A Special Shoe Celebration

After posting and proclaiming to the world my love for Melissa's Ashanti boots,

and seeing this cute ad campaign of theirs, I just had to have them! The ladies from Melissa were so kind enough to let me get first dibs on their Ashanti's, and take home my top two color picks for me to decide which to get at the comforts of my home. Teehee...

It was a toss up between blue (but I thought it was a bit bland/muted for my taste) and...

red, which I've been leaning towards to and finally gave in to :o *silent kilig scream* I've always been attracted to colors and this would go well with a hot pair of leggings/stir-ups/skinnies. I can't wait to show them off :D They also come in black, red velour, black velour and brown velour, FYI. But this post is not just about the newest member of my shoe closet, it's about Melissa's 30th anniversary. Can you believe it's been 30 years?

Get your fave Melissa shoes at special prices ONLY for this weekend—Saturday and Sunday—at the 5th floor, Rustan's Makati. As an added treat, you'll get a Melissa keychain (not for sale) with a minimum purchase of P5,000. You can also view the 2009 Fall/Winter and 2010 Spring/Summer collections, too! Something to drool over are their latest collaborated designs such as:

Zaha Hadid's space-age-inspired shoes. I've been dreaming of this one *sigh*

Zaha Hadid was born in Iraq and graduated with a degree in Mathematics (woah!), and pursued her dream of becominga famous architect. The above pic is one of her works. You can obviously see the resemblance of the shoe and this bar structure.

Designer Karim Rashid's textured wedges. He's a New York-based Egyptian designer that has worked with the greats

like Prada, Giorgio Armani, and Sony to name a few.

Vivienne Westwood Anglomania's latest style is this elevated 3-strap pair. Funky!

Do join in on the celebration and feast your eyes on these jelly babies this weekend at Rustan's Makati. Now is also a great time to purchase one (or more!) of them at special price offerings. I'm pretty sure they're too good to resist. See you all there. Congratulations and a very happy birthday to Melissa! ;)

One-Up for this Onesie

I had to go out last Friday for a quick errand at Shangri-la Plaza Mall, and couldn't resist not dropping by Zara since it went on a further marked down sale. I didn't have much time to look around when I got there, so I asked a sales staff where theIR rompers/onesies were—it's one of the pieces I've been eyeing, and probably the only outfit that can fit my post-preggy body. Can you guess how much I got this for?

It's such a steal at only P995! I didn't know it went that LOW until I paid for it, since they were still fixing the price tags when I was there. From P2750, it went down to P1350; and I was only too happy to find out that I only had to pay for P995. Score!!! *pardon the background of the photo above, this was taken inside our bathroom :o*

Now, the real purpose of this post is not to show off my find, though it is a good one ;) I wanted to share with you the many ways you can wear this romper to give it more mileage.

First: the standard way

Second: The straps are quite wide, so I draped them down on my arms for a more demure look.

Third: halter. I just criss-crossed the straps :)

Fourth: Venus neckline. I pulled one of the straps to the other side, and twisted the two straps, for an asymmetrical look.

One-shoulders are very in trend now.

Fifth: Variation of the one-shoulder neckline. I pulled down one of the straps to drape my arms :)

This is how I'd wear it, because I have bigger arms now (still not back to my pre-preggy weight). I paired it with a striking hot pair of Melissa T-strap jelly wedges an extra boost of color (to liven up a washed-out gray outfit). The wedges lengthen your body as well, since rompers (most especially in jodhpur style that's loose and big) will make you look shorter. Flats would only work on slim and/or tall ladies.

I hope this post inspired you to play with your clothes. Don't just take the clothes as is OR how they're presented to you by the shops. There are so many ways to wear and pair them; nothing's set in stone. See where each piece/outfit takes you, that's the fun in dressing up. Enjoy!

MJ's Secret to Moonwalking

Who would have thought that Michael Jackson was also an inventor? Apparently, he has a US-patented pair of shoes to "defy" gravity—just for his famous moonwalk dance. So, that's the secret! And to think we've all been trying to copy this trademark dance move back in the early '90s!

Here's what I got online:

A system for allowing a shoe wearer to lean forwardly beyond his center of gravity by virtue of wearing a specially designed pair of shoes which will engage with a hitch member movably projectable through a stage surface. The shoes have a specially designed heel slot which can be detachably... Inventors: Michael J. Jackson, Michael L. Bush, Dennis Tompkins Assignees: Triumph International, Inc. Primary Examiner: M. Denise Patterson Plus, the documents:

Fascinating, isn't it? And only he can pull off the white socks/black shoes combo ;) I find myself attracted to his rockin' '80s look, and think this pair of women's oxford shoes by Melissa Joy + J. Maskrey is the key to pulling off his style. Released date is this weekend at MIX, Greenbelt 5. Price: P10,950.

J. Maskrey's trademark Swarovski studs are worthy of the King of Pop's brilliant dance moves.

For those who are sick of black, grey would be a great alternative. These also look good with fold-up trousers or jeans. Very in-trend!

* I still can't believe the King of Pop is gone :( I know it's been said sooo many times, but his music, his dance moves, his style and his legacy will live on and transcend time. Truly, MJ, you're finally in the happiest place that you've been dreaming of.

Melissa GC's Up for Grabs NOW

In at least 10 words, please explain why you love Melissa! :D Just be one of the FIRST 10 people to make a comment on the NOTE on their facebook page on JULY 7 (that's in a few minutes; facebook time applies) and you'll win fabulous prizes from store.melissaphilippines.com!

Log on to facebook; cut and paste this link: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=117891317753 to join.

Other rules (please read carefully):
1. One entry per person and he/she can only win once
2. Comment should have a minimum of 10 words
3. Comments posted before July 7 will not receive prizes even if they’re the first to comment on the note
4. Applicable to Philippine residents only
5. The 10 winners will have to e-mail these details to marketing@istilacompanhia.com
- name on facebook
- email address used on facebook (Melissa Philippines will need this info to authenticate that you are indeed the person who posted the winning comment)

For inquiries, e-mail Marketing@istilacompanhia.com

Good luck :D

Going Jelly for these Boots

There are two things I like when it rains: the cool weather and dressing up.  I look forward to wearing my trench coats, jackets and boots; which is why I had to post this dreamy pair by Melissa :D  For those who are not YET familiar with the Brazilian brand, they're shoes are made from plastics and smell really yummy, too!  Trust me on this, they are one of the softest, comfiest and stylish footwear one could ever have.  This model is called Ashanti, and from the moment I saw it online, I knew these were THE boots to have!

And who better to model these fab fierce pair than Agyness Deyn?

Melissa Philippines will be bringing in two colors: red and black; and are priced at P3895.  You can pair these ankle boots with just about anything—leggings, jeans, a mini dress (to elongate your legs) or a skirt (a pencil-cut style would be your safest bet).  

A warning from the stylish and the wise: stay away from ankle boots if you are not blessed with slim legs.  Unfortunately, this is the sad truth.   Your best friends would be knee-high styles that don't cut your legs and make your calves look bigger.  

Don't worry, I'll be searching for knee-high boots soon—just for you ;)

*For a list of stores that sell Melissa shoes, visit http://www.melissaphilippines.com/buy.html