UP Diliman Clothing Technology Student /
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Night Skins
If you’ve been following my blog for quite some time, you would know that I usually wear edgy pieces. I wear a lot of denim, leather, black, and other neutral colors, that’s why it was a no-brainer to attend Lee Jeans Philippines’ Night Skins collection launch. Just by hearing its name, I knew it was going to be a feast for the eyes.
Night Skins by Lee is the brand’s latest collection, a seven-piece collection featuring the sexiest of skinny jeans coated in metallic leather. The glossy black leather effect amps up the fierce factor for the women’s collection, while the collection for men is toughened up with a ruggedly sexy finish.
See me rocking the same pair of jeans here!
The jeans are all about attitude - they have a toughness to them but they are also flattering. You are guaranteed to make a statement just by wearing them - even in the dark!
Full-course dinner by Chef Gaita Fores. No wonder everything tasted absolutely divine!
“Night is when people feel most free. It is after dark when people are more emotionally led. A time when inhibitions fall away and people are willing to express themselves in more creative ways. For many when the sun sets, opportunity rises. FREE YOUR NIGHT SIDE.”
To know more about Lee Jeans’ latest collection, like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
Special thanks to Earl Semitara, Epoy Arcino and Kytes de Laza! <3
Free Your Night Side
No matter what the latest trends are, a pair of jeans that fit you like a glove will never go out of style. Jeans are a basic that all women must have. I know a lot of girls who aren’t fond of wearing jeans, but personally, I really like them because they never fail to make me look chic at any given occasion - whether I want to dress them up or down. And since my style is bordering on bold and edgy, I prefer jeans in unique washes, treatments and cuts.
Night Skins by Lee is the brand’s latest collection featuring the sexiest of skinny jeans with high shine polish and metal hardware embellishments. I believe in shopping for your dominant season and for the Philippines that means clothes that are light and breezy. However, that does not stop me from indulging in two of my favorite trends of all time - metallics and leather!
Wearing metallic can be daring as there is a thin line between looking luxurious and looking like you’re wrapped in foil. Hahaha! Naturally, I didn’t want to look like the latter, so the key to not looking like one is the juxtaposition of the rough and the smooth. I made the jeans the out-shining part of my outfit and toned down the rest to keep the look simple. The jeans give off a glam rock feel, plus they’re so comfortable too! The combination of black and gold makes me love them even more!
The brand will also be having their annual Lee Style Armies student design competition this Friday, October 26 at the SM Mall of Asia Main Atrium. For the third year in a row (I was part of the first batch!), students were selected from AdMU, DLS-CSB, USC-Cebu, FEU, Mapua, UP Diliman, CEU, and SoFA to vie for artistic recognition and design supremacy. I helped style the collections too (hence the slowdown in blog posts) so be sure to watch!
To find out more about the Night Skins collection and this year’s design competition, like Lee Jeans Philippines on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
Lee jeans (Night Skins collection)
Angela’s Box earrings and top with cut-out detail
Vintage Finds three-finger ring
Asian Vogue wedges
Triptych
Last Saturday, I attended the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s Fashion Design and Merchandising Program’s Graduation Gala Fashion Show at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza’s Harbour Garden Tent. Each student-designer constructed 3 avant-garde garments that reflect specific trends/themes, which are Afrocentric, Patriotic, Bohemian, Futuristic, and Fusion. Each theme had approximately 10 students each, which are either under the category of sportswear, haute couture, or lingerie. They showcased the best of their work, which synthesized a variety of approaches, tools, and concepts related to their discipline. Congrats to DLS-CSB FDM for pulling off such a successful event and for being a veritable hotbed of emerging designers! Thanks to Tina Carillo and Kim Chanpongco for inviting me and for the good seats they provided me and my designer and stylist friends from Lee. After the fashion show, we went to Skye to celebrate Rj’s birthday!
Photos courtesy of Rj Santos, Roy Back, Ronn Wong and Yanie Medina; post-processing by me
Follow me on Twitter for updates!
No Heels for Now
High heels are forgiving of every figure, no matter what one’s size or shape is. They always make me feel good about myself! I have no problem walking on high heels; actually, I fall more often when I’m wearing flats. Hahaha! But recently, my legs easily become sore and my feet hurt from wearing sky-high shoes. So I realized that it’s important to take little breaks from time to time to prevent my varicose veins from getting worse. Hahaha :) Honestly, I’ve been living in my Dr. Martens and comfy flats these days!
I needed an outfit that was stylish but also functional for a day full of errands.
H&M jacket with D-I-Y shoulder detail, D-I-Y black chain necklace and Chocolate Pudding Jellybean necklace courtesy of Kandi Treats
Top from Singapore, shorts courtesy of All About Mary, and clutch courtesy of Call It Spring
Studded sneakers courtesy of my Korean male friend, Roy Back! I frequently call him chingoo (Korean term for friend). You’ve probably seen or read about him in my previous Lee-related posts. Bias aside, he’s one of the most-skilled young designers I know! His designs have already been featured quite a lot. It’s actually his birthday today, so follow him on Twitter and greet him if you like! :)
P.S. Right now, I’m probably having Christmas dinner with my blockmates! Don’t forget to watch the much-awaited UP Diliman Lantern Parade this Friday! We made 3 dresses for the parade. :) I’m going to miss the special event though because I got invited to attend the Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards in Malaysia. Can’t wait!
Bloggers United 2
Last December 3, I got to participate in the second installment of the Bloggers United bazaar at Treston International College, thanks to Ana, Melai and Pax! I’m so grateful I was able to be a part of the interactive shopping phenomenon. I had a lot of fun chatting with my fellow bloggers and my readers! Check out what I wore and read my short appreciation message in my previous entry.
Here’s what went on during the event:
My booth! Thanks to my mom and my brother for making this lovely banner! Naaaks, very supportive! <3 I love that my whole family is into art.
Nail It! Salon partnered with me and was generous enough to sponsor a promo for all my shoppers! They got shopping bargains at my booth and some pampering as well!
Thanks to Anagon for the personalized wire keychain with my name on it! It’s not clearly visible in this photo so I promise to take a close-up photo next time!
With my booth partner, Tracy Ayson
I blogged about my clothes, shoes and accessories here. I’m glad that most of my pre-loved stuff now lies in the hands of my fabulous readers!
My first shopper bought A LOT of things. I wasn’t even completely done fixing my booth! I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get your name but do know that you made me so happy!
My first friend who dropped by my booth! Meet Mark Bumgarner, a formula racer and a fashion designer. Hop on to his website, www.danielmarkbumgarner.com, to view (and buy!) his awesome designs!
My designer friends Rj Santos, Roy Back and Enzo Montaño also came! I warned them that they will see mostly womenswear, but they still supported me. So sweet! <3 They got to buy from FFT’s booth (Paul, Mike, JP and Karl) though.
It got pretty chaotic around lunch time!
Thank you Akiko for buying my black booties! I was afraid that no one would buy my shoes because of my small shoe size, but they were nearly sold out! Yay :)
With Paul Jatayna of Paul Highness and OS
With Mike Magallanes of Toxic Disco Boy and Paradigm Shift
Bumped into Grace Libero of Meg Magazine! Have you guys seen the latest issue yet? ;)
Remo, Juno and my blockmate Ja (thanks for buying my Cotton On dress, girl!)
Vern Enciso of A Shoe Tale, checking out my clothes!
With Kryz Uy of Thirstythought
UP Clothing Technology students Pam Mejia and Cris Roxas
With Dave Guison of DG MNL
Fierce interior designers and bloggers Aivan Magno and Raleene Cabrera. Thanks for lending me your mirror, guys! Haha
With Cole Puentevella of Soule Phenomenon and Moonleaf’s Marketing Manager, Thysz Estrada. Hurrah for black clothing and silver metal accessories!
With Seph Cham and Shai Lagarde of Love Chic. I wasn’t formally introduced to them but they approached me first! They’re such a nice couple.
With Lissa Kahayon of Scene Stealer
With Bjorn Bedayo of Bjorn Manila
With one of my favorite bloggers, Mommy Kookie Buhain of Death by Platforms. She’s not yet a real mom, but she’s like one to me!
Multiply Philippines provided a cozy lounge for everyone. They were kind enough to treat us to a little shopping spree as well! I will share my shopping finds soon. :)
After a long day, I found no better way to pamper myself other than a 15-minute massage and a manicure at the Nail It! Salon booth.
Before leaving Treston College, I bought Raleene’s red velvet cake pops coated in milk chocolate! I swear, it was love at first bite! I’m definitely going to order again.
Thank you so much to The Bloggers United team for their efforts and for their great job in organizing such a successful event, to our wonderful sponsors (including Multiply, Accessorize, ETC, Union Bank, Rio Mints, Manels, Nivea, Kotex, Lorys and Ashley’s, among others) for making the event possible and to all the guests who came and supported the participating bloggers!
My gratitude is endless. ‘Til the next Bloggers United Bazaar! I hope you would still be excited! xx
P.S. If you have photos of us or the stuff you bought from me, kindly e-mail them to me at tin_iglesias@yahoo.com.
Lee S/S 2012: Diamond Cut
As I’ve mentioned in my previous post, I got to design the tops and make the accessories for the Diamond Cut (Hipster Party) segment of the recently-concluded Lee Philippine Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 2012. Here are the runway photos! :)
Miss Universe 2011 3rd runner-up Shamcey Supsup
International model Olivia Medina and Miss Earth Philippines Fire 2011, Michelle Gavagan
Miss Tourism Queen International 2006 Justine Gabionza and Bb. Pilipinas World 2009, Marie-Ann Umali
Miss World Philippines 2011 finalist Elaine Kay Moll and Miss Resorts World 2010, Wendy Tabusalla
Once again, thank you so much to Earl Semitara, Kytes Navarro-de Laza and Epoy Arcino for the awesome opportunity! <3
Photos courtesy of Get Shot and Sherwin Guzman
BTS: Lee National Denim Day
As I’ve mentioned before, Lee Jeans-Philippines got some students from the Lee Style Armies Philippine Fashion Week S/S 2011 to help them with their PFW S/S 2012 fashion show as stylists/designers, and work as mentors for the new batch of student-designers. Though it’s been a month since Lee National Denim Day, I admit, I’m still not over the whole experience. I completely had a fantastic time working with everyone, even though it’s already my third PFW with the same team. Each day was pretty hectic and keeping up with my school and other work assignments became a struggle; nonetheless, I found myself more motivated. I loved every aspect of it because I got to work with something that I am passionate about, and I got to do it with some of the smartest, most skilled, and most fun people I’ve ever met! :)
Warning: This is a photo-heavy post!
Lee’s current worldwide campaign is called The City is Mine. “The campaign aims to encourage everyone to explore, enjoy, and experience everything their city has to offer and liberate and nurture their passions in the process.” In line with this, they selected 12 young designers from some of the country’s best schools who set the stage for the Lee National Denim Day competition last October 28.
Ms. Kytes (I call her Mommy Kytes sometimes), one of Lee’s head designers, knows how much I love shoes. I assume that’s the reason why she gave me the task to source for shoes with my co-stylist, Kara, at Resorts World!
Kara and I finished our work in less than an hour. We ate at Stackers and watched No Other Woman thereafter. Haha!
Everyone’s busy looking for styling pegs, as well as finding the right colors and fabrics for their designs, among other things.
Each student-designer was required to create an audacious yet wearable two-piece collection inspired by the cities of New York, Tokyo, Manila, London, Paris, and Australia. To be fair, the student-designers and and student-stylists drew lots. I got New York and mentored Jumbo Guevara of DLS-CSB and Ronn Wong of UST.
During the first few weeks, we talked to the student-designers from the University of San Carlos-Cebu through Skype! Lee flew them to Manila two weeks before the competition.
Sourcing for materials can be a daunting task, but everything seems so much easier when you do it with your creative friends. :)
Fitting is essential because you have to make sure everything stays in place; it’s the best time to see which clothes and accessories look good on the models, to see how the models walk, to see how the fabric moves, and so on.
The day before the final show, prominent people in the fashion industry like Daryl Chang, Kiko Escora, Joey Espino, Rosario Herrera, Jerome Lorico, and Bang Pineda pre-judged the designs of the students at the SMX Convention Center.
They asked the students to discuss their inspirations and their designs.
With stylists/designers Margaux, Roy and Mark in the corner, listening to what the students had to say. We all felt their nervousness!
We had another fitting a few days before the show. Daryl Chang, Preview’s Fashion Editor, was our head stylist.
Notice the body chain? I made it for Miss Universe 2011 3rd runner-up Shamcey Supsup’s outfit. :) Thanks to Kara for helping me!
There were a total of 8 stylists and we were given the responsibility to work on several themes/segments, including Urban Rider, LA, 70s, Preppy, Splice, 101 and Diamond Cut (Hipster Party). Earl Semitara, one of Lee’s head designers, assigned me to handle Diamond Cut, the brand’s most innovative denim jeans. I was so ecstatic because the collection is SO ME! I wasn’t allowed to modify the jeans, but I got to design the tops, the jacket and I got to make the accessories! I will create a separate blog entry for the runway photos of my segment. :)
All packed for the fashion show!
We worked for a little over a month. Our work place is located in Makati, and it’s quite far from where I live; so after my finals, I decided to sleep there for a week. Almost everyone did the same!
Zoey illustrated the 8 stylists/former Lee Style Armies! I think it’s pretty obvious that I’m the third person because of the pose, the style, and the height. Haha! We’re cooking up something very exciting (not related to the brand), and I can’t wait for the day when I can finally spill the beans!
I always find myself laughing my ass off with Kara. We’re like brain twins! She took up Fashion Design and Merchandising in CSB and recently got featured in Meg Magazine’s Young Designers to Watch for list. :)
With Candy model Kim Chanpongco
The power of having fun at work should never be underestimated. We’re more energetic and productive if we’re having fun… it’s just the way we’re wired. Buying 7-Eleven’s merchandise was one of our stress relievers - it’s walking distance from our work place! Ja of UP-Diliman (a close friend of mine) and Josei of USC-Cebu (my new-found friend) kept us very amused!
I actually celebrated my 21st birthday with them at Izakaya! It was definitely a good break from work! <3
Press features and fashion week tickets
The big day finally came!
Photos of models backstage. At that time, it was getting pretty chaotic and everyone was feeling the adrenaline rush!
Channel [V] VJ Kevin Cisco hosted the event
Of course, I just had to take a photo with Philippine Azkals’ center back, Anton Del Rosario. We had a little chat about football (since I used to play the sport) and his niece, who happens to be a good friend of mine! *Kilig* He modeled for the Urban Rider and 101 collections.
The show was a success! Thanks to all those who came and supported the event. A big fat CONGRATULATIONS to Josei of USC-Cebu for winning the 2011 Student Design Competition, to Ayi of UST for winning second place, and to my mentee Jumbo of DLS-CSB for winning third place and the YKK Special Award!
Thanks to Rj, Cha, Pau and Kara for some of the photos!
Related post: Lee: Photo Booth Abuse
Safari Chic
I may not be able to take off on a whim on a wildlife safari in the African desert; however, I sure can get in the mood and take a walk on the wild side with a safari-chic outfit! :)
Scarf from Bangkok (used as a headwrap)
Polo shirt courtesy of Lee. Yes, I got it in the men’s section! I styled it by tying it in front, by putting huge safety pins in the collar, and by pairing it with my taupe leather shorts from Topshop.
Jeremy Scott x Swatch watch, Bijoux de Lou rings, and bracelet courtesy of SM Accessories
Thank you so much to Primadonna for these wedges! The contrast of the black color and the wooden heel is really nice. I was pleasantly surprised at how incredibly light these shoes are.
I’m excited to see the brand’s newest collection and endorser tomorrow at Makati Shang! They also got me and a few more fashion bloggers for a fun project! I’ll blog about it next time. In the meantime, follow them on Facebook and Twitter for shoe updates! :)
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