Today I can don romantic lace and ribbons from head to toe. Tomorrow I can wear combat boots with crisp, preppy shirts. Such a bipolar personal style calls for versatile clothes, like this pair of studded high-waist shorts that I wear a lot nowadays. It has just the right balance between femininity and masculinity, shorts looking like a skirt but with studs to keep it kickass and all. 

Yesterday I challenged myself to wear the same shorts on two different occasions. During the day, I opted for my usual retro-girly look:

(Bayo sheer loose top, Bayo high-waist shorts, Romwe detachable collar, Poise heels) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

Like these pictures? I have to thank my boyfriend for helping me take my pictures outdoors this time. He takes wonderful pictures of everyday life and writes interesting stuff about them, and we always joke about collaborating for my blog.

And it finally happened. It was fun to teach him how to take portraits like this since he hasn’t really tried it before. One of my most favorite outdoor outfit shoots to date, this turned out to be. You’re such a natural! 

Anyhow, this is so blinged out and sparkly that I decided to keep my wrists and fingers free from any other accessories.

Circle lenses and bottom lashes from Japanese Candy.

My hair is fading back to bright blonde again. Itching to touch-up the ash I got earlier this month.

Very unique-looking shoes an online store sent me last Christmas!

When evening arrived, I opted to wear something more polished and preppy:

(Bayo loose polo top, Bayo high-waist shorts, Five by Five “Olsen” boots, m)phosis accessories, from Japan glasses) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

Managed to somehow pull it off without being too explicit with the shorts. I actually cheated by showing the studs on the shorts in my girly outfit, while hiding them in my boyish outfit. Ironic, eh? These small details make all the difference in the world. :)

So which of the two do you like better? Are you only inclined to either girly or boyish outfits, or are you bipolar like me?

Sponsored post.

(Clothes for the Goddess top, from Shanghai blazer, Just G skirt, H&M socks, Five by Five heels) Hype on Lookbook here.

For this look, I was clearly inspired by school uniforms - glasses, ribbons, blazer, socks with maryjanes. The twist? I decided to wear a floral skirt instead of the usual pleated plain or plaid ones.

The total amount of black clothes in my closet is greater than the amount of all my colored clothes. Unconsciously, I would always march towards the black section of any store first before I check other colors out. I somewhat owe it all to my mom, whom I’ve seen exercising the same exact habit ever since I was a little girl. It’s a good habit though, because all my black clothes from all these years are the ones I find to stay in my closet for the longest time.

I have a collection of black outerwear - sweaters, cardigans, jackets and blazers. My black blazers are the ones I tend to overuse because they never fail to give a more polished look to my outfits. In this case, who would’ve thought that my signature penchant for ribbons and flowers would look good with something as dark and structured as this blazer?

(ASTARS poncho, Romwe collared top, Clothes for the Goddess bag, Five by Five Olsen boots) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

Almost completely went back to my black and white roots for a day, except I took the initiative to put some sort of accent color to not make me look paler and more sickly than I already was that day. This wine poncho top was my instant go-to for a classy, conservative cover-up, as the cold Christmas breeze just slays me every time I’m outside, and never fails to leave me shaking like a sick person. I wish I had a warm and fuzzy sweater in this color so I could wear it everyday.

(Forever 21 biker vest and accessories, Topshop cat print shirt, Five by Five cat print heels, from Hong Kong tutu and rose connector ring, Extreme Finds rings) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

My default face resembles that of an extremely bored kitty. I’ve already lost count of the number of times I’ve been told that I look like a cat!

Here’s my pseudo-Halloween tribute, because I wasn’t able to celebrate it properly this year. According to superstition, black cats are said to be bringers of bad luck, but as a feline lover, I actually find them the opposite of scary.

Think I can blame pop culture for this particular fascination of mine. Emily The Strange’s cats Mystery, Miles, Neechee, and Sabbath, Felix the Cat, Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Luna from Sailor Moon, and Chococat from Sanrio are just a few of the black cats which I can’t help but love.

Meow!

(Forever 21 sweater, shorts and necklace, Extreme Finds ring, Chase Gosingtian detachable collar, Five by Five Jeffrey Campbell Lita replicas) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

I love how this sweater is just right smack in the middle of minty and mossy. It’s the fascinating kind of earthy green that I find very charming and wearable. Didn’t take even 5 minutes for me to be drawn to this color while I was shopping in Forever 21.

We don’t really have autumn here, but don’t you think the weather’s definitely getting a bit chilly nowadays especially at night? It’s the ideal time to wear knit sweaters and boots out without looking over the top. I wish we could enjoy this sort of cool temperature throughout the whole year. Warm and fuzzy pre-Christmas vibes are the best.

(Just G printed top and skirt, SM Department Store ruffle socks, Five by Five Miu Miu-inspired heels, Forever 21 necklace, from Korea glasses) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

I often get questions like, “Do you ever recycle your clothes? You always wear different items on Lookbook!” Like any other person, of course I do! :)

If you look closely enough at my outfit entries, there are bunch of stuff that appears in not just one outfit entry. On more normal days, I usually work with what I already have instead of going out of the way and buying new clothes just so I won’t be caught wearing the same thing by other people. I’d rather save up for camera lenses, to be honest!

A few examples:

1) Mustard peter-pan collar top: 062911 and 020711

2) Sheer button-down top: 031511, 050911, and 051411

3) Loafer heels: 090411, 090611, and 101111 

4) Ribbon bag: 033011, 041811, and 101111 

It might not be obvious until now, but that’s completely the point. You can re-work a single item just by wearing it in different ways, and by mixing and matching them with other existing clothes in your closet. Talk about economical!

In this entry, I decided to work with just one key item (in this case, a printed button down top) to create 3 casual looks for various occasions.

Outfit 1: Print Play

Floral print meets some sort of beehive pattern meets cat print.

This is the most “me” in terms of styling, and I would totes be able to wear this on a casual brunch out with my lovely girl friends. This skirt is also a gift from heaven because while it’s not the usual A-line style that I always sport, it gives the illusion of wider hips… which I don’t have, unfortunately! *stuck in a teenage body forever* :(

While it’s tempting to wear printed socks with the track of thought that we’re going with, I kept it minimal by just pairing my cat-print doll shoes with ruffle socks.

And I only wore one piece of accessory to complement the print of my top and the color of my hair.

(Just G printed top and shorts, Tribute flats) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

Outfit 2: Summer Sunbathing

Flowers and flats on a warm afternoon.

By unbuttoning the first few and last few buttons of your top, and by tying the bottom ends together, you can recreate this laid-back beach look. A collared top is commonly mistaken as something you could only wear for more formal and dressy days, but here’s one way to spice it up and make it more versatile.

To finish it off, I decided to be OC by finding flat shoes to match the purple buttons on my shorts. If you want a challenge, try working with these little details that are normally overlooked. These small details can surprisingly make an outfit look effortlessly put-together. :)

(Just G printed top, paper bag shorts, and bracelet, Posh Pocket Shoes flats, Sundae / Gold Dot bag, Chainless Brain detachable collar) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

Outfit 3: Collar Switch

Hide the existing collar inside your shirt and wear a detachable one with a different pattern.

Blue and white in (late) celebration of Ateneo’s 4-peat feat!

What could scream “preppy” more than a satchel? This particular one from Gold Dot I love for its mustard color (here I am obsessing again with anything that slightly matches my hair), so I was overjoyed when I got these just-as-yellow flats from Posh Pocket Shoes in the mail a few weeks ago. Played matchy matchy with my outfit’s colors again, and voila, here is the result - an outfit I’d go to school in… if shorts were allowed! Dress codes in consideration, a nice pair of high-waisted trousers in tan or dark blue would also work well with this theme.

That’s it for now. I’ll try to challenge myself more next time with more relate-able concepts and a more limited number of items. I hope this entry can also challenge you to think of more innovative ways to work with the stuff in your closet. Now you can never use “I don’t have enough clothes!” as an excuse all the time anymore!

(Romwe loose top and mullet skort, Five by Five Miu Miu-inspired heels, Forever 21 accessories) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

While it may seem like the white flowy train is coming from my top, it’s actually from these lovely skorts (which have sold out, sadly) I got from Romwe. I’m always wearing these nowadays because they instantly glamify (Sue me - I keep on making words up again) simple outfits.

This is my first outfit entry ever since I went strawberry blonde! Such a challenge to wear stuff that won’t clash so much with my hair color now. I tried a red top on last weekend and I thought I ended up looking like McDonalds. I guess this is goodbye to bright red tops for me. Going blonde is a life changer, I tell you.

On a semi-related note, black and white look great with blonde so thankfully I can still use 95% of my closet.

Reasons why these shoes are perfect:

1) They’re satin platform mary janes 2) They have cats all over 3) They’re more affordable versions of the original Miu Miu’s 4) Did I already mention they have CATS all over them? (My friend Feanne would love this!)

All Forever 21 accessories in time for the Forever 21 Mastercard Launch Party at Prive Luxury Club at the Fort Strip tomorrow, October 12, 2011 Wednesday at 8:30 pm. See you there with the rest of the Forever 21 brand ambassadors!