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Showing posts with label Izzue. Show all posts

Military floral

The sun returned yesterday! But the summer still seems lost and disoriented. The rains usually begin in June, not April. Now I feel silly complaining from the heat. Today it's back to gloomy.

If the military had its equivalent for floral, it would have to be paisley, or insect patterns, like what Liberty has recently popularized.

Summer come back! I was only kidding...

Shirt, Diesel; thrifted tie, San Dino; thrifted jeans, Izzue; laceups, Marlboro Classics; ribbon belt (barely seen), thrifted

White jeans

Another staple for summer. I know they're dust magnets, but nothing looks as nice.

Jeans, Maison Martin Margiela; shirt, Crocodile; thrifted bag, agnes b.; thrifted belt, Structure; lace-ups, Marlboro Classics; wristwatch, Tissot

To take Details' advice, here's a jolt of black for this evening. (Can't help the neon.)

Nylon jacket, Izzue; shirt, Sisley; trainers, Nike
Building photos by Patricia Suzara

Play

Contrary to popular belief, this blog is not always serious.

Shirt, cK Calvin Klein; thrifted plaid pants, Izzue; sweater, Sisley; sneakers, Bass

Photos by Patricia Suzara, with the invaluable assistance of Cecilia Aycocho

You can say it's the worst timing to wear white pants when its raining, but each morning starts so bright and sunny that I always wake up hoping it would stay like that - no rain, but at the same time not too warm.

White is just so irresistible to wear during summer - even if the season has lately been unreliable - that one just can't have enough of the color.

Tee, Izzue; penny loafers, Bass Weejuns; white jeans, eco-friendly half-wool scarf, and green suede messenger: all thrifted

Just published this while I'm still building my next post on the American menswear designer who recently popularized ankle exposure, and, according to news last month, may have to look for an investor to prevent his business from sinking underwater.

Top photo by Patricia Suzara

Before the rains came...

...there was still no rain, obviously, but lots of wind, flying ties, and hair swept the other way. The day ended not in red, but black and all the shades of gray. Sure hope the sun hangs on longer tomorrow.

All thrifted: shirt, Izzue; jeans, Bossini; laceups, Clarks; tie, Resilio. Leather belt, Izzue; buttonless vest, Dean & Trent; socks, Oleg Cassini; watch, Tissot

Photo by Patricia Suzara

Dark days

The days can just go on and on, without reprieve and without much reflection, not just while going through the motions but even when it comes to happy and continuous improvements.

I have just also enlarged the format of my fledgling street style site, La Folie Douce, and in the past few weeks have been getting more traffic and comments on this page.

Things are moving into a clearer direction, and this also applies not only to my recent fashion choices, but also to my day job at the FT.

Then again, it's been months since I've sat down to work on my poems, which for me, bring everything together in a way that is totally unexpected. Else, writing has meant magazine articles and blog musings. (On the topic of changes, someone has actually followed my poetry blog, which is surprising.)

Personally, only the creative process can distill the sharpest and clearest insights. And there are no point-by-point blog updates or Twitter feeds mid-way. In between there is only silence.

I wonder when that time will come again. I both yearn for it and fear its inevitable return. Till then, I cannot say I do not really enjoy these dark, opaque days. I do. But not as much.

Tuxedo jacket, from a local department store; thrifted plaid shirt, Izzue; micro houndstooth pants, Custom Made; skinny belt, APC; thrifted sneakers and open bonnet hat: both 5cm

Chains that tickle

Even if the day was mostly downcast, here's some color amid the gray and black. Bought the shirt from yesterday's bazaar shopping at Greenhills.

A friend once said that I never really was a teenager; that I was already old even during those years. Well, that doesn't stop me from wearing Elmo on my shirt.

And hanging something in front of his nose.

Tee, from Greenhills; nylon jacket, Izzue; thrifted jeans, Two Percent; skinny leather belt, APC; leather sneakers, Helmut Lang; black plastic necklace, Qeelin; stainless steel necklaces, 168; handkerchief, local department store

Bigger blues

Still adjusting with the new format of the site. Hope you'll bear with me as it will take time for me to replace current photos with bigger versions. Some, like runway reviews, I will have to leave as is. A few backlog posts will also have to appear in old image sizes.

I've been thinking about this for quite some time and thought the space will be good to declutter things, but of course, anything less than satisfactory will also be magnified and be more obvious.

But hey, it will push me to publish at a higher quality. So here goes. Caution: fly away with the wind.

Heather gray linen shirt and charcoal gray sweater with blue stripes: both thrifted; jeans, Havana & Co.; trilby, Zara; plaid silk tie, Polo Ralph Lauren; blue nylon sneakers, Acne by Tretorn; black leather belt (barely seen), Izzue

It's time

In the humid, tropical Philippines, the warmest season does not forgive the usual layering of temperate countries; this can be done only with the thinnest materials.

The alternatives for style involve exploring cut, fabric, proportion, silhouette, and - you guessed it - accessories.

Gold-plated automatic watch, Omega Seamaster; pocket watch from a Beijing antique market worn as a pendant (using a stainless steel ball chain necklace); pocket watch chain used as a bracelet

At the underpass at the intersection of Ayala Avenue and Rufino Street, and then at Ayala Avenue

Shirt, Chevignon; semi-stretch trousers, Y-3; thrifted gold sneakers, Adidas; socks, Tommy Hilfiger; gray PVC belt (not seen), Izzue

Street photos by Paolo Joseph Lising

Urban worker

Enough pockets for everything.

Except the heat.

Shirt, Bossini; tank top, United Colors of Benneton; cargo pants and camouflage ribbon belt, Izzue; sneakers, 5cm

Photos by Patricia Suzara

New old denim shorts

So I was at Topman, fitting denim cargo shorts that I was about to purchase, before I remembered that I had so many pairs of jeans languishing in my cabinet.

I picked out this old pair, which, although weren't cargo pants, had the same exposed pocket detailing. At Manila's 30℃, the heat is no longer funny, and I think I should be wearing shorts as much as possible - like on weekends - not just because it's summer, but because it's already becoming uncomfortable. So I brought out my scissors and cutter to do the job.

I'd say not bad. I just have to bring them to the tailor to have the back part hemmed. Or maybe, since they're denim, I'd let the fabric fray...but then again, we're talking about shorts here - meaning not much length to spare.

Studded tee, Zara; denim shorts formerly known as jeans, Lee; leather belt, Izzue; sneakers, Surface to Air; leather duffel, thrifted; scarf, SM Department Store

Looking in my closet, I find more items to turn into summer companions - from denim to chinos and fatigues. I think I may soon be needing this pair of "power scissors". Now if only there were also handheld hemming devices.

As for tailored shorts, either I have my slacks altered or get the real thing.

Fabric knot cufflinks

Too busy and now too tired for an actual outfit post. But before I doze off, notice how well the pajama like pattern of the shirt complements the cloth cufflinks.

Thrifted shirt, G200; charcoal gray pants, Gas; PVC belt, Izzue; thrifted embroidered leather sneakers (not seen), Gucci; thrifted denim tote, Gap

No sweating sporty preppy

The weather today was just terrible. The heat is back in full force. In Manila, this means summer has just arrived.

Shirt, Izzue; sweatpants, Adidas; trainers, Helmut Lang; silk tie, thrifted; stainless steel watch, Tissot; tote, thrifted

A closer look at the HL trainers.

I love the animal skin or fish scale feel of the paper-thin pieces of leather.

If I wanted to wear a t-shirt with the sweatpants, these thrifted Camper shoes might be easier to match with.

No martial arts skills though to come with them.

Gray shadow play

Let's veer away from color between the two editorials. This time, the outfit is totally in gray, with an emphasis on micro patterns.

I must admit that Calvin Klein has had a lot to do with my monochromatic ensembles. Though others may find it absolutely boring, to me there is a certain deviance to it, even mischief.

You may think that I just blend in with concrete walls and buildings, but the uniform and streamlined aspect to the outfit gives me more freedom for more calculated expression.

Telling you for one thing that I am more than just my clothes, and that it is you, not me, who feels the need to fight for individuality.

Shirt, Memo; micro houndstooth semi-stretch pants, Custom Made; PVC belt, Izzue; sneakers, Surface to Air; tie, thrifted

Top and bottom photos by Cecilia Aycocho

Mustard yellow jeans

I need a hat. I think the Paul Smith cap below would top this outfit quite nicely. A watch with a brown leather strap, perhaps?

Embroidered tee, Zara; nylon jacket, Izzue; thrifted painter's pants; Conbipel; thrifted sneakers, 5cm; thrifted leather bag, Rabeanco

I've never really devoted much time to hat hunting. I think I should. There are so many varieties - from trilbies to bowlers and newspaper boys to straw panamas - and I think it would be exciting to pair them off with unexpected outfits, either to make a casual look sharper or a relaxed one spiffier. Because of their provenance, different hats can also invoke different eras, and the mood of an entire ensemble. So there are plenty of things to try out.

Including other combinations with my mustard yellow jeans. White, beige, gray, and black tops are the obvious choices. Maybe I'll muster an outfit with a mauve/purple tee, as below. Will just have to find color counterpoints. Black and white check suspenders?