INTENSITY: Penshoppe S/S 2013

Well,  here it is. My first fashion show. 

I never planned on going - it just so happened that I got the free passes when I treated my cousin to some back to school outfits. 

Okay, segue first: I happen to like Penshoppe's clothes, impressive celebrity endorsers notwithstanding. Sure, I think they already "won" (at least for me) when they got Ian Somerhalder, but even before that I already have clothes with their tags in my closet which I bought not for the sake of attending fan conferences.

Even so, it was ridiculously easy to create some great outfits for my cousin with what they have in the store. She was my first styling project and I have to say, she looked pretty damned good in the clothes that I picked for her. The colors were bright and young and even the jeans were a perfect fit (she is a size 25, TT__TT). Price was reasonable too. We were happy customers.

Getting the passes were simply a plus.

I'm wearing a Penshoppe reversible top :)

Fast forward a few days later, decked out in our fashion show debut outfits, my other cousin and I sashayed (no, not really) down to the SMX Convention Center for Penshoppe's fashion show for Spring/Summer 2013 called INTENSITY. Its tagline:

“Intellect is a magnitude of INTENSITY, not a magnitude of extensity,” – Arthur Schopenhauer

- Pause here while I Google what this quote means -

Okay, full quote makes more sense for me.

"Intellect is a magnitude of intensity, not a magnitude of extension: which is why in this respect one man can confidently take on ten thousand and a thousand fools do not make one wise man." - Arthur Schopenhauer

I still don't quite get what it means as it pertains to the fashion show or the collection. Does it mean that even though the show doesn't have much fanfare with a binder full of celebrities (get it?), it would be the collection that will speak for itself? 

And why am I even ruminating about this?!

Back to the show.

Well, whatever INTENSITY means, the show definitely presented a collection that I am excited to see on their stores soon.

As always, their jackets and sweaters were the stuff people who spend much time in air-conditioners dream of. Their signature varsity jacket is in attendance for the boys, along with sparkly, silvery sweaters for the girls.

I loved the white outfits with the big blue floral prints - on the dress and the pants. Very summer-y.

And speaking of summer - I love the cuts and colors of their retro-styled bathing suits.

Lots of neon, too. Is it not going away yet?

And, even though I'm a girl, I found myself wishing there was a girl-version for some of the guy's clothes. (Also, nice sneaks!)

All in all, great collection. And not at all bad for my first show, right?

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Solanin

If there is a manga that is so fitting for me right now, it's Asano Inio's Solanin.

This manga has been on my to-read list ever since I went to the Manga Realities exhibit a year ago. Maybe it's kismet that I read this now at a time when it echoes my own thoughts.

Solanin is a story about a twenty-something Meiko who is feeling aimless about her life, probably encountering the so-called quarter life crisis that plagues most of us during that age. She quits her job and, together with her live-in boyfriend Taneda and their group of college friends, decides to find the answers to what freedom, purpose, and happiness really means.

Here are some of the notable quotes from the manga:

Freedom without any purpose feels a whole lot like boredom.

The lyrics I struggled to create are only made up so I would have something to sing. Nothing genuine can come out of these flat and boring and ambiguous lives we're living, out of faking your worries for the sake of it.

It's because you haven't found that something you simply have to convey to people.

That's why we're using this moment to change the days spent using the rest of our lives to the the days building the rest of our lives.

But at times I remember that I'm making no contribution to society and I feel like the dead, someone who doesn't exist. It's terrifying. It keeps me up at night sometimes.

Bag Lust

I never quite got how or why people buy those uber expensive bags with names I'm not sure I was even pronouncing correctly. It's just something you sling on your shoulders, something that holds all your stuff together.

Maybe it's when you get older and earn money of your own, or maybe it's when you finally realize the quality of products that you get it. You get the whys of the expensive price tag and the serious case of bag lust comes over you.

And recently, my brand of obsession is Chloé.

Chloé bags have been seen on the arms of famous personalities like Katie Holmes, Reese Whiterspoon, and my personal favorite Rachel Bilson among many others.What I love about their bags is that they look very classic and I'll probably use them for years and years to come. I also love that it's not all in your face with the logo and in a way, discreet.

Here are some of my favorites from their 2012 collection.

All images taken from Chloé Facebook page.

A Case in Pink

I love my Samsung Galaxy Note. It doesn't matter that it is a bit too big when I hold it up to my ear when I take a call. I think it's absolutely perfect for my needs.

My only problem with it is the lack of choices for this specific unit's phone cases.

So instead of continuing to gaze longingly at the pretty cases for a certain popular brand of phone, I decided to make a customized one of my own.

And with some washi tapes I bought from Hey Kessy, it definitely wasn't hard to do.

MATERIALS

• Back cover - mine is conveniently white so the pink washi tapes blended in perfectly.
• X-acto knife - be very, very careful when using!
• Small scissors - for cutting the tapes. I mentioned that it's small because just in case you don't have an x-acto knife, you can use this to cut through those tiny holes.
• Washi tapes of various designs

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cover the phone cases with alternating washi tapes, leaving a bit hanging on both sides. Fold over the excess tapes. I cut it to the edges the first time, but I learned that the tape won't curl or peel off when the edge is tucked inside, just like covering a book with plastic.

2. Using the X-acto knife or small scissors, carefully punch through and cut the holes for the camera, etc. You can also cut one side and leave the other side to be folded inside.

3. Insert phone into case and enjoy! :)

Now my phone is as sweet as Dara!

Daydreaming

Image Source

Springtime and there he was again,
Hands in his pockets, hair wind-blown
His lips curved up in a half-smile
And I let myself daydream for a while

He'd walk up to me and ask for this dance
As a guitar gently strums in the background
And we'd sway, sway, sway
As the whole world falls away

His hand feels safe and strong
As he walks me all the way home
We take our time as he talks about his brothers
Learning about favorite songs and colors

And at the door he stops me
With a hand on my waist, he leans in
Time suddenly slows
My eyes flutter close...

A fragile sound jars me from my reverie
And brings me back once again
Sighing as I look across the room to him
The starring man from my daydream.

 

Bedside Matter

Night

Day

Mirror - AC +632, Greenbelt 3

Scarf - Japan street stall

Anglepoise lamp - SM Homeworld

Various Books - National Bookstore

Vintage suitcase (filled with complete Nora Roberts Language of Love series) - Legaspi Sunday Market

Pig figurine - China (?)

Wireless mouse - CDR King

Fan - gifted

Red necklace - crafted by moi

Antique-style clock - SM Homeworld

Lace placemat - Landmark

Ceramics - inherited from Mom

White wooden picture box - ??? store

A Closet Case

"It's not that I have too many clothes... It's just that I have a small closet."

- Me

I had long despaired of finding a good closet. I didn't think it was too much to ask. I wasn't talking about one of those walk-in ones where it looks more like a boutique than an actual closet. All I wanted was only about 50 inches wide with drawers and, most importantly, a mirror installed in one of the doors. I don't have a full-length mirror on my room so whenever I dress, I have to go out and check myself on the "hallway" mirror. And I'm not one of those people who are always satisfied with their first outfit... sometimes I go on three outfit changes so you can imagine how much time it takes to dress up.

 Uneven doors, disjointed, bottomless drawers, and under the bed storage

Another reason why I wanted a new closet was because the one I had was already falling apart. It was one of those generic ones you see being sold on most furniture stores like SM Homeworld. While it may look ideally perfect for my needs, the workmanship left much to be desired. I had to re-install a metal rod instead of the plastic one it came with because it curved due to the weight of the clothes. Soon, the drawers' bottoms gave out so the the top drawers contents toppled down to the bottom (In a way, you can call it a bottomless drawer hehe). The closet door also went out of alignment that I couldn't open the closet door without opening the drawer. Suffice to say, I am never going to buy one of those closets again.

Easier said than done... because there aren't a lot of places in Manila where you could buy a good quality closet.

My options: 1) Have it custom made; 2) Buy second hand from those antique stores in Evangelista; and 3) Persist in finding the perfect closet.

I was seriously considering having it custom made but I didn't know who to ask. This probably would have been my best option, but I didn't pursue it.

For buying second hand... I saw these two closets which had mirrors in front over at the second hand shops at Evangelista, Bangkal. One of them was just my style - the mirror had flower etchings and there was even a hidden drawer! But, sadly, it was too small for my needs. The other one was a bit large and a little austere for my taste, but I could work on it to make it more "pretty." And they were pretty cheap. Again, I was seriously considering buying the latter (and restoring the former and maybe selling it) but the main drawback was that it was an antique. It wouldn't surprise me if one night a white lady showed herself on the mirror or a child was suddenly hiding inside the closet. *Insert me screaming* No, thank you.

The third option was a trial in patience. I went around different furniture stores and had a tape measure in my bag for several months just in case I find a prospective closet. I ended up going to Waltermart Makati and up to S.B. Furniture to look at what they have in stock. I think this was back last year, later than September, I guess. They had really good quality closets and some of them even had mirrors! But!!! They were too large for my wee condo. If it wasn't too tall, it was too wide. There was no way it could fit in my room and still have room for people to walk on. Fortunately, they had a website and I looked it up. They get their furniture from Thailand and if I wanted a design, I could order it and it will arrive... in two months! Two months seemed a long time to me so I didn't place an order and just hoped that I could still find my dream closet. Fast forward to 2012 and I was still suffering with my old closet - some of my clothes stored under the bed because the drawers were useless. Yeah... I was regretting not ordering from overseas by then.

Hopefully, I thought that maybe their next shipment of furniture - which the friendly people at their store told me would come by February - would have my dream closet. I made a pest of myself calling and calling them to ask if the furniture had arrived yet and did they have a closet with a mirror on it. The answer was always "no, not yet."

Then one day, I went to the store by chance. I asked. Again. And was told, again, that they didn't have it. But! One of the people remembered a closet that was ordered by someone and was going to be shipped to Pampanga. I looked at the picture and there it was - a three-door closet with a mirror! 

Princess Wardrobe

(image taken from S.B. Furniture)

The sales associate told me that someone ordered two of the model and he was going to check if that person will still get two. I was mentally willing the unknown person to take only just one while he phoned the other branch. And then... YES! I got it! Wasting no time, I whipped out my credit card and asked when it could be delivered. And, what do you know - it will be delivered the next day!

 Before and (Happily Ever) After

So... thus ends the case of the sad, sad closet. Now it's a happy closet. Look! It has butterfly handles and stuff! (LOL!)

Thanks to the friendly and helpful people at S.B. Furniture and to the unknown person from Pampanga who ordered two of these and only got one. I hope you really didn't need it, because I really, really did.

***

S.B. FURNITURE

4th Level, Waltermart Makati, Chino Roces Ave. cor Arnaiz St. Makati City

S.B. Furniture (Philippines) Facebook Page