Plum for the Picking

My friend Angela Operana-Batoon and her mom have been selling dresses in bazaars for a couple of years now, so when they finally found a home at 50th Avenue in Robinsons Galleria, she excitedly shared the good news with me! Their store is called PLUM, and I say their dresses are ripe for the picking!

PLUM is for women who want to be fashionable but want value for their money. They specialize in mostly fluid jersey dresses. "Versatile enough to take us from day-to-night in style", says Angela. Prices range from Php900-Php1,800.

If you've been needing stylish and figure flattering pieces but don't want to spend a lot acquiring them, now you know where to go!

PLUM
50th Avenue, Robinson’s Galleria
Ortigas Center, Pasig City

For inquiries, comments and updates on new styles, like PLUM Manila on FACEBOOK!

New JC Wishlist!

Honeys, it's time to play assistant buyer again! With new designs and crazier ones out now, it's time to work on a whole new Jeffrey Campbell wishlist! Carissa & I rounded up a couple of styles. Let us know what you like so that there's a better chance that you get the pair you've been dreaming of! ;)

To keep it simple, let's do it like this:

Name:
Style:
Color:
Size:
Contact email or #: so it can be set aside for you if it makes the cut!

Benched in natural: also in black, grey, nude, rosa & tan

Cobra in black

Darian in Taupe: also in black, silver/gold, velvet

El Carmen in black & white polka dot

Elegant stud loafer in black

Foxy wood in grey: also in black, nude & multi glitter

Franklin 2 in white: also in black suede

Hot Stuff in black

Lana in black: also in brown distressed

Lita in Navy Suede

Mariel in tan suede: also in black suede, nude, and snakeskin

Obispo in natural

Sabine in nude

Safety in tan

Sassy in black: also in nude, red and turquoise

Suebee in rosa: also in patent black, nude and yellow

You may also choose to add to Fashion Forum Philippines JC wishlist page on Facebook too!

Madonna x Dolce & Gabbana Giveaway!

Happy Monday everyone! The week ahead looks so bright, you would want this pair of Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses designed in collaboration with pop icon, Madonna!

We will be giving away this gorgeous pair of MDG (Madonna x Dolce & Gabbana) sunnies to one lucky reader. I personally chose this style for the giveaway, and all you have to do to join is:

1). Leave a comment & tell me why you WANT these MDG sunglasses, along with your email address & Twitter ID:

"I WANT these MDG sunglasses because ______________!"
Email address: ________
Twitter ID: ________

2) Like my page on Facebook: MANILA FASHION OBSERVER

3) Add me on Twitter: @cd_mfo

4) I will pick 5 of my favorite comments and post it in the blog. My top 5 picks will be given instructions for a fun and exciting Round 2 by next Tuesday!

Samantha Sotto's Before Ever After

I don’t want to say that you shouldn’t be scared about trying out new things — because you should be.

Big life changes are, by their nature, terrifying. Being scared means that you’ve really thought about what you’re leaving and what you are planning to get into.

Fear isn’t a sign that you shouldn’t be pursuing something — it’s a test of whether you want it enough to risk failing at it. 

- Samantha Sotto, on her journey from hobby writer to published author

Last year, my friend Kris de Guzman introduced me to Sam Sotto-Yambao, "My Random House published friend!", Kris shared proudly. Sam had just signed a book deal with Random House, and her debut novel Before Ever After, was scheduled for release in 2011. Sam & I kept in touch since then, often times over email, and once over dimsum at Crystal Jade in Holland Village, when her family came over here to Singapore for vacation. Sam had excitedly and quite nervously talked about the launch of her book, but I knew in my heart it was going to be the talk of the literary community, if not amongst newbie writers who will read into her experience with a glimmer of hope.

Fast forward to now, and her book is now available in National Bookstore & Powerbooks (and selling out fast, as I type), and due for release in the US on August 2.

Sam's story is of the stuff that fairy tales are made of. And I am referring to her novel, as well as her personal journey to becoming a true novelist.

The unlikely tale of a young mom whiling her time by tapping away at a love story on her keyboard, while at Starbucks waiting for her son to get dismissed at Ateneo, to flying to New York to meet with her literary agent and editor at Random House Publishing in a matter of a year, is the sort of plot that aspiring novelists dream of. Heck, I think she is the first Filipino born & bred author to ever be published by Random House at that. UPDATE: I stand corrected, F. Sionil Jose is the first Filipino author to be published by Random House. Sam is the first Filipina =)

It is my pleasure to share with you Sam's amazing story, set in Europe, as well as Paranaque, Katipunan Avenue, Hong Kong & New York City.

Read about it HERE, it's in today's Philippine Star, and it's On the Radar!

Get glimpses of Samantha’s novel Before Ever After, at www.samanthasotto.com

So Bright We Have to Wear Shades

I had the time of my life while I was in Manila, and was invited by Eileen Marquez of Branded Lifestyle Inc., (the distributor of luxury & fashion eyewear in the country) to their office in Makati. If you know me well, I am obsessed with sunnies. I have a collection of what I consider to be iconic sunglasses and I would buy more if only I did not have a lot of others items on my wishlist. Sigh, right?

I literally felt like a kid in a candy store when I stepped foot inside the showroom and BLI Luxury Division's Vicky Marchadesch (Asst. General Manager) and Sugar Pecjo (Sr. Brand Manager) showed me rows upon rows of sunglasses from Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Tiffany & Co., Prada and Bulgari.

I swear, it was so fun going through all the frames. (Plus, I want their compartmentalized drawers too. Just imagine having one at home to keep all your eyewear in. Very organized, and just lovely to look at your collection all in one place.) If you like classic frames, there's plenty plenty to choose from. But to keep this post spicy and out of the ordinary, let's check out some of the stand-outs from their collections:

Yellow & purple printed sunnies from Versace's Alice in Wonderland Collection: According to Sugar, Versace is known for its loud, crazy designs, so when they went minimalist a few seasons ago, the reception was lukewarm. This collection harkens back to Versace's original roots.

Wanna do it like Naomi with Dolce & Gabbana's Animalier Collection?

The frames all come in Dolce & Gabbana's trademark animal print, and rendered in various colors like orange, red, yellow, turquoise, blue & purple. Crazy. Sexy. Cool. And out in stores this July!

Here's one of their best-selling lines: Dolce & Gabbana's Logo Plaque Edition frames - because hey, if a Pinoy is going to spend Php15,000 on sunglasses, the logo better be there, heeheehee.

How cute is this one? Solid on the outside, floral print on the inside!

Prada's clear cat eye frame...

...which is exactly like the ones seen on the Prada Spring 2010 runway. Yes, the exact one.

But wait, there's also the updated cat eye frame from Fall 2011. Called the Swing, it should be in Manila this October.

Oh and if you liked these Baroque frames from Prada's Spring 2011 collection, these are due in stores come September:

How about an outfit shot for inspiration?

Fashion forward!

Oh oh, and I also spotted these lola glamorosa lenses from Bulgari. I can so imagine coiffured grandmas  loving these. Heehee.

But if I had to choose from all these frames, I would of course still go for the classics. I pretend shopped and zoomed in on these 3:

My top 3 picks from top to bottom: Prada, Prada, Dolce & Gabbana. If only I can buy all three!

Thanks so much Vicky, Sugar and CJ for letting me browse through your collections! I can imagine what fun it must be like to go to work with a showroom of sunnies & spectacles (which reminds me, I have got to show you the cutest eyeglass frames from D&G ever in another post) right in your office. Uhmmm, expect me to keep visiting you girls at work whenever you have new stuff in, heehee!