Sartorial Independence: Blog Feature on Inquirer

This came out this weekend on the Inquirer. Ooohlahlah. 

The fruition of all my kikay moments: 

My Grand USA Picture Story

I’m back in Manila and after posting all my vacation pics, I remembered how many times a random American stopped me to ask where I got my duds. Of course, I make it a point to wear something Pinoy everyday so that got me beaming. I would tell them proudly but politely, “I got this in the Philippines!”. So in honor of all the stuff that got me great compliments, here’s a collage of all the things they loved. It just goes to show how Pinoy craft stands out everywhere in the world.

The pants below got a lot of attention too. In one day, I got stopped thrice by women of different ages who wanted to know where they could get it for themselves. I'll let you all in on the big secret- I got it at the Ramp for P300. That's just $7 dollars! 

 

The great thing about Pinoy crafts is that it doesn't cost you an arm and a leg. Most of the stuff here I got at Kultura with the price ranging from P200 - P1200. Except the cyan cuff (Php 550) and ring (Php 350) which I got from Maria Pilar Menendez, a designer at the Salcedo Market.

I shot it against the stuff against an American landscape just for fun and it turned out better than expected. While on the trip, I reconnected with an old friend,  Michael John Sison, a registered nurse by day and a budding photographer on his off days. He edited the pics and gave it a High Dynamic Range effect. I'm really tripping on HDR- it makes all the colors pop! Thanks again Michael! 

An Homage to Rizal’s Great Love: Leonor Rivera

I spent the start of my long weekend deep in Rizal research, reading about the world’s perception of our national hero. As expected, his love life is a curiosity for many.

Described as somewhat of a womanizer, some historians believed he was commitment phobic.  When he becomes close to a woman to the point of "intimacy/revelation/love", Rizal runs away. But one woman one woman who seemed to have captured his heart completely was Leonor Rivera. The Filipina he was engaged to marry. 

She is described as a “pretty woman” whose physical features included having a “high forehead”, “soft and wavy hair”, a face that supported “almond eyes”, “small and pensive mouth”, and “engaging dimples” in Rizal: Philippine Nationalist and Martyr. Reading this, I remembered some old photos I had. I was supposed to use them on a feature about fans but I think the mood of the photos perfectly portray the sadness of their doomed romance. 

The two were in a long distance relationship as Rizal had to be in Europe for his studies. They would correspond only through letters, which eventually were intercepted by Leonor’s mother. Believing that Rizal was a subversive, her mother kept them from her, and arranged for Leonor to marry a British engineer, Henry Kipping. Leonor, thinking that Rizal had forgotten her, agreed but only on the condition that she’d stop doing the two things she loved which was to sing and play the piano. She also proclaimed that she would die young and that she did. She was buried with the letters of Rizal stitched to her gown.

Rizal immortalized her as the character Maria Clara. Click this link to see a sketch that Rizal made of her. 

Thanks to Bryan, a good friend, a great tour guide, and an all-around Rizal enthusiast. Check out his blog on this link. 

Outfit: Dress from Deng Tee; accessories and fan from yours truly 

Photo credits: Ms. Kaity Chua

Styling credits: Deng Tee and Cay Kho

 

Independence Day Fashion: The Barong Pambabae

Over the weekend, I was collaborating with a fellow Inquirer contributor on an Independence Day article on fashion that's Filipino. Unfortunately, our article didn't make it in time for the weekend run. But I'm glad I got to clarify my thoughts on the importance of taking inspiration from your own backyard. The reason I started blogging is because I believe that we take our own culture for granted by following styles and trends from other countries. We have to love our own. We have to create a distinctive Filipino aesthetic.

With that, I present the Barong Pambabae.

This is the first time I've ever donned a Barong Tagalog. I must say, I felt empowered. And chic. Maybe, it's because I'm wearing something traditionally made for men. Maybe, it's because this slim-fit barong belongs to the fashion forward Sib Sibulo.

Barongs are made of lightweight, translucent material. It dates back to Spanish colonial times and was derided as Indiowear. Some historians believed that the Spanish stipulated the barong as the outfit for native Filipinos because you can see through the fabric. It made it easier to spot concealed weapons. (Now it's good for hiding jabar.)

 

I'm happy it became all the rage again in the late 1950s when President Ramon Magsaysay made it his daily uniform. I'm definitely going to have my own Barong made someday. I'll get the expensive one made from Pineapple fiber. I think this one is made of Banana or Abaca which is reasonably priced and less prone to tearing. I imagine wearing it to a wedding while everyone else is a long gown. Snazzy.

Outfit: Sib's groomsman Barong Tagalog; My grade school Doc Martens;  

Pocket watch, antique cane, and woven hat from Chris Yambing.

Photo credits: First one by the foxy Mr. Chris Yambing. 

The rest from the lovely Ms. Kaity Chua.

Styling credits: Deng Tee and Cay Kho

This is My Modern Baro't Saya

Taken by Cars is one of my favorite Filipino bands so when I heard they're releasing their sophomore album I was psyched. I haven't had time to go to one of their gigs or get their album so it was awesome stumbling upon their new video for their single, "This is Our City" directed by music video auteur  Quark Henares.

I love the idea of having Intramuros as a backdrop with the girls styled in modern baro't sayas. It reminded me of the shoot I had with Kaity Chua in Intramuros. I was experimenting with the idea of creating a fashion blog solely dedicated to modern Filipiniana fashions. But I realized how logistically difficult that would be. The main problem being I don't have enough Filipiniana clothes to modernize. While I'm slowly building up my wardrobe, my goal is just to wear something Filipino made or designed every single day. Just a little way for me to support our Filipino designers and retailers.

Here are the shots of that shoot. My interpretation of a modern baro't saya.

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These photos were taken on the sly because the Intramuros Administration doesn't allow photo shoots (fashion editorials or wedding photos) without a permit. But, but I'm just a blogger! I think it's silly because the more beautiful photos of Intramuros out there, the more people will be curious to see it. A lot of our countrymen are not even aware of our walled city. Start charging when the tourists are flocking in by the hundreds of thousands. For now, let us help you promote it.

The Story of My Tamburin

On my previous entry, I proudly showed off my tamburin necklace and it made think about when my fascination with it began.  I got this photo from an encyclopedia. I almost bought a cross with this "tinik" design. Instead, I ended up buying a more traditional "pineapple" tamburin.

The first time I saw a tamburin up close was when I was a Mabuhay guide. The owner of Tesoro's Handicrafts was telling us about the beauty of pinya cloth and other special finds in the Philippines. There she was standing regally, in a simple starched barong blouse accessorized with a beautiful gold tamburin necklace and matching pearl earrings. She looked so chic that the image of her and her necklace stayed with me. It looked kind of like this...

 

I got this off someone's Flickr. So pretty!

Upon researching, I found out that the gold necklace was no ordinary piece of jewelery. It was an antique that could cost up to P250,000. The way of making it involved techniques that are no longer used because goldsmiths don't know how to replicate it. Thus, I was ecstatic to have found my tamburin at a reasonable price. Though if you look at the photos on my previous entry, it’s quite simple compared to the ones featured here. Also, mine is gold-plated. The best tamburins are made from 100% gold. The more intricate the design, the wealthier the owner.

I’m not sure if I want to believe the saleslady who sold me mine but she said that all tamburins are atleast 100 years old. I wonder who mine belonged to. I love a good story to go with my jewelery and how I wish mine was passed down to me by my grandma. Then she would tell me of how it was passed on to her by a devout mestiza woman who wore it everyday after she was gifted it by a Spanish merchant.

I can dream right?

But I’m just happy I can pass something on to my future grandchildren. With my tamburin, I will tell them the story of how our great ancestors were gold fiends. They used to make everything out of gold: from their pots to their bangles to their chastity protectors.

Back for Love. Back to Blog.

I haven’t updated my blog in forever. The culprit - a little friendly criticism. A good friend gave an honest assessment of my blog and it opened up a deep cavern of doubt on the direction the blog was taking. So I took time to try and answer questions like, “why do I blog?”,  “what do I want to achieve with this? “, and “what’s my theme?”.  To be honest, I’m not sure. But I realized that I’m content trying to figuring it out. I just love sharing what I find interesting about Filipino culture. This year, I resume blogging on Valentine’s. Because I'm corny and symbolic like that. And I'd like to believe that when you love something, you step up to the plate even if you’re uncertain, because you have faith that you’re leading up to something great.

(That being said, I somehow made it to finalist at the Philippine Blog Awards. Check out the snazzy banner on the right. Despite my blog lacking a recurrent theme, I think that some people enjoyed it. Thanks so much guys. Your encouraging comments mean a lot.)

I’m leaving you all with some photos that I was supposed to post last year. One of my favorite pieces of jewelery is this tambourine necklace which I bought at a shop in Megamall. It’s gold-plated silver and was all the rage for pious women during the Spanish times. I whipped up a matching outfit for it- something to carry it out from antiquity.

Tambourine necklace. A blue reworked vintage dress. Melissa Vivienne Westwood pumps. A woven beret I got from Kultura. Thank you to the uber talented Kaity Chua for the photos.

Happy Valentines everyone!

Subic Musa Styled

Right now, I'm plopped up in a bed in a cozy room in Panglao, Bohol. I can't muster up the strength to blog about anything that requires too much effort. Dare I say it, I'm on vacation! So, I thought I'd post some old photos my boyf and I took early this year when we went on an out of town trip to Subic! This was when I was toying around with starting a purely Filipino fashion blog, but alas it's difficult to dress head to toe in Filipino brands. What I try to do to support the Filipino fashion industry is to wear at least one Filipino branded item for every outfit. Also, I try my bestest to buy local. For these looks, I was able to get not one, but three Filipino things. Have a look see what they are: 

If you guessed Ifugao bead necklace and hat then you got two correct. But since you can't see my slippers, I posted a close-up. I love these slippers! They're comfy plus they have loads of cute detail. I got these three items from Kultura- a Filipino souvenir shop that a lot of locals tend to pass up on when doing their shopping. Each of these items cost from P100- P150. 

Dress from H&M.

My Collezione Dress

It was a lazy Saturday so the boyf and I decided to take the camera out for a little stroll. I wore my recent dress purchase from Collezione or C2. This was a flailing old Filipino brand that's risen back to popularity due to their My Filipinas polo. It features the Filipino islands as a logo. An iconic design that's spread like wildfire. So much so that President Noynoy Aquino used it as a campaign uniform. It's also being copied by the tiangges (bazaar stalls) in Greenhills.

Good thing, Collezione has branched out to more than just their My Filipinas polos. They have a line of dresses that are awesome. The material is comfy and the cut is flattering.

I can wear this off-shoulder or cowl neck. 

After a stopover in Ateneo, we went to Kamuning, vintage capital of the Philippines. 

I heart this bead necklace from Davao. It's actually a celfone/pen holder and it goes superbly with this dress. 

There are tons of vintage finds in Kamuning- from used furniture to vinyl records, cameras and toys galore! If I were to go apartment shopping, I'd stop by Kamuning.

Kamuning is a street so you'll have to keep your eyes peeled to spot the vintage shops. Look closely because not only will you see furniture stuff but ukays (used clothing stores), funny store signages, and grafitti walls. I usually head to Kamuning for the textiles market- where I go to have dresses sewn or repaired. But more on that in another entry. Happy Sunday everybody!

Photos by Marlo Ongpin.