Happy birthday, United Blogs of Benetton!

Had fun taking these photos for the first birthday of United Blogs of Benetton. An aunt said they reminded her of the Pixar movie Up.






My photographer apparently likes to take candid photos (read: when I am totally not ready, haha). I still remember the first time I blogged for United Colors of Benetton. It was for the IT'S MY TIME Global Casting campaign in 2010. We were just a handful of bloggers then, but after two years (and the evolution of the Benetton blog) our family has expanded to sixteen.

Together with Montaigne Street from France and Botica Pop from Mexico, I am the only blogger left from the original group. Magali, who was the campaign model from France, now blogs as well. New faces came from Chile, Spain, Italy, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Portugal, Turkey, Russia, Columbia, Bulgaria, and China.

Check out birthday photos of the other bloggers here.





It's more than I ever expected. Here's to more years of blogging!

Slack and easy

Or lazy is more like it. Brought out these pleated slacks in my closet and wore them last Wednesday. Believe it or not, I've had them since high school.


Remember the nineties when trousers were all baggy? We were required to wear them at school, with long-sleeved shirts, whenever we had occasions like feast day masses. I guess my love for them stuck, now extended to drawstring and fisherman's pants.


Polo shirt, PiazzaitaliaTrousers, G2000Skinny belt, A.P.C.Leather sneakers, Fred PerryNylon jacket, Izzue


If I could wear tank tops, I would. But with baggy slacks and strappy sandals!
Happy Friday everyone!

Red-hot summer

I tried it on a couple of times, but I really don't think Tangerine Tango, Pantone's color of the year for 2012, agrees with me (not even plain orange). This is the best I can do: rusty red on Nantucket.

This summer has been blazing, to say the least. Shot these pics during noon since it was my only free time. (Sorry for grossing you out with all that sweat.)

T-shirt, Gap

Jeans, Topman

Sandals, Marlboro Classics

Belt, Brave Beltworks

Necklace, DIY

Watch, vintage Omega Seamaster

Or maybe I should have worn a yellow shirt? Too much?

Trying to fit into the picture. And maybe into my own jeans? (The buttons keep on peeking. Now I understand why the bum part ripped.)

And here I am, showering in my own sweat, which really does look better as a permanent t-shirt pattern (than as secretions).

Bloopers. My photographer still has some difficulty focussing. But she also has a bad habit of making cameo shots, laughing at me over the resultant awkward poses. (I was about to fix my hair. No, I don't really dance.)

Vault magazine: Je ne sais quoi / On the streets of Paris

I wrote an article and styled five looks for the latest issue of Vault magazine (should be in the newsstands now or early next week). The issue is all about travel and my piece focusses on Parisian style.








I chose the title "Je ne sais quoi" because I thought that the style of men in the French capital is a bit hard to define in strict terms. Below is the first paragraph from the piece. Hope you can buy a copy so you can read it in its entirety.

"Of all the world’s fashion capitals, Paris is certainly the most distinct when it comes to style, and not just in terms of the clothes that come out on the runway but also what is seen on the street. But I do not know exactly what it is that’s different, much less what has made it so. The same way that chic cannot be defined: you just see it, and you know."







The five looks: Rogue Trader, Rive Gauche, Provence, Man About Town, and Sailor Stripes.



















And here are the moodboards I prepared before I searched through the stores for the clothes.







Yes, the image of Jérôme Kerviel was all I needed for this look.







Scott Schumann knows fully well that his photos are a source of inspiration the world over.







Not in Paris. But the French country's influence on the city cannot be shaken.








Again, from The Sartorialist, and not all Parisians or shot in Paris. Ideas have a way of getting around.

Will be collaborating with Vault for their upcoming Style special. Watch out!

Striped linen

After taking almost a week off to cram for my Palanca entry (submitted last last Monday, good luck with that), I still have a hangover. Now nothing else feels as natural. I just want to write and write and write, even if there are no contests to join (which, mind you, happen to be good motivators for procrastinators like me). I guess this is how it feels to find oneself in one's element.

Short-sleeved linen shirt, Gap

Drawstring pants, Marks & Spencer

Leather sneakers, Fred Perry

I still remember what a friend said when he was "trying" to read my palm years and years ago. He said that for me I always try to look at things in black and white, to make sense of them in clear terms. Not sure if he was just pulling my leg, but in a way he was right. I suppose light and shadow have a similar distinction, opaque and translucent, sheer and solid.
You will see less and less of me as I grow larger in your mind.