My Dashing "Little" Man

 "When are you making a men's line?"-- my sister and I get this a lot from guy cousins and guy friends who now about BLINDxx.

Truth is, styling men is not really my forte. I know a man with a chic fashion sense when I see one but when I do it myself--I fear I might end of making them look too gay then they can take. :)) I have only styled for men outfits once for local TV and I think I did a questionable job. So when my brother asked Ninz and I to do his prom wardrobe.. *insert sound effect: heartbeat*

It was my brother's first JS prom ever, SHS-J ADC's JS Prom 2011 was themed "Wonderland".

It was held at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino, Lahug and my little bro's partner Kat was going to wear white.Since his prom came a week after Ninz' 18th birthday, we were left with a week to do everything.

Suits then were a big deal back then. They vary as to design, cut, and cloth, two-piece, three-piece, single breasted or double breasted-- to determine a certain social and work suitability. Gladly, given the theme- we had all the excuse to shun the rules and just play!

taken before he left home to meet the boys

puppy eyes much

Blurry but I like it

Don wanted a classic manly look that will compliment his skin tone, but with an experimental twist.

We looked at style icons of this time, Zac Efron, Chuck Bass and Alex Pettyfer and decided to go with a Bluegray- Black Ensemble with white details. The twist? gloss. :))

This is a bespoke suit, meaning, everything was custom made from measurements, taste, and style of the wearer. However, we had time constrain-- it had to be easy to construct (one week, right?) so we can't do complicated edging and can't use too many fabrics either. Which was good for my parents' pocket though. Haha. 

His suit jacket was double-breasted (known then as a conservative design) with three vertical rows of buttons. We chose a notched lapel (the collar) to avoid having too much going on.

His trousers were semi skinny for than juvenile touch, and then like a classy young man he donned crocodile shoes and good boy hair (sisters' request).

Don and his soccer buddies. Trust me, he didn't dye his hair.

Actual Prom Photos

This was a test of sibling-teamwork, I'd say. I gathered the pegs and came up with a conceptual design, Nina was on top of the selection, execution and production, Don of course, being the client, had the final say in everything and was on top of his own styling. Oh my gosh, I think we just designed men's wear here. :))

I think my not so little man looks dashing.

But then again, I am in every way biased.

:)

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Don't forget to join BLINDxx and Chic in the Tropics' Valentines give away for awesome freebies!

Winning has never been this easy! You don't have to be a blogger to join, you just need to have google.

Click here :)

Halfway Through

Dreamcatchers in all sorts. Colorful bands. Semi precious gems. Brown Leather. Tri color bracelets.

Blazer: Maldita

Tank: Greenhills Bazaar

Sling Bag: A present from Hana

Skirt: Forever21

Strappies: Forever 21

Necklace: WE Empire (long) Sister's (short)

Bracelets: Random

Hype here , maybe? :)

Half corporate in a blazer. Half casual in a tank.

Half safe with my palette. Half playful with my trinkets.

This is me at my rawest, at my most candid.

For days when you feel like closing your organizer and setting your itinerary list aside to spend a peaceful, dandy afternoon at the gym, a waxing salon, and watch a good movie with your best friend. 

That day, I did nothing. Almost nothing, at least.

#Love long weekends.

:)

Chic in the Tropics x BLINDxx valentines give away!

February is love month. And because love is BLINDxx, and BLINDxx is love;

In the spirit of the love season, Blind Clothing wants to give back to our patrons and friends.

And the great part is, we are doing this in collaboration with one of my personal favorites in the fashion blogging scene who also wants to reward her dope readers with a little something-something. We're talking about no other than Cebu's feisty, edgy, crazy adventurous Eden Villarba.

Eden of Chic in the Tropics

We'd like to thank Eden for being so enthusiastic and supportive about our give away. No wonder so many great things are coming her way-- she's a yes woman. Haha. Visit Eden's blog to know more about her, the give away and how to join.

See it here. 

This is for everyone! All it takes are a few clicks and tadaaaa, fashion fix. 

Giveaway ends March 14. Post your entries now!

Bulletin Board

"Crop it here, Don. Just my top! " --- Thanks, brotha. Not following directions.

Sorry. It was 12 noon. My least favorite time to take a photo.

This bracelet doesnt fit me actually but I like it.

Hippie Band: Rustans
Sunnies: Accessoriza
Top: Forever 21( Sister's)
Jadphurs: Detail by details
Clogs: Parisian
Bag: Gift from Hanna
Bracelets: Abaseria and WE empire

You can be kind and hype my look here. hahaha.

A quick post before I go to bed. Im not sure if this will classify as print on print or pattern on pattern? :))
Wore this to work last Monday minus the clogs, and then didn't tuck it in for a more relaxed I-have-a-cool-job-kind of look. Haha. Jadphurs and trousers are always my favorite work pieces because they are decent enough for the office, trendy and fun to play with, and most of all-- super comfortable you can almost sleep in them! The hippie band well-- I like how its color looks on orange. I took it off once in awhile that day.

Anyway, I have a couple of announcements. Im sorry if Im about to make this blog post into a bulletin board. :))

Attention! :)

1.) Cinema One Originals

If you guys haven't seen any of the Cinema One Originals, do watch! I have yet to watch it but I already know I'd like it. Personally, Im planning to watch DAMGO, not only because my friend Eden is in it but because it's an internationally acclaimed multi- awarded indie film. Also, there's Confessional and My Paranormal Girl because my friend Phoebe is in it-- and a lot of songs from the local scene as sound track particularly my favorite local band Bethany. You'll be proud about how Cebuano Indie Films have come a long way in content and quality.

2.) Project Runway Philippines 3

You know what's more exciting than Project Runway being back with it's third season? Our very own Cebuano Designer, Cebu fashion blogger Yves is competing! Yay! Show some love and read his post here. Jenno Gacasan, also a Cebuano designer is in it too. Let Ubec talent steal hearts of national reality TV shows like they always do. *char. :p 

Like "Official Project Runway Philippines" on FB and get updates!

Follow @ProjectRunwayPH on twitter!

3.) Blind Clothing's 8th Collection: After Five

Yup, that's right. Blind Clothing's 8th collection is up for grabs! Hope you can drop by and check if you find something you like. This month we pay tribute to the After Five street scene. Whether it's a date, or a party, or a dinner with the girls, everything is better after five. You know you have to dress right.

We have a number of color block key pieces and fashionable deterrents to this cold season.

I am kind of modelling this batch, because we didn't really have time to do a morning/ afternoon photo shoot. So bear with that face. Haha. :))  Thanks to Buddy for helping me achieve my concept despite the time constrain. I especially love how he executed my cover photo. :D

See it here. 
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.... very very very season. I'll be sure to give you a head's up.

Till the Next Post! <3

Kdawn

Damsel: An Editorial

Exactly about a week ago, I styled for a shoot with 1up2down for the first time.

The peg was Marilyn Monroe. My heart leaped with excitement but it was also panic-stricken.

Why?

There's pressure (it IS after all 1up2down!), then there's creativity drought (styling shoots 2 weekends straight) , I had less than a week to prepare, and most of all, I have NEVER done anything NOT contemporary. EVER. I didn't have accessories for it to say the least. All I have are bangles, and necklaces with spikes, feathers and fringes for crying out loud :))

Shoot day came and despite the crazy hectic morning where I ran off breakfast-less,bought last-minute materials, my bag broke on the way, and found out later that Archell forgot to tell our model to bring shoes :)) , I met up with him, Ella and the Maneja couple and off to Fort San Pedro we went. And then, everything else was magic.

Our 16 year old model Marinella Calderon of was just, beautiful and expressive. Wenwen Zaspa's make-up was bullet proof, 6 hours and nothing wore off, not even after a meal! And of course, there's Dexter Maneja and Shanida Maneja, one of the most down-to-earth, passionate creatures I know. No Cebuano photographer doesn't pay respect to the living legend that is papa Dex. They published most of these amazing photos in about less than 6 hours from the time we packed up. Crazy, right?

Photo Roll.

Outfit 1: The Awards-Night Monroe
Dress by Jerrick Macasocol
DIY hair piece

I'd also like to credit the very warm and nice Jerrick Macasocol for lending me his show-stopping gown above without hesitation. If you happen to remember my post about BLANC magazine and ABSTRAQ fashion show, you'll know that this was one of my favorite pieces. :) Once I was given the peg, my instinct automatically pointed to this dress! haha.

Outfit 2: The Runaway Monroe
Dress turned skirt from Blind Clothing
Vest from Blind Clothing (in place of Monroe's fur. haha. )

Romeo, Take me, Somewhere we can be alone..
Taylor Swift much? This is the part where my 12-year-old brother melts and says "pretty <3" HAHA

Outfit 3: Daytime Monroe
Dress turned top, skirt: salvaged from Mom's closet
Head piece: Ria Pepito

 Model: Marienella Calderon of Ozar Philippines

MUA: Wenwen Zaspa

Hairstyle: Aries Baguio

Stylist: Kathrynn Dawn Sy

Designer: Jerrick Macasocol (gown)

Photographers: 1up2down (Archell Vergara, Dexter Maneja, Shanida Maneja)

Special thanks to: Abegail Sanchez (super last minute shoe pull-out and make do. Good thing these worked, thanks Gaileybabe!) 

Hope you enjoyed the photographs, dear readers! :) here's a little BTS.

*all courtesy of 1up2down

Special thanks to my personal assistant-slash-porter. Hahaha :P

Really, Chell? :))

Sarreh for no outfit post!! :))

                                          

On a personal note, I love how Ella's face and body expressions blend along with the post-processing of the photos and together narrate a story about glamour and vulnerability, perfection in imperfection. A Damsel in distress. It may be a fashion shoot, but these speak stories to me. I hope it does to you, too.

It was an honor to have worked with every left- brained being who contributed to the success of this personal shoot all for the love of it. I bow to you!

Until next time, guys!

Have a great valentine's! :)

P.S. I will never wear heels to an outdoor all-day styling gig again. I tried. And died. Just a tip. XD