my pretend closet: L&S travel purse

Am still hung-over from our recent trip. And I realized I still haven't found the perfect travel purse. Over the years, I've experimented on my collection of purses - mostly the cross-body ones or the ones with handles long enough to hang from my shoulder. But none of them has proven to be the perfect travel purse. I brought my nylon Prada on our recent trip. It rained a couple of times so I was thankful for its water-resistant material. It was also lightweight and surprisingly roomy, allowing me to stuff 3 sets of hats, gloves & scarves, among my usual purse essentials. But searching for things inside it made me feel like a talent-less magician pulling out the oddest non-rabbit things from his hat. I must have unnecessarily panicked a million times, thinking my sunnies or camera was missing after wading through my bag's contents over and over. I did bring a bag organizer - used it during the flight to hold our passports, e-ticket, boarding passes, etc. But I felt it made my bag overly bulky that I took it out during our daily sight-seeing.

So I was ecstatic when I discovered the multiple compartments of the OG bag by Lo & Sons! It has a compartment for EVERYTHING!

Seriously. It has a padded pocket for a laptop, another padded pocket for a tablet, almost 10 other compartments (some zippered, some open)...

... including a pocket for shoes! Yes, shoes!

You can wear slip-on flats during the flight (so it's  easier to go through the x-ray inspection and more comfortable during the flight) then change into sneakers or oxfords with laces or heels when you land! I can also imagine packing a pair of heels in there while I go out & about during the day's sight-seeing then slip them on for dinner & drinks in the evening.

Watch this video of how you can pack all your carry-on essentials into the Lo & Sons OG bag.   

I also love the idea of the key leash! Is it obvious I dig through my purse often for my keys?

And what makes it the perfect purse for going through airports is its adjustable back panel that allows you to secure the bag over your trolley luggage's handle! 

And yes, its nylon material is water-resistant! No need to worry if it rains or if Shamu splashes water on you with his tail!

And despite the extreme functionality of this bag, it still looks stylish and chic! It isn't shown here but it also comes with a detachable messenger strap which I imagine will look effortlessly chic as the OG hangs from your shoulder and your arms can swing freely as you walk (vs. clipped like the leftmost photo below). 

I love that it's a structured bag. Slouchy bags just force you to dig through your purse to find your things (I talked about my Cole Haan crossbody here with several compartments that currently makes it the best-for-travel purse in my non-pretend closet. It is quite slouchy though so I still end up wading through the big compartments.). I also love how the OG's nylon material (and army green color) tone down the structured shape for casual travel days. 

Gosh, I so want to bring the army green one into my non-pretend closet, but sadly, it's still out of stock. The black one is in stock though and I am quite smitten with the lavender lining.

Plus, one of my fave blogs, http://homesuppliesset.blogspot.com/, is offering a 15% discount code in time for Mother's Day (you just need to have it shipped to a US address)!

But I really looove the army green version with the black leather trim (as you know from here, I am so drawn to this color but would prefer if the lining were pink as I posted here. Admittedly, the camel lining the army green OG actually comes with is pretty too)!

I've decided to sign up for the wait list for the slightly smaller OMG.

After all, I'm pretty tiny (5'1") and the OMG can also pack a whole lot of stuff!

Isn't it the perfect travel purse? 

Sadly, it has to stay in my pretend closet until it comes back in stock. Derek Lo of Lo & Sons did email that they "usually give a discount for those who are patient and wait". So for now, I will be patient and wait... :)

Photos from deliciouslyorganized and lo&sons.

Click here for previous posts from the My Pretend Closet series.   

unlikely black pairings

It isn't intuitive to me to pair pastels with black - like seafoam green is effortlessly paired with black in Mango's January 2013 Lookbook. Even though Michelle Williams inspired me here, I still haven't been able to actually do it.

Moreso, spring floral prints. I've paired them with stripes (inspired by this), but not with black. Not yet.

Maybe I need these pieces the Prabal Gurung for Target Collection as my training wheels.

He incorporated black within the floral pieces - via the collar, neckline, arm & waist bands...

... so I don't need to struggle with breaking old design sensibilities by pairing a floral with a separate black piece.

Love this colorful print called Nolita with the black details! Gave the print an attractive edge.

Also love these shorts! 

It's funny that the very reason I struggle with pairing pastels or florals with black is precisely what makes the pairing so striking. While in my head, feminine, delicate colors & prints don't go with masculine, tough black, my heart says yes to the edginess that black gives the otherwise old and somewhat Stepford Wife feel of pastels & florals.

Okay, I resolve to try harder to break my ancient style sensibilities and mix my pastels and florals with black this week. Maybe I can start with pairing my florals with a small black piece - like a black belt?

Will you mix things up again with me?

Prabal Gurung for Target Collection will be out from February 10 to March 23, 2013. Hoping I can score these pieces via Target.com. View more of the collection with prices via nitrolicious.

Photos from nitrolicious.

Click on the following links for previous posts on breaking ancient fashion rules:

... mixing gold & silver and gray & brown

... mixing prints

... mixing glitter & knits or basics

... mixing gray & yellow

... mixing brown & black

... mixing florals & animal print

... mixing army green & feminine prints

... mixing stripes & florals

some stylish kids

I am normally not a fan of kids dressing up like grown-ups. I prefer kids to dress like kids because they grow up too fast as it is. I prefer that their childlike quality is preserved for as long as possible. But oddly, I am enamored by these really well-dressed kids.

Loving the mullet dresses of these two. 

On the fence on the black one though. Not sure kids should already wear black. Am attracted to this mustard & gray color combo though...

What about this kid in these adorable brogues?

Am even drawn to these tiny snakeskin Celines.

Good thing I'm done shopping for all the kids on my Christmas list! Or I would be in a real dilemma with all these stylish, grown-up kids' clothes around.

Photos from annnniegirl & garancedore.

Click here for a previous post about avoiding conversations about how they look when talking to little girls.

Color Obsession: rainbow row of colors

I love this Kate Spade board covering up the store renovations in Shangrila Mall! With the purses, shoes & clothes lined up according to color - in rows resembling a rainbow!

It reminded me of other everyday things I've seen lined up according to the colors of the rainbow. Like books...

More books... This time on a bookshelf...

Pencils... Yes, my colored pencils are always arranged this way.

Bridesmaid dresses (which you might remember from here)...

Rainboots...

Stilettos...

This growing trend of pretty rainbow cakes...

And even people! Haha!

Isn't it so much fun?

Photos are my own and from sparklesandpretending, pinkwallpaper, blackeiffel & annnniegirl.

Click here for previous posts from the Color Obsession series. Click here for previous posts on rainbows (of which, my fave is Windshield Art). Click here for the downinthedots version of this post.

P.S. Like I warned you here, this is one of those long overdue posts. So by now, the Kate Spade store in Shangri-la Mall might already be open!

my pretend closet: COS

During my last trip to Hong Kong, I discovered COS (Collection of Style), a brand of tailored, architectural pieces. I was so drawn to their classic, minimalist and structured silhouettes but I had known then that I was taking a break from work. I didn't think their sophisticated dresses and coats - despite their simple & clean lines - were appropriate for lying on my bed or lazy-boy couch or for bringing the kids to and from school.

But I was so smitten with their colors! They had all my color obsessions: seafoam green, lavender, apple green, coral and mustard.

And I love that their Autumn/Winter 2012 Collection still has these yummy colors! What a happy bright touch to the usual dark colors of this season!

Awww, if only we had Fall and Winter in Manila (or if I had my old winter-cold office to dress up for)...

But since I don't, H&M's premium brand COS' collection will have to stay in my pretend closet for now. Though I have to say it was incredibly hard to resist shopping in such a beautiful store!

 

 

It took all my willpower to keep myself from trying on those pretty-colored clothes. But I did try on those white wedges and I have to admit, if I hadn't lost my shopping mojo here, they would have made it to my non-pretend closet.

 

Photos from cosstores, here and here.

Click here for previous posts from the My Pretend Closet series.

Color Obsession: burgundy

I don't know about you, but the last time I heard the color burgundy said out loud was way back in high school. I remember having a thick oversized burgundy cardigan from Benetton that I would wear over my uniform when it was cold. I've forgotten about this color - almost like Cinderella did with her slipper (I just want to make sense of that photo of a lone shoe). Surprisingly, it is everywhere in the Fall selections of A Cup of Jo's Joanna on ASOS.

 

 

It certainly looks like the preppy ivy-league burgundy from high school...

 

 

... has turned sexy and flirty!

 

 

Especially paired with cherry red and turquoise in DVF's Fall Collection.

 

 

Then again, how can it not with the DVF touch?

 

 

Check out the signature DVF gold chain detail...

 

 

... on this burgundy purse that can hold an iPad.

 

 

To be honest, I am not obsessed with burgundy. But I am somewhat drawn to it. Maybe the deep, dark color makes it mysterious & enchanting. And because it's a red hue, it undoubtedly has a touch of sexy, flirty fearlessness. 

 

Photos from acupofjo, asos and goop (read about the fascinating DVF interview here).

 

Click here for previous posts from the Color Obsession series.

matchy-matchy

After all my effort resisting the urge to match here and here - just when I've gotten the hang of it - I start to spot some matchy-matchy ensembles again.

I have to admit I'm on the fence on this one...

But I absolutely loooove this denim on denim look...

Ooohh, am so smitten... Wish I could pull off this look!

 

Photos from pinkwallpaper, zara and acupofjo. 

little things, big adventure

Not counting work, company benefits and co-worker friends, here are some of the little things I will miss about my old job:

1 My delight at P20 and P50 change because I immediately think, "Yay! Pang-toll!" (see related post here)

2 The happy colors in my bag from my receipt-organizing-system - I got these flat (non-gusseted) pouches from H&M. They come in seafoam green, dark salmon and cream. The green one contains receipts for reimbursement at the office like receipts from meetings at restos. The salmon one contains receipts of personal expenses. I have a cardstock divider in this pouch to separate receipts from credit card tape to get those freebies my card offers. The cream one holds my receipts for liquidation like gas and health expenses. I have to admit that I loved looking in my bag and seeing the pretty colors of my pouches.

3 The winter-cold office temperature especially during the BER months - an excuse to wear pretty coats and clothes made out of wool

4 The carpeted hallways that make it easy to wear 4-to-5-inch heels all day

5 The calming nighttime drive home along C6 - For some reason, I find the combination of the many lampposts on that highway, the absence of traffic and my iPod music playing from my car's speakers very soothing. Now that I won't be working, I imagine I won't be driving at night nor alone so much anymore.

I will miss (a lot of the big things but also) these little delightful things.

But I am certain there will be a different set of delightful little things as this big adventure begins.

Photos from pinkwallpaper and here via acupofjo.

three of a kind

My friends K, C and I have very different fashion styles. K's style is edgy, structured and sleek. She wears a lot of blacks & neutrals - hardly ever in colors or patterns. C's style is romantic & feminine. She loves flouncy floral dresses and bows. And I guess I'm somewhere in between (K calls it creative classics). I go for effortless, classic shapes made fashion-forward with unusual detail - whether it be a large graphic print on a dress or my latest color fixation.

We're lucky we have such different styles because we work in the same office, in the same department, so the three of us going to work in the exact same clothes would be really weird (umm, uniform?)!

Since we shop together a lot, two of us would inevitably end up buying the same thing (because how can one not share a steal?). But in our years of shopping sprees, never did all three of us buy the exact same thing... Until two particular shopping trips to Zara this year.

It started out with a pair (correction, 3 pairs) of this mixed-color shoe.

Initially, we would text each other early in the morning if we were wearing what we started to call "our shoes" that day. But two weeks ago, the three of us got yet another pair of mixed-color shoes (which makes the quick text in the morning difficult since you have to say which pair you're talking about).

Seriously, how could any of us resist this yellow, python, black and tan shoe? Seriously!

Then we each got a different color of this pretty top with multiple peepholes along the collar.

Since we've relaxed on the morning warning texts, am not sure how big the chance is that all three of us will wear the exact same thing to work. Then again, I'm not worried. Our styles (and shapes, haha!) are so different, I'm sure the exact same thing will look very different on each of us.

Photos from annnniegirl and zara.

Click here for the first time I posted about these mixed-color shoes. And yes, the yellow python one was just in my pretend closet at that time. Not anymore! :)

Color Obsession: orange & teal

I bought orange skinny pants in February and now that several months have passed, I realize it isn't as easy as I thought to find a color to pair it with. Sure, most neutrals look good with orange: cream, white, gray...

... tan and navy.

Black is a neutral you need to tread carefully or you might end up looking like you're celebrating Halloween. I think mixing black & orange with another neutral helps... Like this one below with the chic jacket and gray tee (I'd accessorize it though with python pumps & a statement purse).

But when I was done pairing neutrals with my orange pants, it became harder. This woman actually looks pretty chic in bubblegum pink and orange, but I just can't bring myself to sport this combo because I keep thinking Dunkin Donuts or Pancake House. :(

I figured cobalt would work with orange (you know, the whole complementary color rule), but I didn't have any cobalt tops in my closet. I did find an old Ann Taylor top in dark teal and it looked pretty cool with my orange H&M skinnies (actually, i wouldn't have thought so if it weren't for a couple of compliments that day)!

Don't you think it's an elegant unexpected combination? I love the idea of pairing them with a chunky neckpiece and a leopard clutch.

Still obsessed with the orange & dark teal combo, I picked a few things on Polyvore.

I know summer's over for us here in Manila, but I love the back of this bikini top! It won't leave nice-looking tan lines, but on the beach, wow!  

Orange & teal. Love it so much am shopping for more teal tops today. Maybe even an orange skirt?

For my home though, it's an uncanny coincidence that the lighter version of the combo looks quite fab.

Okay, I admit, I will also be on the lookout for coral & soft teal home accessories at the mall today.

Happy shopping Sunday!

Photos are my own and from designeditor, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

Click here for previous posts from the Color Obsession series.