Love Chic

Tonight’s date outfits. The chic yellow cardigan on Seph and the beige button-down on Shai are from Memo. The clothing brand is more popularly known for their crisp corporate attires and smart casual finds, but with a little bit of tweaking, the items in Memo are actually stylish enough to be worn with other pieces to create whatever look you fancy. Check out their summer collection on their Facebook and Twitter.

Memo cardigan, Forever 21 shirt, Herbench (yes, it’s my mom’s) jeans, Call It Spring boots, and SM Accessories bag, necklace and glasses. Hype this on Lookbook here.

Shai got me these contact lenses from an online shop called Japanese Candy and I thought they’d look great with these uber-cool transparent glasses from SM.

Three things my wardrobe always has: cardigans, V-neck shirts and metal necklaces.

The beads are a gift, while I got the Timex from SM’s Privado luxury accessories sale for cheap.

MSense is a brand under SM Accessories that has unique bags for guys that you can’t find just anywhere. If you’re into man-purses like me, you should check this brand out.

I always check out Call It Spring in Greenbelt. I saw these new arrivals on one of my visits and I just knew I had to have them.

Memo collared button-down, Love Chic x Chemistry shorts, Puma socks, Schu brogues, Anne Klein bag, and SM Accessories headband, necklace and rings. Hype this on Lookbook here.

Beauty notes. Face: Etude House Baby Skin base, Revlon Photoready Airbrush and Powder, Mary Kay sheer mineral pressed powder, Etude House Lovely Cookie blush in #3 Orange. Lips: Majolica Majorca Honey Pump Gloss Neo. Eyes: The Face Shop eyebrow filler, Nichido liquid eyeliner and eyelash curler, Maybelline Volum’ Express Cat Eyes mascara, Benefit Decked Out Dandelion eyeshadow palette, and Bambi Sesame Gray 15mm contact lenses from Japanese Candy. The ones I got for Seph are Bambi Chocolate 15mm. Unlike him with a perfect vision, I’m severely nearsighted, so prescription contact lenses are a necessity. Glad there’s a stylish way to deal with it!

We received a question on Dear Love Chic about how to wear necklaces with collared tops. I’d like to believe there are no rules to how you should wear accessories with certain pieces of clothing, but personally, I prefer statement necklaces like these multi-tiered chains from SM, worn under the collar instead of over it.

Continuing the chain reaction with this burst-of-sunshine yellow Anne Klein purse. I love the color, plus the chain strap could be pulled longer to make it into a shoulder bag.

When I saw these rings at SM, I thought of bubble gum and butter balls. Yum!

How gorgeous are these blue and white brogues from Schu? In lieu of the usually flat, usually neutral-colored and usually laced-up styles, this pretty pair is a breath of fresh air. Slipping it on (and keeping it on) is no problem—it’s as comfy as your comfiest pair of flats. Get Schu updates via their Facebook, Twitter, blog and online shop.

Goofing around after today’s quick shoot. Follow us on Instagram @sephcham and @shailagarde for more Love Chic silliness. Have a great Friday (the 13th) night, everyone!

It was my first time to see these trees in person! Cherry blossoms are called sakura in Japanese and I didn’t expect to see them in Sacramento (which prompted me to make a Sakura-mento joke that I shall spare you from). I thought I’d dress up in their honor.

Hype this look (and be my fan, hehe) on Lookbook here.

My cousins were saying our trip to Sacramento was perfect timing—a few days earlier or later and we would’ve missed the cherry blossoms.

As with my San Diego, Long Beach and San Francisco photo diaries, I won’t be able to share the entirety of my travel photos without inundating everyone’s feeds but here’s another set from one of the many places we visited: the state capitol.

The Church of the Blessed Sacrament, a walking distance from the capitol. It’s where the city got its name from.

The Sacramento Capitol, built in the image of the Washington State Capitol. In the interest of full disclosure, let me admit that I wasn’t aware that the capital of California was in fact not Los Angeles,but Sacramento. Let me know if you didn’t know either—let’s be embarrassing together! Haha!

We went on a guided tour that day but 477 fully-captioned photos with encyclopedic information about California would be overkill. Instead, trivia.

The dome is gilded with goldleaf—gold that has been melted and hammered and molded for decorative purposes. Unlike painted gold, goldleaf doesn’t need to be polished or repainted, and shines like new for decades and decades.

The Senate or Upper House, and State Assembly or Lower House. Apparently, this form of government was influenced by the British government’s House of Lords (for the noble and upper class) and House of Commons (for regular folks like you and me).

Governor Brown’s office. When Arnold Schwarzenegger was governor, the capitol was always full of tourists hoping to get a glimpse of the Terminator at work. He did leave a remembrance for all visitors, though.

Meet Bacteria Bear. Arnold got him in an auction for a huge amount of money and brought him to the office because he was one of the state symbols. But when it was time to leave, he left the bear here because it was too heavy. The bear got its name from all the kids visiting the capitol kissing it and smearing it with snot. And yes, my mom’s hand is in Bacteria Bear’s mouth.

We had great fun and it wouldn’t have been possible without my family. It’s my birthday on the 20th, but they’ve made me feel like my birthday all the days I was in Sacramento :)

The day we spent at the bay area of San Francisco was a blur. I’ve always longed to see one of the most picturesque cities I’ve ever explored through books, and there it was, every scene (as well as the chilly weather) leaving me breathless.

What I wore. Again, I raided my aunt’s barely-used wardrobe that morning for something to wear, as most of the clothes I brought turned out to be too spring/summer for the still very fall/winter temperatures of San Francisco. If you’ve been reading this blog long enough, you may recognize the SM Accessories hat, Forever 21 boots, and Seph’s scarf from Baguio. Hype this on Lookbook here.

Our lovely relatives in Sacramento who took care of us as soon as we arrived from Longbeach. They cooked hearty Filipino meals, treated us out to sumptuous lunches and dinners, and showed us around. Here are just a few of the beautiful things we got to see.

Crossed the bridge when we got there

Tulips and other beautiful flowers abloom

Pier 39, where all the shops, restaurants and attractions (such as these sunbathing seals) are, as seen from the Blue & Gold bay cruise ferry

Fellow passengers marveling at the skyline

Sailing near Alcatraz Island

While no longer a prison for the most cold-blooded and sophisticated criminals in the country, Alcatraz emanates an eerie glow, a shadow of its dark history by which one can’t help but be haunted.

Albatrosses flying low around our ferry, as if guiding us on our way

Every hour is magic hour

Sailing under the most famous suspension bridge in the world

Spanning 4,200 feet, with each cable 7,650 feet long, 36 and 3/8 inches in diameter and containing 27,572 wires within, the total wire used was 80,000 miles long and the weight along with the suspenders and accessories is 24,500 tons. I may forget these numbers soon, but the magnificence of how the Golden Gate Bridge was built will remain.

   
Next: Sacramento

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!

As promised, two readers will win their favorite look from our “12x12” feature! Here’s how.

1. This giveaway is open to all Love Chic readers in the Philippines who are following us on Twitter and Facebook. Follow Bench on Twitter and Facebook too since they’re one of the brands who will sponsor the winners. We’ll be double-checking on these! :)
2. If you’re a guy, click here to see the 12 looks by Seph. If you’re a girl, click here to see the 12 looks by Shai. Choose your favorite one and grab the photo.
3. Post the photo on the wall of our Facebook Page. In the caption, tag @Bench then write down why you chose that outfit and how you’d wear it if you win.
   Sample caption: “@Bench/ lifestyle + clothing My favorite is Look 11 because it has all my favorite colors and styles! I would wear it to a special date with the girl I’m courting.”
4. Ask your family and friends to Like your entry. It won’t be the sole basis for winning but it would help to show the amount of support you get :)
5. Tweet this: “@sephshai I joined your giveaway! http://bit.ly/xQ2kuf #lovechic”

Deadline for entries is Friday, Feb 3 at 11:59 PM. We’ll choose the most creative captions: one (1) from the guys and one (1) from the girls. Just like that, they’ll win all the items from their chosen look! In case the item isn’t available in the winner’s size or is out of stock, it’ll be replaced with something in a similar style.
   
Winners will be announced via Twitter on Saturday, Feb 4. Best of luck, everyone!

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 :)