Inspired By

Confession: sometimes the way I dress up is not all me. It's partly me and partly inspired. I get my inspiration from the most random things, a line from a song, a stranger walking down the street, favorite icons, art and the list goes on. But whenever I need to be instantly inspired, there's only one place I go to and that is *drum roll please* TUMBLR.COM! Yup! Looking for pretty models, pegs and stylish items? You name it, Tumblr has it! I have more than a thousand photos saved in my laptop from four years of using Tumblr. When I find a  pretty look that I like, I try to recreate it as much as possible but also make it my own by injecting little details like using different accessories or changing up the colors a bit. So here's a look that's part Tumblr and part me! :)

The inspiration:

I really, really, really loved the skirt in the picture. The colors and patterns are gorgeous! Partnering it with a sheer black button down makes the whole look so classy!

And Ta-da! The Look! Haha. After staring at the beautiful skirt in my inspiration, all I thought was that my colorful sunburst necklace would match it perfectly! So I decided to recreate it. Grabbed my sheer black top and a skirt that has equally interesting prints but a little more tamed colors on it! This way, the necklace is the star of the outfit. :)

Top - Details || Skirt - CC Double O

Necklace - Iora

Bangles - SM Accessories || Ring - Market! Market!

Ballerina bun to tie the whole look together (and to survive the insanely hot weather). Hey, that rhymes!

Clutch - Liz Claiborne 

Hi ninang Loren! Thank you for this! :)

Flats - Meet My Feet

Tumblr is not just a good fashion spot but it's also a source of all other "feel good" stuff as well. In a way, it lets you in on how other people feels. Anyway, did somebody notice my blog's new look? Someone please say yes. I worked on it for 5 hours since I have zero knowledge on photoshop and my html skills were long forgotten so I had start from the ground up. Google was my savior!

PS. Here's my Tumblr account.

Love, Paola <3

Inlove With Colors

Here's an outfit for Mother's day which we spent going to church, malling and dinner out. One thing I recently noticed out of all my posts this summer is that I have been playing with colors all along! The neutrals kept quiet in my closet for 2 months! I don't do it consciously though, I'm just really attracted to pairing brights this summer. That's what summer is all about afterall! Maybe, it's also a way to make up for my quiet personality. I'm not the social butterfly I'm supposed to be and it takes some time for me to warm up around people. So maybe that's why I channel all loudness onto my outfit. Just a theory. Just one of the results of some psychological analysis I like to do sometimes! I dreamed of being a psychologist once. If only I was good in science...

Forgive my sleepy eyes, I am most definitely not a morning person. This pictures were taken in the morning right before my dad left for Boracay and I made sure to dress up 3 hours earlier than our leaving time just so he could take my pictures! Haha!

Top - Mango || Skirt - Just G.

Necklace - from Bohol

Bracelets - from Bohol

Ring - Forever 21

Sandals - T Studio

I'll make this a quick one since I'm heading out in 5 minutes but you'll probably be reading this later night. I'm just writing it early. :)) Have a good day!

Love, Paola <3

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

Love, Paola <3

Trying Out Trends

What do you wear to a hot, sunny day spent learning a piano piece, touring your baby cousin around Greenbelt, helping with shoe shopping, eating your heart out at McDonald's since you missed it so much even though you eat it regularly and ice cream scavenging? A shirt-short combo is your best bet! Well, it is for me. But how to make it interesting? Although I've never referred to myself as trendy, I do like to try out some trends sometimes. It's nice being able to pull off current fashion statements and accents but personal style should always win. So whenever I try out trends, I try to inject my own personal touch to it!

This outfit involved print on print blocking. It's a hit trend of 2011 but I never did like it because it was too loud and too attention grabbing for me. Pairing print to another print can be a little heavy to look at so I tried to find pieces that belong to the same color wheel. It makes a clash of stand out pieces look put together. And the personal style I injected? Floral prints!  :)

Top - Forever 21 || Shorts - Forever 21

Only realized it now that I was wearing a Forever 21 outfit. :))

Sunnies - Topshop

Necklace - Accessorize

Bangles - Forever 21 || Owl ring - Accessorize || White ring - Market! Market!

Bag - Gift

Belt - XOXO

Wedges - Charles and Keith

And here's yesterday's hyper birthday boy! :)

Trying out trends sometimes make you fashion forward but I believe that your own instinct when it comes to dressing up should always be the top priority. That's innate style! The way you dress up shows the world a part of who you are and just like the very cliche line says, "Why try to fit in, when you're born to stand out?" :)

Love, Paola <3

Girl Talk

It's amazing the pain women are able to go through in order to look good. Be it from the extremes like liposuctions and various enhancement to subtle ones like threading, waxing or just sitting in a chair for more than 6 hours while having their hair done. There are also simple pains, that more likely uncomfortable rather than painful - like wearing high heels or thick and long sleeve tops right in the middle of summer, heavy accessories or even wearing lipstick (I find lipstick so sticky). Not to mention the weird and judging stares they sometimes get from other people for doing just that. it's those sacrifices women make to look good or more likely, feel good about themselves. No matter how other people perceive it, I bow down to women who can walk around the mall wearing 4-5 inches heels. Now, that's pure talent.

So why do I talk like this? It's because one afternoon, I decided to wear these Toms wedges you see right there. I don't know what's wrong with them, they're not even high. But let me tell you, they are incredibly painful. I don't remember them being that painful! I want to wear wedges whenever going out so that I'll be able to break into my shoes. And I love the extra height. But walking for one whole afternoon in those wedges was plain torture. But my conviction was greater than the pain. Even though I brought flat shoes for driving, I refused to change into them until my driving lesson. So that, my friends, is an example of the pain women are willing to go through! Bow!

Top - Debenhams

Skirt - H&M

 Necklace - Iora

 Love ring - Gift || Ribbon ring - Accessorize

This bracelet was actually given by my dad to my mom. But seeing as how pretty it is, I actually "borrow" it most of the time.

Earrings - from Market! Market!

 Wedges - Toms

Having said all that, I know I'll still wear these. It's a shame to lock them in the closet. As I said, conviction is stronger than pain! HAHA!

Tomorrow we're going out again for piano lessons and I plan on wearing another wedges even I'm still nursing various blisters on my feet. You ask me why, I'll tell you it's all worth it with just the extra height and the way it makes you walk. Everybody tells me I'm not as tall as I'm supposed to be since basing it on my genes, I should have great height. So heels will always be my best friend!

Love, Paola <3

If Happy Ever After Did Exist

I have lost my love for jeans when I entered college after realizing how restraining and hot they can be. With all the walking I do from different buildings to taking numerous flight of stairs, I need to be in my most comfortable attire. For me comfortable spells out skirts, dresses and leggings. But with every rule, there's always an exception, right? I have this one white washed denim that I haven't lost my love for. Driving school has a dress code too (who would have thought). A1 doesn't allow us to wear skirts/shorts and any sleeveless tops. And although that is a time to take out my denim pants out of the closet once again, I only ever use this one. It must be the gold, sequined details at the back, or its white washed style or how it soft that it's almost not like denim at all. But this jeans would always be my one of the most reliable pieces in my closet! 

Although I sneakily try to bend La Salle's dress code sometimes, I don't do it with A1. What's more dress code appropriate than long sleeves and pants? Even though it's not the friendliest outfit for a day that has a 36 degrees temperature! 

Top - Just G. || Pants - Guess

Necklace - Forever 21

Flower ring - Gift || Butterfly ring - Accessorize

Bangles - Aldo

Flats - CMG

Here's a photodump of the happenings of that day!

My cousin and I have mastered the art of killing time while waiting for my mom. First we find a perfect spot which is usually either a coffee shop or a froyo place, bring out our books, put our earphones on and we wouldn't even notice we spent 3-4 hours doing that already!

My best friend told me that fish eye effect is not meant to be used on people, only for landscape photos. Well, doesn't just that take the fun out of fish eye? I'm this close to taking outfit shots with this effect! Haha!

So this explains my title. Maroon 5's Payphone is on repeat on my head! I can't stop singing it!!!

Happy Sunday everyone!

Love, Paola <3

Me on driving

Yesterday was my first hour of driving lessons. I have two discoveries that day. One, it's not as easy as I have imagined it. Two, it's possible to tense up all your muscles for one whole hour. A1 wastes no time, in no less than five minutes I was driving down the streets of Makati. The first time I stepped on the gas, I put so much force on it that the engine went off. I was gripping the steering wheel so tightly like it was my life line (well, technically it is) that my instructor told me to loosen up since my veins were showing. He also told me to breathe since he felt like I wasn't breathing at all whenever we would turn. I was trying to focus on concentrating on my grip on the wheel, which pedal to press, looking at all the different mirrors, and ignoring all the honking I get from all the cars behind me. Please, if you see a student driver, DO NOT HONK at them. You are causing so much stress. Hahaha. Oh and I got to park the car (in about 20 minutes) and got up a ramp without falling right back down. I deserve credit! :))

Tomorrow will be my second hour and all I have to do now is to not make the car jolt to a stop every single time and to chill right out! HAHA! Mental note on that one!

Love, Paola <3