My latest fix: Electromagnetic Tentacle tees, part I

Finally the rain has stopped. Hope the sun decides to come out today. But before that, here is a quick post of what I wore yesterday.

Had myself a good laugh when I first saw the cartoon spoof tees by Manila-based Electromagnetic Tentacle. The t-shirt here depicts Lion-O, the leader of the ThunderCats.





But instead of wielding a sword, he is holding up a long spoon used to serve taho, one of my favorite local snacks made of soft tofu, brown sugar, vanilla syrup, and pearl sago. Does anybody remember what the real Lion-O shouts when he is in battle?

Can't wait to show you the other designs I bought! Happy (hopefully dry) Saturday!


Faux leather jacket, Drei Soriano; tee, Electromagnetic Tentacle; jeans, Bitter End from People are People; belt, A.P.C.; bag, thrifted

Ceil blue

I think I can breathe easier now—at least for the moment. With the lookbook shoot for Bosquejo's Hardware collection done (behind the scenes here and here), and with several pullout requests fulfilled, I have a very short lull before I need to start making new necklaces for both stores and direct clients. Finally I can show you the shirt that I had ordered from Drei Soriano (Will wear the matching pants soon.)




The color, I think, is ceil, which interestingly also refers to the act of lining or plastering the roof of a building (ceil-ing? con-ceil-ing?). I matched the shirt, which I wore as a jacket, with two necklaces from my Djinn collection (customized based on the piece "Gabrielle No 1") and with a polo shirt with buttons that resemble the stones.




What I loved the most about Drei's shirt were the zippers. Hopefully I can shed my gut so I can wear it as intended. And maybe with the matching tapered pants.

So what do you think? Are men ready for semi-precious stones? At first I was hesitant, even if the necklaces were black, but maybe it really just takes a little confidence (and some sleep) to sail through a new look.


Shirt, Drei Soriano; polo shirt, cK Calvin Klein; jeans, Sisley; belt, Nautica; boots, Timberland, thrifted

Philippine Fashion Week: Drei Soriano

I must admit, Drei Soriano's show was a surprise and a delight during this week's menswear night.




Why? For the simple reason that his collection was cohesive: he had an idea that he sketched out into a narrative of clothes, in such a way that you can't help sense a story behind the show.

The shoulder rip (detachable sleeves?) on this jacket, for example, is nothing new. So are the stripes and the diagonal zippers. Same goes for the legging-like trousers and boots. But together, together, they present the image of a biker left wandering the city, with a specific purpose.




Of course, looking closely, one can say a lot of things about the craftsmanship. But the thing is, once a designer has shown that he can execute a concept, I think experience, a little bit of success, and shrewd sourcing can supply what's missing.





Reminds me of the uber-masculine collections of Calvin Klein.




I like the combination of sheer fabrics and leather. One can almost miss the colored cuff of the trousers. Details! Drei Soriano knows that details are the essence of menswear.




The CK vibe here is more direct, down to the color. What's new? The zippers that appear to continue from the shirts to the crotch. Aha! (The footwear too is nice.)




And then I spy a zipper at a shirt cuff!




A little bit of Ann Demeulemeester.




Scarf tassels, logo buckle belts. The concept of Iron Man fingerless gloves is interesting, though maybe with just a little more fit.




Collars and creases. Kudos too to this show's stylist! Drei tells me he designed the shoes and accessories (except the belts), as well. Besides also doing the styling! Kudos to him!




See how important silhouette is?




More (beard) tassels.




A concept in ten pieces: sometimes that is all it takes. Absolutely no need for 30 overstretched outfits.


Additional photos by Paul Cortes and Bruce Casanova

Bosquejo feature: Drei Soriano Holiday 2011 lookbook

You can't imagine how excited I am to write about this. For the very first time my Bosquejo accessories are featured in a full shoot.




I never thought when I blogged about Drei Soriano's Holiday 2011 collection at Philippine Fashion Week that I'd actually see my jewelry photgraphed with his clothes. Not even after I bought and wore the jacket modeled above (foolish, of course, to post this right after my cameos with the very same item, but what the heck).




Here is the Io necklace worn with a sleeveless blue-gray shirt.




Again, by coincidence, I had asked Drei to design for me a hybrid of this shirt's long-sleeved version, adding sleeves made detachable by zippers. Ordered it with matching trousers.




No leather pants for me though...






Must admit though that I never saw this coming.




This is Tisiphone from my Furies series.




I'd have to hand it to the fantastic team of Ryuji Shiomitsu (stylist) and Rxandy Capinpin (photographer) for envisioning and realizing the connection between Drei Soriano and Bosquejo.




The pairing is a huge compliment.




Of course, I have to thank them for giving me and my clients more ideas on how to wear my pieces. (Modeled here is the Utada necklace.)




And for the pièce de résistance: the juxtaposition of razors and a jacket with raw slits. (Ry Christopher models my Magaera piece.)




What is more surprising, not to say exciting, is that this is just the beginning. Watch out for the next collaboration!


Photography: Rxandy Capinpin
Styling: Ryuji Shiomitsu
Accessories: Bosquejo by Miguel Paolo Celestial
Model: Ry Christopher

Singing in the rain

I was thinking of using an umbrella as props, since it did rain minutes before we took these shots.




Once again wearing Drei Soriano's faux leather jacket with cutouts, but this time with sweat pants. First time I think that I did this with a belt. Think I need something longer and with softer leather.


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I like how the blue placket of the shirt gives the illusion of a skinny tie, from afar at least.


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Now this really suits the title of this post. Only really lacking an umbrella.




I love love love sweat pants, though I must find trouser hybrids since these don't have belt loops and, more importantly, pockets.




Latching the zipper on a faux leather bag I recently thrifted. It joins my well-loved Young Camel satchel, which I also bagged at the thrift store.




My usual daily luggage consists of two bags, one for the shoulder and the other for the hand.




Sneakers by I thrifted a very long time ago, which I am now wearing again. Happy Monday!


Jacket, Drei Soriano; shirt, Costume National; belt, A.P.C; sweat pants, Comme des Garçons Shirt sneakers, faux leather holdall and Young Camel satchel: all thrifted

Photos by Patricia Suzara


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Superhero Sunday

Finally, I was able to get my hands on this cutout faux leather jacket by Drei Soriano, which I blogged about here: Philippine Fashion Week: Drei Soriano.


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The biker jacket came right off the runway. A little big, but I think the fit is still great.




A friend pointed out that the piece reminded him of the X-Men, but I declined to wear it when I watched the latest film. (I actually wore denim on denim, in shorts, but more about that soon.)


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I am wearing the jacket with the Thelxinoe necklace from the Hardware collection of my Bosquejo accessories.







Incidentally, the stylist who shot the editorial for Drei's Holiday 2011 lookbook, also borrowed the same necklaces to match the piece. I actually love how leather matches my Hardware accessories, matching edge with edge.




Here is the back, which I think is good enough for Banshee. Notice the zippered sleeves.




Though I think both the jacket and the necklace can be toned down by softer pieces, they look made for each other. As if there were only one way to go.


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Faux leather biker jacket, Drei Soriano; tee, cK Calvin Klein; jeans, Two Percent; belt, Izzue; leather sneakers, Helmut Lang

Outfit photos by Kevin Bautista