I love: Mika Dress by Rachel Roy

The black lace and bow detail are just lovely!



*photo from Shopbop.com, via Just a Formality.

Snagged: How to Dress Like a French Woman

There's this ultra chic post from Joanna about a recent correspondence she had with Garancedore, which I couldn't resist posting here. It's a delightful exchange (Q and A) about what makes the French woman different, about what makes the French woman. Period.

Stuff like: having a penchant for wearing stripes, black and gray; the love for clothes-layering; the choice to wear their hair long; being partial to wearing jeans, skirts and dresses over leggings; choosing heels over flats (loved this bit!); how to achieve "that French je ne sais quoi."

Not that I have a secret longing to be French, though. I just find them tres chic et mystérieux!

Isn't this illustration just lovely?



Click on the links! They're both superb bloggers.
;p

I'm so lovin' this look:

It's gorgeous. Minimalist and understated, but very chic and classy.

Could probably use a neck piece with a fab pendant and a bling-y ring, though.

Black dress by Lanvin; from topstobottoms.com

Found: blogs worth checking out

I found this beauty blog, the heading of which I absolutely love.

To the girls/women out there who, like me, are frequently on the look-out for smart, pretty high heels and other ways to appear, um, just a wee bit taller (like making sure to avoid wearing low-slung jeans, or shunning large prints that overpower our frames, etc.), go to petitefashionista.com to check it out.

Ain't it lovely, the way there's always something for us, tiny ones? Go visit the site. There are gems of articles there that you just might find useful. I adore their semi-candid shots of petite women who dress smart and chic on their "Petite on the Street" posts.

And, while I'm in the mood to blog-plug, here's one more stop to visit: thescentedlife.com. It's a site that would be particularly attractive to women who are into fragrances and perfumes. I go there almost everyday.

Enjoy!

pics with pat

Pat is climbing up fame's ladder, so I had to have pictures taken with him.
Bwahaha

Pat Galang: Opening doors

Left: page from Preview's September '08 issue
Right: Russian-inspired Metal Zipper Top and Skirt by Patrick Galang

My good friend, Pat Galang is one of the young, up-and-coming designers introduced in the September '08 issue of Preview magazine (the only mag I buy month after month, without fail), in a feature called "Out of the Box" and he's really rockin'! He's fast making a name for himself in the fashion industry and am currently making an attempt to bribe him to design and make a dress for me. Ü

I've been privy to his flashes of brilliance, and the determination with which he pursues his life's passion is nothing short of amazing. What more, his feet are firmly planted on the ground, and that's really saying something.

Ten of his designs, collectively called Improvised Reflections, was among the collections featured in the recently concluded Philippine Fashion Week. My cousin, Dang, was one of his models in the show.

Of his collection, Pat has this to say:

"The woman I'm giving life to in this collection is a subtle raver. i was inspired by artworks that are made to last. abstract drawings that are not attached to a particular function and are infused with encouraging colors, like a "new wave" inspired collage replicating minimalist geometric forms. i tried to visualize them and think of a woman who is spontaneous and freethinking. a woman who loves to challenge herself along with a life enhancing playfulness that is compelling. 10 designs came out from my elaboration on simple principles of construction and form. In trapeze and cylindrical shapes, harmonized in different hues are dresses calculated to frame a personality rather than sexiness."
-from undernourished.multiply.com-

Congratulations, Pat! Greater things are waiting at your porch, so go, swing open that door!

Click here to go to Pat's website.