Love Chic

Today’s outfits: his for pull-outs and gym, hers for a couple of client calls. Photos by Richard Romero and post-processing by Love Chic.

Memo cardigan, Topman shirt, Bench jeans, Sperry topsiders, Chemistry camera pendant, SM Accessories eyeglasses and bag. Hype this on Lookbook here.

Memo dress, Chemistry men’s blazer, Asian Vogue pumps, SM Accessories bangles. Hype this on Lookbook here.
   
We are now on Chictopia too :) Go to our ChicBlog here.

Finally, exactly one year since we blogged this photo of the “Puzzle” couple necklaces from Me&U Metallurgy (photographed by Tricia Gosingtian), we have decided to consider the requests of Love Chic readers to put up our own online shop and make the items we wear on the blog available for purchase. Aside from the anniversary coincidence, we think it’s kinda awesome that the blog entry got exactly 143 notes as of this posting. We take it as a good sign, yes?
   
The shop is actually nothing fancy, just a “Shop Love Chic” album within our Facebook page. We start off with a few select pieces, our personal favorites.

“Puzzle” couple necklaces. What we’re wearing in this blog entry.

“Together” couple necklaces. What we’re wearing in this blog entry.

“Duet couple necklaces.” The Cobalt (left) is for guys and the Gold (right) is for the girls. These look very similar to our beautiful couple rings, which we wear every day! See them here.

“Forever Puzzle” couple necklaces. The fancier version of the “Puzzle.”

These are made from surgical steel. It is hypoallergenic, which means people with sensitive or acidic skin won’t need to worry about wearing them. They don’t tarnish or fade, and are extremely scratch-resistant. Just imagine a literal doctor’s surgical tools. Yup. We wouldn’t sell stuff we can’t vouch for, and this one we definitely can. Our necklaces look as new as when we got them!
  
Click here to start shopping! :)

From our first shoot together up to today, we’ve come to realize that the less we care how our photos will look, the more we like how they turn out—whether or not the amount of “likes” or comments on the post says the same thing. Most of the time, we don’t really plan what to wear or how to accessorize or what contrived and complicated poses to do. Even the title and the writeup just come later on, literally minutes before we sit down together and post.

CPS Chaps sheer floral top, The Ramp at Crossings skirt, SM Department Store socks, Call It Spring color block wedges and shades. Hype this on Lookbook here.

Beauty notes: Maybelline Pure Liquid mineral foundation, The Face Shop Face It designing dual shading pact, Topshop lipstick. Don’t you just love how the sunglasses match the top perfectly?

Wedges again! I added yellow orange to the black and white colorblocking to amp up its ’60s-era feel.

Celio button-down, CPS Chaps jeans, SM Department Store socks, SM Accessories shades, Call It Spring shoes. Hype this on Lookbook here.

Hello, Shai peering at my shades!

I don’t usually wear dressy shoes like these because they’re generally not that comfortable to walk around in (plus it can be difficult to pull them off without looking too corporate). But if you want to look polished and put-together, especially for a swanky party or a serious meeting, you’ll make a good impression with this pair. Something every guy should have. My late dad used to say, shoes are like car tires. If they’re dirty, that says a lot about the owner.

So why the title? Because we humbly and sincerely believe that the best way to blog is to be yourself.

Long before it was considered an actual career option, blogging in its purest sense was all about putting your heart and soul out there in an honest yet considerate, opinionated yet eloquent, consummate yet ethical way. And to play with the phrase’s actual meaning, we believe that it’s your self you should be seeing when you look in the mirror that is your website—not a stranger in a costume striking a pose. Otherwise, therein lies the danger of losing touch with what’s real and what’s important.

One of the many reasons we’re glad we have each other.

Clouds are one of the most beautiful everyday things we see yet seldom take a look at. With our busy schedules, we’re always looking at the road ahead of us: things we have to do, places we have to go, people we have to interact with. But if we’d look up every so often, we’d find these cottony, feathery wisps of white so hard to ignore. 

We saw these while driving to work this afternoon and just had to pull over quickly to take a few Instagram photos. We returned to the daily grind with a goofy smile on our faces, talking about how as kids, we thought you could touch the clouds when you ride on an airplane.

We may not be able to touch the sky but we sure can wear them. A simple look for a sweltering summer day: CPS Chaps shirt, F&X shorts, Call It Spring shoes, Timex watch and SM Accessories glasses. Hype this on Lookbook here.

I like that these shoes are made of fabric which makes them comfy and cool enough for summer, but doesn’t get scrunchy or slouchy which can be a hassle when walking. The interesting texture also makes it stand out despite having a simple neutral color.

Gray and white embellishments reminiscent of Cirrus nimbus clouds (or so we say, hehe). Kashieca top, CPS Chaps skirt, Call It Spring sandals and clutch, SM Accessories headband, glasses and bangle. Hype this on Lookbook here.

I seldom wear sandals because they’re either too flat (having a tall boyfriend has its inconveniences) or too strappy (I’m a brisk walker and straps end up hurting my feet or snapping after a while). But these aren’t just sturdy enough; they also have cute kitten heels! Perfect shade of brown for the summer too.
   
What about you? What mundane things do you find breathtaking? If you haven’t stopped and smelled the proverbial roses in a long while, this season would be the best time to. Beauty can be found in the simplest of things—all we have to do is look. :)

We were advised to dress comfortably on the second day of HKFW, and this is how we wore our matching Keds.

On Seph: Forever21 coat, R.A.F. shirt, Bench jeans, GAP scarf, Timex watch, SM Accessories glasses, grey Keds.
Hype on Lookbook here.

On Shai: Human cardigan, thrifted starry top, Abi Ong Project skirt, Topshop stockings, gray Keds, SM Accessories necklace.
Hype on Lookbook here.

This was the day we got to cover the Hong Kong Fashion Extravaganza, the most anticipated fashion show in all of Hong Kong Fashion Week attended by local celebrities and covered by national media. We had to be literally on our toes for the flurry of activity that happened that day: designer interviews, press conference, lots of picture-taking, and other fun reporter stuff that didn’t really allow for painfully dressy shoes. Stay tuned for this story!

Guess who just dyed their own hair ombré?

The term is a French word which means “gradiation” or “shade.” Instead of one color throughout, you’ve got a darker shade on top that gradually goes lighter down the tips, usually ending in blonde.

We didn’t find any salons that offered this, so we thought we’d do it ourselves.

We’re glad we did; not only were we able to save money, we were also able to pick up a few self-reminders from the experience.

Lesson 1: Stand on your own two feet. We’re firm believers that nobody is self-made; whatever form of success we currently enjoy, people along the way helped us get to where we are. However, being dependent on others is a different story. If you always need people to do certain things for you, what happens when they leave, turn their back on you, or worse, demand repayment and rub in your face all the good they’ve done when things go sour? Do things yourself. If it works, you’ll have leveled up and won’t have to drown in debts of gratitude. If it doesn’t, you’ll still have learned and have no one to blame.

Lesson 2: Dare to be different. Just because everybody’s doing this or wearing that or getting hooked with this app or going to that hip-happening place doesn’t make it imperative that you should, too. Au contraire. Dare to be a starter, not a follower—and dare to stand by your own choices and preferences.

Lesson 3: Experiment. Take risks. Whenever hesitation or fear strikes, ask yourself what’s the worst that can happen. What have you got to lose? Will it matter in the greater scheme of things? Will it matter three, five, ten years from now? And even if the answers to these are bleak, well, sometimes the best way we can truly learn and grow is through our mistakes and failures.

Lesson 4: Be yourself, always. In this day and age more than ever, this seems to be one of the simplest yet most challenging things to practice. With everyone so inevitably connected and perennially updated, it seems to have become so important to be who we are expected to be: edited, curated, censor-approved versions of ourselves, rather than who we are happy to be: just ourselves! How can we be true to other people if the person we see everyday in the mirror is fake?

On Shai: Forever21 embroidered dress, Parisian at SM Department Store booties, SM Accessories bangle, Fidelity necklace and rings. Hype on Lookbook here.

On Seph: Forever21 blazer, Topman shirt, Bench jeans, Aldo socks, Adidas shoes, SM Accessories necklace and wristband, Timex watch. Hype on Lookbook here.

   
…All this from three tubs of hair color. Who knew? Haha. Tutorial, anyone? Tell us what you think—use that Reply button on your Tumblr dashboard or leave a Disqus comment :) Hope y’all had a good start for the new year!

On Seph: Shirt, Bench. Jeans and socks, Mossimo. Handkerchief, SM Accessories. Porsche shoes, Adidas. Biker jacket and bag, from Bangkok. Hype this on Lookbook.
     
On Shai: Trapeze dress, thrifted. Knee-high socks, Mossimo. Scarf, SM Accessories. Studded platforms, from Bangkok. Studded bag, Susto. Hype this on Lookbook.
     
Photos: Janine Cham

We played dress up with our awesomely creative friends and came up with these Halloween looks.

Grow old with you: Granny and Gramps

The Sixties: Retro rockers

Gender bender: Steph Cham and Shia Lagarde

Breaking Dawn: Edward and Bella

Game of Thrones: Khal Drogo and Daenerys Targaryen

E.T. music video: Katy Perry and Kanye West

The last three are on today’s 2bU section of Philippine Daily Inquirer, plus tips on how you can put together your own costume. Read it here. Photographed by Tricia Gosingtian. Makeup by Marj Sia. Costumes and wigs of Drogo, Daenerys and Katy by Catherine Jannelle. All other wigs from Catwalk Cosmetics.

So what are your fave looks? Reply, reblog or share this with your answer :)

Shoes on a shoestring budget:

With classes in full swing, your trusty sneakers are back on active duty. No doubt the nicer pairs have moved to the higher rungs of your shoe rack, reserved for weekend parties and special occasions. But who says the only options for school are either comfy-frumpy or tasteful-painful? Your worn and torn generic slip-ons can finally take a breather—we scoured the stores in search of cheap and chic shoes you’d love to walk around campus in.

We produced this story a few months back with Tricia who did the photography and her Candy cutie brother Calel (yehess haha) who helped out with the styling and fed us yummy snacks. Fun shoot as always!

If you like fashion sites like Polyvore, you’re gonna love this. Miss-match is a look-creating social network site like Polyvore, but way more awesome—the pieces you put together are from local brands and you can actually shop for them! This project has been in the works for months now and we’re glad to have been one of the first to try it out. The looks we created are on their very first “In The Spotlight” feature:

Chemistry ruffled spaghetti-strap top, Marks & Spencer Autograph cuffed shorts, House of Laurel Nagini coverup, Cache Cache Hazel-Sea ring, Call It Spring almond toe platform pump, floral handbag and feather earring.

Miss-match doesn’t carry clothes for guys as of the moment, so instead they asked Seph to put together what he would love to see Shai wear.

Springfield Woman printed short-sleeved shirt and bangles, Chemistry black and white plaid shorts, Fashion Forum Chinese Laundry wedge booties, AK Anne Klein handbag, Agatha Mingao ring and Farmer droopy earrings.

Excerpts of our interview with Pierra Labrador: 

Favorite places to shop: “Everywhere! This seems like a lame answer but we really have no preferences. From local designers to high street shops to department stores to tiangges. The only rule of thumb we have is whatever we shop for, we must be able to wear more than once and mix and match with a lot of pieces.”

We asked Shai: Could you share a styling tip guys would love?
“I’ve always believed in balancing it out. Wearing something too revealing or overwhelming (e.g. sleeveless or sheer top and mini skirt paired with high heels and dangling earrings, plus thick eyeliner and red lipstick) is a big no-no for me. Choose one aspect you want to highlight and keep the rest of your look subdued. As for date makeup and scents, I think most guys like the idea of “softness,” like pastels and nudes for a pretty barely-there look, and a clean, subtly sweet scent.”

We asked Seph: What is it about Shai’s style that you love?
“Shai probably spends the least on shopping among all the women I know, yet she can seriously rock any outfit. Even my little sister wants to learn this from her. She grabs one of my worn-out pambahay shirts and wears faded denim shorts and maybe booties and you’d think it will look “plain.” But then she does something with her accessories, like layer them or add something in a totally different color and it suddenly looks cool. She can do a lot of looks with a limited wardrobe.”

Read the full story here. The site is still in its Beta phase, but you can already sign up, read the fashion stories and create your own looks. You can also “Love” other looks and comment on them. And when you find an item you like, you’ll know where to get it!