Love Chic

…On a graffiti-filled rooftop of an abandoned building. Pity we couldn’t show you just how high up we were—the lower floor is filled with trash and weeds and other unsightly things not suitable for anyone’s sensibilities. When we say abandoned building, we mean abandoned, even by any hope of salvation. We mainly just braved that rooftop and sat on the edge for our own sense of fulfillment.
     
Anyway, we’re usually a little more subtle now about our matchy outfits than this, but this was for a Valentines PR collaboration with Skechers Philippines (posting only now because we’re Slowpoke like that) so it’s cool.

Besides, it could be a lot cheesier. We could’ve been posing sweetly with the lines of some song sprawled on the picture and the letters L-O-V-E behind us. Oh wait…

Well, still could be cheesier. We could’ve been wearing all red and, you know, have a red heart-shaped balloon or something. Oh wait…

Darn it. All right, we’re cheesy. Still a better love story than Twilight.

*** 
We’re both wearing Skechers Go-Runs. Special thanks to Jay Dalisay and Katrina Ong for tapping us for this project. Check out Skechers Philippines on Facebook!
Click pics for other outfit/photo credits.

A small sidebar feature on Look, a popular fashion magazine all the way in London. This is photo they used, credit for which is due our friend Tricia Gosingtian.

We couldn’t find a proper scan of the article itself and just edited the one above from Louder Than Silence, a London-based couple blog that was the main focus of the article. We cropped the scan and edited it to include the header and subhead.

“Fashion bloggers Seph and Shai share their style tips. Philippines: Love Chic is one of the world’s first his-and-hers fashion blogs, created by Seph Cham and Shai Lagarde, who dub themselves ‘a stylish couple in love.’ Full of stunning photos and useful style inspiration—”

Whoa there Nelly, can we rewind to that last sentence? Hmm, lest we be mistaken for a smug, self-absorbed couple aiming to nauseate the general public with our lovey-dovey perfection, allow us to mention how the phrase came up. They asked why we called this blog Love Chic. We replied that it’s like when you say “geek chic” to describe a fellow who looks nice in nerdy glasses and an argyle vest, or “shabby chic” to describe a lady who otherwise looks frumpy, but somehow manages to carry herself with style.
   
Love Chic is pulling off matchy his-and-hers outfits in a non-overdone way (him wearing a “Soul” shirt and her wearing a “Mate” shirt, things like that). Sharing your life together as two people in love without pissing people off by how sickeningly sweet you are. Expressing your passions, interests and beliefs without shoving them down people’s throats. That’s what this blog has always been and will always be about. :)

@HangTenPH invited us to SM Mall of Asia last week for the launch of their flagship store there. It was a hectic week, but there was no way we wouldn’t show up—our friends makeup artist Anton Patdu, photographer Dookie Ducay, hair stylist Mycke Arcano and wardrobe stylist Argie Salango were all part of the creative team that produced the current campaign to go along with the boutique’s makeover.

“Forever Summer” features a catalog of overhauled jeans, tops and fashion accessories for guys and girls, in addition to the surf-inspired, retro-contemporary casual wear that Hang Ten has been known for in the past 50 years.

We didn’t get to take a lot of photos of the happy chaos that went on, but basically, after performances and whatnot from some celebrities (can you spot one of them above?) everyone was ushered in to check out the stuff.

Another reason we were glad we came: Gondo Girls Val and Marj! It slipped our minds that they’re friends with the guys behind the brand.

Hang Ten’s Creative Director Kyle De Leon in white and his brother Kirk in black.

This October, we’ll be holding a ton of giveaways, from the simplest to the grandest. Would you like to own a pair of jeans from the new collection? If you’re a size 25-26 or a 30-31, share this post via Tumblr (+ leave a comment), Twitter (+ tag @sephshai) or Facebook (+ tag @Love Chic). We’d be glad to give you the jeans we scored.

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!

This grainy photo of Kim Hyun Joong (looking at me, I swear!—Shai) is the only one from our iPhones worth sharing. Tricia happily allowed us to grab some from her blog because—we have no excuse—we brought our camera but forgot to put the SD card in. Lesson thoroughly learned: never, ever forget the memory card of your camera the night before a press conference by The Face Shop for the Asian Tour of a Korean star who played Ji Hoo in “Boys Over Flowers.”

Along with some beauty and fashion editors of magazines and fellow bloggers who were present, Shai got to ask KHJ one question: “What daily skin care advice can you give Filipino men?” His reply as translated from Korean: “Because of the kind of weather we have in the Philippines, it is important to always wear sun block when going out, as well as moisturizer at night to prevent the skin from getting damaged.”

This pretty shot is a hint at how frenzied the press con was. The usually nonchalant members of the media were suddenly like giggly high schoolers as soon as KHJ entered the room, and the flashbulbs never stopped until he was completely out of sight.

The Gondo Girls minus Crissey and Feanne: Domz, Val, Marj, Tricia and Shai. We’re usually shy around people in events, so coming and bonding with such wonderful friends makes it a lot less awkward and a whole lot happier.

Laidback tops, statement necklaces, tiered bottoms, and snug boots. Love it whenever Tricia makes a cameo!

Love Chic snapshot grabbed from Val’s blog. Our outfit posts for this day here.

Photography credits: Tricia Gosingtian and Valerie Chua.

We dedicate this to everyone feeling as gloomy as the weather lately.

Days go by when you feel cornered. Like all a door offers is a peak into possibility, but never a way in, or out

We all want a happy ending:

a person to come back, a flight of fancy to come true

a destination to arrive at, a certainty to gain closure from.

We know only too well how they are as rare in reality as they are abundant in dreams. And yet we remind ourselves

“Hope is a choice you can live with”

and toward that glimmer, we bring along our burdens and take a bold first step. We choose to hope

That somewhere along the way, someone will be there to hold our hand, and then somehow, our baggage and footsteps won’t feel as heavy. The door may be tightly shut still, with no windows opened in its stead, and we won’t care.

With this hope, we can turn all endings into happy ones.

Seph: Human shirt, Bench stonewashed jeans, Chemistry camera necklace, Call It Spring boots, 101 New York bag. Hype on Lookbook here
Shai: Human shirt (note: she cut it out into a short top but this is actually a long shirt), Chemistry wing necklace and tiered skirt, Call It Spring boots, thrifted tote bag. Hype on Lookbook here
Photographed by Tricia Gosingtian