Color-Blocking is Still On!

I've been patiently waiting for the bright-colored palazzo pants and maxi skirts by SM Department Store, which were shown at the recent Philippine Fashion Week since May.   See the green pants on the leaflet below?

They're finally here! I bought quite a few, priced at P1,199 each.  Not bad for the fabric and the styles :) I especially love their maxi skirts that have a short train ;)  Best news of all? I got them at P100 off each with the leaflet the sales associate gave me. 

How cool is that? :)

Visit SM Department stores now to get first dibs on PFW items.

Hurry as they come in very limited quantities.

More Promos from SM group

... and here's something from R2R

Promos Galore from SM

The Most Memorable PFW show

I think it's safe to say that the last PFW was the very first time they ever hosted a children's fashion show, and it was amazing!  It was held on the Day 1, right after the opening show with Pond's.  I rushed up to the 3rd floor as soon as I can.  I was able to get a good spot in front and center, and this is what I was able to catch:

A teenager dressed in medieval costume was playing "Telephone" by Lady Gaga with a violin, which served as the "background" along with an LED screen.  Here are some of my favorite outfits:

Hope these long tulle skirts are available

Who says black and white doesn't look good on kids?

The floral hair accents are adorable!

These pretty little ladies look so sweet in their floral numbers.

Guess who did the finale walk?

Spotted: Jinkee Pacquiao, with her kids, supporting her daughter

... who escorted by two dashing boys, too! :)

Congratulations, SM Children's Wear, for a wonderful fashion show.

Can't wait for the next one ;)

Counter Intelligence

Don’t we all love looking for fabulous finds? The ones that are of good quality and are affordably-priced? Two shops that I frequently score amazing products from are Watsons Personal Care Stores and Beauty by SM Department Stores, and they just brought in a few more beauty goodies. Check these new additions:

For men, Watsons Men introduces two lines to cater to two skin types: normal and oily. Packaged in sleek matte black with pops of aqua blue and neon green, this is a sophisticated grooming line. Each range comes with four products that consist of wash, toner, scrub and cream, with the cream being my favorite from the lot. It comes with a pump for easy usage, and it’s also mess-free—perfect for men who want to keep everything simple and fast.

Seems like everyone’s becoming more eco-conscious, and these two stores join this category by offering eco-certified products that are free of paraben, mineral oil, and alcohol ingredients. Their bottles and packaging are also recyclable and reusable, with the line working closely with Bantay Kalikasan in protecting the La Mesa forest reserve. My favorite from the lot is the Sunflower Soothing Sugared Body Scrub, as I’ve been searching for Sunflower-scented products. I fell in love with the smell after I had my massage at Sonya’s Garden in Tagaytay.

Koreans and Japanese have been known to have super smooth and clear skin, which is why we gravitate towards skincare products that have a connection to these. Pure Beauty is the newest member at Watsons Your Personal Beauty Store. Made in Korea, and dermatologically-tested, Pure Beauty has detoxifying, neutralizing, energizing, and brightening effects that give you radiant skin results. A powerful yet gentle combination of relaxing ingredients such as lavender, bergamot, freesia, peppermint, rosemary, patented Greenol Oriental Herb Complex, and pomegranate works on reversing the signs of aging.

Fashion Week Peeks 4

If you love SM shoes as much as I do, then you'll surely fall in love with their clothes.  Here are my top picks:

Hitting the beach means more than just bringing your bikinis:

I'm no corporate gal when it comes to style preference, but I wouldn't mind wearing these:

Nautical gets reinvented in double-breasted styles, and cropped jackets paired with shorts shorts:

Ethnic tribal is one of the hot trends for 2010.

My seat mates and I have nothing but praises to give to this giant fashion retail house.

I can't wait to his the store this weekend.  See you all there ;)  

Fashion Week Peeks 3

OMG!!! Have you seen the latest shoe collection of SM Parisian? They're the talk of the stylish town.  Here are the ones that made it to my shopping list :D

These come in blush pink and beige.  The elastics are a plus—makes them easy to put on.

Studded peep-toe booties for the ferocious and the feminine.

I love the pop of color of the elastic strap.

Oooh, the neon pink is a winner, too!

Hmmm... what to buy? :o I want them all! I'm pretty sure they're all quite affordable. After all, they're from SM Parisian ;)

We Got It All For YOU!

Apologies as I've been busy with my Philippine Fashion Week reviews.  For today, I leave you with a video clip I took of a portion of the fashion show collection of SM:

Stay tuned! ;)

Fit for Sports

Whatever form of exercise we’re into, comfortable and well-fitting apparel are tops on the list. If we’re not happy with our gear, then we won’t be able to enjoy and excel in our fitness activities. Don't you agree?

One affordable and high-quality brand I came across with recently is Fit, that’s available in all SM department stores. It’s a sports apparel that boasts of lightweight fabrics that are sweat resistant, but allows your skin to breathe at the same time. Their styles are cut and designed to follow the curves of your body, and allow maximum elasticity, too! They also come in a wide range of colors, from cool pastels to energetic vibrant hues to suit your fitness regime of choice and personality.

This one is my fave among its current collection—shades of green and blue, mixed with gray, is a refreshing cool combination. And did I mention how affordable they are? About P500 (and not more than P800) for any Fit apparel. Check them out :D

Sale Shopping

Last Friday, my mom brought me and baby J to SM Megamall. I didn't want to bring baby J, but she insisted that it was safe since we will leave him and the yaya at the Prestige Lounge. The lounge is only for "loyal customers" that have spent more than P200,000 (if my memory serves me right) within a year.

That's little J playing with his toy ;) I think this is my first post with a photo of him :D Below is what the lounge looked like that early afternoon. For the first time, it was packed! There was even a charging station for Nokia phones. See the baby wearing blue? He's almost as tall as my baby J, and he's already 7.5 months as opposed to my little baby at 3.5 months! Natch, I'm a proud momma. Baby J looks even bigger and chubbier, too!

Yaya loves coffee. Well, I guess she needs it so as not to fall asleep when taking care of our baby. The lounge serves complementary brewed coffee, iced tea and hot tea, so I asked for coffee for her. She's had 2 cups while we were away. Now, for the life of me, I don't know why this lady's hair was styled this way :o Haha... I couldn't help but notice it.

Got to buy lots of stuff for baby J. Mom and I bought some clothes, too! The department store wasn't that packed yet, since we got there early afternoon. But we heard that there was a long line that morning until lunch time—they were offering an additional 10% off. By the time, we left (about 6 p.m.), the lines weren't so bad yet, but it was slowly getting packed. I guess, recession isn't as bad now.

We had merienda at Secret Recipe (Atrium area), and I had my usual order. This is a winner, if you haven't tried it yet. For P199, you have a cup of soup, bread, lasagna (that's super delicious and meaty), a glass of iced tea and a slice of cake. You have to pay in cash though, but it's still not bad :)

My winning buy that got me all giddy? These placemats for P79.95 each! If you've eaten at Sofitel, you'll remember this design in black/gray combination. But, of course, Sofitel's is made in Europe while these are from China. The original ones would cost about P800; I think I've seen them in Dimensione. Hihi...

Some updates:

1. I read from the bag hag that Saizen (Daiso in Japan) recalled a few items. Read the short article by clicking on this link.

2. My family and I were supposed to have lunch at Greenbelt 5 yesterday, since we haven't been there for a while. But we ended up at Le Souffle in Rockwell. Good thing, we did! I'm sure you've heard about the robbery at Greenbelt 5—at the Rolex shop to be exact. The things these robbers think of, my goodness! Apparently, they came dressed in police gear. To read more about it, click on this link and this. Be safe, everyone!

They Got It All—For You!

One thing I do know (and it’s good news) is that we’re at a recession stage that’s slowly gaining recovery.  So while we’re slowly adjusting to the current global state and working on positive upward results, we shouldn’t forget to look good while we’re at it.

We’ve actually been recession-dressing even before the economic downturn hit us!  It already is an innate art form that we’ve learned to master.  From rummaging through ukay-shops and inheriting fabulous finds from our parents, we proudly sashay in these timeless classics.  But this doesn’t mean all we wear are hand-me-downs, we scour the malls for the best trendy pieces—be it sulit buys or items we have patiently waited to go on sale.

SM Girls’ Teens Wear Merchandise Manager Pia Abad proudly showed me her latest collection to beat the recession blues.  Her love for fashion is a definite plus not only to the powerhouse department store, but to us stylephiles as well.  She and her team have made fashion so much fun and affordable for us ladies.  Check out what amazing buys we found, all affordably priced and not more than P599.75! A lot of their items are designer-inspired (and locally-made, too), and have been given a twist for a more youthful and playful vibe. 

Neon brights are here to stay... as seen on the fall/winter collection of Marc Jacobs.  Tiered and ruffled dresses are also very much in trend.

Tube dresses in neon colors fit our tropical climate.

This shirt is a perfect mix of rock, neon and '80s.

Black goes gothic chic and semi-dominatrix.  I love the PVC-ish looking leggings.  The Venus neckline of this little black dress is sooo sexy, too!

One-shoulder tops are so IN right now, thanks to the Hollywood A-listers who wore them at the red carpet awards earlier this year.

Zippers-galore in this bomber jacket brings us back to the '80s.

This ombre dress is such a steal—it costs less than P600!

*Photography by Noel Pabalate of Manila Bulletin.