1 Blue Dress, 2 Ways

"There's no harm in repeating a good thing" - Rod Judkins

Yes, I indeed agree with the author. When it comes to fashion, it is never a mortal sin to wear and wear again your clothes.  Sometimes, fashion influencers are doing away such habit. Most are shunning from the basic closet activity of re-wearing the clothes more than once.

It has been a while since my last post, so here I am tonight, sharing how I wore 1 dress in 2 ways.

Basic style - (1) wear the dress as a dress.

Another option: (2) wear the dress as a long top / dress-blouse

F.Y.I. - The pattern of this dress/ top reminded on the one of the toys of the 90's kids - Connect Four, see photo below.  Can anyone relate though?

Sigh's Fashion Advice: 

It is always a smart move to maximize your purchases, that is, when it comes to buying fashionable items like clothes, always consider the number of ways you can wear that item.  Then make that move a habit.  For sure you will enjoy exploring the endless possibilities you can do with just one piece of fashion item.

What I Wore:

blue-neon dress - Cyecle / denim tapered pants - Forever 21 / shoes - G. Island Mall Mactan / cube bag - Bugis Street / pearl drop earrings - gift from mom

What I Wore:

blue-neon dress - Cyecle /shoes - Mags / cube bag - Bugis Street / blue stretch belt - The Landmark Makati City /  sunglasses - G. Country Mall /faux crystal earrings - G. Metro Ayala

Live in style, everyday!

The Look For Less: Series 1 - Thrift, Discount and Gift

I shop for fashion items anywhere and anytime, as long as I have money in my pocket. 

 I splurge but I am better at haggling and best at fashion-treasure finding.

This post will be the first in a new series which I call: The Look For Less

Series 1 - Thrift, Discount and Gift

I find my ensemble worth a thousand pesos, minus the jewelry.  

Do you agree?  But the truth is, this look is worth less than Php 600.00, excluding the jewelry.  

My look is a great example of the Look for Less.  

How to achieve a Look for Less? 

Wear thrift, buy in discounted prices and warmly accept gifts!

Smart shopper tips for the fashion savvy :

1. There is nothing wrong with wearing THRIFT clothing.  Just be meticulous with your hauling adventures and haggle if you can.

2. Items on sale are spectacular fashion finds, especially those with DISCOUNTs above 50%, keep mastering the skill of searching the cream of the crop fashion items at a cheaper cost.

3. We received GIFTs on special occasions like birthdays and on Christmas Day.  But definitely there are random days in our lives when we receive gifts from our loved ones like from family, in my case, my mom and my sister are spontaneously generous.

Cost of my outfit:

dress - Php 20 (thrift with tag), shoes - Php 299 (sale); stretch belt - Php 99 (sale); sunglasses - Php 129; South Sea pearl earrings and gold chain bracelet with South Sea pearl bling jewelry  - Php _ _0,000++ ( but free since it's a gift!)

 What I Wore:

retro dress - thrifted // peep-toe wedge shoes - Mags // black stretch belt with gold details - SM Accessories // sunglasses - SM Kids Department Store // South Sea pearl earrings and gold chain bracelet with South Sea pearl bling jewelry - gifted by my mom

Live in style, everyday!

I Heart Pullover - Burgundy Sheer

With the color of the vehicle in my background, I have actually blended in.  I am quite loving the burgundy color, or we can call it maroon, as what we (or maybe just me) were more familiar with and have known before the name marsala have surfaced.

I was fully elated to have scored another pullover which was in a color that I am indulging lately and in a style which expresses a romantic-feminism combo. Since I couldn't dare to strut in sheer so underneath the pullover was the peplum hem top to make the knit sheer appear as a long blouse.

The pearl accessories and the embellished peep-toes completes the ultra-chic look.

What I Wore:

sheer knit pullover -Handbook  / black peplum hem top - Forming / denim straight pants - Forever 21 / peep-toe shoes - Mags / pearl earrings - gifted by my mom / pearl necklace and bracelet accessories - Sigh Styles / sunglasses - G. Fiesta Mall

Work Style: Denim and Black

On Wednesdays at work, we wear what we want, and on Saturdays too, where we render overtime work.

WORK STYLE:

 Denim and Black

 It was a Saturday, where I was tasked to attend a company seminar regarding People and Systems Safety. I decided to wear something neutral, something dark, something casual and classic but not monotonous.

Denim is always associated with casual style.  But you can amplify that laid-back look by styling it with pieces that emulates both sophistication and modish vibe.  And when it comes to color, denim jeans can be paired with all hues of the color spectrum.  Since I was to attend a white-collar forum, I opted for the classic black and with hints of white.

The details of this semi-oversized top makes this fashion piece a standout.  The floral-designed appliques on the sleeves and the centerpiece attraction gives noise and glamour to a gloomy colored blouse.

Color-coordination is always an ingredient of my personal daily style.  It is something that I cannot do away with it.  It is a fraction of my lifetime fashion advocacy.

Another  essential consideration in dressing-up with denim jeans is that one should know how to come-up with a look that draws the attention of people away from your denim.  One key solution is by wearing the right accessories that are seemingly loud but not flashy.  Headpieces such as headbands can function both to keep my hair intact (tucked behind my ears) and to look more feminine and kempt.

For events which are expected to consume more time being dormant and stuck in your seats, wearing comfortable outfit is a paramount concern.  That is why I wore my oversized top, stretch denim jeggings  and peep-toe kitten-heeled pumps for the seminar.  And, yes, even with shoes, comfort and style is never apart from each other.  

Top - Millruwya / Denim Jeggings - Jag / Bag - Kenneth Cole Reaction / Shoes - Mags / Sunglasses - G. Country Mall Department Store / Headband - White Gold Department Store

Live in style, everyday!

Vertical Stripes

I am a forever lover of black and white.

And vertical stripes in such color combination must not be oversighted.

I'm not alone on this... 

see some of the fashion-savvy strutting this powerful pattern and colors.

 via http://olsensanonymous.blogspot.com/

via http://www.llymlrs.com/

Can you see what I'm holding?

Say hi to my cute buddy:
ALCATEL GLAM 810d
cellphone in Victorian Blush 
(i call it the mature shade of pink)

about the outfit:
satin black blouse (worn as short dress) - sigh's closet / b-w vertical stripe blouse (worn as vest) - sigh's closet / fuchsia-black pointed flats - Mags / watch - Fossil / sunglasses - G.Country Mall / white bowler hat with black band - Chic Vintage

Sheer and Lace et. al

I have a beige sheer and lace top for sale on my online shop (soon to be opened).  

You can wear the top with shorts for running errands (see my pics below), skirts for flirty feminine vibes or pair it with your comfy slacks and off you can go to work.

 I soo love this top, but I'm not putting it on my closet.  I had this revamped to perfectly look updated and is up for grabs (soon yo opened).

about the outfit:

sheer-lace top - Revamp / polka dot shorts - random / bag - Mags / wedge - Matthews 

The Color Pink

Let's talk 'bout color psychology, beginning with THE COLOR PINK. 

In color psychology, pink is a sign of hope. It is a positive color inspiring warm and comforting feelings, a sense that everything will be okay.

 The Color Pink Represents:

Unconditional love: Pink relates to both unconditional love and romantic love.

Compassion: Empathy and understanding are the fuel for pink's nurturing.

Nurturing: Pink is both the giving and the receiving of love, understanding and respect.

Hope: Pink inspires the possibility of a positive outcome.

 Effects of the Color Pink:

Calming: Pink calms our emotional energies.

Non-threatening: Pink lacks any aggression or anger, although the deeper pinks can be more assertive and confident.

Affectionate: Pink offers warmth and tenderness to friends and family.

Caring: Sensitivity and tender loving care relate to pink's feminine and intuitive energies.

Immature: Pink is the color of the sweet young girl, before life's experiences take over.

Variations of the Color Pink

Blush: Similar to skin color, this very pale pink has sensual and sexual connotations. It is non-threatening but lacks passion and energy.

Rose Pink: This is the pink of universal love and unity. It is mature, feminine and intuitive.

Salmon Pink: There is a touch of orange in salmon pink. It encourages the flirt, and can be a sign of the timid lover, all talk and no play.

Orchid: This is an unusual lavender-pink and relates to the unconventional and the individual doing his or her own thing. It is the non conformist.

Fuchsia: A blend of deep pink and blue, fuchsia inspires confidence, assurance and maturity, a more responsible and controlled nurturing and love.

Hot Pink: Hot pink inspires a more passionate, playful and sensual love. It exudes warmth and happiness and a love of life.

Fashionable Clue:

Combining pink with other darker colors such as dark blue, dark green, black or gray, adds strength and sophistication to pink.

As I mixed a little fuchsia to my black ensemble...tada! Sophistication achieved  with just this simple color-coordinated look.

about my outfit: 

polka dot + fuchsia blouse - Chic Vintage/ black twill shorts - random / blazer - NCCC Mall, Davao / black + fuchsia shoes - Mags / gold necklaces - Iora, Forever 21 / sunglasses - SM Naga City / fuchsia belt - YRYS

more of color psychology in my upcoming posts...

I Call Her Rose

Here's one of my favorite hats from my cyEcle's Limited Edition Hat collection.

I call her ROSE.

 Meet ROSE. She's a white hat, with pink rosettes on her crown.

She's available for sale at cyEcle.

I am so into charms (bracelets and rings) right now because the new year is about to come.

wearing: denim dress - July / velvet rose colored tie-front cardigan - I Dress Up /  peach satin shoes - Mags / rose colored bag - Mags / white watch - Fossil / ROSE hat - cyEcle / charm bracelets - bazaar find / buddha ring - gifted by mom / turtle ring

Evolution of The Fashion Advocacy

This blog has been the ultimate outlet to spread the fashion advocacy that I gave birth some 30 months ago.  The advocacy did already exist long before this  blog was created. However, I believe that i dress up and sleep blog may have helped propagate my C.L.E.A.N. Fashion advocacy. 

Now time has come, and fashion evolution had taken place.  I admit I am more open now to fashion astuteness.  I can embrace the diversities and idiosyncrasies.  

Bit by bit, these have paved the re-definition of my fashion advocacy.  This evolution is never a separation from what have been a deeply embedded fashion sense,  but basically an up-scaling of something good to better, minute to large.

So here's what has become to the newly-delineated fashion advocacy.

What is it to be C.L.E.A.N?

Color coordination

Less and More

Experimentation

Art in fashion

Nonchalance

Color coordination is not a monotonous display of colors.  It is the harmonious appropriation of   similar hues and shades from the color palette in one fashionable look. 

I used to appreciate "the lesser, the better" maxim, which is a minimalist outlook.  But as more and more fashion savvy individuals are creatively expressing themselves, I find myself more driven to them.  I tend to appreciate gradually the concept of over-accessorizing and endless layer on layer.  The more the merrier; the bolder, the better.

I believe there is some sort of science in fashion.  Everyday, as we get dressed, the choice of clothes and accessories, the mixing and matching per se is an activity which what we call in science as an experiment. 
One great example of experimentation, which is in contrast to color coordination, is the donning of incongruous colors plus an abundant mix of prints.  It may appear like a mess to those who adhere to color coordination but it is indeed a fashion statement to many.  
2011 is the year that I have been quite audacious enough to take a leap out from my "norms" and step into new and exciting fashion challenges.

Though I am trivialy detouring once in a while from my own fashion tendencies,  but still, I do somehow end up getting back to what has been deeply-rooted into my senses.  See my look above.  My top still has the color on one of the neon hues on my leggings and wearing black wedges that coordinates with the black color of the top (print) and blazer.

If fashion is one form of science, it is more extremely a colossal outlet for the arts.
I live for art and I live with art.  I love colors, hence there is this love for painting - as manifested in my hobby of playing with crayons, paint tubes, etc.  I may not be gifted with the hands of an artist but I can scribble and make simple sketches of clothes.   So there's the line connecting arts to fashion.  
One can actually correlate fashion to both art and science.  If mixing and matching clothes is experimentation, more so it is indeed art.  The ability to effectively able to put up a look - the collective donning of clothes of variable prints and colors and textures - is seriously an expression of the arts.  Our body is a canvass, and ourselves are live mannequins. 

One cool thing to those people who are effortlessly able to impress me and can explicitly be listed to my list of fashionable human beings, is that aside from possessing laudable confidence and daringly able to strut and shout to the world his / her individualism through fashion, these individuals are otherwise nonchalant.  

wearing: 

animal print semi-spandex blazer - I Dress Up / neon long top - thrifted / neon tribal print leggings - Knits and Stripes / peach pink bag - Mags / black patent leather wedges - MKNY / sunglasses - Forever 21 / watch - Fossil (gifted by my sis ) / jade ring and diamond ring - gifted by mom / rocking-horse ring - Aizilym

MERRY CHRISTMAS!