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

my week of cuteness

My whole week last week was a mishmash of the cutest, most adorable things that made my heart go pitter-patter!

Day 1:

My niece was in the hospital for dehydration. :( But when we visited her, she was quite smiley, playing games on her iPad. I myself couldn't help but smile at the wallpaper in her room! Isn't this wallpaper the cutest?

Glad you're all well now Denise! :)

Day 2:

I was delighted to discover that Saizen Galleria now has a whole shelf of Sanrio stuff! Yes, Sanrio knick-knacks for PhP88!

I was sooooo tempted to buy the Little Twin Stars bags (that I have absolutely no use for). Awww... Kiki and Lala... Memories of my childhood...

Day 3:

Such cute colors all in one bangle! Reminds me of these yummy colors.

PhP280 at the Greenhills tiangge.

Day 4:

Ate with my friends L & T at this cute little restaurant, Stacy's, in Capitol Greenstreet in Capitol Hills.

The interiors were sooooo adorable!

Notice the pink rotary phone & fridge, the chalkboard panels & matroyshka print? Oh, happiness!

They actually had me at hello because that pink polka-dotted mug with popcorn, strawberry pretzels & marshmallows is what they greet patrons with. I was late for our lunch date and L & T resisted eating the sweet table treats just so I could see the pretty mug when I arrived. Such sweet friends, right? :)

I was also delighted to see my heart-shaped rice. :) Too bad I forgot to take photos of the striped paper straws that the drinks came with and the butter ball candies that came with the receipt. They really paid attention to the littlest details... like these ones...

The servers actually wore Cath Kidston aprons like those. And that picket-fence area is actually a play area for kids - with a mini garden set and toy bread in a gingham-lined basket. Is it obvious I was smitten?

Day 5:

I was still gushing over Stacy's so I decided to write a post about it. But I couldn't remember the new name of the Capitol Hills complex where the resto belonged. So I googled it and stumbled upon Our Awesome Planet's review of Stacy's. He called the interiors "Heima-inspired" so naturally, I clicked on the link and found the website of the cutest store! Heima sells the most adorable things too (washi tapes included)!

I want the chalkboards in all colors (they also have it in a mustard-looking orange and a navy-looking blue gray)! And I loooove the subtle tiffany blue button-tufting & seat-piping peeking out from the gray T-shaped chair!

Day 6:

I trooped to Rustan's Shangri-la Tower for Dwell Studio's End of Season Sale.

I was never a big fan of pink, but I guess all the cute pinks this week got me so enamored by the pink version of my chocolate Madison Dots bag.

Day 7:

The Bitbit The Rabbit Plush Toys I ordered from Spinkie arrived! I bought them as gifts for 2 adorable babies.

But I secretly wanted to keep the plush toys for myself. Even through their plastic container, they looked so soft & cuddly.

Oh, it was such a delightful week! All these adorable things, as Heima perfectly put it, "made my senses smile & my heart flutter". Happiness!

Photos are my own and from Heima & Spinkie - edited on my iPhone with the free Instapic Frame/Collage app.

Oh, in case you didn't notice, the colored words throughout this post link to more happy, adorable things! Happy clicking! :)

Today, I am loving...

Today, I am loving... my early Christmas gift from my buddies K & C! It's not exactly from Tiffany's, but it's in a lovely Tiffany blue color - my purrretty Matroyshka necklace!

I was already smitten because as you know from here & here, I have a thing for Matroyshka dolls. To my wonderful surprise, it didn't just look like a cutely fat Matroyshka, but it was an actual nesting doll!!!

I was in love!

So I wore it everyday after that.

To a friend's birthday dinner...

To the Sting concert...

On errands the following day...

Today, I am totally loving... my adorable Matroyshka necklace present! Super thanks K & C!

Photos are my own and from annnniegirl.

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

a cuff contrast

Don't quite remember how & why, but my cuff somehow ended up on Noah's arm one day. Holding out his arm, he proclaimed he was a genie!

Eeep, my top-of-mind is still Wonder Woman when I see thick cuffs! 

Haha, generation gap!

Photo from pinkwallpaper.

Click here for a previous post about cuffs.

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.

Simple Trick: Iron-Disaster-Proofing

Many of my clothes have been ruined by ironing disasters. Am not really sure if the problem is our iron, our helper or the fabrics of the clothes I buy. The disasters have ranged from some shiny portions on a pair of slacks to tops that burned right through.

To avoid such heartbreaking disasters, I've learned to instruct our helper to iron our clothes inside-out. So even if the iron sticks to our clothes, it's the backside that gets tarnished. I've even had an instance when the underside of my collar got burned. To this day, I wear that buttondown shirt because no one ever sees the burn underneath that collar! It also serves as a reminder to our helper of what can happen if she forgets to iron our clothes inside-out.

Plus, I like the idea that the parts that touch our bodies are sterilized by the heat of our iron.

P.S. In case you're wondering, our helper isn't allowed to iron clothes in her underwear. :)

Photo from annnniegirl.

Click here for previous posts from the Simple Trick series.

secret-keeping dolls

I've always found these Japanese dolls so cute. In fact, ever since I saw one of these Kimmidoll pendants on my friend R, I've been checking Rustan's every now and then for new stock (sadly, they're perpetually out-of-stock).

They're also available as keychains.

And collectible dolls in various sizes...

I just learned here that another brand of Kokeshi dolls called Momiji have message dolls. The dolls have a small space at the base so when you turn them upside down, you will find a tiny folded card meant to contain a secret message. So adorable, right?

Then in the oddest of places - in the sanitary napkin aisle, I found these Japanese dolls!

Now isn't this the cutest packaging? Coincidentally, it's for their ultra thin napkins. To be honest, I had been a maxi pad user for the longest time. I always had to feel the bulk so that I would be confident I was protected. But about 2 years ago, I switched to Modess Ultra Thins because it promised discreet protection via microprotect crystals that absorb 100x its weight. 100x its weight! How amazing is that?

So now, no one has to know I have my period. It's my monthly secret-keeper! And with their new pretty packaging, who can tell they contain sanitary napkins?

Plus, the pouches are in polka-dots! Puts a delightful touch to dreary period days! :)

Photos are my own and from kimmidoll, here and Modess.

my morning drive

It's been a sad, busy workweek. But my morning drive this week gave me tiny happiness boosters to fuel me throughout my long days at the office.

There were two particular delightful, albeit trivial, conversations on The Morning Rush with Chico, Delamar and Gino that made my day. 

The first was on the idea that it would be great if mosquitoes sucked fat instead of blood. Now, that would really be great, right?! I love how Gino got excited about the idea of a product called ON (natawa ako dito... opposite of OFF... get it? haha!). If that were true, boy, I'd slather ON all over my tummy! 

The second conversation was on how He-Man had Dora-the-Explorer's haircut. This really cracked me up!

Yes, I just love a delightful morning drive! 

Photo from annnniegirl.

Click here for the down-in-the-dots version of this post - my nighttime drive. Click here for previous posts on fatness.

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.