Love Chic

Francis Libiran for Myth men’s button-down, Chemistry dress, Schu brogues. Second outfit for the Myth menswear challenge. Hype this on Lookbook here and vote for our outfits on our joint Chictopia here.

We had a meeting with some wonderful folks yesterday for an upcoming project. They requested that we come in our usual complementary outfits but without being too dressy, so they could take photos for their pitch.  

I wore this men’s button-down over a sleeveless Chemistry dress. It was too long, so I left the last three buttons undone, tied the bottom of the shirt into a knot and tucked in the knot upward.

Good thing the sleeves weren’t too long for my arms and could pass off as stylishly oversized, like a loose Korean top. Except of course with crisp details on the cuff, collar and pocket.

This pair of brogues is beginning to be one of my favorites. Just change the socks or wear it without and your outfit’s “vibe” instantly changes. 

Francis Libiran for Myth button-down, Chemistry harem pants, Call It Spring boots. Hype this on Lookbook here.

I seldom find harem pants that fit me right because I have weird proportions. When the upper part fits just right, the lower part is too tight. Or vice versa.This pair is one of the prototypes which I had designed for Chemistry. 

I got a couple of questions from male readers about what shoes to wear with harem pants. I’m thinking boots or other kinds of chunky statement shoes would be your best bet, as ordinary-looking sneakers might “drown” in the rather loud attitude that harem pants give off. I just don’t know if that makes any sense to anyone else… Haha.

I love that this button-down has all these details that stand out. From afar, it even looks as if I’m wearing a skinny tie. Plus, check out the double collars. If only more menswear pieces had Francis Libiran’s attention to the little details.

We thought “manning up” would be an appropriate title for tonight, not only because of the menswear element in this outfit post, but because of what’s currently going on in our lives. Lately, we’ve been rethinking and reassessing a lot of our major decisions the past few months. There are steps we have been afraid to take, fears we have been hesitant to overcome, hesitations we have been allowing to get the better of us.
   
Maybe it has something to do with being in your mid-20s? That feeling of not being quite sure what you’re doing with your life, whether or not any of the things you do still make you as happy and fulfilled as they used to, and a nagging uncertainty that causes you to feel inadequate when you happen to compare yourself with people your age who seem to have come so far. This upcoming project is one of those things that we hope would help us get out of this current rut, something to take our minds off the shallow things and empower us to, well, man up. Already, we’re beginning to feel a change. We can’t wait for the better things to start coming. 

We’re so excited to be part of the Superb by SuperSale bazaar this May! This is the flyer we made for our booth. The biggest booth goes to the blogger whose flyer gets the most number of “likes” on SuperSale’s Facebook page, and since we’ll be selling a lot of couple shirts, accessories and pre-loved items, we could definitely use a big booth. We know we can count on you guys for this, so we decided to throw in a little thank-you gift.
   
We recently got a box of Nivea Sparkling White and Nivea Visage products from our friends at Nivea Philippines. We can’t possibly use them all up for ourselves so we divided the extra items into two sets, which we’ll be raffling off to all our followers who will show their support for Love Chic at the Superb bazaar. Here’s how.

Nivea Set 1:
Essential Care lip balm with jojoba oil and shea butter
Sparkling White whitening and cell renewal night care
Sparkling White UV blocker SPF 30 PA++ (blocks both UVA and UVB)
Sparkling White whitening and clarifying toner
Sparkling White acne oil control whitening cleansing foam (combination/oily skin)
Sparkling White purifying whitening foam
Sparkling White refining whitening scrub
   
If you want the Nivea Set 1:
Simply go to our flyer here. “Like” it, click “Share” and tag us with this caption:
“I voted for @Love Chic at the Superb by SuperSale Bazaar! Click this photo to vote too!”
From all the “Shares,” we will choose (1) winner via Randomizer.

Nivea Set 2:
Med Protection SPF 15 lip balm with Vitamin E (dry lips)
Visage Q10 plus anti-wrinkle light day care SPF 15
Visage Q10 plus anti-wrinkle cleansing lotion
Visage Deep pore control toner (combination/oily skin)
 
If you want the Nivea Set 2:
For our Twitter followers, tweet this and tag three (3) friends:
“I voted @sephshai for the @bloggers_united x @supersalebazaar! Vote too @Friend1 @Friend2 @Friend3 http://on.fb.me/JVBJkj“ 
From all the tweets, we will choose (1) winner of the Nivea Set 2 via Randomizer.
   
If you want both Nivea Sets 1 and 2:
Simply follow both sets of instructions! :)
   
Winners will be announced on May 26, Saturday at 10AM. 
Thanks, everyone! See you at the Superb by SuperSale bazaar!

The cool thing about department-store shopping is you have everything you’re looking for in one place. The cool thing about online shopping is you can browse, add to cart, and check out items with a few mouse clicks. Combine both retail experiences and you’ve got an online department store that houses the brands you love: ZALORA. 
   
If the name rings a bell, it’s because they’ve been all over local cyberspace lately. You check your Facebook, view a funny viral on YouTube or admire a blogger’s outfit of the day and a ZALORA ad is on the page, beckoning one and all to check it out. Check it out we did, and we like what we found.
   
   

❤ User-friendly interface, with categories neatly lined up in tabs on top, a menu bar at left, and a nifty “Need assistance?” pop-up. Search by category, brand, color, price, size, even occasion. You can finally search for “wedges” and not get photos of fried potatoes.
❤ Helpful rollover options: aside from brand, description, price and available sizes, you get a view of the item from four angles. The customer perks: 30 days return, free shipping nationwide, same day delivery, cash on delivery, help hotline and FAQ.
❤ The variety. From foreign brands to local faves, high-end to budget-friendly, apparel  and shoes to gadgets and lifestyle items. And they’re just getting started, so we’re expecting many more brands and items to come in soon. 
   
We also found these. We like to call ‘em… ZALORAROIDS. Haha. 

❤ Shai’s pick: I love pastels and wedges and these Chic Yamada shoes is all that. I imagine it can easily be worn with pieces I already have, and without discrimination—dresses, skirts, shorts, pants… Plus, that lime green candy color looks good enough to eat!
   
 

❤ Seph’s pick: Boots have got to be my favorite footwear. I love how they instantly make a plain outfit stylish. These 5CM boots would be a cool addition to my growing collection, with its classic design combined with interesting details that make it stand out.
   
 

❤ Shai’s pick: I’m a fan of small bags because I’m too lazy to lug my entire world around in a huge tote slung over my shoulders. This XOXO handbag is the right mix of dainty and edgy, which means I can wear it a lot of ways. Perfect for carrying just the essentials.
   
 

❤ Seph’s pick: Unless I’m off to the gym, I’m not a fan of backpacks as they tend to look too sporty and seldom go well with my outfits. I prefer messenger bags, murses and sleek satchels, like this one from 5CM: simple, elegant and goes well with my wardrobe.
   
 

❤ We recently bought a condo unit that we’re furnishing little by little. We want to have as much of the furniture and gadgetry as possible to come in white. We also want a decent sound system for our daily music fix. This Logic3 dock would be a cool solution to both!

***
   
So what’s the inspiration for this? We believe an effective way to get what you want is to create a visual board with pictures of your goals, dreams and aspirations. You feed your subconscious with these images and they eventually make their way to you at the right time. The Secret, we believe, is similar to online shopping: you decide what you want, confirm your order, make the necessary payments and expect it to be delivered. We thought this was a good way to articulate those two ideas. And well, it was just really fun to do. Go ahead, create your own wishlist, too.
  

Couple shirts from Me&U. “Cookie Monster” watch, pendant and earrings from True Fidelity. These clay accessories were handmade by Seph’s sister Janine, and you can win them by joining her giveaway here. As for the shirts, we’re thinking of making different sizes and styles available in our online shop. Tweet us @sephshai and let us know what you think!

Photos by Richard Romero, post-processing by Love Chic

The last of eight layouts we shot for Call It Spring  last February (i.e. when the temperature still permitted the wearing of socks, closed shoes and long garments). We went for a nature-inspired palette: blue, white, brown and floral.

CPS Chaps top, flea market chiffon skirt, Aldo socks, Call It Spring wedges, SM Accessories belt. It’s the same style of shoes I wore in this layout except in a different color. Hype this on Lookbook here.

Barette and men’s eyeglasses from SM Accessories. Red bangs, black roots and blonde tips. Ayayay. Clearly, the ombré hair needs retouching.

Metal with petal. Connector ring and studded clutch from SM Accessories. With just a rose ring and a beige bag, this look would be too sweet and feminine for my style. I like how all the hardware adds toughness to the whole look.

F&X collared long-sleeved shirt, Bench jeans, Dickies socks, Call It Spring shoes. Hype this on Lookbook here.

Eyeglasses from SM Accessories. I just love wearing these even if my eyesight is thankfully healthy. Just like shoes, wearing eyeglasses seems to make even a small difference to an outfit.

One of my favorites from Call It Spring. I like to fold the cuffs down to show the colored socks. When they’re pulled up, the boots look different without the fluffy white trimming. It’s a versatile pair of sneakers-slash-boots.

Happy Sunday, everyone! If you haven’t joined our Etude House and Mandaue Foam giveaways, now would be a good time to. Click on the links to find out how.

…And it’s because of these shades. Ba dum tsss.

Celio top, Bench jeans, Aldo socks, Call It Spring shoes, SM Accessories shades. Hype this on Lookbook here.

Self-mocking aside, we tried to do something edgier for this layout, since all of our other Call It Spring shoots were in our usual fun-fun mode.

These shoes aren’t my usual style, since I’m more of a sneakers and boots kind of guy. But every now and then, we come out of our comfort zones when it comes to fashion to explore other options. You never know how it will turn out until you try, right? These aren’t bad-looking at all.

Kashieca chiffon tiered dress, Call It Spring shoes and accessories, YRYS fishnet stockings. Hype this on Lookbook here.

If the shoes aren’t Seph’s style, in my case it’s the dress. It’s floral, in white, and in tiers of chiffon. Plus the wedges are in floral, too. I opted to edge it up with metals, animal print shades and this.

Enough said. Hahaha.

What about you? Share naman diyan! We’re always the ones posting pictures or telling you random stories and we really appreciate it when we hear back. What look would you consider to be your comfort zone? Which fashion pieces do you usually stay away from?

Matchy in mismatched outfits, a tribute to the equally kooky weather we’ve been having. There are just days that have you sweating buckets and taking the heat, and days when you’re all wet and washed up.
  
When you think about it, that’s basically how you could describe life’s not-so-pleasant moments too, eh? Which is why rain or shine, we try our best to keep a sunny disposition and just go with whatever’s thrown our way.

CPS Chaps top and skirt, SM Department Store socks, SM Accessories ring, Call It Spring feather hairclip, and clutch with feather. Hype this on Lookbook here.

This feather hairclip is so pretty, but the way my hair is naturally messy like that, I’m thinking it would probably stand out better on straight hair. Still, I’m a sucker for feather accessories and I just love this.

When it comes to accessories, I like to work with a certain subtle theme. Sort of like an inside joke with myself. In this case, a ring leaf because my bag is green.

Gold shoes are quite hard to pull off for a casual look, simply because gold is associated with glamour. But when it’s a pair of flats in a simple enough design that’s comfy to walk around in, gold makes for fun footwear.

CPS Chaps shirt, Celio polo and shorts, Aldo socks, Call It Spring sneakers. Hype this on Lookbook here.

I haven’t been out of the country much, just Bangkok and Hong Kong. Hawaii is just one of the places I would like to see when I get the chance. It must be great to try out surfing and other water sports there.

When I’m not going crazy for boots or brightly colored shoes, I’m gawking at crisp white sneakers. There’s just something about statement shoes that I get a kick out of. Perhaps because it’s one of those things that can totally change a look—like if I wore flip-flops with this outfit instead. It would look too at-home, wouldn’t it?
  
Speaking of being at-home, we’ve got a nice giveaway for homebodies out there who would love to sit back, put their feet up and enjoy a nice book or DVD. If you have been missing out on the fun, click here to join!

Here’s one giveaway you wouldn’t wanna pass up! An ultra-chic @Mandaue_Foam set of armchair and footrest, plus five Fantasy pillows up for grabs and it’ll only take minutes to join. Read on for details.

This couldn’t have been a more serendipitous circumstance: as you may have read in our previous posts, we recently got ourselves a condo unit which is to be our future home/office. Being genuinely interested in interior and industrial design, we’ve not only been familiar with Mandaue Foam, but have actually been planning to go to their Quezon Avenue showroom for our home furnishing needs. Needless to say, when they invited us, we were beyond excited.

It started out as a foam manufacturing company in Mandaue City, Cebu in 1971 by entrepreneur Rosita Uy. With affordable quality, excellent workmanship and great customer and after-sales services, Mandaue Foam has grown to become one of the biggest and most preferred furniture companies in the country today.

Their approach to finding the perfect mattress and pillows for you is a combination of scientific and emotional: you can actually make like Goldilocks in the Mattress Testing Area and try on the different beds. An assistant could give you a run-through of the different materials under each one and help you decide which suits you best.

Form and function—the vast showroom also presents various suggestions for designing your bed space.

Among all the beds we saw, this is by far our favorite…

Yes. It’s the Sofa-bed Transformer. *REE-RAWT-ROW-RA-ROOT*

Perfect for condo-dwellers who don’t have a lot of rooms for family or friends sleeping over. Especially for us two, because we don’t really like the traditional foldable ones that are obviously sofa-beds.

Other couches that caught our fancy. The best thing is you can have yours customized or made-to-order. Your own design, your own choice of upholstery, fabric and accents.

These stylish pieces are proof that outdoor furniture don’t have to mean stainless steel tables and monoblock chairs.

Guess how much these beautiful lighting fixtures are? Believe it or not, most of them cost less than a summer trip to the beach or a complete head-to-toe outfit. They make for great accent pieces! We are definitely taking those light bulbs home the next time we come here.

Even if you’re not that big on furniture, you’d still enjoy a shopping trip to Mandaue Foam. From pillows and curtains to clocks and mirrors, the showroom carries inexpensive statement pieces to suit your personality. Emphasis on “inexpensive,” because when you’re used to department store prices of similar items, it’s unbelievable how affordable the ones at Mandaue Foam are. 
   
Special thanks to Jonver David, Thysz Estrada and Mandaue Foam Quezon Avenue manager Sir Jojo for the showroom tour :)
   
On to our giveaway!

• Open to Love Chic followers on Twitter and Facebook residing in the Philippines.
• Follow Mandaue Foam on Twitter and Facebook.
• Leave a Disqus comment below about why you should win the armchair and footrest. Where will you place them in your home? Be honest and creative with your answer! Don’t forget to include your Twitter username in the comment.
• Tweet this and tag two friends: “I joined @sephshai’s blog giveaway: @Mandaue_Foam armchair + footrest! http://lovechic.com.ph @friend1 @friend2”

That’s it! Deadline for entries is midnight on Saturday, May 5. Make sure you follow the mechanics because we’ll be checking! We’ll choose the winner of the armchair and footrest based on their answer, while the five (5) Fantasy pillows will be raffled off via Randomizer among the remaining entries. Winners will be announced the next day at 11AM.
Best of luck!
     
***

UPDATE 05/05/12: WE HAVE WINNERS!

It wasn’t easy choosing from 57 wonderful entries, but @danzendear wins the armchair with footrest for an answer that was well-designed, straightforward and practical—qualities that Mandaue Foam products are also known for. 

     
     
***

Next, we drew five (5) winners of Mandaue Foam fantasy pillows via electronic raffle: @chubxyden, @tetrice, @Seven12Seven7, @hollowedevil and @crystahal. 

   
Congratulations to the winners! Please send your full name, address and contact info to lovechicmail@gmail.com :) To those who haven’t won yet, keep posted because we hold giveaways from time to time. Thanks to Mandaue Foam for providing the prizes and thanks to everyone who joined!

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. :)

Tangerine pumps and gray sneakers from Call It Spring. This is one of the photos we shot for a collaboration to launch their Spring/Summer collection, published in the Philippine Star last month. This is also on Style Bible’s “Here Is The Love” feature.

F&X sweater, Bench jeans, Kissaholic bag, SM Accessories glasses, Timex watch. Hype this on Lookbook here.

Seph: As always, I opted to wear something colorful. Summer is a great time (and for some guys, the only time) to be brave with colors when dressing up. Personally, I like doing it year-round because it makes it easier to appreciate the details on what you’re wearing.

F&X “PS I Love You” shirt, The Ramp skirt, SM Accessories ring, SM Department Store socks, Kissaholic bag. Hype this on Lookbook here.

Shai: Three awesome things about this shirt: the worn, crumply look and feel, the cutesy graffiti print and my favorite color—turquoise! Threw in the tangerine shoes and the pink bag for mismatched colorplay.
  
The weather was still pretty cool when we shot these outfits, but imagine wearing them outdoors these days when the summer heat just gets too much! Don’t you just wish we had a cooler climate in the Philippines?

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

Indeed and how. After a week in San Diego, we drove to Long Beach to stay with our relatives on my dad’s side. With all the touring and family bonding, it’s taken me a week to properly go through hundreds of photos and sort them out per city, let alone choose just enough photos to share on the blog without turning it into a highschool-project diary or a jetsetter-wannabe journal (neither of which is an entirely bad thing mind you, except that it’s not what we do here). So here we go, Long Beach highlights!

My outfit for the sunny yet chilly weather here: SM Department Store top, The Ramp skirt, Topshop tights, grey Keds, necklace from Bangkok, knitted cardigan from my aunt’s closet and SM Accessories shades. Hype this on Lookbook here! This was taken at noon, as you can probably guess from the shadow. But even with the sun high up, it was cold enough to make me regret not wearing pants instead. 

Digging the worn-out, lived-in look of this cardigan though. I actually just got it from my aunt’s closet here, and she told me she was the one who sewed on those sequins and beads. Pretty neat.

My trusty Keds, one of only three shoes I bought for this month-long trip, because bringing an entire shoe collection along on a trip abroad is just a tad too glamorous (read: tedious) for this here gung-ho blogger. 

One of the places we dropped by was the shoreline village, a combination of a tourist spot, park, food court, port area, and quaint small-town recreation center.  

This ship is the RMS Queen Mary, a former ocean liner that sailed in the Atlantic from the ’30s to the ’60s. It’s now a tourist attraction featuring a number of restaurants, a museum, and a hotel. How awesome must it be to be staying in a hotel next to the Scorpion, that Soviet B-427 submarine pictured above. 

Nautical nonsense: Papa as Captain Jack Sbarro and Mama as hipster-pirate Ariel

Another place I enjoyed seeing was my cousin Santiago’s newly bought house in an affluent area in Longbeach. Took this shot from across the street for a general idea of how it looks from the opposite side.

This side. Although the neighbor’s house is much bigger (as you can see by that car), it’s Santiago’s house I’m so inspired by because of its backstory. My cousin’s parents weren’t well off, hailing from a small town called Dueñas in Iloilo. There were no inheritances, no privileged lifestyles, no trust funds to “cheat” with. Through sheer hard work and strong family values, they were able to raise my cousins into goal-driven, humble and successful individuals who were able to pursue and achieve their dreams. One of Santiago’s was to be able to afford a house in this area someday (let’s just say one house here could buy you thirty houses in Manila) and now he has!

His lovely and kind wife Belinda, an interior designer and dedicated mom to handsome boy Elijah and precocious baby Hunter. Santiago works as a CPA for a gas company, while Belinda’s been staying at home for a few months now taking care of the children and attending to the ongoing house renovations.

The den.

The dining area leading to the huge kitchen.

The stair carpeting is still covered in plastic, and official house guard Angel makes sure it stays that way until construction is completed. 

The kitchen’s corner booth. I took photos of every room in every floor, but from just these, one can imagine how beautiful it’s going to look when it all finally comes together.

Took too many photos of Elijah because he’s just so kind and adorable, not just for a toddler but for a guy of any age. And that says a lot, because I’m not like Seph who finds all children adorable. I love it when a kid is so smart you don’t have to simplify your words or do baby talk, and yet so nice they defy the phrase “toddler tantrums.”

This trip feels like child’s play, and it keeps getting better. Not only because it’s my first time outside Asia, or because of all the tourist attractions we get to see—millions of people get to experience those each day, and you can Google photos of those things any second you want to see them. For me, it’s being able to spend time with family, discover things about them on a deeper level and appreciate their stories better. So it wasn’t just word play: by the sea or on land, fun is a sure thing here in Long Beach!
   
Next: San Francisco 

My Hello Kitty nails would’ve been perfect for our layover in Taiwan en route to Los Angeles. Took these iPhone photos at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.