Category: Fashion

My best friend and I spend quality time shopping for clothes and shoes.  We usually schedule it on a weekend and we spend the whole day (10AM to 8PM) at the mall.  We go through stalls one by one, rummaging through tons of items in the store.

Sometimes, I dread the travel time and the influx of shoppers in the mall.  I also have to worry about the queue in the dressing room plus the availability of the clothing sizes.

So when I heard about a new online shopping site catering to Filipinos.  I got excited!

Imagine not having to go through all the hassle of going to the mall, parking the car, walking endlessly around the mall, fitting through clothes, queue on the cashier, and carrying a lot of shopping bags!  All we need to do is just go to the shopping site, choose among the available items for sale, pay online, and wait for the delivery to arrive at your place.  Everything is done at the safety of our own home or anywhere for that matter 🙂

The site is kasha.com.ph, an online shopping site that promises to bring the most wanted items, signature apparel/accessories and special collections from some of the popular fashion brands in the country.

I know most people are fond of foreign brands, but I still prefer local brands.  That’s why Kasha is a welcome news for me!  Kasha is actually a term from a Filipino word Kasya, which means fit.

When I browsed through the site earlier, I learned the reason why the site was named as such.  Kasha is really all about fit.  They pulled away from the norm wherein only a photo of the clothing plus the prices & shipping details are there.  What Kasha did differently is that every piece of clothing has actual measurements indicated in the site.

Take note that it’s not as simple as extra-small (XS), small (S), medium (M) or large (L).  Kasha not only provides the standard size, they also give actual measurements of the clothing in inches.  I like the idea considering I always struggle as to how big a size is.

The Filipino retail brands behind Kasha are Freeway, Ensembles and Solo.  To celebrate this breakthrough, Kasha is giving 20% off on all items until July 15, 2012.  Isn’t that such a treat?

Here are the major features of the Kasha:

• Convenient and Safe Online Shopping  – credit cards, bank deposit and GCash payment methods are available.  A flat rate of Php100 shipping fee applies no matter how many items we order!  Php 100 is a small amount to pay if we compare it with the parking fees, gasoline and the time we spend when shopping at the mall 😛
• Fit Guide – the best feature of Kasha as this sets it apart from other shopping sites.  The sizing illustration (which I posted earlier in this post) helps ensure that we get the right measurement from the clothes that we order in Kasha.
• Product Reviews – we can write a review of the clothing or accessory in the site.  I do hope they add an option wherein we can rate them from 1-5 stars, that would get them more reviews for their products.
• Wish List – I always love wish lists because this organizes my thoughts and plans when it comes to buying clothes.  If you want to see mine.  You can go to my wish list page.

Congratulations Solo, Freeway and Ensembles!  This is definitely a step to the right direction!  Thanks for giving us more options in purchasing your products.  I do hope you feature more sale items in the future.

I have been thinking of dyeing my hair for over a year now.  Actually, it was written as one item in my bucket list.  I had planned to fulfill that item this year and now, it has been fulfilled.

Last February 6, 2012, I was contemplating of getting a haircut as I saw the damage of my hair.  My hair was full of split-ends and I must attribute it to the rebonding & digital perm treatments that I’ve underwent yearly.

Of course, there’s this urge to have a new hairstyle at the start of every year.  I must admit that sometimes I’m impulsive.  I tweeted that day to ask where I can get a good haircut.  A fellow blogger, Jean, tweeted back that she highly recommends Abel Pineda.  Jean also sent me his number so I can contact Abel.  She was giving Abel high praises and since I believe in her taste (she’s a very pretty lady), I went for it!

Abel is currently the senior creative director of Stetica Hair and Beauty Spa.  It’s located near the place where I work so it was pretty accessible.  I drove to Greenbelt and parked there then I exited at Greenbelt 5 as Stetica Hair and Beauty Spa is located across the mall.

As I entered the salon, I was pleasantly surprised as the ladies at the reception had their big smile as they welcome me to Stetica.  They were expecting me!  Now, that’s impressive!  What a good first impression!  I texted Abel and he informed the salon of my reservation.  I didn’t have to wait anymore and I was immediately escorted to my seat.  Iced tea, coffee or tea were offered.

I asked for Stetica’s rate card and I saw that their prices are pretty decent.  Haircut for girls by a senior creative director costs Php600 while hair color ranges from Php 1,500 above (depending on hair length).

I told Abel that I was feeling adventurous.  I let him decide the hairstyle that will suit my face.  I told him that I’m also interested in getting a new hair color.  He quickly assessed my hair and suggested that I get a layered hair plus 2 hair color treatments (permanent hair color + highlights).

Total bill are as follows:

• Hair Cut (Php 600)

I was a bit uncomfortable with full bangs.  I distinctly remember when I had my haircut 2 years ago, I realized bangs doesn’t suit me at all.  Since Abel was known to be good (I also read some blogs about him), I decided to listen to his advice.  He’s the expert in hairstyling after all!

Abel Pineda was hands-on.  He was pretty careful too!  I noticed how he checked my hair whenever he cut some sections.  He was comparing the length from both sides to ensure consistency.  Explanation was given too as to why he chose to give me that hairstyle.  I was told that my hair is thin so he cut them into layers to provide volume.  Plus, the hairstyle will give me my much needed makeover.  A complete change from my usual simple long hairstyle.

• Hair Coloring (Php 5,000)

I never dyed my hair so it was a huge change for me.  However, I know I should do it already as the white streaks of hair are pretty obvious already.  Yes, we do all get old and white hair will happen one time in our lives.

Abel suggested I get 2 hair color treatments.  Red color for the whole hair (Php 2,500) while the another shade of red for highlights (Php 2,500) for a total of Php 5,000.  I gave my consent and they started putting the hair color.  I was excited!  I knew that there’s one bucket list item that I can cross off.  Plus, red is my favorite color!

The hair color could give a boost the haircut that Abel gave me.  I had high hopes!

The whole process took about 4 hours.  Do I think it’s worth it?  YES!!!  I loveeeee my new hairstyle!  Well, the only uncomfortable thing is people greeting me in Korean and Japanese! hahaha!

After this experience, I’ll surely go back to Abel Pineda for future hairstyling.  He’s definitely a talented man!  I now know why Jean was raving about him.  I, myself, is doing that as well!  Abel is highly recommended!  He makes you beautiful! 🙂

——————–
Abel Pineda – Hairstylist
+639164503416
currently in Stetica Hair and Beauty Spa
G/F LPL Tower, 112 Legaspi St. Legaspi Village, Makati City 1229 Philippines
(02) 478-9415

If you know me, you’ll notice how huge the bag is that I carry everyday.  You see, I have tons of things.  This always makes it a struggle for me to find anything inside my bag.  So I was really glad when I got my hands on The Carrot, an accessory created by one of my favorite brands, Crumpler.

Finally, I found a perfect bag to put the ‘lil stuff.  If I need to find my lipstick/s, I’ll just reach over to get the Crumpler Carrot and there, I’ll find the small beauty accessories that I can no longer live without.

Since Carrot is made my Crumpler, you can rest-assured that it’s made of high quality materials.  Due to this, you’ll notice the tag price (Php 950) which I think a lot of people may find expensive.  For me though, sometimes we have to invest more for well-made products.  In the end, we will be saving more as the product will last for several years (or maybe forever) compared to several months for cheaper, lower quality products.

Here’s what Crumpler says about the Carrot:

BRASS REINFORCED EYELETS
Let your Carrot free-bag, or attach it to a key ring or even the accessory loop on another Crumpler.

WATER RESISTANT
The Carrot outer shell and interior lining are both made from water resistant materials.

GUARANTEED FOR LIFE
We construct the Carrot with a single piece of ultra durable material and reinforce the joining and/or stitching on all stress points. That’s why it carries Crumpler’s famous lifetime guarantee.

We can use the Carrot as a case by itself, but we can also attach it to bags using the brass reinforced eyelet.

With awesome color combinations available (black/red, dark purple/pink & yellow/black), you will surely love Crumpler the Carrot.  I definitely love my black/red carrot and I have been carrying it everyday since I got it!

The Carrot is available in Crumpler Bonifacio High Street, SM Megamall and Trinoma branches.

I can still remember that I shared with you last year’s Solo Online Model Search before.  It was pretty successful!  The winners of that competition, Mehran Khaledi and Phoebe Rutaquio, have since been lainched by Solo as their brand’s new faces.  Look at them now modeling Solo’s newest Pinoy Cartoonist Memorabilia Series featuring the most loved comic character of all time, Kenkoy, created by the Father of Philippine Cartoon Tony Velasquez.

Now, Solo Online Model Search gets bigger as they search for new faces that will grace Solo’s posters.  This year’s search actually started September 2011 and should have ended last November 15, 2011.  However, due to popular demand, submission of entries has been extended until November 30, 2011.  Isn’t that good news?

For you, who just discovered the contest now, you can still join!  Head on over to Solo’s official Model Search site and go through the mechanics.

Here are some of the entries submitted so far:

my favorites so far are these two:

Filipinos are truly beautiful/handsome and uber-creative!  Judges will have a hard time choosing the winners for sure.

Based on the mechanics, entries will be judged according to the following criteria:

• 30% Voter’s Choice
• 70% Solo’s Choice (40% for Being Photogenic, 20% for Creativity and Styling and 10% Layout)

Yesterday, I attended Freeway’s sixth installment of the National Artist Collectors’ Series honoring Vicente Manansala, National Artist for Visual Arts.  I remember the last time I attended a similar event was exactly one year ago when Freeway honored Ramon Valera, National Artist for Fashion.

I’m pretty sure there will be much more collection that will come out of the series as a lot of people appreciate the initiative.  It’s a great way to honor our National Artists!  Since most of us can’t afford to own a copy of their original work, at least we can have items that are inspired by them.

As of today, Freeway has featured the ff. National Artists:

• Nick Joaquin (Literature)
• Ang Kiukok (Visual Arts)
• Jose Garcia Villa (Literature)
• Ramon Valera (Fashion Design)
• F. Sionil Jose (Literature)
• Vicente Manansala (Visual Arts)

The event last night was all about Vicente Silva Manansala (January 22, 1910 to August 22, 1981).  He is our National Artist for Visual Arts and is a well-known Filipino cubist painter and illustrator.

Manansala reinterpreted or indigenized cubism as he drew his themes from the familiar Filipino environment.  His masterpieces include Madonna of the Slums (1950), a portrayal of mother & child which reflected the poverty in postwar Manila and Jeepneys where Manansala combined the elements of provincial folk culture with the congestion issues of the city.  Barong-barong, cockfighters, families gathering for a modest meal and Quiapo vendors became his subjects as well.

Vicente Manansala was proclaimed National Artist for painting in 1982.

The event was mainly a tribute to Manansala, a special celebration of his life and works.  Before the show started, there was a live sketching & painting session by the artists from Kunst Pilipino Group.

A few lucky individuals were treated to their own portraits done by the talented roster of artists from Kunst Pilipino Group:

• Aris Bagtas
• Sam Bulaga
• Allen Casacop
• Emer Casacop
• Jo Florendo
• Lourdes Inosanto
• Lawton Ladao
• Raquel Molata
• Bill Perez
• Mischa Semana

At around 7:45pm, the show finally started.  Two popular celebrities Tim Yap and Divine Lee hosted the event.  Both of them wore Manansala outfits which suit them perfectly.

There were special guests too like Maritess Mendoza-Pineda, president of Friends of Manansala Foundation, Cedie Lopez-Vargas of the Lopez Museum and Ronna Manansala, granddaughter of Vicente Manasala.  They shared their personal experiences and stories with Vicente Manansala.

We were all shown a presentation about Manansala.  His beautiful art pieces were flashed on the screen.  I was in awe.

Similar to what Freeway did in the past, the interpretation of Vicente Manansala’s work was done through sublimation knits, modern silhouettes, print images of his art pieces & digital images of his masterpieces.

We saw the Freeway-Manansala Collection through a fashion show.  Too bad I had a bad seat so my pictures weren’t great 🙁

Anyhow, the collection is so beautiful!  Do catch them at your favorite Freeway branch as it hits stores on October 21.  The 22-piece collection includes classic & modern tailored dresses, woven shirt tops, sublimation print graphic tees and dresses, Manansala watch, tote bags and accessories.