(Ellysage dress, Dorothy Perkins belt, Jellybean heels, Daniel Wellington watch, Louis Vuitton bag) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

I found the nicest summer weekend dress! Sleeveless dresses are rather tricky for me, but this one is just more than ideal with the kind of cut that I am always drawn to. Forgive my lack of proper boobage (Oh yes, I said it.) to fill this dress out properly, but the dress is kind of amazing for still making me seem like I have a feminine figure, especially with the belt accessory to accentuate the waist. It’s so rare for me to find sleeveless dresses that don’t emphasize my strange boxy body type. /cry

The black of the belt matches the black of my heels perfectly, like salt and pepper or peanut butter and jelly. It’s easy to misconstrue this as overthinking outfits too much. In all honesty though, I think I’m just immensely obsessive about the colors that I wear - being all matchy-matchy is like second nature to me already. 

ALSO, don’t these heels look just like the Zara ones from a few seasons ago? Lucky me, as I failed to buy the real ones while they were still in stores. What a steal.

(Bayo top, shorts and bracelet, Choies heels, Louis Vuitton bag, Yhansy necklace) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

Simple black and yellow outfit from no other than Bayo. I’m sure you can find similar stuff in your own closets, but that’s exactly the magic in this brand. There is beauty in simplicity, and Bayo definitely offers all things simple yet beautiful. 

Often times in the past, I would feel conflicted about wearing clothes that looked normal versus ones that were able to steal attention from surrounding passersby. Somehow, back then, it was easy to fall into the trap of losing yourself in a world you thought was full of glitz and glamour. Some years ago, one of the worst things anyone could tell me was that I looked too basic and that my clothes were just as basic as the quality of my craft.

It took me more years of life experiences to realize that going back to the basics has always been my strong point, and that my very first encounter with the world I chose to be in will always come more natural to me than the second or third. I chalk this up to those awkward, immensely uncomfortable, too-overdressed, who-am-I-anyway moments when I simply tried too hard to fit in. Well, all I have to say to that I like wearing stuff that normal people wear. If I can’t be couture, then there shouldn’t be any problem. 

I have interests beyond what most of you can see from what I share here. And those interests may or may not be about me. But at the end of the day, I always make a conscious effort to remind myself that the world is so much bigger than me and that I need to get over myself and what others think. Such a cathartic feeling afterwards. 

I may not be attending glamorous formal balls or partying the night away, rubbing elbows with the hottest people in town, but that doesn’t make me less of a fangirl of life. :D

Sponsored post.

(Bayo top, pants, earrings and belt, Comfit heels, CANMAKE Misty Orange lipstick) Hype this look on Lookbook here. Thanks Kristin for helping me with these pictures.

Wearing yummy, creamy colors for a change, since I’ve been too obsessed with black recently. I am quite guilty for overlooking all the pinks, nudes, browns and whites in my closet since Christmas season started, so I’m wearing them all at the same time to make amends. How do you like it? Monochromatic dressing or wearing an outfit primarily composed of one color is something that has always appealed to me because the effect is always so classy and sophisticated, never passing off as too overdone. And I’m definitely not one to dress up loud and flashy so these classic items from Bayo are perfect!

Sponsored post.

(Choies top and skirt, Sugarfree boots, Louis Vuitton bag) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

A few months ago, I had a magazine shoot with styling that was mostly dependent on my own personal style. Unfortunately, I was out of the country when they had a meeting for it, so I only found out about the discussion in my email a few days after.

Other bloggers who attended that meeting and who were also part of the shoot, spoke on my behalf when the magazine team ask the question, “What is Tricia’s personal style, in a nutshell?” And they answered - sweet preppy.

It’s interesting when other people describe your style for you. It makes you think about how you yourself would answer, if presented with the same question. Honestly, I would probably say that I’ve a mild case of identity crisis, and that I think I lack consistency when it comes to how I dress up throughout the year. If you’ve been following me and my Lookbook for a while now, I’m sure you’ve already noticed how I instantly become some sort of sparkly flower fairy every March to June/July, and try to be all sorts of serious with my more structured, simple black outfits for the rest of the year. Talk about seasonal dressing… or just being plain moody.

During the shoot, I brought my own items, but the stylist also pulled out items that she thought I could wear for the shoot. She did some research on my Lookbook… which I think was slightly embarrassing, haha. But seriously, it became, again, one of those amusing instances where you see other people interpret your own style for you.

True enough, I saw a lot of collared button-downs, sweaters, and dainty high-waisted skirts… a.k.a. my uniform, LOL. I thought, “Ah, is this the image that I project in public? I am consistent after all?” I guess it’s because I know myself the best that I’m surprised by how incredible people minds work, how they can instantly say something about you and your style, solely based on some pictures posted online. People seem to know you more than you know yourself.

Recently, I’ve been trying to practice my judgment skills, so I can be as good as these people. However, for some reason, I can’t quite describe other people’s styles (or anything, for that matter) in just one or two words. I remember being asked to describe Laureen’s personal style in our Preview cover shoot, and it took me about 4 awkward sentences to express myself. (The gist of my description of her style was that it was a head-turning one that can be seen from miles away.) 

Heh, will get there eventually.

Anyhow, I’m finally back in Manila after a week long sponsored familiarization trip to Indonesia. I have tons of backlog to work on, like my sponsored posts for this month (my monthly posts for Just G, Bayo, Apartment 8, etc.), as well as my Hong Kong travel post, MOFW Hong Kong, but do expect more frequent posts starting today. Cue fireworks! Now, where are all the Filipino food…

(iAnyWear cardigan, beckybwardrobe shirt, Topshop shorts, Forever 21 heels, Louis Vuitton bag, leopard print hair pin used as tie) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

Reduce me to my bare essentials and I assure you that my inner geek will come out. Before this whole blogging thing happened, I spent most of my high school and college time in front of the computer geeking out on pop culture on the Internet, creating graphic and web layouts, watching anime and reading manga as my primary form of relieving stress and passing time, and of course, spending every minute with a camera on my hand. I enjoyed fashion but didn’t let it dictate my life. I liked dressing up once in a while, but didn’t mind wearing my brothers’ oversized shirts to school. And curling irons and circle lenses were once non-existent in my life… *gasp* 

Recently, I’ve been going back to these roots in a lot of ways. For one, I dyed my hair back to the same color I had back about 3 years ago. Quite a bold move as I’ve been blonde for a really long time now. I’ve grown sick of being blonde for so long that I don’t even want to look at my old blonde wigs and hair extensions. This is coming from the same person who has always dreamt of going blonde since she was a little girl. Fickle-minded me!

This season, I’m also watching and reading a number of anime and manga again! There was a point in my life (probably around the time I stopped going to cosplay conventions) when I just wanted to spend my free time doing other things. My 3 brothers have constantly lived up to their otaku-ness since Day 1, so it was easy for me to get back into the habit. I’m hooked on Sukitte Iinayo, Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, Kamisama Hajimemashita, Zetsuen no Tempest, K and PSYCHO PASS. I also just finished watching Uta no Prince-sama, Kokoro Connect, Chōyaku Hyakunin isshu: Uta Koi, and Kuroko no Basket. Yeah, you can sue me for loving mostly shoujo and josei stuff, but if it matters, I’m still reading Blade of the Immortal (at least). 

Most of the things I’m doing now take a lot from my old self… not that I liked my old self better. I’ll never trade my present self for anything else. To be honest, it’s very easy to lose yourself with all the things happening around you, especially if the community that you are in is one that requires you to show a public face. Some people try to create a different persona to suit their audience, and I could totally understand why’d they want to do that. Perhaps they want to preserve the little privacy that is still left with them? Perhaps they’re only protecting their “real selves” in the process? We’ll never really know. All I know is that it seems difficult, especially if you created something that’s *too* different from who you really are. 

I’m not totally innocent. I’ve also had my fair share of moments when wanted to appear a certain way to other people. At one point I wanted to fit in and be the type who would tote designer bags and know everything about fashion by heart. Of course, I fail, because I’m too awkward for my own good, and I’m the kind of immensely introverted geek who cannot act to save her own life, more so pretend to be a know-it-all in the realm of fashion. In the end, I guess I’m stuck with presenting my 100% real self by default! Let’s just talk about things we can all easily relate to, shall we?

This is one of my displays of intense optimism, lol. Failures aren’t all that bad. They actually teach us to become better people, and sometimes, they even save you from becoming someone that you shouldn’t be. :)

(BAYO top, skirt and cuff, shopAKIRA jacket, FashionCookie ShoeAvenue heels, Louis Vuitton bag) Hype this look on Lookbook here. Thanks to my brother Calel for the photos.

On a normal day, I would always wear black and white with one color accent. Most of you have probably noticed that blue is totally becoming my color of the season, so I recently stocked up on all sorts of outerwear in different shades of blue and in different fabrics. On a better-than-normal day, I would always be in the mood to wear not just one color accent, but two. Can never get over black and white so giving up either to accomodate other colors would most probably be out of the question. 

In this case, I decided to go for a pop of orange to brighten up an office-friendly outfit. It all started with how I woke up that day with MAC Morange already in mind. How obsessive can one get with lipstick colors? Sometimes I impatiently rush my make-up just so after the whole thing, I can finally relish the moment when I put on my lipstick and finish the look. 

If I worked in an office with a not-so-conservative dress code, I’d probably wear something like this. My default uniform would consist of the following items worn separately or together: black and white button-downs (hands down the most versatile kind of tops you will ever have in your lifetime), colored cardigans and blazers (I oddly have an image of the workplace having insanely cold airconditioning), a bodycon skirt or a pencil skirt (I reckon a frilly one would never be taken seriously), statement jewelry, a sophisticated-looking bag, and most importantly, heels that can show everyone who’s boss (even if you’re an employee, lol). 

Maybe it’s because I never really got to experience working in an office first hand and because I’ve only watched how office ladies would dress up just by looking at them walking in the streets or having their lunch breaks in restaurants, that I feel like trying my hand at it just so I can understand it better… not that I really needed to. Consider it another one of my spur-of-the-moment inspired dress up games where I try to role play and answer the question, “If I were a ____, what would I wear?”, by doing a regular outfit entry.

Ideas on my next dress up game would be appreciated!

If I worked in an office, I would wear heels everyday. You don’t even have to walk a lot in them since you’re sitting in your desk, working your butt off in front of the computer most of the time (at least in my head, this is the image that I’m getting). Consider yourself lucky since “chic office style” is totally doable without ever having the expense of blisters on your feet due to hours of non-stop walking! Unless it’s shopping in the mall, then I guess those blisters can be considered battle scars instead. :D

So how did I do? I made it a point to inject a bit of fun to it without losing that mature, professional feel.

(Sorry for giving in to the platform this time, with the smaller pictures. You know how I always do personal blog experiments every so often!)

Sponsored post. 

(Romwe top and shorts, S&H heels, Bayo glasses, LV bag, Lovisa earrings, ClubCouture cuff) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

The power of red lips! I can’t believe I am just joining the red lipstick bandwagon now! After much encouragement from my make-up artist friends, I decided to wear red lipstick for consecutive days to be able to get used to it. It really does create a totally different look, especially on someone like me whose comfort zone switches from nude to pink lips only.

Here I am wearing MAC Ruby Woo (with clear gloss) to complement my minimalist black and white outfit. I feel like red lipstick makes this rather simple outfit seem fierce and sophisticated without having to pile on accessories to achieve that effect.

Also, am I the only one who thinks that Ruby Woo is *the* universally perfect red? Thanks to Reggie for always being my red lipstick inspiration. I wouldn’t have discovered this lipstick if it weren’t for her.

Anyhow, try to imagine me wearing this outfit but with my usual pink blush and pink lipstick. So different, right? Here are some tips if you want to try red lips too:

1) Keep your eye make-up to a minimum. Avoid looking like a clown by keeping your lids and lower lashline free from anything heavy and dark. Red lips work best with just eyeliner, mascara, and a neutral barely-there eyeshadow.

2) Choose a shade that works best for your skin tone. Warmer reds are generally more flattering on medium/olive-toned Asians. 

I know I haven’t updated my blog for a few days now since I’m quite busy with other work (mostly post-processing and photography-related work), but don’t fret as I’ll be trying to post more often after this! I’ll be out of the country again starting this weekend, so I’ll definitely be queueing all the Lookbook outfits that I haven’t posted here yet. Watch out for my last Paris post too! I’m so excited to share it with all of you.

Hype this look on Lookbook here.

It’s been said that every girl must have at least one little black dress for her closet. I totally agree! Lucky for us, little black dresses come in different styles so you’re not only limited to ones like bodycon dresses that don’t fit most body types. Personally, most of my little black dresses are the sweet and casual type, complete with lace and poofy skirt details that give the illusion of a fuller bottom, as well as that certain look that makes it totally possible to wear with flats.

This one is my newest find from Apartment 8, and it is quite interesting as it is a hybrid between a bodycon dress (which I never wear) and a peplum dress (which I love). I can never emphasize enough how peplum is such a lifesaver for people who have straight bodies like me!

To attempt to make this look more polished and put together, I paired my little black dress with a black and gold bag and pearl accessories ala Audrey Hepburn.

What I love about little black dresses the most is that you can wear them during the day without looking overly done, and also at night without looking underdressed even with the littlest accessories. If you haven’t gotten an LBD for yourself yet, you should head to your favorite store right now to find the perfect one for you! 

Sponsored post.

…to shopping in the middle of the year! The gloomy weather and the rainy season can never compete with the craze that comes with the thousands of people who flock to their favorite malls just to find the best shopping deals. We go wild at the sound of “shopping”. And we go wilder at the sound of “sale”. There are no such things as signal #1 or 2 if it means being able to get things at 70% off, yes?

(Dorothy Perkins top, Mango pants, Terranova blazer and headband, VNC heels, Fino Leatherware bag - all from SM Mall of Asia) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

Thanks to my boyfriend for taking my pictures. It’s been a while since I last had time to have my photos taken outdoors.

Recently, I was able to experience shopping at SM Mall of Asia, where I am now officially a “Style Icon”. Boy, was I in a surprise! Admittedly, I always thought it’d tire me out too much if I decided to go shopping there because… well, it’s the largest mall in the whole Philippines, and not to mention, it’s the third largest in the world. It was the contrary, actually. The layout of the mall is just so convenient that you can go to all your favorite brands without subjecting your feet to torture. You can always opt to go to the newly opened Jamba Juice if you’re feeling thirsty from all the shopping!

In other news, I’m sure most of you have already visited Uniqlo already, especially if you’re a big fan of Japanese brands! It’s the first one in the country (it’s also just less than a month old), and you can only find it in SM Mall of Asia for now.

My top 3 high street brands, Zara, Mango and Topshop are all found here too. Huge stores with the best, most complete stocks.

And just across Uniqlo, you can find a huge Forever 21 being constructed - it is scheduled to open later this month. Say goodbye to all your money, people from Manila/the south! :)

And beside Forever 21, there will be a legit MAC store for all you make-up lovers out there. I’m using MAC Vagabondage nail polish, btw! Can’t wait to splurge on new make-up. 

Now we all know where to go if you’re looking for something in particular that you can’t find in any of their smaller branches. Oh, the perks of having massive floor space! If only it were possible to expand my room every time I go shopping. I swear my room looks like a bazaar so much that I think can hold Bloggers United 4 in my room.

And silly me just had to add a lot more to the clutter. It’s a good kind of clutter though. The first things I see in the morning are my shoe racks and my clothes cabinets. 

Both of the outfits in the post are inspired by the rainy weather that we’ve been having. It’s the perfect time to bring out all the blazers and cardigans that you can layer over sleeveless tops any time it gets chilly. 

(Dorothy Perkins cardigan and top, Mango pants, Forever 21 belt, Fino Leatherware bag, Terranova headband - all from SM Mall of Asia) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

This next outfit plays with the same color scheme and girly theme. Cardigans from Dorothy Perkins are thin enough to be worn without looking silly when it’s not raining, but thick enough to give you extra warmth. I remember investing in a lot of these back when I was in college. Definitely one of the most stylish kinds of cover-ups that everyone should have in their closets.

And don’t you also love this giant blue bag from Fino? I suddenly remember all my mom’s similar bags which can fit pretty much everything that you can ever need. It’s also made of the highest-quality material, so it’s definitely worth having for a long, long time.

I think it’s the first time I’ve ever worn maxi pants in my blog. I am smitten. I need more of these! Mango has them in different colors. “Alam na.”

Anyhow, I hope you guys can go to the end of season sale soon! It’s from July 6-15, 10AM to 10PM. You can follow their Twitter and Facebook for more updates. Here’s my ad (with my troll signature, lol):

Here are some teasers for everyone, so you’ll know what to expect:

Uniqlo ads everywhere! I was able to drop by for a short time last week, and I loved the Orla Kiely x Uniqlo collaboration the most. Stocks are running out fast, so I hope I can still get my hands on at least one item from this collab.

Topshop is always a must-visit when it comes to end of season sales! Be there when they sell all the stuff that you wanted at half the original price (or even more)!

The Mango sale has been going on for some time now, but it’s never too late to join in the fun.

ALL THESE PRETTY SHOES ARE DISCOUNTED! The pink ones are my favorites because they’re sexy and sweet at the same time. Too bad they didn’t have it in my size anymore. Cry.

Girbaud! I was able to spot a really good and unique-looking pair of pants that reminded of me the lace-up pair that SHINEE wore in their Lucifer promotions. Not sure if you can see it clearly, but it’s there in the middle of the photo.

Floral-print sneakers from Terranova. These would totally look great with short shorts!

Mossimo pants at P580. It’s deals like these that make it so easy for you to regret all your recent original price purchases.

A girl can never have too many shoes. And VNC has a lot of shoes just waiting for you to try them out.

Awesome belts from Dorothy Perkins. I managed to get my hands on that black one with the gold plate! Black and gold is always a classy combination.

Shopping has never felt this special! SM Mall of Asia allows any shopper to direct all purchases to a single area for later pick-up. If you’re the shop-til-you-drop kind and you’ve always had a hard time figuring out how to carry all your bags by yourself, this special service saves you all the hassle!

Golf carts and shuttles are also readily available for those who want to go around the mall with ease. This also means that the mall is handicapped and elderly-friendly. Good job, MOA!

Well, that was a long entry! Lastly, here’s a photo of me with friend and fellow SM MOA Style Icon, Camille (and our matching bags) at the Fino Leatherware store. 

Bring your family and friends to SM Mall of Asia this weekend so it’s double the fun! And follow the mall’s Twitter and Facebook for updates and giveaways. See you there!

Sponsored post.

(Zara top, Romwe shorts, Lololook vest, Gold Dot wedges, Louis Vuitton bag, from Japan bolo tie and geeky glasses) Hype this look on Lookbook here.

Button-down shirts have a kind of versatility that I look for whenever I’m buying clothes or figuring out what to wear on a normal day. Sophisticated collars never fail to give that impression that you actually made an effort to dress up even if you didn’t, and the fact that you can pair button-down shirts with everything but produce different results every time makes them all the more deserving of being called a closet staple.

Here is something I produced out of sheer confusion from things happening in my life recently - heavy and covered top with bare legs to balance it all out!