Pampanga Love

Arlee and I took his cousin kuya Alvin to Pampanga yesterday. Didn't mind the drive at all because there's something about the rice fields and the green scenery along NLEX that relaxes me. Moreover, the road is so much smoother than SLEX so I can go much much faster!



Thank you my angel for going down to take pictures for me. :)



Waiting for Arlee to get back in the car. Lol.










Of course what is a trip without binging? Kuya Alvin started craving for Chowking - like most Fil-Ams do - I still wonder what they see in that place. It's all false advertisement the moment you step inside (not to mention their billboards)...


I saw this and got hungry:




But then I got this and wondered where all the color went:





Appetite not satiated yet, I swore to make it all up to my tummy as soon as we get to C.






Yummy yummy Panizza





Spaghetti with meatballs...


And best of all...


Gelato!



Then it was time to retire and Mimosa was the final stop for the night. Saw this adorable K9 pup at the Holiday Inn. I just had to take a snapshot. :)







Woke up this morning craving for bacon and scrambled eggs so I ordered room service.:





Then Arlee picked me up after checkout. We chilled by the pool and had nachos.





5 minutes later...


My nachos vanished! :D



Decided to drop by Fully Booked in SM Clark afterwards to check if they have 2010 Planners in stock and look for any interesting new reads... and to get frozen yogurts next door at White Hat. :)





Before going home, kuya Alvin treated us to authentic Korean cuisine.




Of course there is zilch ambiance factor but the food was delish!



I got home at 10 PM. Can't hardly breathe! Shooting with US Girls tomorrow morning and now I realize it was a bad bad idea to binge the day before a TV shoot (where one virtually gains 10 lbs.)! I hope I still fit into my tight dress come morning, wish me luck!

The Past 10 Days...

...Were spent celebrating life, love and friendship. My hibernation was thrown out of the window. Heck, Arlee's back from Florida and we only have so much time so here goes...


01/8/10 - Encore (where we felt older than water with all them kiddos dancing in their Topshop/Mango/Zara frocks) and Fiamma (where we finally felt at home with familiar fashion friendly faces and people from the same age bracket).






Sissybelles!


With Cathy Cavilte (in our own designs). Lol.



1/10/10 - Dinner at Masas and Sherlock Holmes movie night in Greenbelt.





Patrick and I (both fans of Zara blazers. Heck, I think EVERYONE who loves tailored jackets go to Zara for a cheaper jacket fix!)



1/13/10 - Home cooked dinner double date with the Gioskos power couple in their Belair home.



Dropped by Cafe Ysabel for their yummy yummy Strawberry Shortcake first!



My 12Twelve partner, lunch buddy and fashion soul sista. :)



Adoring the dress!


P.S.
Sorry we got to your house so late! One wrong turn led to another and huwowww what a nightmare the traffic was!



1/14/10 - Double Drinking Date with the beautiful Net and macholito Carlo at Guilly's and Quattro (yes, we are such QC folks. We drink anywhere this side of town!)




Check out Net's glove-detailed bag! Girlfriend is so creative and stylish: L-O-V-E!




What a fun night that was! Major laugh trip! Too bad the Bibingka stand was already closed when we got to Quattro though. :-/ Til you're next trip home mare and pare!

Cheers!

It was the annual Christmas/New Year gathering with the sissies last night. This year the venue was at Martin B.'s lovely studio--a space shared with the stylish and gorgeous Pam Q.--and beautiful their office definitely was!

I am probably still burping from all the good food I had (on top of all the equally good food I gorged on today) and still hung over from all the fun, laughter, wish portion, silly dancing and of course, Patrick and Regine's mowdel showdown. LMAO! :D But then again, what's a sissy gathering without the catwalk showdowns and silly dancing?!! Veejay you shouldn't have left early, now Patrick won by default!


Speaking of the showdown, Patrick begged not to post the photos... so sis, we now have reason to blackmail you! BE GOOD TO US! :P




STILL MISSING UPON PICTURE TAKING: The bucket of KFC that everyone was looking for because Patrick was late!




Binge, binge, binge!




Christina + Nicole = Bitchmates foreverrrrr! Dinner at Mr. Chow next week baby girl? :)



Why is my jaw so square here? Lol! Hola sissies Eric and Jerome!




Mowdel Showdown time bitches! This is about as far as I can go. All I can say is, Regine channels Joan Bitagcol and Amy Verbo so well! Girlfriend can ramp and sell clothes on the runway. Meanwhile, Patrick's fierce, distinct walk could get her a VS contract stat! Mga bakla, aminin!




I heart this mirror...




And this one too!




Smoke Breakers: Jerome and JM




Hot hot Nicole Morimoto




Veejayyyyy! :)



Heaven knows how much I love these bitches. Inside and outside of fashion, they've been there for me. Thank you sissies. *HUGS!!!*


Here's to another year of friendship, good beginnings for the coming year and ending 2009 on a good note!

Happy 2010 my lovelies! :)

Commonly Asked Questions

Call me mean but I find it rather annoying when I keep bumping into people with misconceptions about the fashion industry. So to enlighten the clueless folks, I've compiled a list of frequent misconceptions and commonly asked questions.


1. Dressing Up Artistas - Unbeknownst to many, these glamorous femmes don't usually pay for the clothes they wear on TV, events, award shows, concerts, etc. The stylist (whether their personal or the designated fashion stylist for the said event)-- or in some cases, the road manager does the job-- borrows or pulls out ready-made clothes or samples from designers. Sometimes they have a budget to rent out these pieces, often times they're pulled out for free with the promise of an "on-cam thank you" or a special shoutout after the segment. I can count with my one hand the artistas who actually orders clothes for them to wear on TV or any occasion. One of them is Kris Aquino, a most sought-after client for most designers in the country, because once she loves you the orders just keep coming and she pays well. And so when the clothes aren't sponsored, there is no need to thank the designer. So please quit asking me if my name will be heard on SNN. Kris pays whenever she orders. Which brings me to the next question...

2. Why Not Give Free Clothes To Be Greeted - I'm a businesswoman first, a designer second. I'm also not a fame whore. I'd rather earn money than hear my name on TV, thank you. :)

3. Artistas Rule The World - NOT! The real fashion makers-or-breakers are stylists, editors and creative directors. Showbiz-wise, the designers only really care about the A-list (whom the moneyed parties listen to a.k.a. our ideal client).

4. Ateliers Need Window Display - No, not really. In Paris and New York, ateliers are tucked away and unbeknownst to many unless you have an appointment or are a fashion insider. Ones who also sell ready-made pieces in their atelier/shop SHOULD have a window display but other than that, I don't see it as a prerequisite. I for one like my privacy and prefer only to entertain clients who have an appointment.

5. WHY NOT JOIN PROJECT RUNWAY - Because not every young designer wants or needs to. Fame is not everything darlings. Just because you're on TV doesn't necessarily make you an overnight sensation. If it did then EVERYONE would be in PRP. If you are already in business, sometimes it's better to just concentrate on your orders and current clients instead of going on a 2-month hiatus. But that's just my opinion.



So I hope this helps. And that is all folks!



Cza

People In Palabok

The main reason why I was on a Fashion week hiatus. One takes about 8-10 days to make and the response was overwhelming.


Some of my Palabok muses:



The forever fabulous Lanee Keh Tan.



It bag designer and SOFA owner Amina Aranaz-Alunan.



THE Style Maven Andre Chang.



The beautiful Bea Panopio



And moi as seen in Stella (September '09 ish).


Thank you dearies! It will also soon be available in www.saasgallery.com.au come February 2010.

So many blessings to be thankful for. Goodnight for now, world! :)

Men With Style

Whenever someone asks "What do you first notice in a guy?", I answer, "Their shoes." and I usually get a weirded out frown. Only my fasyon and gay friends will understand this bit I guess. A guy's shoes says a lot about their personality, taste and overall style. So if I don't like what I see south of a hot guy's ankle then he ain't so hot to me anymore. Unless your name is Zac Efron or Chace Crawford that is. Ha! But then again imagine someone that handsome wearing dirty lace-up bulldogs. Aaaaccccckkkk! What a terrible thought.


Very few guys are comfortable enough to experiment with looks, let alone have the talent for layering and coming out polished and put-together. Most men are divided into 2 categories: The Boy-Next-Door (sneakers + jeans + Cotton shirt/Polo) and The Smarts (well-tailored suits and jackets + designer crisp shirts and expensive leather goods). Those who run in the middle of the fence are very hard to spot these days. Just like women, mixing the highs and lows is key. Hard to explain so check out my list of MEN WITH STYLE to know what I mean!



Eric delos Santos - one who always collaborates with menswear designer friends for experimental pieces he can match with his cool vintage finds and fancy sneaks. Even his leather shoes usually has a sporty, quirky twist to it. Love that.



Andre Chang - His blog is called "Style Maven". Nuff said.



Jerome Lorico - Whenever I see him, I feel like he should be walking on the crowded streets of Tokyo instead of Makati. And he makes inexpensive pieces look designer. Street style sweet!



Sidney Yap - The statement jacket is always his key piece. And boy, does he have a LOT of them!



Robby Carmona - There has never been an instance when I saw him and didn't say (out loud or in my head) "Oooohhh me likey!!"


And because I am currently addicted to Korean TV, I might as well add a couple of Korean stars on my list:



Hot Korean boy group Big Bang's TOP has the best tailored suits with quirky prints and details. Even cheap hoodies look fierce on him. Couldn't find any paparazzi shots but watch Big Bang TV Episode 7 (on Youtube dearies) to see for yourself! (Watch out for his lip-printed suit, D-I-E!!! How fabulous can a straight guy be?)



World renowned Korean superstar Rain. Even boot legs look sexy on him. The room probably goes below zero every time he enters. LMAO.


I also can't help but notice how beautiful the guy stars are from Korea. They're handsome but on the pretty side although not in a gay kind of way. Must be the fact that really stylish men are comfortable enough with their own bodies and sexuality that not even pieces bordering on the female side can stop them.


You think Piolo can pull that off too? :)

ON MY LIST

This season I am on a Fashion Week hiatus - too much work to do in the shop, things I cannot possibly postpone - "overloaded" does not even suffice. Abroad, not participating in Fashion Week means losing buyers, in Manila there are no buyers except for your usual clients who come to watch your show. Hence, it is imperative that a young designer such as myself make these made-to-order clients the top priority. Business first, ALWAYS. There is the Holiday 2011 show anyway.


I attended some of the shows and of course, went to support my sistas! These are sooo on my "To-Order-List":



From Eric's collection. The maillot is mine, mine, mine!



Bea P. was contemplating whether to get the fuchia dress or the turquoise one. I said "Get both!" (I am also digging the vest! Le Chic!!)


On another note:


How cool is this?! You go sissy Jerome! And best of all, YOU GO DIREK ROBBIE! *clap clap!*



A dress I can style in 1&*$% ways! Check!



Always on the lookout for sexy, sexy leggings and mareng Martin hit the jackpot! Had a legging orgasm right there! LOL!! :D



L-O-V-E!!! You think I can pull this off, mareee?



The baggy-dress-loving girl that I am fell for this Veejay Floresca piece.



So sexy and rich-looking! I have been scouting for the perfect white dress and voila!



I am digging this look except I have a big arse and those pretty pants won't look flattering on moi. :-(


And ito, hindi ko kinaya:



When sissy Eric said he's using a huge buri hat, he really meant HUGE! This is soo perfect for the beach!



After Eric and Jerome's back to back showdown last night, Bea P. and I decided to binge at Chelsea. Totally forgetting to take a photo of our Eric delos Santos dresses til we got back to her house!



B wears her EDLS bondage number with lovely pumps from Theodore's while I matched my slashed dress with a Sepa necklace and Nine West peep toe booties. People in Serendra were staring, guess they thought I was having a real skin peek-a-boo. Bomba star levels, much?


Must talk numbers with the sissies after this! Exciting!