Top 12 cameos of 2011

Yeah, 12, because we are looking forward. Here are my favorite cameos from this year, which has been packed with many new events, people, and endeavors.

Just to compare, here were my favorite cameos of 2010.


So here's an early toast to 2012. Let it be even more honest and heartfelt. Happy New Year everyone!

On a mountain trail

This is my sisters and I did before Christmas (well, besides shopping). After a short 45-minute guided tour of Eden Nature Park in Davao, we decided to take the 4-kilometer hiking trail.


Tee, A.P.C.; jeans, Bench; tote, Tough Jeansmith, thrifted; Featherlight necklace, Bosquejo; boots, Timberland, thrifted




I wasn't tired yet when we reached the 1km mark, which had a sign that offered an escape route. But I was exhausted halfway through.




Despite all the mud and slippery steps, the view was gorgeous. (Took all these pictures with my iPhone 4S.)




It's been a while since I heard bamboo bend with the wind, its leaves whistling.




Here is one of many bridges. The others were less wieldy.




I frequently stopped to look at the flora.






But towards the end I just wanted to go home.

Merry Christmas!

Like an idiot, I brought an extra camera battery but then left my charger, so pardon the iPhone pic. Enjoy the holidays!


Varsity jacket, Penshoppe; shirt, Costume National; jeans, Bench; belt, Brave Beltworks

A working year

What was I most thankful for in 2011? Besides the usual dependable friends and family and the suprising number of blessings, what I was particularly grateful for were my boots. It may sound trite, but it was thanks to my sturdy, heavy duty pairs that I was able to brave numerous floods and the usual muck of Divisoria and Quiapo, the wholesale meccas of Manila.




Camouflage tee, thrifted
Bomber jacket, 5cm
Jeans, Jil Sander
Belt, Izzue
Boots, Timberland, thrifted
Leather bag, Rabeanco, thrifted
"Dirae" necklace, Bosquejo


Thanks to my new work schedule (11am-7pm), I have been able to snatch short trips to Manila to source materials for my Bosquejo necklaces, right into the street-congested months of December.




Thank you, my dear cherished thrifted boots, you have been a boon.




Here is my second pair, in mustard yellow.




Polo shirt, Tru Turssardi
Jacket, thrifted
Trousers, Y-3
Belt, Brave Beltworks
Leather shoulder bag, agnes b., thrifted
Boots, Couber.G, thrifted
Canvas tote, Ritual


I know they make me look shorter, so maybe I'll look for something in a (somewhat reddish) shade of brown. I just love the color.




I think I love shoes just as much as I love bags. If only I can find pairs that fit.




So Merry Christmas! It is time again to eat and eat and eat. In between conversations I am sure my mind would be wandering, back to 2011 and jumping right into 2012. As for the present? Well, I just bought myself a new wallet, some shirts, and a varsity jacket that I will be pairing with my black boots tonight. Right now I am thinking of the many ways I can wear them.

At the Status Yard Sale

Before anything, would like to thank Status Magazine for inviting me to be part of their Christmas yard sale last Saturday. It was great finally meeting the Status staff, who are behind the hippest print magazine in the country. (Thanks to Karl Leuterio too for taking this photo.)

Am writing now in Davao, where I'll be spending Christmas. iPhone was stolen last Monday (was pickpocketted in the train) but luckily I was able to replace it with the latest version just yesterday. In other words: Siri is my Santa.




It was my first time to see Fiamma in the morning.




Here was my Bosquejo table display.




A barrage of prints from Proud Race.




Tees by Woozy.




And the themed table display of Fifth Code (best looking booth) by Lorenz Namalata.

Congratulations again to Status! Here's to more bazaars next year! Hope I'll bump into more readers then.

More pics on my Benetton blog in a bit.

A towering year

Am squeezing this in right before I produce a fresh batch of Bosquejo necklaces for tomorrow's Status Yard Sale. As I prepare for the last bazaar I will be participating in in 2011, I realize today was also my last day at the office. The days have rolled so quickly that I have barely had the time to realize that finally, my long-awaited vacation has arrived.




Monochrome print shirt, thrifted
Suede vest, thrifted
Jeans, Bench
Patent brogue flatforms, thrifted
Briefcase, Bally


Workaholic that I am, I have already scheduled meetings and work-related things to do early next week. It is as if I have already left 2011, and my head and my heart have raced straight to 2012.

But then again, though I work in the fashion industry, which insists on always looking ahead, I am also a writer, who needs to look back and explain to myself exactly what happened in the past.




But standing on a precipice (in 2.5-inch flatworms, no less!) should suffice these next few days.




Before I fall headlong simultaneously into the future, for fashion, and into the past, for literature.

Either way, see you soon! (Hopefully tomorrow at the bazaar!)

Red and afternoon gold

Taking the day off, I told myself I would only be doing the things that I loved on my birthday. Absolutely no work! So right after I woke up and downed a cup of coffee, I began to write. The words came as the sun finally emerged from clumps of gray. And when it hid again, I read.




Right before I hit the gym, I couldn't avoid finishing another Bosquejo necklace, my fingers moving as automatically as if I were a pianist. I suppose I missed designing for the sheer joy of it. Then it was afternoon at the bookstore, where I browsed, and read again at the café upstairs. I thought of delivering new pieces at two stores, but changed my mind. On days like this, when time flows as clearly as water, one has to step back. I dipped my feet and washed my hands.




Sheer polka dot shirt, thrifted
Shorts, Perry Ellis
Sneakers, thrifted
Leather backpack, thrifted
Belt, Brave Beltworks
Viscose scarf, from Mindanao




Perhaps what I missed most during my days at the office was swimming in the late afternoon sun in all its finality and magnificence. An apt way to welcome another golden year!

Top 30 for 30: the end of an era

Turning 30 in less than two hours. Last chance to reminisce about the old days, and to look forward to change. For those relatively new to my blog, you may not have had the chance to read it in its old form, during the days when I still wrote long thematic articles, went crazy over the artwork of former designers, and religiously followed the circuit of fashion shows. Now it's mostly me, and I'm afraid you're stuck with me, as I realize the fact myself. So here is a short sweep of my 30 favorite posts from that time, arranged by category, sans the cameo entries. Even I felt nostalgic when compiling them. Hope you enjoy as well.



Articles


1. Martin Margiela and the blindness of fashion




2. Men in skirts




3. How punk lost its funk





Creatives


4. Portraits by Henri Cartier-Bresson




5. Change and the art of Helmut Lang




6. The art of Ryan McGinley




7. The Thom Browne effect




8. Presenting Gary Card




9. Close Up and Private / Modern Drift




10. The many hats of Johnny Depp




11. Personal style: Pelayo Diaz Zapico




12. Gustav Broström at Sweden's A Perfect Guide




13. Who's afraid of Andre Chang?





Editorials


14. Princes of our age




15. Arena Homme Plus: Buffalo Stance, part 1




16. AnOther Man: Extreme dreams




17. L'Uomo Vogue: The Style and the Elegance, a tribute to photographers




18. Fantastic Man goes nude and naked




19. Best color blocking editorial: 'Atomic!' by Men's Folio




20. Eddie Klint in GQ Style Russia





Streetstyle


21. 112 looks from Helsinki




22. The men of Jak & Jil




23. A charming and enigmatic streetstyle aesthetic





Show reviews


24. The pleasure that is Dries Van Noten




25. The layers and landscapes of Miharayasuhiro




26. The lure of Lanvin




27. Miharayasuhiro lands on the Sahara




28. The army of Rick Owens





Objects


29. Leather and hardware by Palmer & Sons




30. Rings in raw concrete