10.30.2010

CKB thrift find # 1


So this is Find #1 from Colours Kleidermarkt Berlin. This piece was from the "14.99 euros per pound" pile, so I'm guessing this one came up to be around 3 euros.

In the yellow light of the warehouse, I thought the dress was brown, but after I took it home and reveled in the spoils of a good hunt, I realized it was super duper dark brown, bordering on black...like my soul. (Mwahahaha! :))

Anyway, after wearing a mustard undershirt for a pop of color and rolling up the sleeves to take away some of the severity...and after "belting" out some wizardry (excuse the pun)...here's what I came up with:


It looks a bit more put together now, but it still looks severe. A colored belt perhaps? A funky cover-up? Also, it's still big under the armpits, although the belt helped minimize this. I sooo wish I have this girl's talent.

How amazing is this girl Marissa who's re-creating a $1 dress everyday for a year? She's currently doing a "Dye Week" theme, where she's re-coloring her thrift finds. This makes me think if I can dye this dress, but with the fabric and dark color, would the new color take hold? Plus, would the dye wipe out the print? I have no idea. *clueless blink blink*


mustard top - Terranova; dress - thrifted
brown tights - Yorn; shoes - Zara; "J" necklace - gift from godmother :)

10.27.2010

8 hours in Berlin


You may ask, so if I had really been to Berlin, where are the shots of the Brandenburg Gate or the Reichtag in the background? Well, my kitchen has a fridge to prop the camera on, Berlin didn't. So you'd just have to take my word that I was in Berlin :)

Wait! I do have proof, but not by way of photos. I've been lucky to have had visited the fantastic city of Berlin a few times, either by leisure or business trips. I've seen the major sites and museums. So now I thought of discovering Berlin in a different way--by fleamarket-hopping. I did it once before and had stumbled unknowingly into little pockets of colorful communities in Berlin--to my extreme delight. These micro-communities are the Berlin for the locals, which made ol' tourist me fall in love with Berlin even more.


Anyway, so back to my proof. After renewing my passport at the Philippine embassy in Berlin, I took the U-Bahn over to the Bergmannstrasse area, on the hunt for Colours Kleidermarkt, a second-hand store hailed in one of my guidebooks. It did not disappoint; Colours was a whole floor of vintage and second-hand goodies from scarves to 80's dresses to kitschy Oktoberfest wear. Some items were priced individually, while some were priced per kilo! My proof(s) that I went to Berlin? A butter-yellow kimono-sleeved tunic/blouse, a tiger-print fur skirt, a blue weird high-waisted long-ish shorts (which I need to fix or at least style properly), a 60's shirtwaist dress (which on hindsight is too dark and too big), and a silk (I think) square scarf! And all that for a little over 20 euros. Wowza, what an achievement. Haha!


Spending a day in Berlin, I wanted an outfit that's comfortable to walk in, so I wore my Chucks. (They weren't originally gray--I'll tell you the story next time :)) I'm loath to pair up sneakers with skinnies, because I feel like Ronald McDonald with my size-9.5 feet, but--oh well--sometimes comfort just simply trumps fashion. Plus, the Chucks ended up not looking too Titanic-ish on the photos :)

This is also the first time I layered statement pieces of jewelry...I like it. It's inspiring me to see what else I can mix and match, although I've tried before and found it not so easy. Practice, practice! :)


shirt - H&M, blazer - Zara, pants - Zara, shoes - Converse
necklace - H&M and Bijou Brigette

10.25.2010

30-20-10!


That was my countdown for turning 30 on the 20th of the 10th month of the year. It would had been the only time I could have used it*, and it was nice when it came to me while I was writing an email invitation to friends. Must have been from watching all those Mad Men episodes :)

I celebrated with 30 friends in a tiny maroon-lit restaurant-bar-lounge in our area called Die Kleine Trauemerei (The Little Dreamerie...how adorable is that!). It was a sweet evening--different circles of friends mixing together and talking and generally having a good time. It was cozy, toned down, comfortable--I think the wildest thing in the party was the wild turnip they served as part of the finger food buffet.

And to cap off the evening? Receiving these beautiful, happy flowers from my parents and sisters from the Philippines! Thank you, guys! I love it :) What a surprise!




*I guess I could still use 30-20-10 when, in the future, I...swat 30 mosquitos in 20C weather in an apartment on 10th street. Or...when I pick 30 tomatoes on the 20 branches of my 10 tomato plants. Or...if I win 30 million on my 20th try on a 10-number lotto game! Hahaha!


tunic - Meg; black turtleneck - Promod
black skinnies - Zara; boots - German shoe stoAlign Centerre
necklace - gift from Mom, it represents the "Water Cube" at the Beijing Olympics!

10.24.2010

Of new and old


The theme of the birthday party was vintage and I wasn’t sure how dressed up people would be. Turns out a lot of them took it to heart. There were feathers, lace, pearls, head pieces, high waist shorts, statement necklaces, blazers, patterned tights, gloves, etc etc. It was fun seeing the different takes on vintage. I went with the lace route and hopefully the printed cover up looked vintage-y with the braided belt. And bejewelled sandals for some bling.


lace dress – Chocolate ; cover up – Museum ; belt – SM dept store; sandals - ?

10.18.2010

Here comes the sun



Excuse the face. Sometimes I forget to make a nice face at the end of the 10 second timer.

This bag is a gift from my sister from her trip to Morocco. I love how it makes an ordinary outfit look cool. The woven leather, raw fringe, and buckled strap - so perfect.

So this Sunday was a duplicate of last Sunday. Rockwell and Dulcinea churros yet again. Not a bad routine eh? Our purpose was actually the Moonlit Bazaar. There were lots of trendy and affordable items inside. But as usual, when there’s too many things, I get overwhelmed and end up buying very little. I did make 2 purchases: a plain white razorback and a shiny purple clutch with a huge bow. The bag is reminiscent of Madonna in her Material Girl stage, complete with black lace details. It's so unlike anything in my closet. I don’t know what made me buy it. But different is good.

PS. This outfit has sort of a 70s vibe. More in the hippie part of the spectrum. Sibling ESP!
 

Top – People are People ; skirt – Promod ; bag – gifted by sister

10.17.2010

That 70's Style


Continuing the lookbook copycatting / inspiration-digging, I came up with my own version of the 70's look. Mango, Promod and H&M are highlighting that era this season, and I'm glad. I love that 70's style.


One of the best parts about this outfit is the yellow blouse, which I snagged at a second-hand / vintage shop opposite the university's city canteen (or as they dub here, the city mensa). It think the store was called Humana or Humanita. Unfortunately, I'll never have the chance to check, because when I had gone for the second time, an empty store front greeted me, with blocked up display windows. How sad!


I would love to know if there are any other second-hand or vintage stores in Leipzig. Knowing the grunge, hippie, alternative student vibe of the city, there must be a few lurking around corners. Come out, come out wherever you are!

Oh, just to segue a bit (and it seems I can't stop talking about clothes lately--perhaps I feel repressed due to the shopping ban)--I cannot wait to buy those long straight flared pants of this season. Eagerly awaiting for sales!

P.S. The other best part, you ask? My Charles and Keith sandals!


blouse - thrifted; vest - Mango;
belt - H&M; jeans - Promod; wedges - Charles & Keith

10.15.2010

When the parents are out, the kids play about


Went to Rockwell with my younger sis. We walked around from noon til 3 and then had Dulcinea's churros con chocolate. There used to be a Dulcinea stall in the Ateneo caf and I’d have those churros religiously. Like once a week religious. It's just so good! Chewy fried dough paired with hot spanish chocolate. Nomnomnom. I haven’t eaten one in ages so this was a real treat. And I think my sister was converted into a churros fan too.

So this outfit... I liked it at the start but then it felt a bit kiddie by the end of the day. So I don't know.


ruffle dress – 168 tiangge ; chambray vest – Bayo ; 
sandals – Parisian ; bag – Jellybean

10.13.2010

Copycat

Feeling that I do not re-mix the items in my closet to the fullest, I like looking at various label's lookbooks for inspiration. I flip through looks and do a mental inventory of my closet to see if I can recreate a certain outfit.

Mango's Winter 2010 lookbook featured this. I thought it's a cute look for school and before I knew it, my spidey senses were like, whoaaa, you might be able to recreate this!


So I came up with this:

Hahaha! It reminds me of a cheese spread TV commercial from my childhood days with a line that goes, "You're nothing but a second-rate try-hard copycat!" But close enough, right?

Granted, I don't have her impossibly defined high cheekbones and beautiful vintage bike. But I have a freaky-looking panda with its freaky-looking finger-hand and a spaced-out floating chicken behind me. So there, I win.

(That's the little Asian imbiss/mobile fast food at the beginning of our street. I think the hubby and I need to hone our location scouting skills. Lol.)


shirt dress - H&M; army green jacket - Stradivarius;
necklace & bag (hidden) - Promod

10.11.2010

Mild meets wild


Finally found new spots in the apartment to prop the camera up :) I think I like the lighting here better.

Also finally busted out the booties I got in Barcelona. They're from Zara but it was 24 euros cheaper in Spain than it is in Germany. Thank differences in purchasing power parity...or something. (There goes the MBA geek talk. Excuse me while I annotate that for proper sources.)

The leopard print shirt was a hand-me-down from a friend / classmate who's now doing her exchange term in India. Every time I wear it, I think of her. (I also have a couple more here that I may hand further downwards to my sis...so she would think of her even if she doesn't know my friend personally :) Ah, the legacy of clothing.)

I'm digging the animal print trend, but I don't really know how to wear them. My friend suggested pairing it with something plain and more serious to downplay the "wild" print. I took inspiration from this cute lady, but switching it around as I obviously cannot wear the shirt as a skirt. Teehee.

More spots in the apartment! (No pun intended.)


blazer - Mango; leopard shirt - Forever 21;
jeans and shoes - Zara

10.08.2010

In the middle of a hazy week



Wednesday Night. Had sisig pizza at Cerchio. It's actually quite good. Salty sweet flavorful pieces of sisig on pizza crust. At first bite, my friend A (my food soulmate) and I looked at each other with matching expressions of delight and approval. We were hungry though, thus easier to please.

I bought this skirt right around graduation but rarely wore it. It was too low waist so the hem hits an awkward length. Plus I didn't have the right top for it. I actually planned to make it shorter but hesitated since I didn't want to lose any of the print. Thank goodness I didn't. A loose tank and belt was all it needed.


skirt - Bayo ; gray tank - Topshop ; random white tank ; belt - F21

10.06.2010

Brewing ideas


Monday blues are best remedied with a date with the girls. And after having an in-depth discussion on girly issues, I think our friendship just crossed over to a new level, haha. Wore pants for work and switched to shorts by night.


blazer - Promod ; random black tank ; shorts - Greenhills tiangge ;
bag - Jellybean ; flats - Shoebox ; necklace - Mphosis

10.04.2010

Furry friend


I wore this once whilst at a friend's house for some MBA groupwork. (I had a brunch date prior to the groupwork, and thus the fancier get-up :))

My friend has a cat named after the gummy bear brand Haribo. But he could very well might have been called Terminator, Sabretooth, or the Hulk. He eyes every guest suspiciously and prowls about them like a hunter stalks a prey. (More so if it's an Asian guest, I kid you not.)

And an Asian guest wrapped in a fur vest that looks like a scratching post? Well, sign me up for the witness protection program.


vest - Promod; beige shirt underneath - Greenhills tiangge
jeans - Zara; snowflake necklace - stolen from my mom :)