SOFA Manila: Student Exhibit At Eastwood Mall

I was walking around Eastwood Mall a couple of weeks ago and came across the School of Fashion and the Arts' student fashion exhibit at the atrium. Most dresses were a curious blend of modern and classic styles, though there were a few that especially stood out for me.

"Living in a State of Extravagant Fantasy"

Extravagant, yes. Fantasy? Not really, no. Out of all the dresses I took shots of, this was probably the only one that I didn't quite like. I took a picture because I was impressed with all the patterns and textures stuck onto a single dress, though I think the designer would've done well to remember that less, sometimes, is more.

"Floral Shadow"

Stunning piece. My only qualm is that I'm not sure where one would wear this to, haha! But everything from the flowers to that gorgeous little half-cape is absolutely breath-taking! Such a well put-together piece.

"Junkie Rag Skirt" and "Frey" (necklace)

I love both of these pieces. Both are completely wearable for clubbing or parties, and they're unique enough to get you noticed but not so avant-garde that you'd get thrown out. Lol.

"New Wave Romance"

Such an apt title! Pair this with some killer 5-inch glads and you're going to be the belle of whatever ball you go to. I love geometric patterns when they're done right, and those red roses simple beg to be plucked. And the hem? LOVE it.

"Corpse Bride"

Absolutely gorgeous piece. This was the centerpiece of the exhibit, and I found it to be absolutely stunning. No virginal white bride walking down the aisle for this dress, but an instantly classic modern woman! The pattern on the bodice is extraordinary, and the hanging strands around the full skirt just tie everything together. (Picture this with a bouquet of white lilies and you've got a perfectly mod wedding on your hands!)

All these outfits were designed by School of Fashion and the Arts Manila students, and you can check out their available courses at their website here: http://www.sofamanila.com

I've been dying to take some of their semestral courses, but they're a little on the expensive side. Still, if those pieces are anything to go by, I'd say it's money well-spent. Lol!

7 Days + 1 Pair of Gladiators: Finally Finished!

7 Outfits, 1 Pair of Glads
Click to enlarge

It took me weeks to finish this self-imposed fashion challenge, and by god, am I glad it's finally over! I know, I know-- a lot of the outfits I came up with were sort of a cop-out since I kept putting together black-and-white combos, but you can't really blame me since my closet is 75% black and white. :(

In any case, my last outfit was thankfully yellow because by this time I was scrabbling for colored clothing. I had previously rejected other outfits from my camera because they were (again) black and white.

Top: some tiny shop in Harajuku, Shorts: Greenhills Bazaar, Bag: Kate Spade New York, Necklace: Multiply, Audrey Hepburn Ring: Bijou De Lou

This was an outfit I threw together because the boy and I were going to watch a movie and I was determined to finally finish the fashion challenge. The photo was taken at the elevator bank of the building I live in (I wish I'd remembered to pose away from the garbage bin, sigh). I bought this top when I was still living in Japan, and it's one of the few that I can still wear. (The others are either too flashy, too loud, or have extremely offensive English words on them. "Super Hard Fuck" baby T, anyone?)

There's actually a huge cross on the back with the words "First Things First: GIRLS RULE" on the back, and it amuses me greatly.

If you want to take a look back at each individual outfit's details (i.e. where I bought it, where I wore it to), check out the "fashion challenge" tag.

If anyone wants to take up the challenge, (i.e. 1 pair of shoes + 7 different outfits), I highly recommend it! It was a great way to be really creative and not come up with the same outfit over and over again, and I learned a thing or two about the versatility of a very trendy pair of shoes. :)

Brunch With Artistry and Victor Ortega

The master's stage!

Few things are as fun as spending one's morning with fashion and beauty bloggers, and yesterday's Artistry beauty brunch was an absolute ball! Makeup master Victor Ortega was there to demonstrate how to apply Artistry products for both day and night looks, and I jumped at the chance to be one of his models.

Lizz, without makeup (gasp!)

He started off with an explanation of how foundation, concealer, and loose (or pressed powder) should be applied, and proceeded with the demonstration.


I actually learned a thing or two myself, as I often make the mistake of putting concealer before foundation! The correct order would be dabbing on foundation to your T-zone, then applying bits of concealer where you need it, and then a light dusting of powder. (Dabbing a darker shade of foundation along your cheekbones will also make your face appear thinner, and is a much better alternative to the brown blush that most women use.)


After this comes the eyeshadow, eyeliner, lash curling, and mascara. It's amazing how much time we spend on our eyes, but I'd say the change is well worth it! Eyebrows (if you need them) come after this, and Victor was stressing how important it was to keep to our original brow bone arcs. Half of my left eyebrow is actually gone (due to my being a clumsy kid and summarily falling on my face when I was 7), so I tend to just tweeze the right eyebrow to suit. Lol. (According to Victor, I should maintain my natural arc and just fill in the missing bit with a pencil. :D)

Mouth-watering shades!

Lipstick and blush come next, in that order. Apparently, there's no need to do too much contouring for oval-shaped faces, so a light dusting of peachy pink on the apples of your cheeks will do just fine. :)

The finished product!

I'm a big fan of bold eye color, so I was actually quite surprised at how he managed to make my eyes pop without using any vivid shades. Victor Ortega is truly a makeup maven!

We took a short break after this for coffee, cakes, and a chance to try out Artistry's products on ourselves, and I think everyone had a lot of fun.

After all, when you've got this baby in your hot little hands, how can you *not* have fun?

After the break, Victor asked the beautiful Monique from ItchyFeetPinay to be his Night makeup model! Doesnt' she look lovely?


He was explaining how indoor lights tend to dull day makeup, so when applying product for a night out, you can go much bolder with your chosen colors. He used very bright shades for Monique's mouth and eyes, and you can literally see her lids sparkle from across the room! Absolutely gorgeous. :D

Me, Victor, and Monique

All in all, it was a lovely way to spend my morning. I met up with bloggers Sha, Karla, Annalyn, Monique, Edel, Lace, and Azrael (who went along as Lace's photographer).

After the event, I met up with my boy and we had a late lunch, did a little shopping, and attended a friend's White Party later on in the evening. I'm pleased to report that my makeup lasted throughout the entire day, and the only thing I needed to touch-up was my mouth! I highly recommend this product, as it's likely to get you through all those hard nights of partying and events.

You can purchase Artistry products in the Philippines via the Amway site here: http://www.amway.com.ph/

Tel. No: +63(2) 814-8181
Fax no: +63(2) 892-9254
Email: helpdesk-phl@amway.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

*Many thanks to Azrael for supplying the photos of me in the makeup chair, since I wasn't able to take any pics during that time. :)

I Can't Stop Staring! At Clothes!

It's been a busy past couple of weeks, and the fact that I've not had time to cyber window shop means that my fashion mojo has dipped significantly. Luckily, the weekend has come up and I'm finally able to snag a handful of minutes to surf.

I'm a huge fan of vintage cuts, so whenever I see stores that specialize in these types of dresses, it's practically a guarantee that I'll spend the rest of the afternoon staring at the pretty pictures. And as pretty pictures go, the cocktail dresses at Stop Staring! are simply to DIE for.

"Hayworth"

I can't tell if it's the sleekness of the lines or those two little buttons above the slit of her dress, but whatever it is, I'm crazy about this outfit. It feels like something I would totally wear to a fashion blogging event, and I love how the fabric just hugs every single curve on your body.

"Jewel Emerald"

Next up is this gorgeous Emerald dress that reminds me of none other than Project Runway's fabulous Chloe Dao. It totally seems like it would fit right into her winning collection, as the mouth-watering fabric combined with her seam placement is just magnificent. (I'm also a big fan of the model's hair style, necklace, and shoes. Vintage perfection!)

"Paris Black"

I always save my favourite piece for last, and (surprise, surprise) it's a Little Black Dress. The collar is admittedly similar to the "Jewel Emerald", but stylistically they are leaps and bounds apart. Black has always been a classy color, and this classic cut will generally suit all sorts of body types. The true standout is the little pink flower on the shoulder, and it's pretty much proof that a little bit goes a long way.

Check out all these clothes and more over at www.stopstaringclothing.com -- a visual feast awaits! ;)

Thank you, Goldilocks and Nuffnang! :D

Yay laptop!

So I won a NEO VIVID V1103 from the Goldilocks-Nuffnang contest for my blog post "You're the 1, Goldilocks" (and yes, the title was one of the requirements to join). The awarding ceremony and cake decorating event was held last night, but since I came from work I arrived at the tail end and missed the cake part. :(

Still, I can't complain. I was able to partake of the wonderful Goldilocks buffet, nabbed a tiny mocha cake to bring home, and of course managed to score one of the main prizes. The advertised HP Mini Notes were actually NEO Vivids (I'm assuming they downgraded so they could award more people), but I can't complain since I probably wouldn't have won if they'd chosen to just give the original four. :D

All in all, it was a pretty good event. I went with my boy and Arthur as usual, and we met up with Arvin who was nice enough to ask the people at his table to squeeze together so we could sit. Thanks, Arvin! :D While there, we also met Pehpot who gave me her calling card with a funny tagline (Full-time mom, part-time worrier). Hehe.

Here's my boy and I, horsing around at those cool photo booth things:

Thanks, Goldilocks!

Also, I'll be selling the NEO Vivid V1103 prize, so if anyone is interested in buying a laptop, please email me at lizzbuenaventura at gmail dot com or drop a comment below. The specs can be viewed here. The listed price is 15,999.00, but I'll let it go for 14,500. :)

Cheers! :D

On Designer Fashion: Original Vs. Faux

The debate about the merits of purchasing original vs. faux designer fashion has raged on for years, and I think that the time has come for me to throw in my 2 cents. After all, my personal belief is that fashion is very much a wearable art form. Some pieces of art are worth more than others, and some artists command higher attention as well.

I find that while Gucci and Prada and Louis Vuitton pieces are incredibly expensive, as pieces of art they are legitimately priced. If you can afford it, I don't see anything wrong with purchasing original designer bags. (If it puts you out of house and home, however, it's best to start considering alternative purchases.)

However, if you ask me if I condone the purchase of fake items, I would have to say that I have no strong moral stand on it. Buying a fake bag is akin to purchasing a print or even a painted copy (forgery is such a dirty word) of the Mona Lisa. You buy it because you appreciate the piece but can't afford to buy the 100 million dollar painting hanging in the museum, but not because you want to show it off to your friends and pretend you own the real thing.

I don't agree with purchasing fake designer bags if you want to social climb or show off the labels. Anyone with a good eye would immediately be able to spot the fake anyway, rendering your "clever" deception somewhat moot. However, if you merely appreciate good design (and let's face it, a lot of these fake designer bags are very well-made), I think it's acceptable to purchase fake designer bags and then rip out the tags (see bag below).

Absolutely stunning PRADA bag design,
and the tag is easily removed.

I know that the thought seems unconscionable for most, but using my "fashion as art" theory means a wider grey area. Buying a fake bag means that the artist who designed it gets nothing, but consider the fact that this happens in artforms of various mediums.

Even now, jewelry designers use sculpey to image transfer famous (living) artists' paintings onto pendants, bangles, earrings, etc. You may argue that Da Vinci is dead and therefor no royalties need to be given, but there are plenty of jewelry artists who use contemporary artists' pieces to produce their jewelry. This also happens in the art world in terms of comic artists doing their own renditions of Marvel and DC-owned characters and selling them as prints.

I don't condone purchasing fake designer labels if all you want to do is show off the enormous "GUCCI" label on an otherwise unremarkable bag.


A lot of other, cheaper designers use the same silhouette, and purchasing from them would mean that: 1) You own an original and 2) You've helped an emerging artist become more popular.

I do think that the purchase of faux designer labels *if* you remove the tags falls in a somewhat gray area, however, and I'm curious to see how many of the fashionistas out there practice this. The "Class A" industry is booming, after all, and if everyone claims that they don't approve of these fakes, who is actually buying these items?

I have exactly one real luxury bag, and on the scale of luxury bags it would be a little mid-range. My father got me this Kate Spade NY bag as a gift, and though I do treasure it (because he gave it to me), I think that it is visually on parr with my other, non-designer but well-made bags. I personally can't imagine spending all that money on just one bag (why buy one when you can buy a dozen pairs of shoes? hehehe), and most of my bags are bazaar finds and have unknown Korean or Chinese labels.

Still, in a world so concerned with labels and brands, I am of the opinion that we should stop looking at names and start looking at actual design much more. After all, a plain black back emblazoned with the word GUCCI on it is *still* a plain black bag, so why not go for a crazy Bleach Catastrophe bag that's one-of-a-kind instead? ;)

Wedding Fashion, Engagement Rings, and Proposal Clips

Friends have been getting married left and right lately, with the next ceremony slated for October in Boracay. The boy, being part of the entourage, forwarded me an email with a list of colors and styles of clothing that he was requested to wear. It was all very nice, if a little safe, and it got me to thinking about wedding fashion in general. There is a plethora of rules about what to wear during weddings: wear something sexy, but not too sexy. You're not allowed to wear black (too depressing), red (too festive), or white (too bride-y). If it's an evening wedding, you wear a gown. If it's a day wedding, you're allowed to wear something short (but not too short). Rules, rules, rules!

One wonders what the rules for brides and grooms are. Does the wedding planner tell them that their clothes are too short, too long, or too white? And does she say that their rings are too small, too big, too diamond-y? (Okay, maybe not the last bit. :D)


I was watching this clip on YouTube the other day and didn't know whether to giggle or raise an eyebrow. On the one hand, going to such great lengths to propose to your girlfriend in another continent is quite sweet, but on the other hand... dude, what's with the gun?

Anyway, props to Robbin Bros for helping to orchestrate the whole thing. With the average price of an engagement ring, customer service is something you definitely want a lot of. ;)

Also, for my other friends who are planning on taking the "long walk" down the aisle (yay, obscure Stephen King reference! Points to anyone who gets the joke), if you're going ring shopping, you should check out the following clip:


Extreme Home Makeover (Engagement and Wedding Ring Surprise) - Poor guy couldn't afford to buy a wedding ring, but luckily the Robbins Brothers stepped in.

So as a parting gift to all my newlywed and engaged friends out there: Marriages may last or they may fail, love may endure or it may fade, but the one thing you will never lose is your diamond engagement ring! (Unless of course you, like, you know, literally *lose* it.)

7-Day Gladiators Fashion Mini-Challenge: Outfits #5 and 6

It's been a while since I posted a continuation of my 7-Day Gladiators outfits, and to make up for this fact, I've posted days 5 and 6 together! I'm still waiting for that one last shootable outfit with these gladiators, and then I'll finally be finished with the challenge! Woohoo!

Dress: People are People, Necklace: Multiply, Flower Headpiece: Multiply, Butterfly Belt: 169 Bazaar

This outfit was worn to the Flippish launch party weeks ago (it was actually the first outfit I put together with my gladiators), and the Style Bible photographer took my picture. :D You can view the rest of the 'who's-wearing-what' fashion photos here: http://www.stylebible.ph/gallery.php?id=1033

Dress: Eastwood Bazaar, Belt: Greenhills bazaar (Gotta love an outfit thrown together from nothing but bazaars! ;D)

I wore this to a simple night out with my boy, so I wasn't thinking too hard about dressing it up with my usual necklaces. The pattern was also bold enough to be worn without too many accessories, and that splash of color really stands out!

To check out Day 1, join the challenge, or just to read how this series came about, check out my "7 Days, 7 Outfits, 1 Pair of Glads" post here.