Integration of Fashion and Technology

Fashion and technology can be integrated.

 Do you agree? It may seem hard at first, but fashion designers now can use gadgets, appliances, digital products or anything that blings and clicks into their outfits. Look at this outfit during the Philippine Fashion Week, I can always incorporate a scarf into that laptop bag and make it stylish. Tech gadgets need not be boring. You can add some sheer and shiny pieces like bangles, fringe tassel, or ribbon to accentuate not only your look but your laptop or gadget as well. 

Outfit of Four Colors 

Laptop of Different Colors

This is why I want to embody that fusion of fashion and technology.

My own acronym for style and fashion

Everyone has his or her own acronym. Since I am a fashion stylist and model myself, I would like to share to all my readers my version of Fashion and Style.. and how it defines my own personal style. 

F - ads are everywhere. It is up to me to incorporate them into my personal taste. The clothing or accessory need not be trendy or modern, so long as it suits my personal style. What's best about me is that I make my clothes look expensive. It is how I carry these outfits that matter the most. 

A - dvertisements make me nervous at times. Whether they are for my own good or not, it always depends upon me,,, whether to adopt the trend or not. But, as I always say, I should never be left behind when it comes to fashion.

S - hopping is my hobby. I usually scout for the best buys and must haves in town. I do not settle for one shopping store or mall, I go around and pick the best. Only the best. When it comes to sale or discount, I always ask myself, do I need these? At this price? Are these items worth it?Aside from de-stressing myself, shopping makes me fulfilled. 

H - ats, caps and scarf are some of my favourite accessories. They accentuate the sometimes monochromatic outfit I wear. Besides, these accessories are useful in protecting from bad weather like extreme sun exposure and wind. 

I -  nside beauty is still what's important. They say that you may have all the clothes but once, you do not project them the way it should be , then you will not look beautiful. I believe that outer beauty is a multi-billion dollar business and inner beauty costs nothing, but again, it is what I feel inside that reflects on what you can see on the outside. 

O -  h my Gosh! is what I usually exclaim whenever I see a fabulous outfit on a person. Be it on the streets or on the runway, I can never resist my temptation to say such whenever I am impressed. By the way, I am hard to impress...

N - ew and fresh. People do not like boredom and I am always aware of this. I have to dress the part and look the part. It has always been like this. I know it can be hard sometimes to dress to impress but for me it comes out naturally or most of the time effortlessly. That is why I always provide advice on fashion and style and even did make overs for my officemates. 


S - ocietal pressure sometimes brings out the best in me. Since I am on camera most of the time, I have to look good and that includes sleeping on time and rejuvenating myself, everyday.The society sometimes dictates what you should dress but for my sake, I am sometimes pressured to follow the trend or rule in fashion. 

T - ime is GOLD. Whenever I go to style a store or mannequin, I see to it that I come on time and finish on time. I believe that if you want to make much money, time will be your instrument. 

Y- oung and vibrant should always be the terms I put into mind so that I can work for fashion forever. But then again, fashion connotes trend, but style is eternal. One outfit is fashionable today but may be an evolution of a previous style. One may never know that that style has already evolved throughout the years. 

L- ove for fashion. Fashion is something I should live by, eat it or even dream about it. I can never work in the fashion industry if I do not know fashion terminologies, or do not love to shop or describe an outfit. Fashion for me is already inate. 

E- ndlessly putting up with life and overcoming obstacles along the way, I know that life can be a challenge but it is always a must to stay strong, healthy, alive and vibrant. 

Do you have your own acronym in life? Tell me. We may have the same...

Fashion Terminology

Do you know what is a chemise, camisole, peplum? Here are some of the terms you need to know about fashion. When studying fashion, I come across some interesting terms one need to know to be able to work with the best designers, stylists and models in town. These are the terms that anyone of us should be able to understand, remember and  even breathe it so that the next time you see an outfit, a dress or a piece of clothing, you can already call it by name. 

• Cami or camisole is a sexy piece of cloth, almost like a lingerie that should always be worn underneath. If you plan it to wear as an outerwear, be sure that it is layered with something thick. It should not also be equaled to a corset which is usually laced up at the back and tighten in the middle.

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• Bling Bling - just like diamonds that shine brighter than ever, something shiny, shimmering jewelry worn by rappers. If you add more jewelry or necklaces, bracelets or rings that are sparkling, then you can call it a bling bling.

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• Wife beater - thin, ribbed tank usually worn by men like a "sando"Women can wear them too over a pair of mini skirt or leggings. Usually this comes out as a tank top and is normally white.

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• Floods - from the term suggest that this outfit can be worn during the flood. It rests above the ankle to lower calf and can be matched with flats. This is a trend today and no one knows that it's called a flood. Now you know.

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• Kitten heels - looks like the heels of the kitten, that is why it's called that way, this is stylized by Audrey Hepburn.It is usually 11/2 to 2 inches high. It can feminize any woman in the lower part of the body. By the way, every shoe is a woman's best friend, just like a diamond.

Prep- this word sounds familiar since we have been calling our look preppy. But, what does it really mean?It's a school look, it's a combination, thick plaid, polo tees, and pink, hand green, with fresh pieces for a clean look. 

Rugby tops - boldly striped collared or round neck shirts, that are usually worn on a rugby sport. A fitted shirt, usually with bright colors, it is sold in any store like Collezione or Lacoste.

• Uggs- are sheep like boots for surfing that are admirable

• Trainers- sneaker, athletic shoes that are trendy for both men and women.

• Timbs - usually worn by  construction workers, these are ankle length boots are stylish and can be used for dancing too. From the word, timberland.

• Old school - retro, vintage or previous is what old school means. When you say something from the 70s or 80s, it's retro old school.

• Goth - anything black speaks of gothic...which includes dark eyeshadow and eyeliner.Whit and black are the monochromatic colors associated with gothic. 

• Trucker hats - are hats that are collected by the truck drivers from every gasoline station. These are trendy hats that can be worn with any preppy look or even a casual laid back attire. It can run into different colors, but the most appealing is a yellow coated hat. 

• Skater - strategically stylish like a long sleeves and short sleeves shirt, this look can be both grungy and street wear, just like a skater would use. Women can also sport this look by doning a pair of short sleeves jacket...Need not be always having a skating board just to have this look.

• Newsboy cap- my favourite accessory since this can both catch attention and go trendy. Can be worn in any outfit but not with a corporate look.

• Legwarmer - colored, striped socks that can be matched with a mini skirt and leggings or even a tight skirt plus boots. Just be careful of the colors. It might outshine the lower look. 

Now, you know some fashion terms? So you can describe your look now...

Gwen Tan: A Promising Fashion Designer

There are a lot of things happening in a Fashion Bazaar. Recently, when I attended the Times Square Fashion Bazaar at SMX Convention Center, I discovered a young talent that is so promising that she can make something out of scratch. This is something not new, but for this young lady, fashion is about an expression of oneself. It is about setting yourself an iconography of diligence and hardwork plus an eye for trends, style and glamour. These are the roots of a fashion designer. Like any other who made it big in this multi-billion dollar industry, fashion designers always have humble beginnings.

Let me introduce you to Ms. Gwyneth Tan Ong of Dela Salle University currently taking up Marketing Management. She graced here way from kinder to high school at Grace Christian College. Because of her inept ability to learn and explore new things and cultivate her different skills, she studied different art lessons every summer like oil painting, water color, sketching and oil pastel. Since she also has a passion for the glamorous world of fashion, she went to the prestigious School of Fashion and the Arts for some fashion techniques like basic sketching, mood board making, tie dye, bleaching, and T-shirt deconstruction. By the way, because of her ability to absorb ideas quickly, she was able to make fairy costumes and children's dress from scratch. She has no formal sewing lessons but she can make this? That's what I call innate ingenuity!

Now, during the Fashion Wars, an inter-school fashion design competition sponsored by De La Salle University Business Management Society, she was able to transform her creativity for fashion into a reality. 

When asked about her inspiration for the design contest, she responded that,

 "Since the theme of the contest is Love Avenue, I thought of an East meets West story. For me, the iconic Empire State building would best represent the glamour of the upper east side so that's where I got all of the Art Deco inspired lines on the model's gown." 

Look at her masterpiece! Look at what creative young minds can generate. After hardwork and leading a team of three, she was able to come up with a beautifully crafted couture gown that resembles around the monochromatic colors white and black. 

She said this about what the overall concept is all about. 

"The guy is in a hoodie because I wanted him to look like a guy from the Bronx. The girl supposed is to be like a Paris Hilton type and the guy is supposed to be like a dancer from the Step Up movie :) For this competition, I didn't look at any of the designers' gowns for inspiration because if I do, I might tend to copy their gown. I wanted to do my own interpretation of the Empire State so I got the design/inspiration from the building itself."

With a resemblance of honesty, hardwork and patience, I know that Gwyneth is one of the country's upcoming designers. Indeed, she will grow to become not only promising in the field of fashion, but also inspire and be inspired by those already in the field. I guess that one need not anymore join in a Project Runway competition just to be famous. If you have the 3 G's- guts, gift and golden opportunity (Well, with an O), you can go places! In fact, I am pretty sure that Gwyneth is one designer to watch out for. Maybe, someday in the Philippine Fashion Week or in some actors or actress look book. 

Which one is your favourite?

Despite being busy these past few days on writing my book, I still managed to dress up the looks that I always wanted to do. Be it preppy or smart, cool or funky, corporate or casual, formal or street wear, these looks are undoubtedly my most favorite looks of all time. The fact that these looks are, I believe one of my best, these were also featured in Lookbook. Style Bible and Fashionfreax websites. It must be noted that styling for any occasion be it a date or dinner, lunch or movies, is sometimes arduous. You do not over think or over analyze your outfit because it can get worse, over styled, and you might end up becoming a fashion victim, rather than a trendsetter or head turner. For style to be effective,  a person should have a basic knowledge on how to combine different colors, fabric, cloth, texture and style of any outfit/attire. It is not adequate that the you wear something on top and something beneath. It takes more than that. Below are examples of my outfit I WORE for the past few days. Please leave a comment below, to either like it, dislike it, or if you want to give suggestions on how to improve this fashion website, not my looks, you may do so as well. 

Top is by Solo, Pants by Code Blue and Shoes are by Salvatorre Mann, Bag is by Korea Fashion

Top is by Tank, Pants are by Code Blue and Shoes are from a store in ABS CBN Compound

Top is by Markus, Pants are by Tank and Shoes are from Wade

Blazer is by Main Street, Inner Shirt by Kultura, Pants are by Bench, Shoes by Itti and Bag by Korean Fashion

Cap is by Onesimus, Blazer by Markus, Pants are by Penshoppe, Shoes are from ABS CBN Compund, Inner Shirt by Perfect White Shirt

Coat by Trinoma Mall, Polo by Code Blue, Pants by Min Street

Shoes by Sperry, Pants by Penshoppe, Blazer by Mint, Inner Shirt from Greenhills and Belt by YRYS.

Jacket by Badoo, Pants by Main Street, Belt by YRYD, Inner Shirt by Graphic Tees, Bag by Figliarina

Inner Shirt by Tank, Pants by Markus, Shoes by Salvatorre Mann

Blazer by Mint, Shirt by Markus, Pants by V plus and shoes by Sperry

Jacket by Mint, Pants by Penshoppe, Shoes by Flipped Out Cockatoos, Cap by Msense and Shirt by Mint

 

2015 Fashion Forecast and year ender outfits

How many days more and it is going to be 2015? Are you all excited what this year of the wooden horse would bring us in the world of glamour and style? Well, I will expect a lot of earth, wood, and brown toned fashion styling in terms of apparel, accessories, events and even designer couture. It would be something that resembles the horse, with its gallantry, bravery, speed and power. Well, fashion will have many sheep or marsala inspired fashion and many bloggers including me will wear something out of this style. Long hair, slim and broad shoulders including long legs will be the "IN" thing in beauty next year. Likewise, brown, burgundy and white will be the colors for 2015 as it resembles the sheep. Exercise which includes running, dancing, thread mill and walking will be the most familiar routines people will be doing in the beginning of the year as most of us have eaten or will be eating a lot of oily foods, carbs and cellulose enriched products. 

Here are some of my stylish looks:

Wore this yesterday to a local shop. I asked the guard to take a photo of me beside the Christmas tree. I love the combo of the cardigan and shirt while it matches the denim pants and red loafers.

I bought a cellphone cover at a  local cellphone shop here in Zamboanga City. I asked the saleslady to take a photo of me. Love how the denim polo matches the shirt by Bench while the pants and boots are gorgeous to the eyes. The bag is by Parisian.

I asked my sister, Haydee Gretchen Panganiban to take a photo of me at a local mall. The striped complement my skin tone while the pants and boots are good together. I love wearing caps thus, in this look, I decided to complete the outfit with one. 

Went to Enchanted Kingdom with my sister, brother-in-law and cousin. Had to wear the yellow jacket to match the shirt and pants to avoid getting burned from the sun. Love this outdoor look.

Posed in front of a Globe architecture at SM Mall of Asia, the largest in Asia. I also went to a fashion show wearing the blue jacket, scarf and gray pants. Loved how every detail of this outfit complement each other.

Loved the color editing of this photo. While the top and pants matched, the bag is a perfect accessory for this outdoor look. Loved the sunglasses too.

Hope you love these looks. Please leave a comment below. I will really appreciate it. As No.2 in Style Bible Top posers, I am really thankful that there are many people who love my sense in fashion while there are those who aren't maybe because they are afraid of taking risks, that the new style will not be fit their lifestyle or attitude. Well, if you don't want to take risks, then you will not know if a particular apparel looks good on you. Why don't you give a try once in a while. There is no harm or crime in trying.

Summer Trends for 2015

The following are some of my inspirational outfits for 2015. Are you ready for summer? Here are the latest trends I have been wearing in the City of Flowers. Hope you love the color combination of these looks. These have been featured in Style Bible, Lookbook, Chictopia and WhatIWear. 

Loved the color of green in this green pool.

Loved the color of red shoes in this blue and brown look. 

A graduation outfit that seeks to redefine style