All the Vanity Blog :: Beauty, Fashion & Shopping

In case you may not find Eastwood City on your local map, it’s because it’s not really proclaimed a city! Another is, this mini busy locale is found in Libis, Quezon City in the Philippines. It’s been almost a month since I saw the tarpaulin raised high above the place, but let me just share it to you still.

Presenting: The Enviro-Chic Bag designed by Philippines’ renowned fashion designer, Rajo Laurel!

Truly, eco-fashion is a hot trend these days. This eco-friendly reusable tote bag with native handle details and fringes is just perfect to carry whether you’re casually strutting elsewhere or whilst shopping. You can find one on the concierge of Eastwood Cinemas or inside the newly-opened Eastwood Mall itself. Price is about Php 600 (that’s about $ 12.50 or about € 9)

Of course, this one’s for a cause. Proceeds will go to the Payatas women of Rags 2 Riches (owned by Rajo) and to the Philippine National Red Cross.

I must admit I’m starting to love Marc Jacobs more, as I spotted this surprisingly affordable leather tote from his store.

*In sunny yellow and orange. I’m not a fan of the color, but if this is the one tinged in orange, I’d go ahead and grab it fast! Hee-hee*

What’s more to heart about this lovely sling tote is that it’s reversible and available in different colors (2 tones per bag). Now, sashay whilst carrying this super cute bag with your two fave hues!

*Tone yourself with something warm or cool with this bag in Red and Blue*

*Girly colors in cutesy pink and purple*

*Finally, my all-time favorite contrast in green and pink*

Price is at $98 each (about Php 5,000)

What’s your favorite color among the roster? I, on the other hand, need to check out Marc by Marc Jacobs in Greenbelt 5 and hope to score my obvious choice ASAP! XO

Think about modern neon, then you’ll get this latest Fall collection from Marc Jacobs. Truly, he injected such a vibe that jolts out amongst the boring blacks-and-whites of this season. The collection includes puffed tops and a-line bottoms, dresses and skirts with flarings, scarves, jackets, coats and cardigans–all imbued with eye-candy colors and bedazzling brocades prints. There’s still a noticeable presence of dark tights paired with ankle strap shoes or boots. And of course, any Marc Jacobs wardrobe won’t be complete sans the ever gorgeous bags.

Here’s what I like about Marc Jacobs Fall 2009 Collection:

Grays and Blacks with a Spunk

If you opt to steer clear from vibrant neon colors, surely this collection will take you to some place where dark tinges rule  without losing  the spunkiness of your wardrobe.

*The show started with this simple casual gray cardigan and black pants attire. Quite simple for a Marc Jacobs collection, isn’t it? But, try to sport a mohawk ‘do complete with that lovely black and white brocade scarf, and you’re on the go to being MJ stylish. And also, watch out for the kilt and braces aback of this outfit–truly outrageously signatured!*

*This full charcoal brocade dress has this gorgeous flaring at the bottom, decked with a pair purple ankle boots, dark jeweled necklace and neon green printed clutch. *

Puffed with Sleeve and Skirt

The collection also delighted us with  puffed sleeve or skirt, texturized with metallic brocade  and striped prints.

*This sleeved bustier top with puffed skirt really caught my attention as it fused classic and contemporary altogether. Surely, it looks like a formal cocktail ensemble on the first look. But hey, those metallic brocade prints on a quirky skirt might make you think twice otherwise–for a party garb! *

*Another gorgeous party bustier dress. This time, notice the drama of the free-flowing  plain black ribbons to the rest of the striped prints, both forming a semi-ruffled bottom. It’s paired with ankle strap boots displaying its metallic sheen.*

*This  salmon pink blouse with puffed sleeves is paired with high-waisted fur-like pencil skirt complete with patent leather-like gloves and ankle boots. What’s more to love about this formal ensemble is this lovely bejeweled neck piece that’s just elegantly layered on the model’s top.*

Neon Power!

*There’s nothing as playful as combining two different prints for an exquisite yet made-for-each-other look. This blouse and skirt combo have distinct brocade prints on them, yet they impeccably compliment each other in harmonious bluish and yellowish glow.*

*Another playful thing to do with colors is to combine and contrast them. I always like blending these two contrasting colors together. In this outfit, the neon green structured jacket is paired with a decadently printed dress. I just love how it’s been also embellished with yet another brocade printed pink scarf, and a retro mixture of pink and green colors for the brocade bag. Keeping it fierce, the dramatic makeup look and mohawk haristyle really did a well-done job.*

More Story from Style.com

Erratum: The black trench ensemble I featured in Balenciaga was actually from THIS collection.

The house of Lanvin never fails to give women a gorgeous and glamorous vibe, as this season brims with lovely dark floral patterns, bias wraps, high-waisted belts, subtle knots, bows and drapings  in sophisticated, ultra-feminine powersuits and dresses.  Designer Alber Elbaz epitomizes Parisian style with some kink of 40′s retro-ish vibe for Fall 2009 collection.

All in all, this collection is  flat-out classic. You will never go out of style with these pieces, wherever the time machine takes you.

So, expect to see leather-like boots and gloves along the runway. The big, chunky bejeweled, tribal necklace may be a lil bit off-kilter, but in a very stylish way. In fact, I’m digging those chunky pieces as it adds some spunk to the monochromatic wardrobe.

Piece de resistance: Floral, Brocade & Both

* I think anyone would fall in love on this lovely black suit with what it seems to be embossed floral brocade-like patterns.  The fabric and the fine glittered embroidery was really well-put together. I also love the puffed wrap top as it adds quite an oomph to the ensemble. I’m not sure how delicate the material is, but it just speaks to me like, “This is not your ordinary timeless black suit. This is something that should exist in your business wardrobe!” To cut the crap, it’s just perfection at its finest! *

*Another take on the brocade. This time, it’s in a seemingly closed-neck dress with what it looks like a tri-layered, bias cut at the bottom. Well, it’s still drool-worthy elegant for me. The black chunky necklace plays a vital part on this ensemble. The dress won’t seem complete without it.*

*This one pulls off a different pattern, but is indubitably as exquisite as the previous ones. I just adore the cascading drapes on the side as it really gives the dress an overall feminine vibe.*

Simple-toned Blacks & Chunky Metal Necklace

Another option for this collection is to go subtle with a touch of nothing but black. But, what sets it apart from the rest of black boring power suits you see from businesspeople everyday is right in front of your eyes (and her encolure).

*Never go boring with a silver chain necklace and built-in gigantic pendant, whilst keeping things simple with your suit and makeup no-makeup look*

*Same cut as with the first image above, only sans the prints, hence your option if you’re intimated by the floral embroidery.*

*Complete your professional dressing-up with this lovely pair of platform shoes.*

More of Lanvin Fall 2009 here.

Hello lovelies! I’m gonna be featuring 5 Haute Houses for Fall 2009′s Ready-to-Wear Collection. Let’s start off with Balenciaga. xx

Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquiere highlights his Parisian collection for Fall 2009. What’s pretty much noticeable with this collection is the presence of drapes and prints, plus the silk/satin ensemble. Of course, Fall collection would not be complete without anything structured on it!

However, I am not totally won by this collection. I am not really digging the satin drapes, nor the robed trench coat. But, I’m impressed by the fab structured top and bottom ensemble. I love how the pants flow gorgeously, as they flatter the models’ long lanky legs.

Check out some of the runway pictures from Style.com.

Collection Yays

*These two are my favorite from this collection. I love how such ensemble pulls off a stylish menswear pants and a tuxedo jacket (from left) / puffed long-sleeved top (from right) perfectly to utmost feminine sophistication. One more thing that’s highlighted this season is the proliferation of menswear on womenswear sans losing the feminine touch. These ensembles are totally wearable, and pretty much great revealing the sultry side of powersuit-donning career women on-the-go. Not-to-mention, the shoes are lurve! *

Collection Nays

*Erm, this looks like a high-priced bathrobe. It’s definitely not my cup of tea.*

*On the other hand, I got mixed thoughts on the shoes. I found it weird, but cute. But, this one’s less likely wearable. I guess, its true value goes by having it as a collector’s item.*

*Another ensemble to dismay. I bet it’s really hard to justify a satin top and bottom pair such as this. The skirt looks like draped curtains bound together to form one. Plus, que horror on the shoes. I just can’t explain it. lol. The color combination is interesting enough though.*

Interested to see the rest of the collection? Clicky click here!

One hidden talent hobby of mine is sketching. I have been sketching since five years old, from stick drawings, to cartoon figures and animes. During  high school, I started my knack for fashion (thanks to gazillions of magazine browsing, hence Vanity Fair and Elle) and discovered my talent for fashion designing. I have not tried putting my works to life yet, but for sure one of these days a I will. Since I’m quite busy with work and some other stuff, I put sketching aside for quite a while.

Something for Fall 2008

Here’s something I’ve done last year in full color. I have so many sketches that are rarely enhanced with color (usually pencil and/or ink). Pardon for the resolution, ‘coz I just took a picture of it using my camera phone. This one was my take for Fall 2008. It’s a fusion of something classy and quirky, hence the single breasted brown trench jacket (I’m thinking of using corduroy for the collar, sleeve hemline and pocket accents and wool for the rest) and fancy strapless v-neck top (it’s a yellow-orange button-down strapless top with orange floral pattern embroidery). I paired it up with black tights and blue denim miniskirt (should have used a darker blue color then) for the bottom. Then, tan brown boots as footwear. I was trying to be playful with colors, avoiding being so monochromatic and boring.

Medium is Staedtler pencil in HB, Staedtler Lumocolor pen in black and Faber-Castell watercolor pencils (used dry).

Waking my Ideas for Fall 2009

Looks like everything’s pretty much dark hued or neon, structured, dressy and hmm…brocade! I saw a lot of brocade details for Fall 2009, particularly in Miu Miu, Lanvin and Marc Jacobs collections. I still see the presence of tights and embellished sheer stockings. I will share a few things I love about this season on my next post. xx

Chanel is truly an epitome of all things posh. And so, I have always drooled for Chanel 2.55 bag, which is famous for its quilted lambskin structured leather with a lavish golden chain handles.

Take this Chanel Baby Pink Flap Bag for instance, which is a part of Chanel’s 2009 Cruise Collection. I always have my love for subdued pink hues, and this one really caught my attention! Next to Hermes Birkin, I’m so eying to get one of these gorgeous, sophisticated babies in the future. Oh well, the hefty price tag, however, is something to sigh for. Most Chanel 2.55 bags cost around a whopping $2,000. Truly, my parents (not to mention, my pocket ) will kill me should I get one of these soon!

Oh well, oh well. Since I couldn’t afford a lovely piece of Chanel quilted purse as of the moment, I recently snagged this oh-so-luxurious concealer from Chanel. Chanel Lift Lumiere Concealer, a smoothing and rejuvenating eye concealer, works perfectly as an eye-caring liquid concealer to revive my dark, tired eyes. It makes my peepers look bright and alive. Well, thanks to its ingredient, Tetrapeptide, that targets the fluid responsible for building up under the eyes and making them look tired. I don’t even worry skipping my Awake Eye Serums.

Moreover, it functions well as an all-over face makeup as it blends easily and evenly on the skin. In my case, I use it as a blemish concealer, camouflaging those sightly blemishes with its sheer-to-medium coverage. It doesn’t cake or streak, and works fine with oily skin types (like mine). Just remember to put the liquid concealer first before set it with powder!

It currently has 3 colors: Beige Lumiere, Rose Lumiere and Apricot Lumiere. I got mine in Beige Lumiere that works best with my yellow undertones. Get a 15ml for Php 2,650 (or $45) that comes with its signature Chanel bottle [with pump inside].

P.S. I also have Exceptionnel de Chanel Mascara and Rouge Hydrabase Satin Lipstick. OMG, I’m so loving all the lipstick hues. Reviews soon!

Of all places I wanna be stuck in Asia, I’d definitely choose Tokyo, aside from Manila . Japanese Street Fashion really makes quite a statement. Every style never fails to be lively, colorful and quirky!

I love fashion sketching myself, so I brush up on fashion websites every now and then. It’s been a while since I leafed a page of stylish glossy covers, only because I spend most of my time online toiling on my techie day job.  However, it won’t stop me from browsing on the stylish garbs people wear. Upon checking out Style-Arena.Jp, this lovely look piqued my attention.

Japanese Street Style in Harajuku

Everything pulled together here is so fabulous! I so love the ear mufflers, khaki tote, khaki wool trench coat/jacket, grayish long statement tee, gray leggings and brown boots. I also love the model’s caramel blonde hair; it really looks good on her!

Right now, I’m amid thinking where can I shop for fab trench coats like this! I might good a pair of high-knee suede boots to top it all. I’m so excited and looking forward for my training in Ghent soon! At least, by that time, I can freely layer clothes without worrying about breaking a sweat–literally!

My old folks believe that one should wear Polka Dots on New Year’s Eve as we welcome the New Year, because it symbolizes prosperity. Fashion-wise, I simply have one thing in my mind: Polka Dots are HAWT this Spring season.

Thanks to my feverish browsing of Style.com, I am in the verge of getting a few new additions to my sketches, as I embrace 2009 with a bang! Starting off with some polka-dotted pieces.

Here’s a few inspiration for this season’s trend:

Going Sophisticated?

Valentino never fails to give some sensuality and sophistication to every outfit, no matter what cut, print or fabric it may be. I so love this flowy tube polka dot dress. Not only that it possesses the basic colors that characterize the minimalist in me, but also it gives a sexy, ladylike feel that donning it makes me look instantly gorgeous! This is so perfect for posh candlelit dates.

Dressy, Casual, Chic

This maroon and gray mini-dress with a huge waist belt (resembling that of an obi) from Iceberg is nothing but LOVE. This is a perfect dress to wear for chic, dressy corporate nights. It also imbibes a sexy, womanly feel without going overboard–hence, showing too much skin. Plus, a tinge of berry polka dots makes this piece pop out from its boring “gray” state.

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Image From: Marialoving.com

*Maria Clothing‘s Double Trouble*

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