Thread 365: 24/7 Basics

my Thread 365 haul from the launch (olive green v-neck not seen)

I love buying white tanks and t-shirts. They're closet staples and I can never seem to have enough. The softer, the better. The more worn-in it feels, the more I don't want to part with it.

I have T by Alexander Wang shirts that have holes in them, but still, I can't bear to throw them out. I have Old Navy ribbed tanks with necklines that have stretched out so low, it would be so bastos to wear them out. There's just something about ratty t-shirts I guess. The hole-ier and slouchier it gets, the more sentimental we become.

That's why I get the principle behind Thread 365, a homegrown brand of shirts by Terry S.A., the same group that brought us Havaianas and Bensimon. Their line of men's and women's shirts were borne from the vision of passionate people who believe that clothes shouldn't only look good but also feel good. 

At the Thread 365 launch, I got to chat with Anne Gonzalez and Rissa Artadi, the chic ladies behind the brand and it's easy to get sucked into their world of perfect tees.

Anne says the Thread 365 team is headed by people who have worked for global brands. They source the best cotton fabrics and materials, and they have everything made by manufacturers who adhere to global production standards.

Rissa shares that they really take fit at Thread 365 seriously. They spend time to make sure they get the length of sleeves, even the drop of the neckline, just right.

They make sure that tanks aren't too tight and don't cling to the body, understanding that women who have given birth, or who have love handles, care about these things.

And of course, their tanks, shirts and henleys are expected to feel better after every wash.  Encouraging you to wear them 24/7, from grocery runs to bar crawls; to work under a crisp button down shirt or by itself as you laze about the beach, the salty breeze lulling you to sleep.

Thread 365 shirts are available online at www.thread365.com and at Aura Athletica Bonifacio High Street and Power Plant Mall.

To kick off their launch, Thread 365 chose individuals who best embody the Thread 365 philosophy of versatility and authenticity.  Guess who was part of their roster of 38 key influencers whose photos were taken by photographer Sara Black? None other than my friend Tita K! Woohoo!

Along with Mr. Thread 365 Basti Artadi (the other half of Thread 365 genius Rissa)...

...and my favorite artisanal ice cream maker, Xandra Rocha of Pinkerton!

Mompreneur Summit 2013

Calling all entrepreneurs and aspiring mompreneurs!

Want to have a productive Saturday? I would recommend that you check out Mompreneur Manila's 2nd Mompreneur Summit, happening at the Blue Leaf Events Pavilion at McKinley Hill in Bonifacio Global City this Saturday, September 14, 2013.

The theme this year is Passion and Purpose, which aims to encourage and inspire mompreneurs to create and establish businesses created for a cause and founded with heart. These two driving forces are the keys behind every successful business—both of which are values innate to every mompreneur. 

The summit aims to help mompreneurs develop these values, helping them re-discover the passion to achieve something on top of being an active mom and successful homemaker, and uncover a greater purpose and a deeper, more meaningful motivational drive in finding fulfillment in their businesses through its impact on other people’s lives.

If you want to discover and further develop your passion and also find purpose in your trade, this is for you. Featuring a workshop on finding the meaning behind one’s business, this year’s summit will discuss points that go above and beyond entrepreneurial success.

The 2nd Mompreneur Summit features speakers to provide valuable learnings and insights. Following is the programme line up: 

Doing Well while Doing Good
AMOR MACLANG 
Director of PR and Communications, Geiser Maclang Marketing Communications

Positioning a Brand for Success: The Havaianas Story
ANNE ARCENAS-GONZALEZ 
Managing Director, Terry S.A., Philippines

Big Biz or Small Biz: Purposeful Branding
AJ and AUDREY DIMARUCOT 
Founders, Googoo and Gaga Clothing

Harnessing Passion Towards Success
JENNI EPPERSON 
Lifestyle Blogger, Media Personality, and Stylist

Using Multiple Intelligences to Make a Difference
JOY ABAQUIN 
Founder, Multiple Intelligence International School

Participation Fee to the 2ND MOMPRENEUR SUMMIT is P3,000/ person
*fee is inclusive of a conference kit, lunch, and morning and afternoon snacks.

For inquiries, email info@mompreneurmanila.com.

There's a Day Care for moms with kids in tow! Just advise via email that you will bring the kids so that organizers can register them.

Ready and raring to go? SIGN UP FOR THE 2nd MOMPRENEUR SUMMIT HERE! Limited slots are available. 

Furthermore, this year’s summit’s main highlight is also the 1st Mompreneur Awards, where the hard work, passion and innovation of successful mompreneur-led businesses will be given recognition. During the event, awards will be presented to the most admired mompreneurs in the following categories: Brand Positioning and Strategy, Brand and Product Innovation, PR and Word of Mouth Marketing, Web and Social Media Marketing, Social Mompreneurship and Advocacy.

Bensimon Now in the Philippines

This is Berry in her Bensimon x Bonpoint sneakers, back when she was 2 years old.

These sneakers don't fit her anymore. But I am saving them for Xavi. Yes, because real boys wear pink. Haha.

This is me in my Bensimons when Berry was a year and a half. I was not strangling her, I was trying to get her to look at the camera. Heehee.

We love our Bensimons. They are so comfortable. And chic. And are real classics. Yes, I sound like such a cliche.

I discovered Bensimon during our New York years via my friend Sarj, who wears them for walking around Manhattan. There were no sexy shoes in that city for us, haha.

I ended up getting my pair at Mick Margo on Commerce Street in the West Village, when I found myself hobbling and needed comfortable shoes, because I got blisters from wearing a pair of Melissas that got wet because some cab splashed water on me while I was on my merry way to meet my friends Rissa and Happy at Cafe Cluny, also in the West Village.

I've been wearing them since then. So imagine my thrill when I got invited to the launch of Bensimon in the Philippines, along with my friends Jackie Go (btw, please vote for her, she's a finalist for best style blog at Globe's Tatt Awards! Go Jackie Go!) and Janice Villanueva. 

I have been a long time fan of Bensimon and was all the more thrilled when I found out they brought in the line for kids too! Yay Berry and Xavi!

There's a slip-on version too. I am going to get one in navy. I can imagine it na with white jeans and a white Alexander Wang t-shirt. Heffortless!

Lest you think Bensimon is only about classic tennis shoes or la tennis Bensimon, it is in fact a lifestyle brand. Started thirty years ago by brothers Serge and Yves Bensimon, with a small shop in the Marais district of Paris, on the famous Rue des Francs Bourgeois street, the brand is "inspired by travel, military and true Parisian fashion" selling not just sneakers but clothing, luggage, fragrance, and well-designed home goods.

In the Philippines, Bensimon is brought in by Terry S.A., distributor of Havaianas, David & Goliath, Dupe and Pininho. Ammiel de Leon, brand director of Bensimon Philippines believes that with Bensimon, they can change the Filipino perception of sneakers into something sophisticated and stylish.

And like those darn Havaianas, I want one in every color! I am not stopping at two. Eeep!

My old Bensimons meet the new, hello hello!

Xavi, you won't be barefoot for long. I am getting you and Atchi Berry a pair each too. Heehee.

Bensimon sneakers are available in Center of Gravity (Forbes Town, Burgos Circle and Centris Walk), Shoe Salon (Glorietta 3, Power Plant Mall Rockwell, Robinson’s Ermita, Shangri-La Plaza Mall and Trinoma Mall), and Shoe Thing (kids styles only: Bonifacio High Street, Eastwood Mall, and Greenbelt 5). 

Prices range from Php2,095 to Php2,565 for men’s and women’s styles and Php1,295 to Php1,795 for the kids’ styles.

For inquiries and updates on Bensimon Philippines, like them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BensimonPhilippines