At School of Fashion and the Arts

It was September 8, 2012, I was 32 back then. We had our presentation for the Fashion Styling Class at the School of Fashion and the Arts. Our professor, actress Ms. Marina Abad Santos Benipayo was able to teach us fluently the basics, techniques and tips in fashion styling. As a final requirement, we had to conduct a photo shoot with the theme: Orange. Our guest judge was the editor-in-chief of Cosmpolitan, Ms. Myrza Sison. Here are some of the highlights during the said output presentation.

During the presentation at School of Fashion and the Arts...Ms. Myrza looking on the fashion photos involving models of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The fashion editorial was shot at Fort Abad, BSP.

Group Effort..."Narangha"...From Left ( Yours truly, Joy Chua, Chand Dargani and Roshni Chotrani)

Ms. Benipayo, Ms. Sison and my classmates during the final fashion presentation at School of Fashion and the Arts

Tips in Fashion Styling

STYLING YOURSELF AND FINDING THE INNER FASHIONISTA IN YOU NEED NOT BE A FUSS. HERE ARE  TEN USEFUL STYLE TIPS FOR EVERYONE: 

1) EARRINGS - USE THEM SPARINGLY.. unless you don't want it to overshadow your outfit..Use studs and dangling alternately.

2. NECKLACE - If your outfit already has a statement stud, design, embroidery, accent, sequin, do not anymore put on a necklace because it will overrule the outfit. THE LESSER, THE BETTER.

3) SHOES  -  Match the color of your shoes with either your bag, pants or the entire outfit. Do not wear socks that are the same color of your shoes unless it is white or black. Be careful with colors, it can work or not work for you.

4) TIE - ties should only be worn with a long sleeve polo, not with a barong, a short sleeve, a polo or t-shirt. If your long sleeve has stripes or accent, avoid ties with prints or pattern. On the other hand, ties with pattern or print should be used with plain colored, monochromatic polo. A bow tie will work but do not wear them all the time.

5)  TOPS/BOTTOMS - the polo, shirt, blouse, whatever the design is should matched in color, style and design with the bottoms you are wearing. Colors should be limited to three. Four colors, and you will look like somebody selling ice cream. Combining tops and bottoms should be limited to three, IF it is a four -piece, make sure they are color coordinated. 

6)  COLOGNE- use perfume, cologne only when you have taken a bath. You do not want your odor mixed with that expensive eau de toilette, otherwise, people will run away from you, even the BEES....

7)  BRACELET - the less sounding it is, the better. Stick to two to three colors only. It should matched with the outfit. You can wear them as may as you like if you are wearing a plain tank top and some denim shorts...

8)  BAGS-  A small bag is for the party, a large one for travel, a medium for office. If you do not plan to carry any bag, and you end up shopping, avoid carrying plastic (BUT WE CANNOT AVOID THEM). Recyclable bags should be always at hand, whenever you go out. You might never know what you can buy when you drop by an urban bazaar. 

9)  SOCKS -- should not be multicolored. Avoid wearing them when you are with sandals, but please do wear one with leather and sneaker. Color should match either the pants and shoes. Avoid those striped, patterned socks. For guys, please have them long enough so that when you cross your legs, your skin will not show. For girls, shoe socks, or sandal protectors should not be seen.

10) UNDERWEAR -  When you are wearing a skimpy, see through slacks, a T-back may be useful (if you can carry them without hurting yourself) , so that your bikini line will not show. For boys, avoid wearing  underwear that catches the audience of your back, as it seems that everybody now a days wears similar branded stuff. Use fabric conditioner all the time to preserve the garter and texture of the underwear. 

Should you need styling tips from me, or want to make over yourself, just leave your comments below and I'll be happy to reply to you immediately.

Fashion Styling Tips

STYLING YOURSELF AND FINDING THE INNER FASHIONISTA IN YOU NEED NOT BE A FUSS. HERE ARE  TEN USEFUL STYLE TIPS FOR EVERYONE: 

1) EARRINGS - USE THEM SPARINGLY.. unless you don't want it to overshadow your outfit..Use studs and dangling alternately.

2. NECKLACE - If your outfit already has a statement stud, design, embroidery, accent, sequin, do not anymore put on a necklace because it will overrule the outfit. THE LESSER, THE BETTER.

3) SHOES  -  Match the color of your shoes with either your bag, pants or the entire outfit. Do not wear socks that are the same color of your shoes unless it is white or black. Be careful with colors, it can work or not work for you.

4) TIE - ties should only be worn with a long sleeve polo, not with a barong, a short sleeve, a polo or t-shirt. If your long sleeve has stripes or accent, avoid ties with prints or pattern. On the other hand, ties with pattern or print should be used with plain colored, monochromatic polo. A bow tie will work but do not wear them all the time.

5)  TOPS/BOTTOMS - the polo, shirt, blouse, whatever the design is should matched in color, style and design with the bottoms you are wearing. Colors should be limited to three. Four colors, and you will look like somebody selling ice cream. Combining tops and bottoms should be limited to three, IF it is a four -piece, make sure they are color coordinated. 

6)  COLOGNE- use perfume, cologne only when you have taken a bath. You do not want your odor mixed with that expensive eau de toilette, otherwise, people will run away from you, even the BEES....

7)  BRACELET - the less sounding it is, the better. Stick to two to three colors only. It should matched with the outfit. You can wear them as may as you like if you are wearing a plain tank top and some denim shorts...

8)  BAGS-  A small bag is for the party, a large one for travel, a medium for office. If you do not plan to carry any bag, and you end up shopping, avoid carrying plastic (BUT WE CANNOT AVOID THEM). Recyclable bags should be always at hand, whenever you go out. You might never know what you can buy when you drop by an urban bazaar. 

9)  SOCKS -- should not be multicolored. Avoid wearing them when you are with sandals, but please do wear one with leather and sneaker. Color should match either the pants and shoes. Avoid those striped, patterned socks. For guys, please have them long enough so that when you cross your legs, your skin will not show. For girls, shoe socks, or sandal protectors should not be seen.

10) UNDERWEAR -  When you are wearing a skimpy, see through slacks, a T-back may be useful (if you can carry them without hurting yourself) , so that your bikini line will not show. For boys, avoid wearing  underwear that catches the audience of your back, as it seems that everybody now a days wears similar branded stuff. Use fabric conditioner all the time to preserve the garter and texture of the underwear. Should you need styling tips from me, or want to make over yourself, just leave your comments below and I'll be happy to reply to you immediately.

Visual Merchandising Ideas

One of the main objectives of any business is to earn a huge amount of profit. In order to this, merchandising businesses have to sell their products at the most feasible, attractive and prudent way in order to attract buyers, re-sellers and advertisers alike. I, for instance, look around stores in the Metro to find out their styling aesthetic because the window actually will tell you if you have to go inside or just walk away. Some windows are more attractive than the others. It is the job of the store stylist to make it look not only presentable but chic, modern, not "cheap", classy and most of all economical. The value of the window display dictates the profit of the company because the window is the fronliner of these businesses even without customer representatives telling the buyers what they are selling. It's a cutthroat business. Every store wants to look their best but only a FEW can make my cut for the most dashing displays there are. Here are some of the windows I found at Lucky Chinatown Mall, along Binondo area:

No, they are not selling herbal products. They are selling baguettes. It looks like an art museum or some sort, but this is not your ordinary bakery. A look on the inside will reveal more than just bread.

Sometimes, shoe stores are boring but this one caught my attention because of its color coordinated arrangement and interior simplicity.

Who says kids' store are not stylish? This one says it all: modern, ultra-hip and classy. Looks expensive yes, but once you go inside, the prices are well within your reach.

Who does not love a woman in a perfume ad? Well, this one is not only sexy but depicts power and influence over both men and women.

A black mannequin, though scary, is good to flaunt the clothes. Be sure that clothes are colorful such as this so that it won't camouflage with the mannequin itself.

Ideas for Male Boutique Visuals

Robinsons Place Manila is my most frequent hang-out mall recently. It is proximate to my condo and work, aside from being convenient, not too expensive, "has it all" appeal and good ambiance. I strolled around this mall recently and found some beautifully designed stores and window displays for men's fashion. Usually, fashion boutiques are dominated by women or female designs. Well, I recently toured this mall and found interesting fashion shops that caught my selective eyes. What caught my glance was the style of the clothing in the mannequin, the color coordination, the details in the window and the overall appeal of the store itself. Remember, what they have in the windows reflect what they want customers to see inside their stores. Here are snapshots of the best window displays that can serve as ideas to visual merchandisers, fashion experts, and interior designers out there:

Elegant and Stylish all the way!

Definitely one of the best windows I have seen!

Young, fresh and lovin' it!

Fashionable, cool and boy-next-door look!

Monochromatic fashion at its finest!

Girl boy window combi that says it all: STYLE

No need of mannequins to flaunt the designs

The coolest window display in Robinsons now!

Backdrop is gorgeous! The colors of the tops are mesmerizing.

Sporty and Trendy...Wearable and fab!