Black magic

I think I may need help from the occult arts to get over this one: my article deadlines come crashing (come to think of it, I haven't posted an article for quite some time now) and here I am still pondering whether I may still have time to finish my long overdue Thom Browne post. (Am already half done.)

Very soon, and shortly! Will need to hem and put a cuff to my habits of procrastination. In the the meantime, here's what I wore today.


Micro-checkered shirt, Ben Sherman; micro-houndstooth pants, Custom Made; thrifted leather elfin slip-ons, Camper; skinny leather belt, APC; plastic necklace, Qeelin; fingerless gloves; Debenhams

Photo by Patricia Suzara

Black and gold

Something for the somber yet glorious week.

Striped tee with side vents, APC; micro houndstooth semi-stretch pants, Custom Made; leather filigree belt, Brave Beltworks; thrifted gold sneakers, Adidas; nylon messenger, Tumi; watch, Omega Seamaster; card holder used as a wallet, Marlboro Classics; leatherette coin purse, gift; tumbler, Starbucks

Black list

All style statements return to fashion's ultimate: black is the only black. In the end, nothing can really replace it.

Shirt, G200; skinny jeans, 5cm; thrifted shoes, Bally; woven belt, vintage; wide belt, Izzue; silk tie, thrifted



The only thing we can do is innovate and give it a fresh kick.

Street photo by Patricia Suzara

Lace dress for Halloween

It's amazing how things come full circle. I remember wearing this thrifted lace dress as a scarf for a goth Halloween ball last year, and a picture of that outfit, which was primarily composed of thrifted items, was part of my very first cameo post on this blog.

Now I am wearing the skirt on top of a shirt and have instead worn a cardigan as my scarf.




I like the way the lace is only obvious at the sleeves and over my bum, and the way it is cut — which makes me think more of pirates than drag queens.




I suppose this is the casual variation of my goth outfit, even if I am actually wearing the lace dress.

See, it can't be that hard.


Tee, cK by Calvin Klein; jeans, Two Percent; sheer double-breasted cardigan worn as a scarf, Zara; filigree belt, Brave Beltworks; agnès b riding boots and lace dress: both thrifted; necklace, Qeelin

Black and brown, with some raspberry

I was seeing someone — or we were already "together", I'm not sure, but I'm certain that it doesn't matter — when I bought this 5cm beanie. It must have been around the time this blog was about to celebrate it's first year. In any case, I really should find other ways to mark my days.




Like getting a free scoop of raspberry cheesecake yogurt from Golden Spoon, which I of course topped with blackberries and strawberries. Since today marks the day when Trish and I managed to fill out our coupon. Diet be damned!




A berry good way, I must say, to ease off stress from work and to highlight something relatively new with my outfit. Of course, one other reason I'm wearing this beanie is that my hair is getting unruly and I'm just too lazy to pay the barber a visit.


Beanie and thrifted bomber jacket: both 5cm; tee, cK Calvin Klein; jeans, Calvin Klein Jeans; sandals, Birkenstock; belt, Brave Beltworks; Young Camel satchel and ...Property of tote: both thrifted; steel cuff, Hablo; tiger's eye bracelet from Divisoria

Photos by Patricia Suzara, who also ordered Raspberry Cheesecake yogurt, but topped it with almonds and dark chocolate

This post was not sponsored by Golden Spoon, Seattle's Best Coffee, or 7-11 (see it?)

The front tuck + The in-between bag

It's the first time I've done it with a shirt and not just a tee. (I know it sounds boring, but bear with me.) Though what I'm wearing is a little too stiff to achieve those loungy summer creases, I like what tucking does to the shirt's sheen. Also noticed that its better with a belt with a big buckle.




The point is, I didn't tuck the back, but before that here is my trusty canvas bag, which was given for free many Christmases ago by a favorite bookstore that I sorely miss (It's been closed for quite a while.) For the longest time, I've been using it to load all my stuff from my bag each time I go home, so that, whichever bag I use the next day, I'll be sure not to leave anything in a stray pocket. Like keys and my company ID. (Today I used it to bring gym stuff.)

Does this habit sound strange? Does anybody else have this problem?

I've heard of a compartmentalized "inner" bag that you put in an "outer" bag to fulfill the same purpose. But that just bothers me. It's like you have a fake bag and a real one, the former just for show.




So back to my back. Creases from all the sitting and slouching I've been doing this morning. Not bad, I say. And I don't think it would be the same if I had tucked it in. (Not a bald spot. Cowlicks.)


Shirt, Ben Sherman; jeans, Levi's; belt, Brave Beltworks

Outfit photos by Patricia Suzara

Parting is such sweet sorrow / My first sale

When Johanna told me that she was happily feeling the texture and shape of the rosette onyx beads and baroque pearls from the black necklace I just sold her, I knew it was in good hands.

This is how it looks up close — pearls and onyx with obsidian.




This was how I wore the very first version of this necklace, which was shorter and meant as a male accessory.




Jo is right by saying that from afar the piece looks just like any other bead necklace, and that it is only after closer inspection that one notices — from the colors and shapes of the reflected light — that the necklace is different.




Tee and skinny belt, A.P.C.; jeans, Two Percent; bonnet, 5cm; bracelet, three strands of ball-and-chain necklaces




It was Jo's suggestion to wear it double-stranded. Now the piece takes on a life of its own, just like any creation that exchanges hands.

Black faux fur vest with onyx and black pearls

Sure, I have worn a lace skirt as a cardigan for Halloween, but this I have never done.

Went to Rockwell to visit Pier Lim, a friend who was selling his clothes at a bazaar. We were kidding around, and another friend and I decided to wear some of the items while going through the bazaar. Here are two of the shots.




I am donning the faux fur vest with a work in progress: a black necklace I am designing for another friend — a girl, hence the length. It is made up of irregular black pearls, onyx stones with rosette carvings, and obsidian, which is also black but with a sheen more subtle than onyx.

Still getting the hang of it, especially with the heat, but I must say that the texture and sheen of the vest give my black outfit more than a little zest.


Faux fur vest, Pier Lim; black tee, G200; sheer cardigan; thrifted; jeans, Jil Sander

Photos by Michael Son

Black and relaxed

These have been the laziest of days. Quite evident with my lack of outfit posts. I don't even want to get up, much less put in some effort in dressing. Blame the rain, blame the dragging year, blame the dark and the lack of inspiration.

But I definitely cannot blame the color black, which is reliable in these times of indecision. Today, I decided I wanted the color in layers, mixed with a little navy blue. It's power lies in its ability to become instant armor.

Yes, I'm still in Manila. The reason why I can wear three top pieces is because of thickness. The bottom tee is really just an undershirt. Above it, is a thin, sheer, double-breasted cardigan that weighs almost as much as a scarf. The sweater, of course, is just for the office, and comes off once I leave the building.

I have found that it is possible to do layering in a tropical country, just as long as no single piece is thick. I have also found that it is alright to be lazy in coming up with an outfit, just as long as you have tried and tested a few reliable combinations.

(For those who work in Manila's central business district, can you guess which building I am in?)


Tee, G200; sheer cardigan, Zara; sweater, Muji; skinny jeans, Two Percent; nylon sneakers, Tretorn x Acne

Outfit photos by Patricia Suzara

Black and sheer at Copenhagen Fashion Week

Ripped and layered is as good as a clutch of bracelets and necklaces.



Photos from Stil in Berlin

In the quiet, reading between the lines

If things have been calmer than usual on the blog, one of the reasons are the posts I've been writing for Benetton, which have stimulated me more than I expected. Of course, I am not using this as an excuse. Maybe more as an opportunity to let things settle a bit, before I get ready to engage another storm.

I have also been neglecting my Bosquejo accessory lines, which I am planning to promptly resuscitate. For this picture, I am wearing a piece called Salvador, which I think can be worn by both sexes.




I have also been more than willingly engaged by one Mary Hare, one of the eccentric characters of Patrick White's amazing novel Riders in the Chariot – so much so that I couldn't put the book down until the end of each chapter.

Eccentric, I suppose, is also one way to describe the Frida necklace I am wearing, which I have loaned to my official photographer since, I again suppose, only a few dare to wear.

Shameless plugging and slightly forced smile aside, El Bosquejo is nearly turning two. I think I am fairly happy and satisfied with the way things have gone. Totally unexpected. Sure, I could have pushed it a lot more, but that would have been another blogger … now thinking of ways of how to celebrate. Any ideas?


Tee, Bench; nylon jacket, Izzue; jeans, Martin Margiela; steel cuffs, Hablo; neckalces, Bosquejo accessories

Photos by Patricia Suzara

soleil noir

vogue paris, june 2011

model: raquel zimmermann

photographer: david sims

title: soleil noir

beats'n'pieces

i-d magazine, summer 2011

models: arlinda smajli, richard kranzin, emma llyod and shea prueger

photographer: paola kudacki

title: beats'n'pieces

flaunt it

i-d magazine, spring 2011

models: alla kostromiceva and aymeline valade

photographer: josh olins

titile: flaunt it