Say Hi! to Chicify

If I've been quiet here in the blog, it's mostly because I've been busy with the Dada and kids, getting ready for our bun in the oven arriving next month, holiday preps, and a couple of other fun projects I've been working on, one of which is the relaunch of online shopping site, Chicify!

Chin Joson of Chicify and I have been working on getting the site ready for a couple of months now, and it has finally, finally hatched. Yay!

Many of you are probably familiar with the site, I've even run a Chicify giveaway years ago, and while it did well, Chin realized that over the years, Chicify needed some creative direction and curation, and a fresh new look to keep its old customers happy, attract new ones, and get everyone coming back for more.

So we decided to trim the brand list down to the labels that fit into our concept of chic, come up with a whole new look for the site that is fresh, fun and full of great finds, and relaunch with the in-house label, Chicify, which allowed us to come up with pieces we've always wanted to wear, but couldn't find locally.

We thought of ourselves, our sisters, and friends, and decided on this capsule collection of easy-to-wear pieces that take out the stress of asking ourselves, "What do I wear?"

There's a billowy Racerback maxi dress with pockets that we can wear with flip flops to weekend markets at the park, but may also be dressed up with a long gold chain, a stack of bangles and gold wedge sandals for a dressy beach house party.

We loved this flouncy Cropped ruffle top at first sight, straight from the sewer's sample room. It instantly dresses up a basic pair of shorts or denims, and can transition from day to night with ease.

As I cannot live without button down shirts, we came up with a Square cropped version that has a longer back. I suggest you button it up all the way to the top, and wear it with your favorite denims. It has an insouciance about it, and totally goes against the standard preppy aesthetic that button down shirts are associated with.

Both tops would look great with the Chin culottes, inspired by Chicify founder Chin, who has a pair from so many years ago that is still a favorite to this day, they've lived around long enough to see a style resurgence. We think Chicify's version should become long-term staples in your closets as well.

I fell in love with Madewell's poncho dress from a season or so back, and loved the striped accents it had going on. But I found it too tent like, I wished it came in a slimmer tunic version. The result is the Santorini tunic, which makes for a super stylish piece to wear to grocery errands, brunch with girlfriends, or for what it's named after, an essential summer piece for your Mediterranean getaway.

The Bib tunic is a more subtle version of Santorini, perfect for school pick-ups, mall runs, weekend lunches at your parents' place, or  Sunday get togethers with the in laws. 

Lastly, the Piped dress, is an inspired piece that aims to solve your corporate dressing woes. It's polished enough to wear to work, just pair it with pumps and a structured bag. But come weekend, it also works as a comfy dress that you can pair with flats and a slouchy cabas tote. Finally, a dress that can take you from your work desk, to dinner date, to weekend downtime. Hopefully not in a span of 24 hours.

These pieces are all limited runs, as with all the other styles we have on our pipeline. Expect to be delighted and surprised with new designs from Chicify as the weeks progress. Because we're always dreaming up perfect pieces for us girls to wear, for every imaginable occasion.

Of course, don't forget to check out the other brands we have on board! 

There's Anthill, Cole Vintage, 12Twelve Maternity, Sexy White Shirt, Ziggy and Zooey. We think they make great additions to your wardrobe. 

From L to R: Anthill Panyo Kapa, Cole Vintage Ilaria dress paired with Ziggy & Zooey flats, 12Twelve Maternity Goddess dress, Sexy White Shirt

With the holidays coming up, we're also beefing up our Accessories and Chic Objects category to take the guess work out of gift giving. 

Check out Magpie's Nest, a line of gorgeous accessories from Bangkok which is also stocked at Anthropologie, House of Heirloom's fun, affordable line of neck pieces, canvas bags from FEED and Baggu, and our latest discovery, Tangle Teezer brushes, because tangled hair is so not chic. Heehee.

From top L to R, clockwise: Magpie's Nest bib necklace, House of Heirloom rope necklace, Baggu backpack, FEED tote, Tangle Teezer hair brush

We've got more brands coming on board, so check soon and check often. We hope you enjoy browsing and shopping the new Chicify as much as we had fun putting everything together!

Model: Jackie Go
Styling: Me
Hair & Makeup: Eliza Santiago-Ypon
Photography: Anthony Co

Too Sexy for My Shirt

Here's Mary Kate Olsen wearing a deep V-neck shirt from LnA with a maxi skirt, and she sure looks chic. But to spend $60 on a cotton shirt? Hmmm...

Thankfully, local label Sexy White Shirt has something for us ladies without billionaire budgets. They sent me this shirt in white, and also in black a few months back, and they do look adorbs, and dare I say, sexy?! Even with my bulging belly. Now, imagine how much better it will look on you!

Me at 31 Weeks, wearing a Sexy White Shirt, Current/Elliott cut-off shorts, Salt-Water sandals

I asked Melissa & Katrina, the ladies behind Sexy White Shirt to tell us more about their shirts and Melissa happily obliged:

MFO: Tell us how it all started!

Melissa: Sexy White Shirt is all about redefining the value of the basic white shirt by giving it greater versatility through a sexier and more modern feel.

A lot of fancy tops and tees are now present in the market, but when I wanted to buy a good basic shirt that would go with both my basic and fancier bottoms, I couldn't find any!!! So, I decided to design and make one instead.

However, since the minimum given to by the sewer was 50 pieces (which was too many for my personal use), I decided to keep 8 shirts for myself and hopefully discard the remaining 42 shirts by selling them at the Rockwell Bazaar last March 2010.

Even though I like fashion, I'm definitely not a designer by any means, so I had no idea whether I'd be able to sell the rest or not. I decided that I'd be happy if I sold half, and just give the remaining half as presents or giveaways to friends and family.

The three-day bazaar opened at 12 noon on a Friday, and I was so shocked when I realized I sold all 42 shirts by 6:43pm! I had to take pre-orders for the rest of Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday.

Sexy White Shirt is definitely an unexpected blessing that I would always, always be thankful for.

What kind of shirts do you sell and what makes them unique?

We sell basic shirts made from top material and upgraded cuts.

We've brought the necklines and length a little more down south to give it an urban spin, and use 100% organic cotton to incorporate a luxurious feel on a basic wardrobe item.

We want our clients to be able to pair our shirts with anything from their wardrobe, whether it's their favorite pair of denim jeans, a bodycon skirt, or wide leg pants.

Grateful for the warm welcome we have received from the market over the past two years, we have also expanded our collection to other basic colors such a black, dark gray, and navy blue.

What's the price range of your merchandise?

All of our shirts are priced at Php 395 each.

In your opinion, what are the must-have pieces in your collection?

Our best-seller is still our pioneer product, which is the Plain White V Neck. For the darker colors, a lot of people still choose black, since they can pair it with more formal pieces and go for a more polished look.

We have also recently launched our first "seasonal" limited edition collection for Spring/Summer 2012.

The Sexy White Shirt, including their latest colors for Spring/Summer 2012, are available online via http://www.sexywhiteshirt.com/. For orders, please fill in this ORDER FORM.