The Florence Fling

How can I not love a store which validates how I look in their dresses? Heeheehee.

My friend Jenny Infante-Reyes invited me and some of our mommy friends to her cousin Tessa Nieto-Villalon's clothing store, The Florence Fling, in Megamall and it was just the most fun place in that side of Megamall Bldg. A!

Tessa was there to help me and Jackie pick out dresses, and she was wearing something of her own design from one of her earlier collections: a printed dress in red, orange and white, which had a yellow satin belt around the waist. So colorful and eye-catching. Reminds me of classic shift dresses of the 60s, the kind Audrey Hepburn would wear, but made more modern because of the print.

Tessa, who made her name as a model during her teen years, also has a strong background in fashion, working in fashion retail for the past couple of years. She eventually decided to branch out on her own and started Florence Fling, designing dresses that she herself would personally wear.

I gravitated towards her matching separates, like this blue number that you can wear together as a set, or separately, if you just play around with the tops and bottoms. Really versatile.

Because I have a penchant for stripes, I immediately went for this two piece striped set, although I also like the sleeveless top and skirt that Jackie tried on.

Made from jersey, the top and skirt fit and fall well. I lavetttt. I actually ended up getting the black version of that white top, and the exact same skirt like Jackie's too. Heehee.

I also love that the fitting rooms are so fun! I can spend hours just trying on clothes here. Lots of mirrors...

Bright tropical themed wall art, and the rooms are big enough to fit a stroller! I can wheel my Mamas & Papas Armadillo stroller in, so that I don't have to worry about my child sleeping in it outside.

The "rah rah, you look great!" quotes all over the store are adorably cheeky.

And this one by the cash register can dispel any guilt. Wink. Wink.

The Florence Fling has pieces perfect for weekends, for work, and cocktails. They're quite versatile too in that you can pair a top of a set with your favorite shorts for the weekend, and wear the skirt to a dressier occasion, and you'd look smashing either way.

Visit The Florence Fling at the 2nd level of Megamall Building A. It's close to Clinica Manila.

For updates and alerts on fresh drops, visit Florence Fling - Philippines on Facebook, and follow @florencefling on Twitter and Instagram.

NÃO do Brasil Anniversary Sale!

I've been looking for classic mid-cut sneakers in black, and I finally found a pair at NÃO do Brasil in Megamall:

They're super comfy, no break-ins required. Even my kids love their pairs! So, if you're a huge fan of this sneaker label, or maybe you've been wanting to buy a pair, but still waiting for a reason to, here's one:

Yup! Because #naodobrasilphturns1, they're giving customers this chance to enjoy 30% off on selected items from January 28 to February 1, 2015!

Visit NÃO do Brasil at the 3/F of SM Megamall Fashion Hall to see what they have in store. With the many varied, limited edition pieces they have, there's something to catch your fancy.

A classic solid, like mine

trendy camouflage print

sweet feminine sneakers in various shades of pink prints

For me, the kids styles take the cake.

The color combinations are fun and quite funky.

Wouldn't this be adorbs on a baby girl?

Cute subtle stripe detail on this one.

Of course, I ended up getting something similar to this for Xavi. Always going for what's neutral. Yep, that's me.

I would have wanted this exact pair, but they didn't have it in Xavi's size.

Aihleen Gruba of NÃO do Brasil did tell me before that when I see a color and style I like in the size I need, I better get it because it might be the only pair of that style left.

This is because 70% of their shoes are made from recycled or salvaged materials, sourced from various Brazilian manufacturers. Each pair is entirely made by hand by an artisan, in one of the five workshops set-up in different parts of Brazil. Which makes each pair all the more special.

NÃO do Brasil sneakers come in various styles in hundreds of color combinations, with sizes ranging from 18 (infants) to 47 (adults). Find the perfect pair for you, made more perfect if it's part of the ongoing sale too!

NÃO do Brasil
3/F SM Megamall Fashion Hall
EDSA, Mandaluyong City

Pull & Bear in Manila

If you've been to Pull & Bear in Ngee Ann City in Singapore, you'd be surprised at how huge Pull & Bear in Megamall Fashion Hall is. It's probably 10, even 15 times the size!

Pull & Bear in Megamall is at the 2nd floor of Megamall Building D, right below Tuan Tuan and Ippudo.

They had a launch back in October, but I was heavily pregnant then, and decided not to go anymore. And then, I found out everything was 20% off that day, and they were giving out prizes, like iPads. Sayang. Hahaha.

Here's how the store looks at the inside.

It's really huge! So huge they can fit a converted Volkswagen Kombi inside the men's section, just to showcase shoes.

And by the looks of it, the men's section is well-stocked. A teenage boy or a guy in his 20s who is into dressing up would love it here.

While I find Pull & Bear's clothes to be a bit "young" for my aesthetic, I spied a cute denim jumpsuit. Or am I too old to be wearing one? Heeheehee.

Pull & Bear
2/F SM Fashion Hall
SM Megamall Building D
EDSA, Mandaluyong City

H&M VIP Night at SM Fashion Hall

SM Fashion Hall is my favorite mall of all!

All the brands I like have a store there, plus all the new restaurants there make dining out so much more interesting - Tim Ho Wan, Ippudo, Tuan Tuan, 8 Cuts Burgers, and so on. But wait, with Gino's Brick Oven Pizza now open in Podium, and Juju Eats opening across Wildflour, I feel a bit of my heart is torn. Teehee.

Ok, back to my story.

The day before H&M Manila opened, I happened to be in the mall because I had already started on my Christmas shopping list. With me popping in December, I needed a head start on getting gifts for all the kids on our list. 

While on my way down to the lobby to meet our driver, my heart skipped a beat when I saw that the store was pretty much ready to open, with guys cleaning the store display windows.

The red carpet was laid out in front of the entrance, complete with velvet ropes and a step & repeat backdrop. Bongga!

On launch day itself, it looked like all of Manila was equally as excited about the opening, because people sure came in droves for VIP opening night. Many were dressed to the nines, in heels and full makeup.

I learned my lesson from attending H&M Singapore's VIP Opening Night, where I ended up hobbling in heels after hours of shopping and decided this time, I would dress to shop. 

I went to to the launch wearing a comfy top from Elin, skinny jeans and flats, teehee.

Photo taken by Jackie Go

Honestly, I did not get to take too many photos because I was really there to shop and take advantage of the 20% discount on everything. Every time I ran into a friend, I would say, "No more chika, let's shop before the line to pay gets long!" Haha.

A quick photo before our H&M shopping marathon, c/o my friend Terry Dy

Yes, I wanted to make sure that we did our shopping fast, before the lines to the cash register got crazy long. No more fitting the clothes na din, because they have a 30 day return policy naman.

Lessons I learned, again from my H&M Singapore experience. Heehee.

But of course, here are the highlights from my H&M Manila shopping experience, which I think you should take note of.

1. The active wear section is all sorts of amazing.

If there's a section that you must constantly check out at H&M, it's the women's active wear section on the second floor.

The designs are fantastic, and the quality, for the price you pay, is not bad at all! 

Then again, I am not a hardcore athlete so I may not be the best resource person for this haha. But for my pilates and yoga needs, this section floats my boat.

If you are not so much into active wear, then at least consider these active wear inspired sweat pants which I found close to the denim section. I convinced Jackie to get this pair because this is a closet must have.

You can dress it up with heels and a crisp tailored shirt, or dress it down with a tank and wedge sneakers or booties. Very Isabel Marant.

2. I just love the kids section. 

While most of the guests were concentrating on the women's and men's sections, Jackie and I headed for the kids section on the top most floor. There were hardly any shoppers here, and we had the cuteness almost all to ourselves!

There were dresses, tops and sweet sweatshirts for baby girls...

Patchwork skinny jeans. They have skinny jeans for baby boys too, and I couldn't resist getting one for our baby boy coming soon!

I hoarded packs of underwear and organic cotton tank tops for my kids (Buy 2, get 1 Free - plus an additional 20% OFF!), cute accessories for Berry that she can wear for dress up play, and some bibs for our new baby boy. I was one happy mama because I scored on such great deals!

3. The best styles for women are at the ground floor. 

Back at the women's section, I suggest you spend the most time combing the section on the ground floor. The more fashion forward pieces are here, as opposed to mostly basics at the second floor.

Jackie spotted this jumpsuit on the ground floor as well, yes, this exact same one worn by Liya Kebede for H&M's Fall 2014 lookbook, and a piece highlighted in Refinery29 because it supposedly resembles the uniform worn by Kurdish women fighters - which I think is just absurd.

Of course, Jackie and I bought this jumpsuit. At Php1190, less 20%, it would be crazy not to.

I almost caved in and bought these shorts. Almost.



Adorable in real life, and on Natasha Poly as well.

Maybe I'll come back for it. If H&M still has it in my size. I can just imagine that with the pandemonium on opening day itself, and excited shoppers coming to the store days after the opening, I may have to battle it out for these lace trimmed shorts.

Talk about military-inspired.

H&M Megamall

G/F to 3/F SM Fashion Hall

SM Megamall Bldg D

EDSA, Mandaluyong City

Nao do Brasil Hits Manila!

Aihleen with partners Inna & Corinne Yenko

When our friend Aihleen Tan-Gruba first told me about NÃO do Brasil, a French brand of sneakers that she, her husband Mark, and their partners brought in to Manila after discovering and hoarding pairs of it in Paris, I wondered, "If it's French? Why is it called Nao do Brasil?"

Legend has it that a little boy named Adilson, who "lived in the depths of Minas Gerais, an arid region in Brazil", was tired of walking barefoot, and hearing his mother say "NÃO" everytime he asked her to buy him a pair of shoes.

So he decided to make his own shoes, using materials picked up from the slums of Belo Horizonte. Over the years, he refined his craft and his shoes became known for their craftsmanship, color, comfort and style.

When asked whether he had given a name to his shoes, Adilson would recall his mother's words and invariably answer NÃO, with an enigmatic smile on his face.

Today, it is said that Adilson is a happy man, who heads a small firm that produces thousands of multi-colored shoes every year for the enjoyment of all. 

Meanwhile, back in France, in the year 2010, NÃO do Brasil founder Gerard Mandrea opened his first NÃO store in Juan-Les-Pins in France. Today, there are over 20 NÃO do Brasil stores in Europe, the Middle East and now in Asia, by way of the Philippines with the first store opening here at SM Megamall Fashion Hall D.

Of course, I visited the store and was blown away by the sheer variety of choices. There are several styles to choose from ranging from the trademark Caïpi to Noïte, Altaï, Baïana, Drïa, Kerïa, Praï. These styles come in hundreds of color combinations, with sizes ranging from 18 (infants) to 47 (adults).

Aihleen told me that when you see a color and style you like in your size, I better grab onto it because there's no guarantee I will ever find the same thing ever. 

This is because 70% of their shoes are made from recycled or salvaged materials, sourced from various Brazilian manufacturers. Each pair is entirely made by hand by an artisan, in one of the five workshops set-up in different parts of Brazil.

So when I zoomed in on this silver-y pair, I knew this was it for me.

I then found a pair of silver high tops for Berry, and I left feeling like I won a matching game!

With the hundreds, if not thousands of color combinations in store, it is almost impossible to find two similar pairs in the sizes you want.

Of course, these were the pairs that Berry & I wore to the launch of NÃO do Brasil in Megamall last March 25. 

Our biggest supporters, Dada & Xavi, were there to cheer us on, along with my fellow SoMoms, Pam, Jane, Patty, Jenny and Jackie!

Because Berry & I walked the ramp! It was a first for me, OMG!

Berry, the veteran, who already had a gig with Gingersnaps under her belt, was teaching me how to pose backstage and was practicing the counts with me.

She even showed me how she counted from 1 to 5 to hold her pose, while smiling! Too cute!

It was a wonderful bonding experience with Beriray, having our hair done together at Blo and getting dolled up at Make Up for Forever. I am so happy we were in it together. We super enjoyed it!

Such a relief to also walk the ramp in the comfiest of shoes! Not only am I so glad my first ever runway experience was with Berry, I was also happy it was with NÃO do Brasil. It felt so natural to walk with a bounce on my step, with no fear of tumbling all over for all to see! 

Visit the store to see what I mean! 

NÃO do Brasil 

3/F SM Megamall Fashion Hall

SM Megamall Building D

Mandaluyong, Metro Manila