Spring 'Flea' Queen

Shopping without the guilt trip. Who said it’s impossible to fit those two in one sentence? Forget the price tag, baby. Behind this maarte façade and seemingly brand-crazy persona, I‘ve grown fondness for vintage and thrift finds readily available online. Ahh, the thrill of finding something I like without dropping my half-a-month's paycheck for an item or two. Sometimes though, the price premium of online thrift shops is still above what I’m willing to shell out for used clothing.


So I found myself on a mission to go on my first thrift shopping experience in thrift stores locally known as Ukay Ukay.  After all, who doesn't love a good bargain? I ended up waving the white flag after nearly an hour into the mission and went home empty handed. What went wrong you ask? The clothes were ridiculously overpriced at Php155 for an item. I’d always envy my sister Ela when she’d go home with a handful clothes from Ukay trips with her friends, dropping only a few hundred for about 5 separates. Php155 could’ve gotten her about 4 pieces already, a far cry from the price range the store was offering.

With actual Ukay-hopping off my list, I have to make do with what the World Wide Web has to offer. Decided to pool the clothes I got at bargain prices, I can only remember as far back. Here’s a quick run-down of the best bargains I’ve scored around the cyberworld and beyond.

• Prairie Girl. (Php 200) Crazy about floral chiffon dresses that double as office wear. This has a- Little House on the Prairie going on with the adorable neckline and the capelet feature.
• Ice Princess. (Php 200) I knew this will never work as a dress with my 5’6’’ frame but it’s too pretty to ignore. Don’t you just love the cut right below the waist plus the layers of thick lace that doesn’t make you itch? (nope, not even for a bit). I wore this over my footless tights and it looked pretty decent for work if you’re aiming for that just got out of skate practice- look. 

• Oriental Warrior Princess. (Php 350) It had me on the kimono sleeves alone. It's very office-appropriate and public commute-friendly. The fuchsia color is so retro I just had to cinch it with a blue belt. 

• Champagne Supernova. (Php 299)     I was randomly browsing through Penshoppe’s summer collection when I stumbled upon this beauty. Last one, my size..story of my life! I love the embellished waist making the dress look more expensive than its pricetag.

• Flapper Girl. (Php 100) Black Zara dress I scored from Patricia Prieto's booth during Bloggers United II. Trust me, a little black dress will come to the rescue of any social calendar emergency. 

• The Butterfly Effect. (Php 320)  I may not be able to sink my toes into sandy beaches but this cover up works wonderfully as casual wear. I absolutely despise wearing bras and anything tight fitting when at home and this tunic is the perfect weekend clothing without looking sloppy. I usually wear sports bra underneath so I don’t have to layer it over a tank top. And yeah, I don’t mind looking like a walking handkerchief sometimes.

• Valley Girl. (Php 300) Scored this from Patricia Prieto’s booth at Bloggers United 1! It was love at first sight from her spread in Candy Magazine back in 2010; fast track to the next summer, it was already up for grabs at the first installment of Bloggers United. One of my favorite finds ever! Reminds me so much of this dress from Valley Girl episode of Gossip Girl. 

I'm no Flea Queen but who can resist a good bargain? I sure can't. End of season sale is just around the corner.I don't know about you, but I'm hiding my debit & credit cards! 

Aztec Enchantment

From the woven hammocks to the catwalk, looks like fashion is under some heavy tribal influence. Prints are definitely getting bigger and bolder this year with Aztec and Navajo-inspired prints taking over the fashion scene. Contemporary lines, modern graphics mixed with ancient arts blanched in bright colors in contrasting tones and relaxed neutrals make this trend perfect for spring/summer. Could this trend be any more festive?

Looking for Lola dress | WAGW brown suede floppy hat | The Librarians 

ruby red cut out wedges | Vintage sunglasses from my grandma

Here’s yet another vintage find from Looking for Lola, nobody does sophisticated vintage fashion better than the duo behind the label. They swiftly draw the fine line between vintage and pre-loved clothing. I love the combination of pastel hues and earth tones over the dominant mustard color. The colorful buntings on the straps and neckline add a playful touch to the tribal graphics. This is the perfect slip-on summer dress which is both trendy and comfortable; the best part is, it’s a steal at $15! Woooh, dancing around the bonfire now! 

Chased after what’s left of the afternoon sunshine en route to buy some refreshments outside our village. We got to wrap up my obligatory outfit shoot in 10 minutes, thanks to my sisters Ela for taking my photos and Isa for being the look out! 

 This dress makes me want to braid my hair (maybe add a feather or two?), grab my fringed leather sling bag, slip on suede moccasins and hop on a train to Brrzona. In Pocahontas' language, I now bid you Ana. Okay, time to pick up my bow and shoot some arrows! 

from Lola, with love

Indian Summer

When asked to define my style – well I don’t. I don’t box myself into any style persona, thank you. But one thing’s been consistent all these years, I like statement pieces that can stand on their own. Exactly a year ago, I blogged about the model off-duty trend and how much I adore all its effortlessly-chic glory, with a button down shirt dress being my favorite common element. Fast-forward to a year later, I still have not acquired the perfect oversized chambray button-down shirtdress, so this floral number would have to tide my excitement over.

I got this beautiful vintage floral shirtdress from Looking for Lola. I was never gifted with the patience that goes with successful thrift shopping anyway so online vintage shops would have to do. I’m all for laid back dressing now with boots, maxi/midi/mullet skirts, tanks, button down shirts, as key elements.

Grunge femme. I grunge’d this over sized floral polo by pairing it with black boots and refined the over-all look (a little) by buttoning to the very top. No need to justify and defend my choice; the boots instantly added a modern flair to this vintage number. Judging from the tailoring of this shirt, it may have been intentionally crafted as a top so I wore a striped bodycon skirt underneath. I like how the stripes peek into the loud floral pattern. What's not to love about an over sized polo? It can be styled in a myriad of ways and it just takes a little cinching to give it shape. Though I must admit, I'm not a fan of cap sleeves and how they magnify my arms :| 

Flower child. My hair and I have been in good terms lately so I took this as an opportunity to style it. This lace headband from Topshop (Thank you, Ela!) fits my head perfectly; talk about snug fit! Compared to other hippie bands I’ve tried on, this actually stays in place longer and it doesn’t make your hair pouffy at the top.

Sometimes, focusing on smaller details can go a long way. Had I opted for less statement-making shoes, I would've fallen straight through the cookie cutter laid-back off-duty look. Being all buttoned up and cinching the waist drew the fine line from looking like Fred Flintstones in hibiscus. Haha! I'm not big on accessories so one or two key pieces -- like the wooden cuff and lace headband, did the trick. 

So much for introductions, I wore this to an all-you-can-eat dinner with my whole family at Yakimix, Greenbelt last Sunday. Make that Japanese dinner two days in a row! Not much photos because I wasn't feeling well with my skin asthma and wind burnt lip problems for the past week. So please stop asking what peculiar lipstick shade I'm sporting, that's a severe case of wind burnt lips for 'ya! 

When outtakes don't get culled because they surprisingly turn out better than the ones you intend to use. Credits to my little brother for taking my photos before leaving home and for sparing me from the embarrassment of taking them in public! That wraps up last Sunday's highlights. Toodles! :)