Unfashionably cold

The problem with cold weather is I have no nice clothes for it. haha, But seriously, I hate feeling cold. I guess I'm a tropical girl through and through (though one who likes the AC during hot summer nights). So here I'm dressed in the drab colors of black, brown, and grey. The hat is the only interesting thing about this and they protect my ears from frostbite too.

pants - New York 101 ; sweater - ? ; scarf - Beijing tiangge ; 

boots - F21 ; hat - borrowed from cousin

Florals in the countryside

What is it about the countryside that makes me want to wear florals? I wore this outfit when we visited my in-laws back in the middle of October. I was a few days short of 30 then, and was still in full "bloom" of youthful, idealistic life.

Mweh. Who was I kidding? I was still groggy from lack of sleep. Haha! In order to be at the in-laws' place in time for lunch, we had to take the 6:50am train. Especially since this time, the hubby wanted to take the steam engine for the last leg of the journey, which lasted twice as long. Amazing racer, he is not.

The McDonald's at the Leipzig train station apparently didn't serve McMuffins until 7am on the weekends. Drat, foiled by 10 minutes! In Germany, a McMuffin is the only way you can bribe me to wake up that early in the morning with a semblance of a human expression on my face. (In the Philippines, we have faaar more choices: Jollibee longganisa meal, homemade arroz carldo, etc. etc. Yummm...)

Update: And as my sis posted below, there are also loads of new Beijing imported restos to look forward to. *excited*

tunic - Zara (was on sale for only 14 euros!); jeans - Zara

boots - Kampangen (the German shoe store--I finally dug the box out for reference)

snowflake necklace - stolen from Mom :)

Good vibes

Had dinner at Lugang - a franchise of Beijing’s Bellagio Cafe. The resto serves Chinese comfort food with an elegant modern flair. I think this can give Gloria Maris some good competition. There’s so many good food to try. I want to go back already.

Afterwards we headed to Happy Lemon, yet another franchise from Beijing. (Hmm, do I detect a trend?) I had the green tea with rock salt and cheese. It’s tea at the bottom with a creamy, salty foam at the top. I was iffy at first but it’s quite good and refreshing.

And to top it off I got to watch Harry Potter on Sunday after all. Hooray for Harry, Ron, and Hermione! All so grown up outside the walls of Hogwarts. And kudos to the actors. I feel like one proud mama which is weird when I’m only a few years older. They’re just so good now. Rupert especially gets to showcase his acting chops. He’s not just the comic relief anymore. And gone are the days of Emma’s overacting. Her first line in the movie alone shows how much more natural she’s become. And Dan nails it too, though I see more Dan than Harry sometimes. Gah, I just love them to bits!

Xia long bao. Mango shake with coconut milk.

My favorite fried string beans! It's finally in Manila!

Different form but still in its delicious oily glory.

 

Peanut butter smoothie. yum. Tastes so much like the real thing.

We joked about ordering tasty bread to go with it. 

Big, rich, creamy serving for only 160 bucks.

printed button-down  – Tango ; shorts – F21 ; flats – Shoebox ; bangles – tiangge

Feel good beats

I got this stripped top a few years back but never wore it. I thought of layering it over a white tee or tank but it never worked somehow. Yesterday I saw the top and suddenly thought of the J Crew video my sister posted. It was true light bulb moment. I love that ad. The model's outfits spell comfy classic chic. So here I bring forth my best imitation.

I was buttoned up for work by the way. Then for night, I unbuttoned the shirt, knotted the ends, put a strands of pearls (only 130 bucks!) and ta-da, ready for a night out. Where exactly? To the Gin Blossoms concert! It was a total blast from the past. They sounded great though I only know their old hits. And special mention to the opening act 6 Cycle Mind. They didn’t play their music but instead covered songs from Radiohead, Third Eye Blind, Francis M, Semisonic, etc. I was in 90s heaven.

And the night before that, guess whose album promotion I went to?? David A!! Heehee. Kinilig ako. He was super cute. He sang only 3 songs but it was so worth it. He was all smiles and full of energy. David A, come back for a proper concert!

stripped top – Greenhills tiangge ; blue button down – Zara ; 

necklace – Landmark Dept Store ; jeans – Terranova ; sandals – Robinsons Dept Store

Sort of channeling Mondo Guerra

Oh Lordy, I am not scratching my head. It's that "tucking a lock of hair behind the ears" pose. I really should do something about this whole posing business. Like, learn it, for starters. Models of ANTM, GNTM, etc. etc. I have renewed respect for you.

Hookay. So. The outfit. Watching Project Runway Season 8, I found Mondo Guerra's ability to mix and match prints a wondrous thing to behold. It's done so effortlessly, and the result so chic. So I dug around my closet and inside a secondhand store in Munich, and came up with this outfit. It's not exactly like the Jackie O Challenge outfit, but until I have the powers of Heidi Klum and simply ring Mondo and ask with a German accent, "do you have my dress?", this will do. (The German accent, perhaps I can work on--I am thus one step closer to my goal. Mwaha!)

The skirt is a tad too big though, and I hope to have it taken in when I fly home to the Philippines in December. Also, is it possible to transform an A-line into a pencil skirt??

Actually, my current obsession with all things plaid began when I stumbled into this image at Anthropologie's website:

Anthropologie's Easy Keeper Skirt

The layers, the tulip hem, the cut, the colors, the positioning of the print--siiiigh, what a beauty. But unless someone magically hands me 144 euros and say, "Go forth and shop without guilt", then I guess my thrift find combo will do :) (Btw, why are the prices on Anthro's European website more expensive than the US one? Boo.)

Gosh, what a long outfit post. I must really be obsessed with plaid! Plaid-ly obsessed. Hee!

black cropped jacket - G2000, striped top - H&M, skirt - thrifted

belt - from the Philippines, tights - H&M, boots - German shoe store

CKB thrift find # 3

Here's the animal print skirt I like :) I had hiked it up a few centimeters to contrast with the loose floppy top, but the skirt actually skims the top of my knees, so I think it should be okay to wear to work when paired with a business-like top and a long, structured blazer.

A lot of my skirts are A-line in shape. Recently, I've found myself leaning towards the pencil cuts...perhaps yet another subliminal effect of Mad Men? (Soon I will have whiskey in the middle of the day, all throughout the day.) Isn't it weird though, just when you think you have all the staples in your closet and don't need to go shopping anymore, new cuts and new shapes appear that make you throw your hands up and your debit card keel over.

Oh, and the awkward pose? I was leaning on the chair behind me with my arms. Don't worry, I haven't sold my arms for a new pencil skirt :)

top and belt - H&M, skirt - thrifted, necklace - gift

tights - H&M, boots - German shoe store

Drapey things

I love my loose white tank. It's simple, versatile, and fit for layering. Most tanks in stores are fitted and those don't really suit me. So when I saw this tank in the Rockwell bazaar I snapped it up even though it's not that cheap (although cheaper than Topshop).

So guess what happened today?? My precious shirt incurred a tiny hole at the stomach area. How? Our dog bit it. No kidding. Kiwi was inside the cage and looked so forlon so I thought I'd let her out for a while. She promptly jumped on me and mistook my top as swishy playthings and proceeded to bite and pull. Never again! And fittingly we just came from Fairview to meet with a potential dog trainer. This latest episode further confirms that crazy Kiwi is dire need of training.

P.S. The gray top is a direct influence of Childhood Flames, one of my favorite fashion blogs. I got it almost a year ago but wore it the first time today. Gotta give that top more love.

gray top - New York 101 ; white tank - Rockwell bazaar ; 
leggings - from AU ; necklace - Mango ; bangle - tiangge

Channeling Tom, Gail, and Padme

It’s my secret wish to be a judge in a Top Chef episode. Ok, perhaps it’s not so secret. But since that fantasy is too far-fetched, the next best thing is to attend a food tasting event. Yesterday night I went to OAP's Ultimate Taste Test. There were 40 food suppliers and we get to sample everything for an entrance fee of Php 385. Not bad right?

I was full after 30 minutes though. I don’t know how the Top Chef judges do it. They could eat course after course and show no sign of waning enthusiasm. Respect, man.

The only food stall I kept going back to is the tea stall. Under normal circumstances, I’d fawn over the apple pie or get another serving of dulce leche bread pudding or savor that pulled beef sandwich, but due to food overload, my favourite became the cleansing peppermint tea. I rated the tea higher than anything else.

All in all, it was a fun event. Moderation and pacing is key. I wouldn’t mind being a food critic again. Thanks OAP, when’s the next one?

As for the outfit, I got the knit top at Tango. The store carries a lot of stylish clothes that could pass for Zara. And at a fraction of Zara’s price too. Hence my impromptu purchase. But after that buy I think I have to impose a shopping ban. My thinning wallet sure needs it.

knit top - Tango ; white tank - Rockwell bazaar ; 

jeans - Terranova ; wedges - Parisian ; necklace - Diva

CKB thrift find # 2

Told 'ya those shorts from my Colours Kleidermarkt haul were weird. Thus the face...to go along with the shorts :)

Actually, that's my thinking face. Hmm, no wonder no one takes me seriously when I say I'm thinking.

Anyway! I was thinking how to style the shorts. I folded the bottom three times, threw on a blazer and a belt...et viola!

Ready for an afternoon at the city center with the hubby!

And here I am pretending to read a magazine, so that people will finally take me seriously :)

blazer - Mango, sweater - Zara, shorts - thrifted

belt - from another dress bought from the Philippines

Easy day today

I rely on these denim shorts way too often. It's so easy to throw on and any top works with it. Perhaps I should impose a ban again. But um, I am wearing a floral top after all so my floral ban didn't exactly last long. Also this handbag just magically appeared in our closet one day. We don't know its true origins. But yay for us. It's cute and simple and inside there's a built in calculator. I kid you not. I tried to remove it but it wouldn't budge.

I got to watch Social Network yesterday. Really interesting and kind of epic considering how Facebook is affecting our generation's social culture. But according to the press the story itself is far from accurate. I guess we'll never know what really happened. And I'm sort of amazed how Justin Timberlake made me forget he's Justin Timberlake. Good acting.

shorts - Greenhills tiangge ; button down shirt - Rockwell tiangge ; 

belt - SM dept store ; bag - Rosetti ; bracelet - gifted by friend