Fashion Minded

New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-09T06:29:00.000-08:00

New Year's Resolutions!
but before that my photo out on Christmas...

deconstructed vintage sailor dress, vintage studded suede belt, vintage bag, metallic flats from local dept. store

Christmas Day in MOA. Super wild that if you're not careful you might get stepped on by a stampede or something. But I had no choice because it was not my decision to make (to go there esp. on christmas day).

Okay, so on to the New Year's Resos! Better late than never. They're not necessarily fashion-related.

1. Shift style from eccentric and whatever-goes to chic, classic, and timeless. - this spells very hard work to me because most of my fashion life (ever since i dressed up on my own) I've taught myself to dress apart from everyone else which almost always equals different, unique, eccentric, and well, sometimes odd and grungy.

2. Cut back on shopping sprees and impulse shopping... Nuff said. It's a very bad habit to break. Still, it must be done this year.

3. Invest in a bag and jewelry that will last me a lifetime. Or maybe somewhere over a decade just to make up for it's cost... It would be a tad difficult to do this while I'm also cutting back on shopping and well...next,

4. Save, save, save!

5. Maybe a new hairstyle would be nice. I've looked the same for years with my long hair. I just vary the shades (dark brown, light brown, reddish brown, and now black) but the cut is still the same. A former helper visited us and told me that nothing's changed and well I looked really young. Don't know whether it was a compliment or an insult to still look the same after 10 or so years right?

6. Raid my own closet! I haven't been able to get the most out of the clothes in my closet because I've been too busy shopping all the time. But because I won't be spending much on clothes this year, it-must-be-done.

7. Travel - locally or internationally. I've been scrimping on traveling for years believing this isn't necessary, but this year I should at least check out some cool spots (not necessarily beaches because I'm not too fond of tanning) as well as explore the world bigger than my own. This shall be the year. Heck! I must post the contents of my travel bag...

8. Buy a new camera phone/ camera... Because I broke ours during a crazy, fun night and now it's so difficult to keep track of recent fun sessions. Sob.

That's most of my resolutions for this year. I will do some more pondering then maybe add more resolutions later on. But the gist is - be a better person in 2009.

Do share what your resolutions this year are if you have some!

Holiday Outfits

2009-01-08T04:07:00.000-08:00

One of the great things about the holidays is you get to wear your fave ostentatious outfits without anyone questioning why you suddenly dressed up like it's Halloween again. It's the time of the year when you get to wear standout sequins, colorful jewel tones, and ginormous blings to wherever, whenever; corporate meetings excluded. To me it's one of the best times of the year because I get to dress in up my lovely jackets, coats, and boots that are stashed mostly the entire year. Except that it is in this season that I get them out of hiding and onto my shivering body for my own visual pleasure. I try not to dress to please anyone else but myself which may sometimes mean that I look out of this world because in other words, I dress up in fantasy clothes. And no, my fantasy clothes don't include anything skimpy, lingerie, sexual, etc. thank goodness. But, I do dress up in jackets and long-sleeved tops even when it's 90-effin-degrees or adorn my shoulders with cape fur at work... But you get the picture.
I've been a bad blogger (but a good girl, yet still no nice presents Santa?). So here's a backlog of outfit posts during the holidays. Oh, and please excuse the headless pictures.

vintage dress with drapings and gold applique (similar dress on Ebay here), bazaar wood cuff, online gladiator stilettos, vintage clutch, cuffs from bazaars

vintage lace/tulle gown, animal print coat (for kids) i got as a gift, Macy's peach open toes, vintage clutch

"Male Kate Moss shirt", fringe skirt, Janeo shoes grey motorcycle jacket from china, vintage chain belt, prp shoes, mom's vintage black maxi dress

Presenting the Christmas Wish List

2008-12-10T23:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas is nearing and the first thing that runs through our minds would be - Christmas wish list! And because no matter how hard I pray, it's never gonna snow here in the tropics, I can at least hope for cool nights wrapped up in a luxurious mongolian gilet while sipping a warm white chocolate. Of course, other than that there are parties to attend to and outfits to worry about. Here's the list of the things I wish I'd be wearing (and carrying!) to those parties or night outs.

Nathan Jenden Miyamo Organza Dress - Wouldn't it be nice to stand out in the crowd in a citrusy colored cocktail dress? I certainly won't mind looking like a burst of color amidst a sea of black.

Mike & Chris Nolan Leather Jacket - This would be lovely with almost all outfits! What a great compliment to basics and girly dresses.

Maddalena Marconi Jeweled green Reptile Clutch - I just love how the color pops out and the encrusted jewels.

Dolce Vita Cage Shoes - Sexy! The color is better than my usual black pick. Although this in black would also be nice...

Christian Lacroix Assymetric Pleat Dress - The craftsmanship and details are amazing. And I just adore anything Christian Lacroix.

Missoni Embellished Necklace - Very quirky and huge. It would be an art piece on an all black ensemble.

Miu Miu bustier prom dress & D&G fitted Bustier Dress - Bustier dresses are just love. The former brings me back to the 80s minus the huge hair. The latter just brings me to the future. I can wear this til I'm 59!

Maje Carlinda Mongolian Gilet - Great addition to anyone's wardrobe. I used to be disgusted at the sight of black fur. Now, I'm all regrets for not purchasing the ones I've stumbled upon before!

Kirsten Dunst for Boy by Band of Outsiders

2008-12-08T22:57:00.000-08:00

Miss casual cool chic in clothing that speaks her style.

Holiday Chic

2008-12-06T17:10:00.001-08:00

Sources: fashionspot,lefashionimage,cobrasnake,brunodayan

Shoe Lust: Black versus Nude

2008-12-01T05:50:00.000-08:00

1. Christian Louboutin Forevertina $945 footcandyshoes.com
2. Giuseppe Zanotti black patent leather platform wedge sandals $608 bluefly.com
3. Velvet Angels Tootsie Platform Pump revolveclothing.com $264
4. LAMB Hunter Multi Strap Ankle Bootie $380 shopbop.com
5. Stella McCartney Wooden platform boots $837 netaporter.com
6. Velvet Angels Tootsie Platform Pump in Natural $280 revolveclothing.com

Vintage-Inspired Dresses

2008-11-14T18:27:00.000-08:00

With the return of the shapely silhouette of the vintage dress, more and more designers are turning the dresses of yore into inspirations for their collections. Here are some pretty frock picks for December.

Copy Olivia Palermo's Style

2008-11-12T23:12:00.000-08:00

There's something so enchanting about 22-year old Latina socialite, Olivia Palermo. She used to have pretty much that regular gal style, but somewhere along the way she just outshone the others, including It Girl Tinsley Mortimer because of her knack for mixing the unexpected and just being plain stylish and beautiful. Now, the used-to-be not-so-interesting girl has turned into a woman who almost everyone wants to emulate and know more about.

Guide to Looking Effortlessly Cool

2008-11-12T02:57:00.000-08:00

We often have this image of a grown-up version of the cool girl from school. Hopping around town in high heels and disheveled hair, we always question how she manages to do that and still look effortlessly chic. But we've also all been told by magazines that it's in the way she carries herself. But is it really that or is it the clothes? Here, recreate the image of cool:

Personal Style - Unusual Combinations

2008-11-10T23:47:00.000-08:00

Bet you won't admit, but you've experienced ogling a girl because she has a certain je nais se quois about her. There's something about the way she moves or carries that huge purse of hers that makes you want to follow her home and rummage through her closet. She reminds you of a certain Kate, Grace, Gwyneth, or Nicole whose style is so impeccable and effortless which you just truly adore. At the back of your mind you wish you were her.

Here at FashionMinded there are currently four.The shredded tee is looking hotter than ever with this time-consuming diy. Now, we won't go into details as to how you should go about ripping your white tee. But how you style it and the items you pair it with is a different story. Here, SwankHeights casually mixed her tee with cuffed skinny denims, pointy toe suede shoes, and topped it off with a white beanie. Things brings it to about some level of relaxed cool.A Chictopia contributor sports an unparalleled mixture of lace, knee-high socks, pointy oxfords, a mannish coat, topped with a head piece that screams rock hippie. You can do a similar take by pairing torn jeans with a lacey top, black thin coat, black heels, knee-high socks, and hippie head piece. A great advantage would be to take jeans that you have, but no longer wear, cut up to mid thigh and pull threads in the hem for an undone look. Make it look aged by scratching sandpaper on chosen areas. Now you're stylish and economical.

Sea of Shoes' Jane gives us a sneak peak of her mom's outlandish, but ultra chic literal jean jacket. Who would've thought that you can actually rework your jeans to become jackets? Then there's lace. Denim with lace is an amazing combination. Paired with a flimsy nudish top, pointy nude stilettos, and bleached dark denims is the way to look eclectic.
Another Chictopia contributor shows us an amazing way to make vintage styles look contemporary. There's an air of european elegance about her look with the carefully combined pieces namely a plain white tank, mid thigh skirt, waist belt, oxfords, quilted bag, loosely worn scarf, and vintage-looking sunnies. The theme is vintage, but the style is very right now.

Bonjour Fashionistas!

2008-11-07T04:09:00.001-08:00

I'm back after a long hiatus. My apologies. I lost all my write up in Fashiolution (dot com) which is totally frustrating. Nothing I can do about that. Actually, I can pay to have it all back, but I prefer to move on and leave the past behind. Here's a rundown of what I've been doing for the past couple of weeks:
1. Chictopia- I've become totally addicted on this site! Beware to those who choose step on that realm. If you shockingly allot 3 hours of your day on this site, don't blame me!
2. Of course, there's Halloween. My version meant attending Stacy's 21st and meeting a lot of really cool friends!3. I stopped school for a reason. In other words, I dropped out of fashion school. But I might go back. There's just so much to love about it - meeting new friends, dressing up, learning and studying, late nights, brainstorming sessions, etc.4. I bought tons of skirts, dresses, and shoes ever since I last posted. I feel so guilty. There was this one time wherein I literally had multiple shoegasms after buying six pairs of shoes in a span of a few hours. My purse almost gave up on me.5. My clothing choices are evolving on the more dramatic side as I've been keenly experimenting on different styles.There's so much more I want to share! But I'll be back soon.

*outfits:
1) tulip dress with tribal print bought online, leggings from dept store, gladiators from local shoe shop, quilted white bag no brand
2) Benetton suit (from my brother's closet), vintage oversize men's polo, my own skinny jeans from the Eastwood bazaar, white sneaks from a market bazaar, white fedora from the flea market near my workplace
3) Marni belted cape, Free People (I think) torn denims, mary janes from local brand, vintage oversize black bag from my mom
4) Rebecca Taylor dress with rosettes, woven gold belt from Celine, slippers from Divisoria (about 75cents)
5) flapper costume, vintage Charles Jourdan pumps with crystals
6) men's dept shirt, Korean brand ruffle skirt, Farhat Day Paris motorcycle jacket bought online (I wrongly had this hand-washed because I couldn't read the french wash instructions; It meant dry-clean! Ack!), Syrup shoes (they remind of the currently lusted-over YSLs) -love!