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Showing posts from March, 2015

DESIGN | Wishing I had spent more time at Manila FAME

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Fell in love with this beautifully crafted lighting fixture at the Kenneth Cobonpue and Hive special setting at Manila FAME. Unfortunately I can't have it; otherwise our dining area would have to be Japanese style, the one where you sit cross-legged on the floor. Whether I can afford it, though, is another question. This is such a belated post as it's been two weeks already since the March 2015 staging of Manila FAME wrapped up. But I felt I just had to document my experience somehow no matter how late. Well, I did an interim outfit post to fill in the gap, which was about what to wear to an event where business attire is encouraged but not required  but where you still want to play it safe. Moving on, Manila FAME is considered the country's premiere design and lifestyle event. Held twice a year, it's a showcase of Philippine products ranging from furniture to holiday gifts and fashion. It's one of those events I've meaning to attend for some time now a

FASHION | The bomber and other light jackets

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Spring may be coming -- at least elsewhere in the globe -- but that doesn't mean there won't be evenings and other moments when it gets a little chilly. For that, cover up with a nice and handsome bomber jacket. Or any other lightweight piece for that matter. Here are a few choices from online menswear shopping site East Dane that you may like: Left: The houndstooth jacquard weave gives this Public School a modern and eye-catching edge. Love it to bits! Right: How about a splatter of color, in a smudged effect? From Henrik Vibskov .

ART | The blockbuster that was Art in the Park 2015

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A sampling of eye candies at this year's Art in the Park, at least two of which now have new homes (*wink wink*). It was exactly 364 days of waiting since the first time I've been to Art in the Park , an annual one-day event organized by the Museum Foundation of the Philippines Inc. and Philippine Art Events Inc. where affordable artwork is sold. Set in, er, a park, the event has consistently been attracting a sizeable crowd eager to buy or simply peruse works of art from big-named and independent art galleries, art schools, and other groups. Kwittiegirl was with me this time around and we both joined in the legions of people who trooped to the Jaime Velasquez Park in Salcedo Village, Makati City last Sunday, March 22. We arrived at around 11 in the morning and the place was already packed. Although the country's most significant affordable art fair wasn't scheduled to open until 10am, there were reportedly already hordes of people waiting outside the park's

LOOKBOOK | 22March2015: The tank, the art, the park

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The band's bassist who obviously doesn't know how to play bass. Spent a good part of today at Art in the Park 2015 , which Kwittiegirl and I have been looking forward to since, er, last year. But more on that in another post. So what to wear to a park where a lot of art aficionados and curious souls alike were expected to descend, and when summer is just about getting started with its onslaught? Having already experienced Art in the Park last year I knew very well what to expect, and it involves sweating a lot and slugging it out with everyone else. I had to be prepared, so I picked a tank top.

LOOKBOOK | 15March2015: Subtle non-compliance

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Giving each other the cold shoulder. It was my first time attending Manila FAME last Sunday. I was hoping to go there clad in shorts or maybe joggers but then I read in one of their emails that "business attire is encouraged." I was taken aback. I know it wasn't required -- just encouraged -- but I didn't want to go all the way to SMX just to be refused entry at the doors (the event reminders stated they had the right to refuse anyone entry if they cannot abide by their rules). Business attire was the farthest thing on my mind in terms of what to wear on a Sunday, but I wanted to be safe.

LOOKBOOK | 20March2015: Highlighted and cropped

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Emote pa more! So long, cool breeze; it's been nice having you around. Now on we go with summer, which I'm totally embracing even if it means having to deal with sweltering heat and untoward humidity.

FASHION | KENZO comes to East Dane

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Online menswear shopping site East Dane already carries an impressive roster of designers and brands like Marc Jacobs , Paul Smith , 3.1 Phillip Lim , Ray-Ban ,  Rag & Bone , and many, many more, but it's always great to see a new name added their list. Welcome KENZO , the Parisian brand named for and founded by Kenzo Takada in 1970 known for its youthful vibe and strong prints. Check out some of the items they have for East Dane: Don't you just love the polka dots overload?

TRAVEL | The Henry Hotel Manila: Like no other in the Metro

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One of the gray houses at dusk. Beautiful, don't you think? As fans of The Henry in Cebu , Kwittiegirl and I were excited to learn they've opened another hotel in Metro Manila last December. We've been meaning to try it out but somehow those plans never materialized. Finally over the weekend we were able to enjoy a two-night staycation at The Henry Hotel Manila . Here's my review. Architecture and ambiance The hotel's Manila iteration is extremely different from the Cebu original's industrial, post-modern design . While there are familiar touches, like for instance its preference for black exteriors with white accents (although this one's in dark gray), The Henry Hotel Manila is laid out differently.

LOOKBOOK | 08March2015: Another haciendero look

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Feeling like a Don. It's been almost three years already since I wore something and felt like a haciendero . It was during our trip to The Ruins and Balay Negrense in Negros Occidental back in 2012. I guess it was being among such Colonial-era structures that brought about that obviously unfounded feeling even when I was just clad in shorts and a polo shirt. Yup, that was my haciendero look . Well, the feeling was back when we checked in at The Henry Hotel Manila over the weekend.

DINING | Elevating the Filipino sabaw experience with Sabao

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Touches of color on Sabao's native-inspired walls, with a contrasting whimsical ceiling to boot. We got to try out newly-opened Sabao Filipino Soup Bar  last week. A sister restaurant of next-door neighbor  Bait''s Seafood Kitchen , Sabao has set its sights on Filipino cuisine, particularly on traditional soup-based dishes, or sabaw in Filipino. Now how was it? Let me answer that. Interiors and ambiance As with Bait's and practically all other establishments on the ground floor of Signa Designer Residences, this restaurant has a really high ceiling and with half of its perimeter surrounded by glass panels that afford it an airy and less restrictive feel. Sabao also has a nice, uneven accent wall that takes inspiration from traditional Filipino materials like sawali  (interwoven bamboo splits) and banig (woven mat). They didn't necessarily employ such materials, though, but instead used other implements to afford the same effect, or at least some sembla

FASHION | Spring savings with East Dane's 'The Big Event'

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A handsome carryall and a gorgeous tote. Aren't those money clips nice, too or what? And oh, the shoes! Want anything? These are all from luxe accessories brand WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie . I agree their exquisitely crafted items may be a tad too expensive for most of us but hey, online menswear shopping site East Dane is allowing us all to get them for less. Rejoice, for the site is bringing back its site-wide sale called " The Big Event " just in time for Spring 2015! As with last November, the sale involves a tiered discounting scheme as follows: Spend at least  USD250  and you get  15% off ! Order at least  USD500  worth of items and it's  20% off ! Splurge with  USD1,000  or more and you get  25% off !

LOOKBOOK | 28Feb2015: The hatted jogger

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Waaah! There's a Transformer right behind me! Run! Well, I didn't know at face if it was an Autobot or a Decepticon. I would love to meet Megatron, though. Anyway, hats off to the Meralco guys for this. They always seem to come up with all the fun stuff, like how they turn their office grounds into a dazzling display of lights and everything Christmas that is the annual Meralco Liwanag Park . So we were there again last Saturday for the last hour of  Make and Break: A Festival of Creators .