BRIGHTS, PATTERNS AND A COLLAB

PLAINS AND PRINTS
Stealth & Stalk
PHIL STAR SUPREME
March 5, 2011

"Whitespace became planned space as Plains & Prints, in collaboration with Rajo Laurel, transformed the open exhibition area into a creative path, literally. On the walls leading to the final display area and open court were words, illustrations and inspirations that lead to the collective birth of the collection.

Just in time for summer, painterly hues were the chosen finish of Rajo’s water-colored easy dresses. While on the other end of the spectrum, desaturated shades created solid pairings in draped jersey tops and tailored trousers.

And like a subliminal call to arms, fashion came out to play with guests choosing to side either in the patterned or the solid style camp. Both looks were strong contenders as they captured the season’s love for strong, vivid impressions. Of course declaring yourself with a fashion statement should be taken in stride with an unaffected nonchalance — bold choices will hardly be forgotten — and will be more of a challenge to recycle. But, then, in hindsight, should we even care?"

PLAINS
"Who said that basics are boring? Not when it’s this bright and color blocked. The new basic comes in the form of unpredictable hue mash-ups. Take Divine’s lime green/orange/bright blue/neon pink structured belt, or Rosanna’s royal blue and melon marriage, or Stacy’s sheer bubble gum pink and citrus button-down. Black may be the base that can pull everything together, but maybe for this summer, live a little and try some unexpectedness. Best brand to study and take notes: Jil Sander, Gucci and Louis Vuitton."

(L-R: Ramp shot, Stacy Rodriguez, Divine Lee, Lucille Dizon, Liz Uy, Rosanna Aranaz, Isha Andaya)
Additional photos by Yayay De Castro. Thanks Yay!

Jil Sander

Gucci

PRINTS
"My resolution this year was to incorporate more texture in my otherwise sleek and midnight uniform. And with the range of design finishes available in the retail scene, color and patterns have never been more exciting. Explore delicate pastel splashes, to blooming florals, or feral wild animal prints. Graphic linearity is also popular, but the best way to rock the print trend is to do it in a big, bold way: print on pattern coordinates ala Prada or spliced designs, meant to contrast and contradict like Carven."

(L-R: Happy Lopez, Zo Aguila, Sarah Meier, Mia Ayesa, Crystal Henares, Nix Alanon, Roxanne Farillas)


Cacharel

Chris Benz

Carven


This is where the article ends and blogging begins. Street style action care of Jujiin.

The print was mirrored in the insatllations as well. The sitting man is a tad bit scary. Afraid.

Revolving live mannequins.

Solid versus abstract.

I like.

Pauline in a look that I soooper love because it reminds me of Phoebe Philo's creation. Although, that arm candy is actually a Boston Céline

Céline

Carlos.

Laureen.

Mai Kauffman and Roxanne Farillas. Congrats Roxanne!

Dimple lim on Sarah Meier.

Liz jewels.

Rajo and Nix.

Melissa x Vivienne Westwood Anglomania Wing Shoes on Ria.

Alexander McQueen vs Yves Saint Laurent.

PREVIEW MARCH 2011

AC says that he likes our Preview March cover. That means a lot because AC in his way is a bit hard to please. Ultra high standards. To be honest, this was one of the hardest shoots to do. One would think that it's easy since theres nothing really there to style coz they're almost naked. But thats the complicated part. Precision is key because even the smallest awkward angle crosses the line from being artfully tasteful to just being two people without clothes on.

If you haven't guessed, this is an accessory story. As Vince eloquently puts it, its "Skin on skin". So there were heaps of Leopard on shoes...

On outerwear and underwear...

On accessories...

I had pieces made too. Briefing the designers that the peg was animal print. Accessory designer Ken Samudio came up with these gorgeous neckpieces. Rowr.

Heres B, the calm before the storm.

And outtakes of the shoot. Sorry if I have to put a watermark on it. Only ones that run in the magazine have it.

AC did three bespoke footwear for the cover story. None going below 5 inches. And he named all the three pairs in honor of the three Uy siblings. This one is the "Liz".

And after all the bends, twists and muscle control to achieve all the complicated poses that Vince wanted. (You have to buy the magazine to believe), it was time to breathe a sigh of relief and say: "It's a wrap!!"



And you think that's all? This issue comes with two loaded guns. Guess who else is in it?

Eeeek. Yes, its the Azkals!! I can actually hear the adolescent girls screaming!!
Here they are, a bit of playful warm-up before the cameras start snapping.

The brainchild of our football fanatic EIC Pauline, this shoot wouldn't have been conceptualized if not for her. She had the foresight--knowing these footy cuties were going to be big. (Hello, Belo Medical group?)

The only time that my blurred photos work: so that you actually go and buy the magazine to see the real thing.

Imagine them smiling at you... Yiii. Kilig much?

The end.

GOOD MORNING

How relevant that I go to sleep discussing the advantages and disadvantages of my iPad and wake up with a newer version available. Ha Ha. well, at least some of the rumors were true. Yes, there is a new iPad, but no, it doesn't come with a USB port. That was the only reason why I wanted to wait till April of this year, (the supposedly release date of the upgrade). Good thing pala that I didn't. It would have been so anti-climactic. The difference?
-33% thinner
-15% lighter
-comes with a front and rear end camera
-plus faster technology
-and it comes in two colors now: white and black
Go to www.apple.com to learn more and geek out.

AT A DISADVANTAGE

I love my iPad, it has totally changed how I work. But the thing that sucks about it is, I can't upload photos when I'm blogging. And the best time for me to post and write captions is that lull between lying down and waiting to get sleepy. A tablet is the perfect companion, at my most relaxed, I ramble on with the words... without even having to get up to stash chargers and shut down anything when I'm done. But then I can't upload images, nor can I resize and edit. So in other words, REAL blogging will have to wait until tomorrow/later. As of now, I just got done making a visual collage of trends for my column this Saturday. Art attack Lang ang level so my eyes are actually like these na> @.@. Nurninur. So goodnight for now. More photos and stories after the 8 hour sleep requisite. And just a quick rundown on how my day went:
-Used my miles to book a flight to a new country--beating expiration date by 2 hours.
-Shot around 70 bags, but I only need 12 for my page. It's best to have backups--in this case, around 58.
-Planned to go to the Shu Uemura event in Robot, with outfit and shoes all ready, but wrapped my shoot at 10. Too late for a party that started at 7.
-My good friend Penny found my next, and so-hard-to-find designer bag (that I would give up my kidney for)-- In Japan! 30%15% more expensive than Paris but would you believe I've been dying to have it since last year but it's just soooo elusive? But at the cost that I'm getting it, patience just might be the currency my wallet is longing for.
Laters. Skaters.

ALL DAY MONDAY

Overslept on Monday morning.

One of my major pet peeve: people being late. Because time is very important to me, with my schedule always packed--a slight deviation from anything usually sets back a lot of things--creating an unwanted chain reaction. So punctuality is ingrained (although I think this gets better with age), a decent courtesy other people appreciate because it shows that I also respect how valuable their time is.

So imagine me going helter-skelter when I didn't wake up with my alarm. Although in fairness, I got to my 11am meeting at 10:58. And in heels too.

Talked with the people behind The Gap for a Preview collaboration. Details to be announced soon. Nikki, the brand's marketing was all cheery. Cute outfit too, in a pleated blush skirt paired with flat leather lace-ups.

After the meeting, it was back to the office for the weekly roundup and updates with the team. Then it was off to source and pullout. Was in Power Plant Topshop when Divine walks in with Nix. Talagang naka Kermit Tesoro habang nag ma-mall. Daywear lang. Care! Lahveet.

And after a full day of heaving shopping bags full of soon-to-be-shot products, it was off to Ystyles Anniversary in White Space. Of course I got there just in time. 5 minutes before the fashion video (shot by Paolo Pineda) was shown.

Skull cut-outs. Amazing find from the Landmark on Ana Kalaw.

Transparency was a big choice for the night. One.

Two.

Three.

Char, I love your earrings.

Cinnamon bun shoulders.

Sis, blurred ka pa rin. Sorry! Laureen of breakmystyle.com

Pauline Prieto makes everyone else look fat.

Ria doing pastoral.

Projection on the walls.

Pedi brights x spiked hardware on ze Preview Editor: Pauline.

Robot was the place to be for after dinner and drinks. Long overdue catch up with Young Star EIC Paolo Lorenzana, who by the way came spiffied up in his 5cm suit, scalloped dress shirt and skinny suspenders. Fashyown. Perfect get up for a long night talking about relationships.

Although we all ordered Makis, I got the soft-shell crab, and truffled portobello, Tim made us try heaps of dishes. This was the Japanese pizza, where the dough came in the form of Japanese rice crackers. Bin-bin lang. The soft Uni and the crunchy cracker was a surprisingly good combo.

Chef Bruce Ricketts.
I go: "Kapatid siya ni Ronnie Rickets?"
And I don't know if it was Tim or Paolo who said: "Hindi, anak." Oo nga naman, ang bata naman niya maging kapatid. I feel old.

Chef Ricketts cooked us this amazing Sea Bass in Uni reduction with soft cabbage on the side. It. Was. Amazing.

And Tim going from eventologist to mixologist. His quotable quote of the night: "Maturity in a relationship is overrated. Be a child and be happy." Hahaha. Easier said than done though. Portrait courtesy of Raymond And. Thanks Rayms! Alam mo na yown.

The End.

RECAP

Sunday was spent getting back into town from Tagaytay. Dropped by the outlet stores in Sta. Rosa because boyf wanted to check the Kazukis, Jeremy Scotts, and Adidas Originals that were on sale. There was a giraffe sweater by Jeremy Scott that was still a whopping 12k. Gah. I was the one who ended up buying this soooper cute slouchy suit jacket that was a hybrid between a double breasted coat and a varsity jacket from the Adidas Originals line. Unforeseen. but it was the last piece in my size. Too much of a temptation to resist.

Anyhoo, after hearing mass in Don Bosco, we wanted to do a bit of shopping in GB. I'm on the hunt for the perfect pair of flat, black summer boots. (No luck so far) Saw this open toe low wedge na rumi-Rick Owens in Aldo but then I'm set on getting lace ups. Sigh. Bumped into Mond, Solenn and Maxene looking for some shoes and alcohol on a freaking Sunday. Mond, pahingahin mo naman ang liver mo. heeh.

Always surrounded by gorgeousness!

Balenciaga for the win.

TGIF

Today, well technically, it was yesterday, but lets just pretend it was today. EDSA Anniversary, was expecting insane traffic but amazingly, EDSA was clear without any snarls and the expected gridlocks. Whew. Ambitious schedule, pulling out from two malls. SM Megamall which is right smack at the Revolution center and Power Plant. I have to say, pulling out from SM Department Store needs a good three hours, in the most comfy shoes (which I wasn't wearing by the way) and clear, laser-like focus. It's easy to get distracted by all the cheap finds, and its super sale on lingerie. (Valentines promo?) TMI. But i love lacy underthings. Anyhoo. Another accidental photo opportunity. She caught me while I was sourcing in the Pajama section, (again, why is it always in my most awkward moments? Gah. how unglamorous) but hey--when sourcing for a particular trend, you scour in every nook and cranny. HI to that girl, never even got her name. I might have scared her off too coz I asked her if she even knew me. She mumbled something about Preview. Eeep. Sorry. Was busy deciding between two floral prints that looked the same except for a slight variation of purple. (yes, it does matter).

And after three hours in painful shoes, off to Power Plant to finish all pullouts. Met someone new again while I was in Aldo. Claire? Am I correct? From CSB, thank you for coming up to me and saying Hi. Didn't want a full shot because I never go around in thongs (not the underwear silly, but its Aussie speak for flip-flops) but because I had my nails done in Dashing Diva in this gorgeous shade of melon orange, I wasn't too keen in putting on my boots again--hence, the surprising choice of non-footwear.

Good that I did too because when I got to Zara, their display was this explosion of brights that I sooooper love!! That red oversized blazer has my name on it. Gerald of Zara was there of course, ka collection with his visual display. He styled the whole thing. Love, love, LOVE!! And at least even if i was wearing my uniform of all black, my nails were bang on trend. Its that same shade as the belted tank beside Ge.

Not only is Power Plant easy to navigate (for sourcing and pullouts) because of its convenient size, it also has this pa-kembot na Sartorial Fridays. I wrote about this in my column for Supreme in the Philippine Star a while back. I think its awesome that a mall gratifies your being pagka-fashyown with recognition. Not only do you get your photo taken and uploaded to the Power Plant facebook page.

You get a free movie pass. Sweet.

And even sweeter is hot chocolate with marshmallows to end the day. Nothing like hugs and warm mugs of comfort to ease myself into the weekend. Have a good one guys!