Camille tries to blog

Hipster

This is what I call my I-want-you-to-think-I’m-so-effortlessly-chic-and-cool-I-didn’t-even-have-to-think-about-this-look-but-in-reality-I-took-the-time-to-dress-up look. Haha! This is probably something “Bad Ass Camille” would wear cause she’s just too cool and hipster like that.

I hope mother Kate (Moss) is proud.

So anyway, here’s the story behind my look. I got these leopard print sequin shorts from Haute Culture and I wanted to show you how you can dress down even the loudest and flashiest items such as these shorts.

Leopard print and sequins are almost always associated with parties, glamorous events and night outs. Leopard print and sequins together? All the more! Sheer tops, dressy blouses and all things sexy are probably the first things that come to mind when thinking about what to pair these shorts with. But how about for casual afternoons? Throw on a lousy shirt like this, grab your favorite vest and don’t bother fixing them! Instant I’m-too-cool-too-care look! :)

Riche Glamour (Japan) leather vest | Topshop shirt | Haute Culture shorts

Extreme Finds necklace worn as headband

From Hong Kong cross necklace

SM Accessories silver ring with gems | Crave More snakeskin ring | Peaches On Top single leather cuff | Gothic Princess wrap around leather cuff

Feet For A Queen pumps

YSL bag

Hype this look on Lookbook.nu here.

Take Me To The Ocean

Manila is so hot right now! Don’t let the wind in my hair fool you.

To combat the intense heat, I’m sticking to light fabrics and cool tones.

Greens mixed with blues are the best! They’re just so pleasing to the eyes.

In Love With Fashion dress

Love Eyecandy feather necklaces | From Hong Kong belt

Celine bag | SM Accessories cuff | Bubbles rings

Naughty Monkey shoes (order here | visit their FB page here)

If you’re interested in my powder blue dress and shocking yellow heels, (which are both perfect for summer btw) both InLoveWithFashion.com and Naughty Monkey delivers internationally!

Hype this look on Lookbook.nu here.

Lady In Red

Yes, I’m singing “Lady In Red” as I type this. I can’t get the song out of my head! The title for this post was either that or “Dragon Lady” haha! I mean look at my dress! It looks like something a Chinese-lady-expert-in-martial-arts-out-to-get-revenge-on-male-scumbags would wear. I can totally see the movie poster now—profile of the Chinese lady’s face, wind blowing her hair, eyes piercing through, weapon in front of her face.

Channeling the Dragon Lady. 

Still channeling the Dragon Lady. Dragon lady is walking away from the scene of the crime, victoriously.

Oh the things that go on inside this head of mine. Aren’t you thankful I’m not a movie writer?  Don’t worry, world. I’m sticking to fashion. :)

You know how much I love subtly sexy pieces, right? This is a perfect example—a wine-colored mullet dress with sheer sleeves.

Mullet skirts and dresses are almost always dramatic and feminine. But just like other plain-colored dresses, it’s nice to push the drama further with the help of accessories.

Stylista.Ph dress

Holic Accessories necklace | Topshop belt

I got this beautiful statement piece from Holic Accessories to complement my dress. (Pag hindi pa dramatic iyan, ewan ko lang!) Wine and gold go really great together. The combination looks oriental and opulent.

(Rings from L-R) SM Accessories ring | House of Luxe ring | Bubbles ring

Fendi shoes

Stilettos over chunky heels for this look to keep it sexy and classy. 

Hype this look on Lookbook.nu here.

The Night Is Young

I almost always end up wearing shorts whenever I go on night outs with my friends. They’re just so comfy!

But of course, even in shorts, it doesn’t have to look too casual. My style mantra for night outs with friends is to dress casually but still with a hint of glam. Don’t overdo the glam factor either! Dressing up too much might make you look like you’re going to a soiree!

So for my look, I turned to my fail-proof glam factor favorite—metallic gold or basically anything shiny! Since my shorts are crisp and tailored, I balanced them off by pairing them with a lazy top with cute little studs on it. 

WAGW studded top | Pinkaholic metallic gold shorts

Love Eyecandy necklace

I kept my accessories to a minimum too. Less hassle + more comfort = ready to dance the night away!

Balenciaga bag

Bubbles cuff and ring

Mango heels

I could’ve gone for wedges or trendy shoes but I opted for my classic black stilettos instead. I think my love for these babies is quite obvious. They just look so sexy to me! Plus they’re not super high so they’re perfect for long nights! I really wish I can find more metal tip pumps like these, I’m afraid I might overuse these and ruin them in no time!

Hype this look on Lookbook.nu here.

How about you? What’s your favorite get-up for night outs? :)

Welcome To The Tribe

Pocahontas just arrived and she’s all covered up now…

…Well, not really, but relatively more covered-up! :)

This look came together so unexpectedly. I didn’t even notice I was in head to toe tribal print until now!

Zara studded vest | Eudora top | Redhead skirt

Girls Are Weird headband

Topshop belt

Balenciaga bag | Bubbles stacked rings | Girls Are Weird skull ring | Girls Are Weird multicolor bracelet | SM Accessories black bangle

SM Accessories socks | Feet For A Queen shoes

My favorite part of this look? The shoes + socks combo—they look like they were made for each other!

Hype this look on Lookbook.nu here.

What do you think of Pocahontas in the city? :)

Got My Jeans On

Pretending to be bad ass…until you hear my tiny tiny voice! But since you can’t hear me, let’s all close our eyes and imagine I’m this bad ass chick with a sexy, bedroom voice haha!

Here’s what bad ass Camille would probably wear—rocking pants and the best leather jacket in the world!

Imagine how dramatic this photo would look if I was holding a guitar case while walking away. It doesn’t matter that I don’t know how to play a guitar. Bad ass Camille would probable know how. Cool na cool!

Tripp NYC by Daang Goodman jeans

Kate Moss for Topshop leather jacket | Topshop corset

Bubbles turban

House of Luxe necklace

Girls Are Weird leather cuff | SM Accessories gunmetal cuffs | House of Luxe snake bracelet | House of Luxe ring

Chanel bag

Call It Spring shoes

Hype this look on Lookbook.nu here.

Happy Hearts Day!

I got a pleasant surprise a few days ago—an early Valentine’s Day gift from Melissa Shoes.

Aren’t these peep-toe heels so cute? My mom died in envy! She’s such a fan of the Vivienne Westwood x Melissa line. Good thing we’re not the same size or else she most probably would’ve taken these away from me already haha!

Taking inspiration from my shoes and Valentine’s Day, I went for a ladylike look in red.

Topshop cardigan | Multiply.com dress (worn as top) | Valisere by Triumph corset | H&M skirt | MCM x Richard Woods bag

This red dress I’m wearing as a top is pretty daring. If you’re a little conservative like me and you’re not that comfortable bearing your cleavage in all its glory, try wearing a corset inside. It’s still sexy but not too sexy. The lace design goes really well with the sheer part of the dress too so it doesn’t ruin the dress’ original design.

SM Accessories necklace

To sweeten my look a bit, I wore pearls instead of the usual. This balances off the sexy sheer and lace parts and brings the look back to lady than tramp. It goes really well with my polka dot skirt too!

Prada gold belt

SM Accessories gold cuffs | Bubbles elephant ring | House of Luxe owl ring

Vivienne Westwood x Melissa shoes

Hype this look on Lookbook.nu here.

Whether you’re open for business (single), reserved (in a relationship) or closed (married),  I hope this day is treating you well! :) Here’s my heart for you!

My Grammys 2012 Favorites

I’m sure most of you are already aware of what went down at the Grammys a few hours ago. There were a lot of highs and lows not just on the show but on the red carpet as well. But because I’ve vowed to keep my blog free of bad vibes and anything negative, let’s focus on the best dressed women of the night and leave the worst out.

Here are my favorites:

I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s head over heels in love with this dress. Taylor Swift  rocked this Zuhair Murad piece! I love how clean and sophisticated her makeup is too! With such a powerful dress like this, let the dress take center stage.

Carrie Underwood in Gomez Garcia. Sleek and sexy! I love how she chose a black bag for contrast.

Props to Jennifer Hudson! She did everything right with her Whitney Houston tribute. From her performance down to the outfit—well-done, appropriate and tasteful.

Corinne Bailey Rae in Christian Siriano’s trademark ruffles! It’s so fun and quirky! You can really see Corrine’s personality and character as an artist shine through in this dress.

Love the dress, two-tone shoes and most especially the metal neckpiece! Personally though, I don’t think this ensemble fits Alicia Keys’ frame but I really love the styling!

I might be the only person who likes Kelly Osbourne’s semi-new hair color. It’s really unique! I love it even more with this Tony Ward dress! You can really see how the colors complement each other.

Paris Hilton in Basil Soda. Paris got the sparkly memo too! I love how she looks so classy and feminine in this. White + gold is always a winner!

So what do you wear when you have metallic blue hair? Why Elie Saab couture of course! Katy Perry made this look her own!

This is such a tricky dress to wear! When you’ve got cleavage cut lower than low and a slit cut as high as heaven, it’s hard not to look overdone and tacky. Only Rihanna and Giorgio Armani can pull this off! WOW! This really took my breath away.

My favorite look of the night! Hot momma Gwyneth Paltrow in Stella Mccartney! I couldn’t find a decent photo of the back of her dress but trust me, you need to see it! The 2 shades of black, halter cut, backless, gold belt—everything is just perfect! PERFECT I TELL YOU!

Random thought: I need more metal accessories.

Cruising

I was finally able to participate in another talk—my first for this year actually! I’ve been wanting to say yes to all the invites I’ve been getting but scheduling conflicts and so many other things kept getting in the way. Good thing I was free for Ateneo Lingua Ars Cultura’s (ALAC) “Language of Fashion Through Social Media” last Friday. It’s definitely different from the usual talks I’ve been invited to. I wasn’t required to prepare a whole presentation because the setting was more of a talk show than seminar. It was very relaxed, just a host asking us a bunch of questions. I had so much fun meeting everyone and answering questions about blogging and the like. Plus, I’ve been itching to visit my alma mater for so long! Thank you ALAC for having me!

Anyway, here’s what I wore to the talk—something relaxed and casual but still put-together and school-appropriate.

Knowing how hot it is at the Ateneo, I opted to wear something breezy and easy to move in—nothing too tight and constraining, definitely sleeveless!

But because I’ve been well trained by the School of Management (SOM) and SOM’s dean, Sir Rudy Ang, himself, I made sure my outfit abides by the SOM dress code—straps at least 3 fingers-wide, no flipflops and no short hemlines. CCCCCCHHHHHHHECK!

Goody pins (hair)

GAP top | From Hong Kong pants with belt

If only wearing cool tones can actually make the weather cooler, but no. I don’t care what the studies say, it still feels so hot! Summer is definitely making its presence felt!

Mauve necklace

SM Accessories bangles and cuff | House of Luxe ring

MCM x Richard Woods bag

Pedro shoes

Hype this look on Lookbook.nu here.

Behind-the-design: Here comes the bride

For the longest time, I tried to stay away from designing for brides. I was always just really scared to finally get into it. It’s a lucrative business I know, but so many things are at stake. And I’m still pretty new at this so you can just imagine why I hesitated. 

Before 2011 ended, I finally got my first bride. Introducing, Mrs. Veejay Pilapil-Chavez.

Veejay wanted lace and drapes—something really feminine and conservative. If you can see the gown in person, the color is actually more of a lighter ivory. I’m really not a fan of intensely white bridal gowns, but Veejay’s family is a little traditional so we did our best to find a color that is still close to white but not so much that it looks kinda Tide-commercial-white (or Surf or Ariel or Mr. Clean—whatever floats your boat!)

As usual, I played around with a lot of lace cut-outs. Inserted a few more here and there along the drapes and pleats.

The drapes on her skirt was the most crucial element. It’s the main attraction! I really wanted to add volume in this area to offset the upper part of her dress and to add a little drama.

There you go! My first bride ready to get whisked away by the love of her life. (Insert sigh of relief here). Here’s a link to her wedding video where you can see the gown in action, as well as the dresses I made for her entourage. I got a little teary-eyed watching this. Thank you Veejay and Tyke for giving me this opportunity! I wish you both all the best!

I learned so much from this experience. I was both excited and terrified at the same time. I couldn’t relax until she walked down the aisle! Fast forward to now, I’m happy I finally tested the waters. I’m still adjusting a lot, committing mistakes every now and then and learning from them as I go on, but I’m hopeful I’ll keep improving. I definitely still have a long way to go.

Rocket High

So I just received the most fashionable broadband stick ever. Want to know how you can connect in style? Scroll down below and see Smart Bro’s newest addition to its Rocket Portfolio yourself. Introducing, the Rocket Plug-it Chic! It really is the chicest broadband stick I’ve ever seen!

Inspired by the limited Rocket Plug-it Chic’s metallic pink finish, I came up with an outfit that’s both girly and fun, which is very much like the vibe of Smart Bro’s Rocket Chic.

Versace x H&M floral jacket | H&M corset | H&M skirt

I mixed shades of blue, purple and black to complement the pops of pink on my outfit.

Bubbles shimmery turban

To edge my look up a bit, I wore accessories that aren’t particularly sweet like this beautiful leather studded belt (worn as bracelet) from one of Hollywood’s hottest brands, Vita Fede—

Bubbles necklace

—and this statement chains and tassels necklace from Bubbles. This necklace is quickly becoming my favorite for summer! Need more of these!

Vita Fede studded belt (worn as bracelet) | Bubbles ring | Marc Jacobs bag | Smart Bro Rocket Plug-it Chic broadband stick

See how perfectly the Rocket Plug-it Chic fits into my outfit? It really is THE broadband stick for fashionistas! It’s not only chic, it’s fast, powerful and reliable too! It has speeds of up to 12 mbps and runs under 46 HSPA +. Smart Bro currently has 1500+ and counting HSPA + sites which you can find here, so you can easily find out where you can get the best Internet experience. Actually, Smart Bro is the only internet broadband service provider that has a list of its HSPA + sites. I love that Smart Bro is so transparent about this with their consumers! No false claims and broken promises, just great service.

Call It Spring shoes

Of course, I had to match my shoes with my Rocket Chic too!

Hype this look on Lookbook.nu here.

For those interested, you can also purchase Smart Bro’s Rocket Plug-it Chic online here.

Pathway

Don’t you just love summer? Polka dots, florals and hyperbrights—CHECK!

Zara polka dot denim top | Topshop floral pants

Goody spin pin (hair)

Mia Casa pearl necklace | House of Luxe long necklace

Mia Casa anchor ring | Bubbles wings ring and stacked rings | Bubbles bangles | House of Luxe fabric cuff with embellishments

Sugarfree pumps

Hype this look on Lookbook.nu here.

As I’ve previously mentioned, I’m very fortunate to have, not only our household help, Erlindol, to take my photos, but also our family driver and my assistant. All three of them have been well-trained in the world of fashion blogging photography. Haha! Out of the 3 of them, my assistant likes to make fun of me the most. She likes taking photos of me when I’m halfway through speaking or making faces. Basically, whenever I look like crap. I’ve screened the photos and deemed the photo below the least crappiest of all the crappy faces she has snapped of me.

This is me fighting against the wind ruining my bangs/fringe.

But of course, my assistant also has her moments. She doesn’t just take photos of my crappy face, she takes nice photos of products too!

This is my assistant trying to do a product shot out of boredom. Oh diba? A for effort! Very creative!

Neon

Yay for neons!

Balenciaga bag

Topshop denim vest

From Hong Kong gold top with mesh sleeves

The Brown Paperbag skirt

Bubbles necklace

This skirt is so flattering. Color blocking can really do wonders on a woman’s figure.

Bubbles crocodile cuff | SM Accessories black bangle | Love Eyecandy orange bangles | Bubbles chain bracelet | Michael Kors watch | House of Luxe green ring | Bubbles purple boot ring

Feet For A Queen shoes

Lookey, my ring matches my shoes! These shoes are so sexy! And I love the color combination too!

Hype this look on Lookbook.nu here.

I was going for high street punk in neon. What do you think? My sheer sleeves and the color blocking on my skirt made the look a little bit sexy, which I like. I don’t really like showing too much skin, so sexy for me is this—showing just the right amount of skin and playing around with the right cut and patterns. (Plus I don’t really have much to show in the upper area anyway. God must’ve spent a little more time…on the other parts haha!) Of course, I couldn’t resist playing with colors once again. Oh what fun!

Boyfriend

Taking inspiration from menswear, specifically, butlers!

“How may I help you today?” Or better yet, “you rang?” - Camilo, your butler

H&M boyfriend blazer | Mich Araullo top | Zara shorts

From Hong Kong collar necklace

Imagine this look without the gold and red accents, boring right?

House of Luxe transformers ring | Yhansy black/gold ring | SM Accessories gold cuff | YSL clutch bag

Told you I’m addicted to anything metal nowadays. Run to your nearest SM Department Store now because they’ve got the nicest gold and silver cuffs around! They’re small enough for tiny wrists like mine too!

The Little Things She Needs pumps

Heels like these don’t hinder me from finishing my errands. They’re not my usual sky-high heels so they’re very stable and comfortable too! I definitely recommend these for working girls!

Hype this look Lookbook.nu here.

Behind-the-design: Prom is here!

One of the highlights of every girl’s high school life is definitely prom. You get to wear a pretty dress and get all dolled up like a little princess. I’ve been receiving emails left and right asking for prom suggestions. Frankly speaking, there are just too many choices! And I really am not the best person to ask for this. Choosing what to wear for prom should ultimately depend upon you. It is important that you like what you wear and your personality still shines through in whatever you decide to wear.

Here’s a perfect example. Meet my prom client, Deanna. Deanna came to me prepared. No really, she was beyond prepared. She emailed Coexist and inquired about rates many many many months before her prom. When we finally met a few weeks ago, she showed me pegs of the type of dresses she wanted. She was very specific—sheer lace sleeves, tulle, A-line skirt. Although I love clients who give me freehand over everything, clients like these are also very much welcome. Coming to a designer prepared and knowing what you want actually makes my job easier. Aside from Deanna’s requests, I also had to take note of her school’s strict requirements—nothing revealing; length must not be shorter than knee-length nor longer than ankle-length; with sleeves; and so on and so forth. They had tons of rules!

Here’s the final product:

Deanna wanted a pale pink dress. To achieve this, I used a darker shade of pink underneath and went lighter with the layers of tulle. She wanted lace all over her dress too so in order to prevent looking overly decorated, I chose a lace fabric that is similar to her dress’ color. This way the lace kind of blends in.

I cut the lace out piece by piece and positioned them on Deanna’s tulle dress. I really love working with lace.

And there you have it!

And since a lot of you have been requesting for this, here are my tips for those of you who are just about to go to prom:

1. ALWAYS abide by your school’s requirements. Don’t just wish on your lucky stars that the teacher won’t notice you. You don’t want to risk getting kicked out of prom now, would you? All that time and effort put into preparing for prom would be wasted just like that! Work with your designer and ask for inputs as to how you can work around the school’s rules.
2. Consider the venue. From what I heard, some schools have gone back or are still throwing proms at school grounds. More often than not, this means it’s going to be HOT! Consider your environment as well. If your school is say, throwing a garden-themed wedding, try to stay away from green. You don’t want to blend in with the scenery!
3. Bring pegs. Not just for your dress but for hair and make-up as well. It’s nice to come prepared! You don’t want your night to be ruined just because you and your make-up artist got lost in translation.
4. Ask your designer’s opinion. If you went to a designer for a dress, ask their opinion on what accessories, hair and make-up look best with your dress.
5. Wear comfortable shoes. You want to dance the night away with your friends, right? This won’t happen with shoes you’re not comfortable in. Look for shoes that look fab but are manageable for you.
6. Stay away from long trains. Save that for when you’re getting married! There are tons of ways to achieve drama and glam without a super long train. At the end of the day, you want to enjoy your prom. You won’t be enjoying it when your train gets stepped on or stuck under a chair every 5 minutes!
7. Retouch! Make sure you have tissue, oil film, loose powder and lipstick with you. You need to be ready for pictures all night long!
8. ENJOY! This is not a best-in-gown competition! Prom is for building great memories with your friends. So whatever you decide to wear, make sure you’ll enjoy and feel great in it. Your dress is not the most important thing here, it’s the memories you’ll create. Think hassle-free and fun!