Why am I sharing this fun, random fact about me?

This is why.

Like me, after you’ve seen the adorably quirky collection of rings that my fingers have fallen in love with, you’ll be announcing your ring size to all your friends and not-so-subtly urging them to get you one as a Christmas present. (And all the while, of course, you’ll find yourself hoarding pieces for them, too!)

You can find these precious trinkets tucked away in a corner of Power Plant’s Archaeology wing, where Bijoux de Lou stocks whimsical statement rings and fun accessories. If you want to see more, log on to their multiply site and drool over the fantastic designs! A few examples:

You can have an alarm clock, a house, and oh, three houses. How cute is that?

A gold Darth Vader, Spidey, a smiley, and a black Darth Vader

A giant tooth for your finger

A "punk rock star" ring for all your edgy, music-loving friends

...And a whole lot more!

Visit http://bijouxdelou.multiply.com/ for more mouth-watering – or in this case, finger-twitching – rings and cute accessories! Have a fab Christmas!

Bernice

Source: http://www.luxeprints.org/

They’re only P450 and they’re available at Fullybooked and Powerbooks, or you can place in orders directly at 0917-8195088. It’s another great gift for the gals.

Are you a Party Girl?

A Beach Babe?

Maybe a shopaholic? (Aren’t we all? Teehee!)

I’m a Rockstar!

Google Calendar aside, I still love jotting things down in a planner.

Isha.

Here’s what they’ve got.

A girl’s REAL holiday wishlist.

Holiday Graphic Tee, P395.

An ode to one of my favorite karaoke songs.

Holiday Graphic Tee, P395.

A mind game.

Holiday Graphic Tee (available for guys too!), P395. Culte Femme signature cuffs, P375; studded and riveted cuffs, P395; and heart-shaped keychain made of snakeskin.

Something eco-friendly

Holiday Graphic Tee, P395.

And something considerate

Holiday Graphic Tee, P395. Culte Femme signature cuffs, P375; and studded and riveted cuffs P395.

Apart from the tees, Culte also has studded cuffs, compact mirrors, and vanity kits that run within a similar price range. I have a feeling we’ll all end up buying more for ourselves than for others again this Christmas.

Happy Shopping!

Isha.

joannalitton.com

Joanna Litton is a young shoe designer whose fully beaded shoes are locally made. Got this info from Lulu Tan-Gan who stocks a few of Joanna’s pieces in L Manila.

These lollipop pumps with cuban heels would look great with a pair of cigarette pants or a 50′s style circle skirt. It reminds me the shoes Audrey Hepburn wore in her movies, never too tall or too flat.

The art deco pattern is so chic. This pair is called “Circus of the Sun.” (P11,099)

Meanwhile, an exact color palette match (in the store) is this jusi paint-splattered vest by Puey Quinones…

…which is an easy piece to throw on over jeans and a singlet and a pair of flats.

Seasonal transitions can make most of us a bit confused wardrobe-wise. Sometimes it’s nice to take a break from pushing fashion limits and stick to a no-fail formula of chic basics + one statement piece.

Isha.

]]> http://blogs.stylebible.ph/previewblog/2009/09/22/joanna-litton-at-l-manila/feed/ 1 http://blogs.stylebible.ph/previewblog/2009/08/20/shoe-crush-sonia-rykiel/ http://blogs.stylebible.ph/previewblog/2009/08/20/shoe-crush-sonia-rykiel/#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 08:59:14 +0000 Isha http://blogs.stylebible.ph/previewblog/?p=824 Was browsing through one of my favorite blogs (thecherryblossomgirl.blogspot.com) and I fell in love when I saw these…

Aren’t they darling?

Sigh.

Isha.

Hi Isha!

We have just released Gap’s exclusive CFDA/Vogue Design Editions apparel in our local stores – this year, Gap has teamed up with designers Vena Cava and Alexander Wang to rework the classic khaki. Items will be available in select stores for a limited time only. We hope to see you soon!

Good thing Eunice and I are lunching in Shang today. Will be swinging by the store to have a look. The collection is available at Gap in Bonifacio High Street, Shangri-La Plaza, Mall of Asia, and Glorietta.

Hurry, hurry!

Isha

I always love their window display. It’s impossible for me to not stop and have a closer look when I walk by.

This Chantal Thomas umbrella has a classic black outer surface but is all pink and lace beneath. It’s so lovely. (About P9000)

I didn’t even know Jean Paul Gaultier had umbrellas. Isn’t the pirate print of this square shaped umbrella great? It would make a great scarf too! (About P9000)

The next window displayed a beautiful JPG leather umbrella (about P15,000) that I wouldn’t dare take out in the rain, together with a folding umbrella with a skull handle (about P5000), which I adore.

They say it’s bad luck to open an umbrella indoors but it’s pieces like these that make you want to ignore the rule and just put them on display.

Isha.

Hindy was telling me about how it was a bit difficult to work with banig since the weave would shift as the stones were sewn on.

When I told her that I was in love with these burgundy eyelet shorts (but they didn’t have my size! Tear.), she said that those were done by hand by a shop that really specialized in callado. Unfortunately, after having been in business for 40 years, the workshop had to close because it couldn’t compete with the volume, speed, and price of China’s production. How sad! We really need to start supporting local industry and handicraft or else they’ll all slowly disappear.

Thanks for the interview Hindy! Had a great afternoon!

Isha.

Cute right?

This is the design for the reusable shopping bag we’ll be giving away on Sunday at Shop and Spa. I love reusable shopping bags. (I have an inner Captain Planet.) I seem to have quite a collection too, as it seemed to be everyone’s gift of choice last Christmas.

Thing is, I’ve come to realize that owning one is just the first step. The more difficult part is actually remembering to take it with you when you hit the mall or the supermarket or the ukays. It always slips my mind, and I find myself picturing my stack of reusable shoppers when I’m paying at the counter, wishing that for once i took one along.

This is why this little pretty is going to be given to the first couple of lucky shoppers at Shop and Spa, so you’ve something cute to tote all your loot home in.

For those of you wondering, this event is open to all and it would be so great if you could drop by.

Come! Come!

Isha.

It started with entire Saturday mornings spent browsing and hunting. (Yes, I am a loser like that.) I found things as cool as sew-it-yourself dress patterns by Karl Lagerfeld from the 80s; Kenneth Jay Lane enamel rings in varying floral species; and even the shop of the Kardashians where they’d auction off once-worn items, like a silky Rochas tank top or an Herve Leger dress, and give part of the proceeds to charity.

At this time, I was merely watching items, never buying, and I’d also get updates for when the bidding would end to be told that someone else won the prize.

Then one day, I took the plunge and used my brand-new PayPal account for the very first time. I was so nervous but I couldn’t resist. I found a New York-based seller who had a pair of brand new Margiela heels in my size. I had tried on a pair of the designer’s Lucite heeled pumps in Hong Kong 2 years ago and I’ve regretted not buying them. So when I saw the mint slides with their Lucite heels, I couldn’t resist. (Shoes make me so very very happy!)

I checked the seller’s rating and feedback and it was 100% positive, which gave me the needed boost of confidence to go through with my purchase. To my delight, he was so great to deal with—informing me immediately after I paid via PayPal that he would be shipping the item the next day and sending me an email again to give me the USPS tracking number.

A little less than two weeks later, (there was that long break for Holy Week so the government offices were closed) I received the notice from the post office that my shoes had arrived. They were as promised, perfect, brand-new, in the box, and absolutely wonderful. The only down-side to it was the amount I had to pay in taxes for customs and VAT since it was an international purchase (close to 95%!!!).

Lesson learned, use www.ebay.ph instead. Haha! Shopping via the local version makes it so much more convenient and a less costly shipping-wise. I found a cool, pre-owned Vivienne Westwood purse for so cheap! I just have to send it to Vintage Restore for cleaning. It’s like trolling through the ukay-ukays minus the dust, and with lots of cool finds to boot. Also, it seems easier to contact local sellers for inquiries as a lot of them post mobile phone numbers.

I got a few tips from the local seller I purchased the bag from:

1. Always check the feedback rating to make sure that the seller is trust-worthy. (There are incidents of people just posting photos of items they don’t actually have and they simply take your money and run when the auction is over. Crime of fashion, truly!)

2. Be wary and do due diligence if the preferred mode of payment is via G-Cash or Money Transfer systems as there have been incidents of people taking the money without delivering the goods.

3. If possible, do meet ups to receive and pay for the items, preferably in crowded and safe public places like a nice mall.

I know it sounds scary but I seem to have been really lucky with my first few online purchases. It’s important to build good feedback as a buyer also—many high-ranking sellers put bidding restrictions on their items to weed out joy bidders and cater to serious buyers only.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences from online shopping. For now, though, I’m on a shopping hiatus as I think I overdid it a bit in my excitement. Maybe I’ll try selling something next. Hmm…

Isha.