Yes, I've been working!

And hopefully soon, I'll be able to post that I'm done and proud of it (I'm so so sooo nervous!). But as of now, I just have this picture of an overflowing trash can, and one of the litter on my desk to give you an idea of the colorful mess I'm in at the moment!

Boy. by Band of Outsiders

On this day of love, I will blog about something I absolutely adore: MENSWEAR. More specifically, I love menswear made in versions for women. My favorite label, Band of Outsiders, has come out with only a couple of seasons worth of a feminine counterpart (ironically or not?! named Boy.), though still maintains their preppy aesthetic. Band of Outsiders is practically the reason I love menswear as a whole!! Their repp ties and vintage polo shirts are a reflection of their founder, Scott Sternberg's, own personal look, and also the main reasons I fell in love with the brand. At the same time, I will always want to own the women's suits and blazers they come out with. Though the line is not available in this country (and though I can only dream of affording their clothes!!), I continually watch out for pieces from other stores that imitate their look.

This Spring Summer, they got Leslie Mann, Dave Franco, and Donald Glover, to front their promotion, and have adapted a nautical theme for their campaign. I love every picture and only dream of that wardrobe in mine!! :-)

This is my favorite look from Boy!!

The double-breasted white blazer and that cute skirt!

I will definitely be looking for a blazer like that in local stores...

And another thing to love about Boy! Binki Shapiro in their clothes.

By Lauren Dukoff for L'Uomo Vogue

Pictures from the Band of Outsiders and Boy. campaigns from their websites: http://band.bandofoutsiders.com/ and http://boy.bandofoutsiders.com/. Featuring Leslie Mann, Dave Franco and Donald Glover. Shot in and around Marina Del Rey, California. For more of the campaign, visit the websites! And for their season lookbook, visit Style.com. They're worth a click. :-)

Flower Wall

The past two years in this job have resulted in a major accumulation in props and costumes. Sometimes, I don't have to return what I bought or made for a project, so I end up keeping them in my brother's old room here at home. Though I try to keep them as neat as possible, my mom still, inevitably, gets frustrated at the sheer volume of things I have stocked, and continually threatens to throw them out! :O

However, for the props from last month's Metro Society shoot, she gave me another suggestion on how to keep them: use them to decorate one of the rooms!

And so I did! A flower wall!

Now, my working space!

It's a lot more fun to work when I like my surroundings,

when my props are not just dumped in plastic containers or old boxes. :-)

So excited for the summer!!!

I was NEVER a spring-summer kind of person. I have always loved dressing in dark colors and shimmery fabrics and layering tights over shorts over jackets over tops. But taking a look at all these Spring Summer 2010 collections (most found from my one-stop site for fashion, Notcouture!) has made me so excited to dress in pastels and wear sundresses!! I can't wait for all the khakis and florals to come out and for all the light weight materials to wear! :-)

Spring Summer 2010 Collections from (top to bottom): Calla, d a c e, Esther Perbandt, H&M The Garden Collection, and Chris Benz. Images from the websites linked. Enjoy!

Living in the Sky with Diamonds

Last year, my friend Camille from Metro Society magazine asked me to do some set pieces for a fashion shoot. The editorial was to feature dresses by Cary Santiago, a Filipino designer based in Cebu and Dubai.

Cam wanted a cold, almost winter wonderland-like set, but composed with simple pieces, so as not to take attention away from the dresses. It was our first time working together in our two years of working in our respective fields! I have to say, it was a lot of fun working with someone who was not only one of my closest friends, but also someone who was on the same creative wavelength as I am. We thought of almost the same set pieces, and I was definitely happy with what I made for the editorial.

This picture has to be my favorite of the bunch.

The flowers look like water-lilies, and the model, a floating goddess!

The dresses were amazing! Cary Santiago's couture goes for such high prices in the Middle East, and taking a look at his collection, you'll understand why. Through his pieces, he's shown his mastery of skills and design, and ultimately, pushes Philippine talent to the next level. Just the night before the shoot, Metro Society held its anniversary party, with his work as the main spectacle. Here are some pictures of the backstage madness, enough for you to see how much detail went in to every dress!

"Living in the Sky with Diamonds" can be found in the Metry Society Dec 2009 - Jan 2010 issue. Styled by Camille Aguilar. Photos by Jason Penaloza, shot at Kwannon Studios, Eastwood City, Libis. Set Design by Victoria Velasco. Make Up by Jomar Nebriaga. Hair by Raymond Ko of L'Oreal Professionnel. Modeled by Jasmine and Ria of Mercator.

Backstage photos of the Cary Santiago fashion show at the Metro Society anniversary party from Style Samurai. For more from the show and from Philippine fashion in general, visit http://stylesamurai.blogspot.com/.