MFO Shoe Series: Camille King, Manila

You probably first met Camille King here in the blog, when I shared with you the adorable photos she took of Berry & Xavi at play. Today she comes back, this time, as the subject of my Shoe Series!

It was actually my friend from high school, her cousin Mitch, who told me to feature Camille's shoes. And I am glad I asked Camille, and that she agreed. She not only takes amazing photos of her shoes, she has a huge shoe closet that I would want for myself. Want!!!

Camille filled it with her favorite pairs of ballerinas, wedges and flats. I love how her personality is so evident in the styles she chooses - very feminine, casual and yet full of personality. Check this out!

How many pairs of shoes do you own?

I didn't count them but I estimate 50 pairs based on the photos I took.

What's your shoe size?
 

It depends on the brand and the style of the shoe but I wear a 7-8. I think I have big feet for my height because I am not tall (okay, i call myself petite). Hehe. 

Which pairs are your favorites?

My favourite brand of shoes is Pretty Ballerinas. I got them all from Adora except for a few pairs I purchased when I travelled to Spain last year. I love anything girly, pretty and dainty so my top three favourites are from Pretty Ballerinas. And of course, almost all of my shoes are Pretty Ballerinas. I am obsessed!

Pretty Ballerinas, all in two rows

Aside from being girly, pretty and dainty, they are are really comfortable and stylish. I can wear them with anything.

I wear flats on most days and especially when I take my camera with me. My camera with lens attached is quite heavy (I shoot with a Canon 5D MarkIII) so I have to be comfortable and stable. I also need to be able to move quickly if I don't want to miss a shot. Flats work for me.

Pedro Garcia flats in bright yellow with ruffles

1. My newest pair which was a gift last Christmas. I love that the colors pink and teal match my brand and website, www.camillekingphotography.com.

2. Animal print with red lace and trim. I wear these with jeans, white or black top. It makes my outfit less boring.

3. Classic black ballet flats. I wore these everyday during a 2 week trip abroad and my feet didn't hurt at all. I also didn't have to worry about it getting dirty because its black.

4. Red glitter ballet flats. I don't think I ever wore these. I should! They are like Dorothy's shoes in the Wizard of Oz. I bought this pair because my daughter had the same pair and we wanted to be matchy-matchy. Unfortunately, she outgrew them already.

If you could only wear one pair of shoes, which one would it be?

Just one pair? This is hard! But I would choose a ballet flat in nude/beige so it will match everything. In the image, I would select the leftmost pair on the floor.

What are your favorite shoe brands? 

Pretty Ballerinas of course. Proof are the photos.

I also have Stella Luna and Schutz. Stella Luna pairs that I have are mostly high-heeled ones.

I have big legs and ankles (yes, I have cankles) so I choose styles that aren't too strappy. I prefer nude and beige colours as well. Wedges are more comfortable for me. I also prefer slingback styles. 

Pumps are always ill-fitting. The first four sandals on the left are Schutz. I love colour. The last two on the right are espadrilles from Spain.

What's in your shoe lust list? 

I am on the lookout to replace my nude high-heel sandals. No particular brand but it has to look similar and be as comfortable. I actually need some help finding a pair so if anyone has recommendations, it will be appreciated. 

Where do you buy shoes?

I buy all of my shoes from Adora. The Adora shoe department is called a Adora Shoe Mecca. Whenever I pass by, the sales person always has a big smile on her face. I wonder why. Gosh, I sound like a walking advertisement for Adora. I'm a good customer because when I find something I like, I am loyal. 

What's the one shoe you can't bear to give away or throw out?

This Stella Luna pair. I need a replacement. I should have bought two!

For more on Camille's photography, visit Camille's blog, HERE!

Eye Society Eyewear 2013 Presentation

Branded Lifestyle Inc's most recent eyewear presentation was pretty special this season. 

For one, it was held at Eye Society, easily THE place to go to if you need to go for vision testing, pick up a new pair of frames, or browse through their collection of luxe eyeglasses and sunnies. 

Which is exactly what I did with my equally eyewear crazed friends Karrots and Jackie.

Char Siason of BLI and her team walked us through the collection, arranged into four trend themes.

First up was Printed Matters, which as you can guess, was all about printed and textured frames.

We had fun with this bunch. Playful, colorful and definitely not typical.

Tory Burch graphic print sunnies

Dolce & Gabbana lace sunnies

trying on the lace Dolce & Gabbana sunnies on for size, Jackie & Tita K in tortoise shell frames

more Tory Burch graphic print sunnies

Dolce & Gabbana Stripes

Stripes matched my outfit!

High Tea is very feminine & girly.

The highlight of the collection being Dolce&Gabbana's Flower sunnies with resin-molded flowers screwed onto the temples.

Zee how gorge? Like I said, it's screwed on so these won't fall off. Unless your five year old plucks them out deliberately. Ahihi.

Ahhhh, Black is Back. But did it ever go away?

Those Prada Baroque sunnies that sold like hotcakes? Reincarnated this season as Mimimal Baroque, with eyeglass frames in this shape.

Geo Future was an unexpected fave! I've always thought I was into the classics...

But I found myself spending a lot of time trying on the frames here. I particularly liked the Prada Poeme sunnies.

So runway and conceptual! Like my eyebrows sprouted flowers. Well, I ended up getting the Prada Poeme in black. Because once you go black...it will go with most of your outfits, divah?

Plus, you've got to check out the Miu Miu Rasoir. It's like a razor blade cut through the bottom part of the frame, hence Rasoir.   As Ronn Wong of BLI says, its a fancy word for razor. Razor...Razoir... Rasoir!

And btw, Rasoir is Riri approved!

Look for these frames and sunnies at Eye Society, LS Pascual, Sarabia Optical, Adora and The SM Store.

Eye Society Avant Building

48 Jupiter Street cor Mars Sts

Bel-Air Village, Makati

Eye Society SM Aura Premier

3/F SM Aura Premier Mall

Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Eye Society 32nd & 5th Bldg

32nd & Fifth Avenue

Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

Summer Sunnies 2013: Dolce & Gabbana

Do you know what D in D&G stands for? It's for Donya. Yes, "Donya". Because these D&G Sicilian Baroque sunnies are just so "Donya". I love the ornate relief design of gilded roses and unfurling foliage on sunglasses - it's like jewelry and sunnies rolled into one:

twine of roses and foliage in baroque style on the front...

...and on the temples

There's a less elaborate design, without the roses on the front. It's less "in your face", but just as gorgeous.

What I noticed from this season's collection of sunnies at BLI, and this is across all brands, is the focus on details. Little details that may or may not be instantly noticeable, but make a pair of sunnies special. Like the chain link detail on the temples of this pair...

Or the ubiquitous D&G logo on this one...

These D&G sunnies are available at LS Pascual Optical Rockwell and Shangri-la, Almeda Shangri-la, Almeda Shangri-la, Sarabia Rockwell and Adora.

Wait for more of my posts on the hottest shades of summer from BLI. In the meantime, for updates, follow LuxuryEyewearPH on Twitter and Instagram and Like them on Facebook!

Branded Lifestyle Inc. (BLI) is the distributor of luxury & fashion eyewear in the Philippines.  Brands in their portfolio include Coach, Tory Burch, Polo Ralph Lauren, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Miu Miu, Prada, Versace, Paul Smith, Oliver Peoples, Bvlgari and Tiffany & Co.

Oliver Peoples in Manila

In case you didn't know yet, Oliver Peoples is in Manila na!

I chanced upon LS Pascual Optical on the top floor of Power Plant mall in Rockwell selling these Oliver Peoples frames back in December. While the selection is limited, they've got pretty good styles in store.

Adora, LS Pascual Rockwell, and Sarabia Rockwell still have the 2012 styles available now, but the Spring/Summer 2013 Collection and Oliver Peoples 25th Anniversary Collection will be coming by the end of this month/early March.

Check out these frames from the 25th Anniversary Collection:

XXV-RX

The special edition celebratory optical frame juxtaposes vintage elements with modern styling. The bold acetate frame features intricately filigreed metal details, including an end piece which is engraved with a custom scroll filigree design. The temple is adorned with a retro plaque used for the first time on an Oliver Peoples style. The modified paddle temple adds another vintage inspired aspect to this statement frame. A grey hue representing silver, a traditional 25 years celebration color, is offered along with four additional classic colors.

 XXV-S

The special edition celebratory sunglass is a bold yet classic design that fuses vintage elements with modern styling. Intricately filigreed metal details, including an end piece that is engraved with a custom scroll design, make this sunglass discreetly luxurious. The temple is adorned with a retro plaque used for the first time on an Oliver Peoples style. The modified paddle temple adds another vintage inspired aspect to this statement frame. A grey hue representing silver, a traditional 25 years celebration color, is offered along with four classic colors with VFX Polarized, VFX Photochromic or mineral glass lenses.

“I remember when I drew these,” says Oliver Peoples Founder and Creative Director Larry Leight.  

“I always loved them, but they just weren’t right for our collection at that time. We had something going with our aesthetic -it was a new and different intellectual category of eyewear, and people were really drawn to it. These frames just felt a little more modern then what we were doing back then. In celebration of the 25 year anniversary I wanted to dig back into our heritage. We recently re-released some of our renowned styles from the past, but for this I wanted something different. I wanted it to be new for our consumer but still remain true to our roots. My rediscovery of these designs encompass exactly that. They combine two iconic categories that Oliver Peoples is known for: The bold substantial acetate frames like Tycoon and Sheldrake, and the refined vintage inspired looks that the brand was founded on. I’m excited to finally see them in true form.”

I am psyched too! Can't wait to see these in stores!

Missoni ♥ Havaianas 2012

My Missoni ♥ Havaianas from 2011, with my silver Sperry Topsiders (among my many pregnancy faves, hee!)

I love Havaianas and have been wearing them since they first came to Manila years ago. But admittedly, ever since Havaianas came out with a collection with Missoni last year, I have practically stopped wearing my other flip flops but the ones above. They're super cute plus I mean hello, I had to seek this pair out in Singapore (found these at TYAN in ION Orchard after searching online and making calls) because I knew they were limited edition. I know, such an effort for a pair of chinelas. 

So of course, I was thrilled when I found out that Missoni ♥ Havaianas was doing a round 2 this year! When I received the invite to the launch in Adora, I just had to go and check out the new designs in person. 

And this year's collection did not disappoint. While Missoni ♥ Havaianas limited edition pairs costs Php3,295 each, I still think its worth it. Because we are worth it! ;)

Missoni ♥ Havaianas Slim Rachel in Lemon (my must-have!)

Missoni ♥ Havaianas Top Patchwork in Black

Missoni ♥ Havaianas Top Fiammato

More than just a collaboration between iconic fashion brands, the Missoni ♥ Havaianas 2012 collection is designed using residual rubber pieces from the manufacturing process. The multi-colored Havaianas leftovers are mixed to create the signature Missoni zigzag patterns. Stylish and socially responsible at that!

I also noticed that the Slim Rachel and Fiammato styles come in teeny tiny sizes too (which is good news for adults with really small feet). Really, more like the size of kids, 7 and above! So you can get a matching pair for the little girl or little man in your life!

Of course, every flip-flop comes in a special packaging made of recyclable material featuring the famous zigzag pattern, and in a Missoni knit bag.

Now I am not entirely sure if this style will be coming in as well, because I spotted this in a US-based website. But this style is pretty cute and very purple-y!

The Missoni ♥ Havaianas 2012 collection is NOW available and exclusively retailed at Adora, Greenbelt 5. Hurry to Adora before these get sold out!