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.
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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.
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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.
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