The "No Shopping Till 2010" Challenge

I realized, since I am almost always at home these days, if not running errands, I've been repeating the same outfits over and over (hence no sharing my outfit posts as of late). I wore this last Sunday, when we all went out for a walk with Berry...



Yes, the same outfit I wore during Berry's 1st Monthsary! See?



I basically have a uniform these days:

- blue marinière striped shirt
- striped button down shirt
- jeans
- breastfeeding friendly dress
- ballet flats, sandals, or canvas sneakers

So I have a lot of clothes and shoes that haven't really seen the light of day. I am actually planning to put some up on ebay. This also made me realize, I don't really need a lot of clothes. And that, my shopping habits really need to be curtailed. As my Mom and my sister have deftly pointed out, I can't seem to walk out of a store without buying something. The allusions to Becky Bloomwood, by friends and family, aren't exactly flattering either.

Confessions of a Shopaholic
Shopaholic Ties the Knot
Shopaholic Takes Manhattan
Shopaholic and Baby

Yeah, story of my life! I am not that extreme though! At least I don't go into debt and I still spend below my means. But yeah, I see what they mean...But see, it's like clothes and shoes talk to me, asking me to bring them home. Hahaha!

Oh! And the oft repeated advice "Sleep on it!" and my favorite well-used excuse "It's a closet classic!" have been used to death, it hardly means anything anymore.

Everything I like when I go online or see up close when I'm out, I always can't stop thinking about, and often haunt me the next day. All the things that I like, really are closet classics, but don't suit the lifestyle I have right now. What are heels for? Or nice bags for? When I hardly have any place fancy to go to? Besides, who really wears heels in the city? Those who go around in Town Cars or don't have to walk more than a couple of blocks at the most.

So I decided to put myself to a challenge. No shopping for myself! Until the year ends!

I will document it here and share with you the trials and travails I will go through as I resist the urge to buy, consume and spend. Then again, it might not be that hard to resist, and could be fun and easy too! I mean, once I get over that hump of walking away from something I absolutely have to have, then maybe it will be easy to walk away again and again.

I'll keep on writing about interesting stuff for the blog, to make it doubly hard. And to add a bit of a curve ball to the challenge. Let's see if I will last until December 31, 2009! ;)

Happiness is...

Going to Marshall's and finding these Supergas on the clearance rack...


How much?


Yes, you read that right! $16 !

And getting these, finally! On sale!



=)

Jak & Jil's Tommy Ton Shoots Up The Heel

Jack & Jill went up the hill, to fetch a pail of water, Jack fell down and broke his crown, and Jill came tumbling after.

Such a terrible fate, and all because of a pail of water!

Good thing, Jak & Jil had a much better turn out. For Tommy Ton, Jak & Jil's creator, it was a veritable walk in the park (Bryant and the Tuilleries), no uphill climb necessary, to get to the peak of blogging success.

It's no surprise that he enjoys such a meteoric rise (his star is still rising as I write), because he has an eye for taking fabulous photos of all folks fashionable and stylish, that have become part of many a fashion lover's inspiration board...




I wanted to know the talent who takes such breathtaking photos so I interviewed Tommy for the Radar! And boy, did I get a lot of interesting details about him and Jak & Jil! He's only 25! His site gets 20,000 to 25,000 unique visitors a day! And, he still can't believe how wildly successful his blog has become!



For more about Tommy and Jak& Jil, read the full article here...

Leica André x colette

From the colette site:

The already famous compact digital Leica C-Lux 3 turns super collector with this illustrated version by artist André for colette, limited edition of 30...

The price? Oh, €500...





You like? I like!

But me no likey the price. I think I will just stick to the no André version!

Thank You Time! Part 7: Shoes!

Somebody's taking after her Mommy! Look at Berry's shoe collection at 2 months old!


Soon, she will graduate from socks (Thanks Aunt Sarj & Uncle Toni! My Trumpettes fit me now!)...

To shoes...

Thanks Amah for these flowery mary janes...


..and for saving Dada's first shoes for me!


Thanks Ate Carissa for giving your shoes to me!





Thanks Aunt Sarj & Uncle Toni for my silver Trumpette driving shoes! I can't drive but I know I will go places with these!


Thanks Aunt Janice, Uncle Wilbs and Atchie Audrey for these pristine white mary janes! They will go so well with the sundresses you gave me!


Thanks Aunt Brenda, Uncle Henry and soon-to-come Anastasia for my Burberry kicks!


Thanks Ninang Me-an and Ninong Eric for these pretty pairs from Robeez! Can't wait to walk in them!



Love,

Berry =)

J. Crew Fall Finds + How A Jacket Should Fit

Got the J. Crew catalog in the mail and found more objects of desire! Take note, I have yet to buy the boyfriend military jacket, and still I found more to add to my J. Crew wishlist! Darn you Jenna!

Selvedge chambray shirt $98


Wool herringbone professor blazer (which comes in petite! Yay!) $198.00


Navy wool schoolboy blazer (also comes in petite! Double yay!) $178.00


Since I've got jackets on my mind, might as well answer the long asked question on "How should jackets fit?" which I got months ago! Ooops! Sorry about that! But here it is, finally!

Any tips on where to get nice fitting blazers and how to evaluate the perfect fit?:)


The best fitting jackets I've seen so far, that are reasonably priced, would be from H&M, Zara, Mango and Topshop. J. Crew would be nice, but darn, they cost quite a sum! I personally have yet to succumb!

But hey, if you can get a well fitting blazer for much less, why spend a lot right? Here are some points to remember when trying on a jacket/blazer for size.

The shoulder pads should sit on your shoulder. If they extend or droop, you have to go down a size. The shoulder of your jacket should look like this:


You'll know the sleeve length is right when it falls right before the wrist bone:


When it comes to length, it should hit right at the hip, except for long boyfriend style blazers which should hit at the low hip:

Now that's easy to remember right? Hope this helps! =)

Vote & Win a Free Twilight Rain Shirt + Shop the Unarosa Sale!

AJ made it to the Final Four thanks to your votes! With this, voting has been reset, so if you've voted before, you have to vote again! I already did! Keep the votes coming! Last day to vote is TODAY! Let's help AJ win! And get a free shirt while you're at it! (Click on photo to enlarge)


Oh, and girls! You might want to make the most of this! The Unarosa clearance sale, ongoing until the end of the month!

Heel-arious!

Spotted at the Barneys Warehouse Sale!



I wonder what Mrs. Marcos would think about that!

Judging by the scene at the shoe section, I would say this is still pretty tame. Customers still get to try on shoes while sitting down. I've been to Barneys warehouse sales and everyone would try on shoes right there in front of the racks!



I've had better luck shopping the Barneys shoe sales right on Madison! Because by the time the warehouse sale rolls around, these are all that's left...You see anything you like?



Photos from Racked.com

Thank You Time! Part 6: The 315 Girls & Winter Wear!

My roomies in graduate school are the best I swear! It was like a slumber party every night! We'd go shopping and try on clothes and shoes as soon as we got back to our room, we'd play stylist and think of outfits to wear on the rare occasion that we get to go out and play, we'd gorge on junk food as we burned the midnight oil working on a paper or studying for an exam, we'd surf the net together and show each other stuff we want to buy. We'd eat each other's food for lunch and dinner, all together of course like a little family, and oh, and we'd watch Koreanovelas on Conci or Alisa's laptop if not buy Yulo Manila shoes straight from Jaraiza as I made pajamas for them! Heehee!

While other girls (or roomies for that matter) end up hating each other because they've lived in the same room or house for what seems like a lifetime, the 315 girls (because we occupied room 315 in the AIM dorm) felt like long lost sisters. And up to now, we still miss the late night talks we had about anything and everything until we fell asleep. We loved every minute of our stay in the dorms because we just loved being with each other! And well, it helps that we all are into fashion! Hahaha!

So we make it a point to see each other whenever we can. Too bad I am here and Cons, Alych and Rai are all back home. I am missing out on a lot of fun! But even if I am so far away, they still remembered me and Berry! Awwww! So here's a shout out from Berry...

Thanks Aunt Conci, Uncle Tini & Kuya Magnus! I love the raglan sleeves and the tiered skirts! I hope you can pass by our place on your way to Chicago!


Thanks Aunt Jaraiza & Uncle Ked! I like the stripey theme of these outfits! And oh! I can't wait to meet my new playmate soon!


Thanks Aunt Alisa! This cream and camel coat will be perfect for winter!


And look! It goes so well with these gifts from Mom's friends...

Thanks Aunt Mieke aka Knitty Mommy for the very pretty hat you knitted for me!


I tried it on when I was just a few days old, but I think it'll be a perfect fit come winter time!


Thanks Aunt Pam P. for these Ralph Lauren booties! These will keep my feet warm and toasty!!!


I think I am all set for winter, and well until spring/summer 2010!

Love,

Berry =)

Thank You Time! Part 5: Berry's Beauty Secrets

Want to know the secret to Berry's smooth, baby soft skin? Well, it's because she is a baby! Heehee!



But before I disclose the real secret, I want to THANK!:

Abby
Saj & Maya G.
Donna W.
Melizza F.
Me-an A.
Pilar Z.

For contacting me and pledging/donating blankets for the babies in Fabella! I will be sending them all to Cecile and Ingrid once I've filled a box and I will let you all know once its received! Thanks so much for your generosity! =)

Ok, now thank you time! I know Berry is such a lucky baby for receiving so many things from all of you! She is really blessed!

Thanks Tita Marie for these Grandma Minnie's products from VMV! I personally love the Boo Boo Balm and the Hand Sanitizer! (Not to mention the packaging is super nice! And it's proudly made in the Philippines too!) Thanks so much!!!



Aunt Brenda of L'Oreal NYC, thanks so much for the Kiehl's Baby products! Berry used to have very dry skin (Turns out letting her stay in warm water longer than 7 minutes is not recommended because it dries out baby skin fast! But it's so hard to take her out because she loves taking a bath, sigh!) and Baby Kiehl's Cleansing Milk and Nurturing Baby Cream were the products that restored her skin back to it's original softness and smoothness!



Oh! And the Kiehl's logo tee that came with her Baby Kiehl's gift pack, (which is made by American Apparel btw) is gonna look so cute with jeans! Heehee!


More thank yous to come! =)

Blogs to Books

Look who's gone from blogging to doing books!

The Sartorialist...


Released August 12, the book is printed through Penguin, with both a paperback version, and limited edition hardcover available at select book sellers. According to hypebeast.com, along with the book launch, Schuman will be going on a book signing tour as well as opening up SartoriaLUST pop-up shops, and various other events surrounding the launch of the book. A worldwide roll-out can be expected in early September. Participating book sellers include: Amazon (US, UK, FR), Barnes and Noble, Borders (US, UK), Foyles, Indie Bound, and Waterstones.

The WhoWhatWear girls...



The first book from WhoWhatWear Cofounders Hillary Kerr and Katherine Power, Who What Wear: Celebrity and Runway Style for Real Life features style advice and 60 full-color photographs.

Shopbop describes it as "A smart and stylish fashion and beauty guide....In Who What Wear, Kerr and Power share their tricks of the trade and translate high fashion in a low-fuss, accessible way. They've compiled the best of their tips and advice into one stylish compendium."

Fashion neophyte or seasoned stylista, every woman should read this book. Available for purchase at shopbop.com!

Yay or Nay?

Look at what I saw at Totokaelo! A classic sturdy heel, soft brown suede...


...and uhm, split toes? This jolie laide shoe is called the Tabby Half Boot from Maison Martin Margiela Ligne 22...



Talk about animalistic appeal! If you ask me, I would actually wear these. I'm just scared I might be called the one with cloven hooves. Eeep!






At $995 for a pair, do you say yay or nay?

I say yay if it goes on sale! Haha!