The Perfect White Tee

"I've always thought of the T-shirt as the alpha and omega of the fashion alphabet."

-Giorgio Armani

Didn't he say it best? From one closet essential to the next... (this is becoming a trend already) but here is yet another post on one of my closet staples which is the plain white t-shirt. It is just absolutely a MUST! I can go on and on and on to tell you ways to wear it and I probably won't run out of styling tips because it is THAT essential. No matter what, every girl has got to have the perfect white tee and it is here to stay. The search for it isn't as easy though since it has to fit you perfectly. Thankfully, I was able to discover a brand that provides exactly that- called Sexy White Shirt and everything about it is just amazing: the fit, the sizing, the quality of the fabric... you've got to trust me on this... I am obsessed with it so much that I even styled it in such a way that I made it appropriate for the office. Yes, for those of you who don't know, I now go to the office and work as the Executive Director in one of my dad's companies. No, it is not an "ad hoc" job where it is simply a title I was given since I'm his daughter... the thing about my dad is he expects much so I actually have to work hard for the company and go to the office and attend to important matters. 

An Ode to the Little Black Dress

"One is never over-dressed or underdressed with a Little Black Dress.” - Karl Lagerfeld

 The Little Black Dress is the most appropriate piece of clothing a woman can ever own. I say this because truth be told, here I am in another Little Black Dress. The last I wore one, I was due for court. This time, however, I worn one for a very festive occasion which was the Birthday dinner of my beautiful and amazing mother over at Sage in Makati Shangri-la Hotel. I wanted to wear something that looked festive but at the same time maintained the elements of class and elegance and this dress was the perfect fit. This dress in particular which was made of tweed on its top area with a conservative cut and silver detail was exactly that and then it took a youthful turn to fun with the organza and almost tutu looking skirt. It was everything I pictured to wear on an intimate dinner with family.

One Hundred Tears To Solitude

“Things have a life of their own," the gypsy proclaimed with a harsh accent. "It's simply a matter of waking up their souls.”

- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude

When you are on top of the world and when everything seems to be going your way, the warm sun hits your shoulders just right. Worries, fears, neuroses are carried away with the wind at your back as you exhale like me in this case and I was able to take in the serene ocean view. The ordinary and mundane became extraordinary and as with this photo, colors appear more vivid, the world was more wonderful and the sounds of nature is more melodious. In this photo of me in the beach (inspired by the amazing Nicole Warne), you can see the color in every shot... every thing looks so alive. In these small moments everything is good and right in the universe. In this moment, I actually believe that nothing can ever bring me down. Of course, that would be easy to say granted that I am in my most perfect environment: by the beach, eating fruits and watching the waves crash on the shore. Granted I am also lacking some articles of clothing as it was appropriate for the environment, I felt that I didn't have to try at all... there was no fussing or fretting about whether my clothes fit me alright or if I wore the right shoes for my outfit. Surprisingly, I find myself in such an incongruous situation: here I am, a fashion blogger who preferred to be in less clothes!  Well, at least on the days I am out of town and where it's appropriate to be dressed this way. I've always been a walking contradiction but I guess that stems out from the fact that I know what I want and who I am and nobody can dictate me to be something else. There are days, like the day I took this photo, that I needed to be alone and far away from all the things and people just for a while. I find myself enjoying taking breaks such as these. I am at the beach, it is not summer and it is a weekday. I have no one to impress and I have no one to answer to. In this moment, I am purely just me.

Dancing in the Sun

Another series of my life is beautiful posts...I am sorry if I keep on harping about it that it almost seems like an advocacy but the one most true and honest thing about me is that because of decisions and changes I took for my own well-being, I ended up in this place where everything I see is quite extraordinary. To best describe it, allow me to borrow from a song, "I see life and light... All the colors of the world... So beautiful... Won't you come with me?...I see birds and trees... All the flowers of the world- So beautiful... Won't you come with me?" and aren't these words the best way to describe this very nature themed shoot and look as inspired by how beautiful the landscape was that surrounded me. This is one of my most natural blog posts to date... I have no extensions, my hair is just unkempt but tied up and I have little to none makeup. Allow me also to mention I have no accessories, save for this pretty Birds of Paradise flower and am in my favorite Mandals. Of course the coordinates I am wearing, provide to be the perfect clothing as well as they are very muted and simple. Do you get the dalagang Filipina vibe in this look? I sure do... And just to prove my point, I do not have to be fierce in every single outfit post. Sometimes, I like to just be carefree and as a reminder: laid back doesn't have to translate to sloppy.

This is letting go

It's time to let go. Who has heard this from someone who cares for them? Who has said it to someone they care about? I am sure at one point in anyone's life, they were on both the receiving and sending end of this saying. The thing with letting go is that most of the time, it is easier said than done. Somehow, we are wired to hang on to things even if the only thing keeping us from falling to the inevitable is the fact that we are hanging by a thread. Then it breaks and we are left with no choice but to stop hanging on... it's always better to jump than to free fall because at least you have control of the former. The thing is I have spent most of my life heavily invested on this idea of control that it is hard for me to let go. I think I need to fix things and handle things even if they are beyond repair. My least favorite feeling in the world is powerlessness and being "out of control" is never an option for me especially since I realized at a young age that I have terrible coping mechanisms. It doesn't sound easy and it is not in any way a fun life. However, recently, I have been aligning myself and putting things in perspective... I've realized that to avoid stressful situations and major diva-style meltdowns, I need to be more flexible, more capable of going with the flow and of course with that comes the ability of learning the art of letting go.

Postcards from Heaven

I lean against the wind, pretend that i am weightless and in this moment i am happy.

If you currently are not happy, it might be time to ask yourself what it is that is stopping you from experiencing happiness at this very moment? Well it's not all about throwing a forced smile (although based on my experience, that's not a bad start), however, where would you begin when attempting to get yourself in a genuinely happy state of mind? These were the thoughts going on in my head as I was sitting about 2,500 feet above sea level on that cool, overcast but absolutely calm morning as I just sat amongst the clouds (a past time I enjoy) and just had to clear my head and be as they say "away from it all." To begin with, I had the laid back look perfected: loose over sized knit sweater, ripped boyfriend jeans, appropriate mandals (and do not get me started on the woven hat over my head which I rarely wear unless I need my thinking hat back on, which is what this hat is...) The look is so coordinated and coherent it practically makes me look like the poster child for self-reflection which isn't always a bad thing but as I said, there's more to me than that and to borrow from Ani Di Franco, "I am a poster girl with no poster, I am 32 flavors... and then some..."