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.

Color Obsession: tough pink

Of all the pastel hues, pink is usually at the bottom of my list. I'm not much of a fan of this soft, dainty color because I find it too saccharinely sweet for my personality. But lately, I've been drawn to sheer pinks. Or even really, really light pinks. 

I am drawn to baby pink dresses these days. The translucent pink drinks look so refreshing to me. And if I weren't allergic to nailpolish (see related post here), I'd be going for such sheer nails.

But I'd toughen up this soft, feminine hue somewhere else in my ensemble. Combining it with gold or silver hardware helps, I think.

But my favorite way to toughen up pink is by pairing it with olive green.

Let me leave you with my latest sheer pink discovery. I love it because it looks so purrretty in my bathroom.

And the best part is it's quite a tough pink because Neutrogena's Deep Clean technology effectively removes 99% of dirt, oil, impurities and dead skin cells. And with anti-oxidant pink grapefruit extracts, it helps stimulate healthy cell renewal. So it's not just purrretty for your bathroom, but also makes your skin purrretty and younger-looking too!

Photos from i'mjustsaying, pinkwallpaper, polkadotshoppingbag, polyvore and here. Polyvore picks are as follows: Reiss Kelly sequin top, Polo Ralph Lauren mill olive chinos, Alexander McQueen Skull leather belt, Mango two-tone pleated dress, Rigby dress, Barbour Gold Label devon quilt jacket, Diane Von Furstenberg Elena sunglasses.

Click here for previous posts from the Color Obsession series.  

Today, I am loving...

There was something about the Hermes FW 2011 Collection that captivated me. At first, I wasn't sure what it was. I looked at the clothes more closely. Sure, there were some striking wearable pieces with leather trim details that I loved, but that didn't seem to be what I was drawn to.

As I clicked on the detail photos of Vogue, I realized it was the caps that captivated me.

Today, I am loving... these leather hats Christophe Lemaire used to style Hermes' FW 2011 collection.

I love the very Hermes, equestrian feel. I find the slightly lopsided tilt charming. And how it subtly covers a part of the woman's face... mysterious.

And as I was trying to figure out what was so entrancing about this collection, I chanced upon some alluring color-blocking stripe details. Styled not-so-monochromatically, I can see myself with this clutch or this wrap-jacket.

This one, I absolutely love...

The simple cape with the leather trim... The fun yet sophisticated pop of print & color... And the simply elegant hat! Today, I am drawn to... the leather hats in the Hermes FW 2011 collection.

Photos from Vogue.

Click here for previous posts from the Today, I am loving... series.

Color Obsession: white

This Christmas, for the very first time, the iconic red Coke can is wearing white as part of a campaign to raise awareness and up to $4M for World Wildlife Fund's polar bear conservation efforts. Donning an image of a mother bear and her two cubs making their way across the Arctic, Coke's campaign aims to help conserve the Arctic habitat of the polar bear - a beloved Coca-Cola icon since 1922. The white packaging - allowing American and Canadian consumers to make a $1 donation per can (which the Coca-Cola Company intends to match) - will be in stores from November 2011 to February 2012.

Even the Fall/Winter 2011 Collections showed that white, generally associated with Spring/Summer, will brighten up Christmas just like Coke's white cans.

Off the runway and on the streets, white capes and envelope clutches are also making the scene.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

Photos from here, Vogue and streetfsn.

Click here for previous posts from the Color Obsession series.

the designer bag obsession

The designer bag obsession almost always starts with a monogram bag -- whether it be a Louis Vuitton or a Gucci. Most people I know started with a Speedy or a Neverfull. Even Rachel Zoe started with a Louis Vuitton...

I did too - with a Vernis Bellevue. I remember Isabella asking "Why do you have Veronica Lodge's bag?" when she spotted the LV -- for her, VL on my then, new bag. 

After a couple of monogram bags, one moves on to iconic purses that may not have the identifiable interlocking initials, but have equally recognizable shapes, structures, materials or hardware. Like a Bottega Veneta hobo and its woven buttery-soft nappa leather (I just looove caressing this leather). Or a classic Balenciaga motorcycle bag's hardware. Or the iconic quilted Chanel 2.55. Or if you can afford it, the highly-coveted Birkin. Or more recently, the Mulberry Alexa and the Chloe Paraty.

At this point, a woman falls in love with a particular shape or structure and it doesn't matter anymore if the bag is recognizable. By this time, she is no longer looking for a classic bag that can go with anything in her wardrobe to drive up the purse's ROI (return on investment - as she was doing in the beginning because, after all, it was a big investment!). So she is now drooling over the trendy versions of iconic purses or the fabulous creations of interesting new designers. Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter - even Resort - collections are now anticipated.  

Then she transcends the need to collect the most expensive labels or this season's it bag and starts to notice purses for their pure innate beauty - and maybe even, practicality. This opens the door to a Zara shopper bag (which is now available in a blue-green hue. Swoon!) or my trusty Cole Haan crossbody in a versatile army green color. This bag has so many compartments that I love traveling with it. The crossbody strap frees my arms for shopping loot! And am unperturbed by the rain (a vast difference from when I use my Tahitienne). I found myself using this bag everyday.

Until I fell in love with this...

I looove that the lining is polka-dotted too, but different from the outer print! Would you believe it's really a diaper bag from Dwell Studio (I haven't decided what to do with the pretty polka-dotted diaper mat it came with... A placemat perhaps?)? I swear, it has added a skip in my step since I bought it!

Before I bought my dotted bag, I promised myself I'd put an end (okay, maybe just a hiatus) to purse-shopping. And I had been strong for months. But my latest loot has triggered thoughts of new purses... Particularly two-(or-three)-toned bags. Like the gray and blue Autumn/Winter 2011/2012 Tod's shoulder bag or these clutches.

Sigh. I wonder if the designer bag obsession finally ends at pure purse love. Or is it really a never-ending cycle that will soon bring me back to monogram bags? And with the newly reopened Louis Vuitton store in Greenbelt 4...

... more and more girls are going to get tempted to begin their cycle of the designer bag obsession.

What about you? What was your first designer bag?

Illustrations from arturoelena, here, here, here, here, here and here. Layout by moi. Photos from here, here, here and here.

Whimsical Wednesday!

It's the middle of the workweek again! Time to get whimsical with this fairytale-inspired ad campaign of Hermes.

Cinderella

Aladdin

Alice in Wonderland

The Princess and the Pea

Fairytales are more real than we think. Everyone actually gets their happy-ever-after; we just fail to recognize it with all of life's distractions and frustrations - like those that the middle of the workweek brings. 

So go ahead and recognize your happily ever after.

Have a happy, whimsical Wednesday!

Photos from theessentialist and heritage.