These exotic floral prints from Mango say “Aloha!” And so does my boyfriend, RG, who debuts in a proper blog post for the first time (and maybe the last). He’s not one to be in front of the camera - in fact, he is the one who helps me take most of my outdoor outfit photos when he has time off work. Being the behind-the-scenes person that he usually is, I’m quite happy that I succeeded into dragging him to do this with me after 2+ years of being together (with a little force, of course)

(on me: top, dress and heels from Mango; on RG: shirt and shorts from H.E. by Mango)

He puts my feet on the ground (me being the overly idealistic one between the two of us) and often gives me a reality check about life, especially if I seem too caught up with myself and the small world I move around in. I’ve much to thank him for, really. Most are intangible lessons that have helped me become a better person throughout the years.

Most of the time, I tease him about my biggest contribution to his life - fashion tips and how to properly style himself. He would turn all cheesy and tell me that I too have taught him a lot of intangible lessons, but I would jokingly bring the conversation back to how his appearance has improved ever since he met me, lol

To be fair, he has always had a subtle style of his own - classic and clean, and often times hovering over safe and conservative with not-so-bold earthy colors in styles that do not ever go out of style. 

Last week, we dropped by the Mango and H.E. by Mango stores and became absolutely smitten by all the “adventurer chic” items from their newest collection! Browns, greens and blues are totally his element, while mine are floral prints (this time, exotic ones) and printed bottoms. 

Given the weather we’ve been having, we opted for items that let our legs breathe. I layered a tropical print ruffled dress over a chiffon shirt in the cutest coral color, and paired them with blush-toned strappy heels. RG wore a classic checkered button-down and brown shorts in a color that could make Indiana Jones proud.

We normally don’t go all-out matchy matchy (especially since on a normal day, RG would never put as much priority on fashion than I would), but we do like subtle similarities now and then as it really is quite fun. We played with the same reds and greens to get that appearance of coherence even if we chose totally different patterns.

Couple fashion doesn’t necessarily be the cliche type that requires two people wearing the same exact item of clothing. You can play with colors and patterns and still get that “couple” effect.

(on me: top, blazer, pants and heels from Mango; on RG: button-down, pants and jacket from H.E. by Mango)

European-style adventurer chic for indoors when light jackets are totally acceptable. The key items here are colored pants for men and printed bottoms for women - they can make such wonderful summer statements without going too over the top. 

RG’s green pants? I honestly wish it came in my size too. I love how it’s not the usual blue, black or brown, and how it’s definitely a friendly, subdued color for guys who’d never dare to wear bright red, apple green or electric blue trousers in their lifetime. I talked him into trying it out, and he was quite surprised how it all worked out in the end, with the right kind of styling, given his skin tone and comfort zone!

The ones that I am wearing are loose pants that are so comfortable, I can probably sleep in them! <3

Paired the pants with a denim shirt that is all sorts of adorable, and a black and white blazer that I can use with other black and white stuff as it’s also a trend this spring/summer.

It’s going to take a lot of effort for me to drag my boyfriend into doing this regularly with me, but I still commend him being so open to trying out a day in my life. In the meantime, while he says he can never get used to this, he takes wonderful pictures and writes interesting stories here.

Sponsored post.

Thanks to Tracy Monsod for taking our photos.

Follow MANGO on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram @mangofashion.

Seasons and trends will come and go, but neutral colors in classic shapes, and sleek straight lines will never go out of style. I’ve always been a firm believer of investing in timeless pieces that you can use 5 to 10 years down the line, and lucky for us, there are brands that cater to just these!

One of them is ESPRIT, which I have often adored for their simple yet city-ready advertisements featuring top models like Gisele Bundchen, Erin Wasson, and now Dree Hemingway and Liu Wen. On a geeky perspective, the minimalist and fuss-free way that their pictures are usually shot comes very close to home! On a style perspective, everything that ESPRIT offers has a certain kind of modern yet laidback elegance to them that is so easy to style. So easy that you don’t need a lot of accessories to achieve that perfect, modern city girl look that is appropriate for all ages. 

Here are four outfits that I styled using some items from their recent collection. Arranged from lightest to heaviest for all kinds of weather conditions.

(ESPRIT top, pants and bag) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

Print pretty. Oh, I know — this look is typical Tricia. Plain button downs with printed bottoms make for a fun and chic look that can be dressed up or dressed down depending on the items you style them with. Wearing this outfit with flats would scream Parisian chic.

(ESPRIT top, cardigan and bag) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

Sweet sophisticate. One of the reasons why I deliberately chose these colors to play with is because they are no-brainers when it comes to dressing from day to night. This look is quite appropriate for a lunch out with friends or even an after-work girls’ night out over drinks.

(ESPRIT top, blazer and bag) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

Too cool for school! Two tone everything is all the rage, and this blazer trumps everything else in my closet right now. Pair with short shorts to balance the weight out. 

(ESPRIT top, jacket, skirt and bag)

Fashion front row. Here’s something for cooler days! Who needs a lot of bling when you can layer these fabulous pieces on top of each other and still be able to create something that’s fashion-editor-worthy? For this one I was inspired by Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, Rag & Bone, and Thom Browne which are only among the few that utilized houndstooth for their recent collections. 

Cinderella Marketing Corporation is the exclusive distributor of ESPRIT. Follow ESPRIT on their newly launched Facebook here.

Sponsored post.

Photos by Rg Gabunada

(Motel Rocks dress, Topshop blazer, Freedom heels, Forever 21 belt, Balenciaga bag, Lannel Boutique MAC Russian Red lipstick) Hype this look on Lookbook here. Thanks Kristin for helping me out with these pics!

Recently I’ve been keeping a lot of my older clothes out of my closet because I suddenly couldn’t help looking at them anymore. It’s extremely hard for me to let go of my clothes, especially the ones that were my favorite at some point. However, my age is getting the best of me and now I feel like I have to start looking more grown up, and let go of that teeny bopper girl that used to post so many cutesy things on her deviantART back in 2006. Fast forward to 2013 and I swear my tastes have changed so immensely that I never thought I could even pull something like this off in a million years. I have not exposed my chest in a looong time, lol. I love my high neck and collared tops and dresses too much.

Well, to be honest, I am still not completely comfortable taking the more mature route all the way, but I think it’s nice that I’m trying out new things. I admit that I’m in a very in-between stage in my life now where I have absolutely no idea what to do anymore, but at least it’s doing my personal style some good by going all confused and making me dare myself to get out of my comfort zone. As to where this will take me, I still have no idea! But hopefully I can transition to a sleeker style as the year passes. 

Then I’ll get bored with it and start wearing my ruffly pink socks and ribbons again… The cycle never ends!