren't very clear so here are more details of today's I-want-to-go-out-but-let's-still-stay-in outfit:

I'm still on my choker/necklace as bracelets agenda, apparently. I should probably consider getting new accessories to spruce up home clothes types or home to going out clothes types out some more. My accessories are getting kind of old and tried.

Well, if they still work fine then, they're still worth wearing in an out of the house, I suppose. The last ones I ever really bought were the studs I could wear on random days out doing errands from Aizilim in Cogon Market here. They usually have these stainless steel stuff that cost a fraction of those you see in the malls that I prefer for everyday use. Studs, because they're not heavy on the ears and go really well with any basic in my closet which I have A TON of.

*****

I think around 1 p.m. in the afternoon isn't the best time to shoot outfit shots due to the natural lighting from outside. Afternoons are becoming cloudy because it tends to rain sometime around 4-5 o'clock here and sometimes, at night. It's the wet/rainy season so we're getting a lot of afternoon and evening rain week in and out more than usual...like when, vs summer.

I woke up early today, got ready for the day just as early but I didn't really decide to shoot this outfit until later in the afternoon because I was editing a blog post on my LiveJournal. I also decided against shooting outside because I thought it might rain then and there and it's really becoming a pain now lugging my heels, tripod and camera with me, setting up for the shoot only to get rained on so yeah, indoor shoot it is. Also, hi to my messy bannister. Some of the jackets like the zip-up hoodie I take out when on the go and the denim oversized shirt are all hanged up there, too, with my bath towel. lol. I'm not exactly the most organized person here at home.

Note to self: try to shoot around 8-9 in the morning because it's the best time to and it has the best natural lighting indoors, in the same space as the photos here as well.  

*****

It's around 2 years now or so that I've neglected to post my wishlist for Christmas and my dream outfits for occasions like birthdays and beach trips...well, for the latter, we have Miss 'Rona to blame regarding how I'm uninspired now about that one because I haven't been to the beach or the pool in, like, a couple of years or so now so...since we're some weeks deep into November and it's going to be December soon, I might have to do the annual Zalora Philippines Christmas wish list post soon and also, the gift recommendations post to friends and family while I'm at it.

We'll see... 

You'll definitely have to stay tuned to this space of mine for that!

And yes, I still don't really shop stuff in the mall these days. It looks like it's real easy to get COVID 19 from unventilated spaces like those no matter how big a space they have inside and even if some have outside dining areas or so (al fresco). It's near Christmas and this time last year or the year before that, I recall Ayala Centrio buzzing with people come around night time and I was only in Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf's open air dining area from around 3 or so in the afternoon until an hour and a half or so later then. Thank heavens for the likes of Zalora Philippines, Shopee, Lazada, and even Instagram now (I like shopping or just window shopping some people's vintage or thrift shops there, yes), we, I don't have to go out at all to shop gifts for people near and dear to us, me.

the mexican-philippine connection: dia de los muertos and UNDAS

 

mini dress, zalora philippines (old), probably not so clear in the photos but it's there underneath the cardigan; lace cardigan, vintage; necklaces, a mix of aizilim cdeo and forever21; rings, a mix of aizilim, bagel girl via sm downtown premier cdeo, forever21; heels, primadonna via zalora philippines (old); tights, random department store find (gaisano, I think, the 50 Php ish ones probably meant for one-time wear); devil horn headband (unseen here but in later photos, might be seen more), national bookstore (old); skull tealight/candle holder, daiso cdeo

A closer, better lighted look at tonight's outfit

I never dressed up as anything or anyone the 31st of October, back a few days ago or so but I had to, come November 2, Philippines' time. Here, it's still what we call UNDAS (November 1-All Saints' Day and November 2-All Souls' Day). Googling it earlier tonight, I'm surprised to find all of October 31 to November 2 in Mexico is actually Dia de Muertos or Dia de los Muertos which is basically almost what UNDAS here is. To westerners, it's the Halloween weekend so most of the time, I just refer to it as the Halloween weekend since such holidays continue 'til the 2nd of November anyway. It's the short 2-3 days we actually remember the dead here and yes, abroad, including in Mexico. I've always read from others how similar some Philippine holidays are to Mexico and customs and traditions and the likes but I never figured out 'til now how close it is until I googled dia de los muertos and UNDAS tonight. Just one thing about this though, I wish I'm better at makeup for costuming because I really dig the makeup for this Mexican occasion I often see when I google pictures of them like this one here from pinterest:

Hopefully I can one day learn this and get the hang of it because with the pandemic, I feel like all my creative energies have really dried up that even this halloween weekend shoot came out quite dry and uninspired (to me, anyway, I don't really know much how it is with the rest of you) even when I feel like I've put enough effort to it.

I was in Jasaan with the family overnight from Sunday 'til morning of Monday this week so I never got to work on a Halloween shoot until tonight. What I did there is your typical way Filipinas like me sort of celebrate the occasion growing up: watched Tumbok (a Filipino horror film) on TV5; Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho's Halloween special on GMA; and then waited for Yang Yoseob's set on MCountdown until 12 midnight aired also on TV5. I would have done this Halloweeny shoot in Jasaan but I didn't have a lot of my creepy ish, cool stuff with me and it was more a time to spend with family---three to four generations of it from my grandparents to my parents to my younger brother and cousin---so yeah, quite a busy overnight trip one with chores and stuff at my grandparents' before I got to lie on the couch and chill to these things on tv I mentioned I watched 'til 12-ish midnight. For some reason, I don't sleep well there so I only ever got 2-3 hours of sleep until 7:30 Monday morning.

I'm not entirely sure what I'm aiming for, for this Halloween shoot in terms of costume. LOL. Just your regular gothic, devil girl, I guess. I've been watching some horror films here and some fantasy new and old ones too but nothing has inspired me to dress up as anyone...yet...really. We'll see next Halloween, 2022 Halloween. Hopefully something good in mind comes up where this goes. Again, I just really feel uninspired lately. It's definitely the pandemic effect. It is still going on 'til now despite how there're more people out now in malls and such. (Philippines NEEDS more public spaces because malls aren't really good ones to be in when we have a pandemic still going on. Ugh. I just count myself lucky I'm in the Mindanao island so we have beaches and the likes when we need to be out and not in the super crowded malls. Heh.) Either way, watch me dress up as a unicorn maybe in 2022 as I'm soooo...this close to getting a unicorn headband or something like it, actually. 

Going back to the subject of Mexico, I've been having the urge to check on some telenovelas as of late. I'm not entirely sure why. I guess it has to do with TV5 re-airing Thalia's Maria La Del Barrio dubbed in Filipino/Tagalog. We did get a lot of her telenovela here in our local tv networks back in the day so I saw Thalia's shows a lot growing up. A lot of Philippine tv dramas/shows are actually telenovela-ish if that ever says anything about how similar our country is and its practices, including tv contents, to Mexico. I'm currently thinking about getting into Reina de Corazones. Or...is there any other you can suggest I get into? I'm not too into these things because I normally dislike how convoluted the story gets plus long *ss episodes of a telenovela but, yeah, I guess I now have better, newfound patience for telenovelas if I'm currently craving to watch them/get into them after a long while now. I'll see about which telenovela I can preoccupy myself with one of these days. Heh.

what am I holding on to?

ribbed tube dress, zalora basics; heels, primadonna; red clutch, ninewest; black tiny pouch, coach; necklace/choker, forever21 (old); bracelets/arm bangles, mix of forever21 and dumaguete city and siquijor island souvenir shops'; rings, random and mostly from Bagel Girl in SM Downtown Premier CdeO

New tube dress to play with? It actually goes well with like, A LOT of things like the denim vest from Old Navy I'm currently wearing as I type this. Not really regretting that I carted this Zalora Basics piece upon coming across it browsing around the site. I'm currently devising other ways to wear this out and about in my right now.

Meanwhile, new kicks from Primadonna via Zalora. Yay!

It's on sale so I just had to. 799.something Php is a good price already and warranted another pair costing around 699.something Php so yep, the most AWESOME DEAL so far! The tiny skin showing around the bottom part of the bandagey part of this pair disturbs me but I think it'll be fixed with a pair of black socks. I'm counting on this pair to mix well with trousers or pants and jeans I very rarely wear, though. So I'm expect about that prospect too. I'll test that theory out one day soon. Hmn...

Boring few weeks so far but trying to hold on because the new corona virus outbreak certainly IS making a mess of a lot of things at this time. Well, it's boring and slightly not so boring lately because I have a best friend's simple, hopefully super pretty, civil wedding to help with slated in April 26 so yes, there's a bit of cheer to be had amidst this crazy time spent mostly at home or so. I'm looking forward to this one as I'd been, for the first time, named the maid of honor. Hmn...I'm still grappling in the dark with how to do this. I think I'll live? I hope. First off, it's time to go dress hunting! 

currently listening to: Already Love - Great Good Fine Ok

Hmn...I'm currently tempted to get 3 CDs from here but sorely disappointed that the latest one is only in vinyl. Can there be a CD release for GGFOUR? Ugh.

school girl-like style in polo ralph lauren

blazer, Polo Ralph Lauren

Polo Ralph Lauren is now on Zalora and I'm all but dreaming of this blazer for a random 90s throwback. School girl style. Ugh. Want. Why is it sooo out of my budget? 

it says, 'sweet wild child'

tank dress, something borrowed via zalora. bangles/bracelets, from everywhere particularly Siquijor Island and Dumaguete City souvenir shops. ankle boots, primadonna via zalora (old, probably sold out already). rings, from everything particularly Bagel Girl in SM Downtown Premier. bag, from an aunt. beaded choker, aeropostale. long leaf necklace, f21. earrings, shesells.cdo on instagram. 

Me thinks you've seen this dress in a post before so yes, it's, well, quite old. Last year's acquisition. I just got to finally take a better picture of this thing and posted it here. One reason why I bought this one was the print: sweet wild child. Kind of like me? Kind of. I'm more boring than wild with sporadic trips to islands here and there. Cebu's Bantayan Island may have been bust last month but I only have it tabled. I definitely am going one day soon. Off tangent. Nothing new much with this one though, just a mix of everything old and kind of new as the Bagel Girl ring is a new-ish acquisition of last week's.

I think I've about given up with three layer necklaces. The built in kind. I actually got a couple. One of which came with this choker from Aeropostale, from an aunt in the US. The other was a Forever21 acquisition from here in SM Downtown Premier as well. Both are hopeless because they keep tangling up so I hardly use them now. Ugh. Don't you just HATE it when accessories end up tangled all over like that? I do. I'd rather just get separates now.

And then I messed this outfit up with the animal print vest I've had since forever...

vest, vintage/thrifted...i forgot where.

Lately, I've been obsessed with the show, The Great Escape. Hmn...I thoroughly enjoyed the Dr. Jo Mateo Psychiatric Hospital leg. Yes. It reminds me of The Genius season 1 and it's actually because they have the same producer/writer. Haha. Figures.

Back to clothes: I'm not entirely sure what's happening. I have been thinking the corona virus is messing with my packages. I am still expecting some items from Japan, fandom stuff and they haven't yet made it to me since last, last month. There are about two of these. And another is the zalora ones I ordered the other week. It's supposed to take less than a week but it's one week now? Huh? What's going on with the local post? I wonder. I REALLY hope it makes it here soon. The post men haven't sent me messages on these either. *Insert sad face here*.

Again, with the lip gloss. I'm of the opinion the lip gloss trend died when I left high school but I still use it when I can. All because I have a few tubes of it or so in my make-up bag. Otherwise, it's really just in the runways that it continues to live on...I think? I only ever wear it when I have it.