Long Awaited Updates

Long time no post, huh ladies?

As usual, I bear thousands of apologies to our loyal readers with what was probably the longest hiatus on this site to date. However, if it's any consolation, I'd like to inform everyone that a) I've been saving up on future post content -- one idea ready to drop after the other and b) I am proud to introduce a new member/writer for the Divanity site -- the lovely Ms. Margaux Cortez. She will be gracing this site with her contributions very soon. *clap clap* *woot woot*

And here begins the revamp of Divanity ;)

Glam Gams!

Under jersey dresses, draped/long tops, or paired with tank tops - leggings make for glam gams!

If you were an 80s baby, most likely you wore your leggings with huge pajama-esque cotton shirts that bared one shoulder and accessories included leg warmers w/ L.A. gear kicks or w/ awkward "Working Girl" type pumps for a more dressed up look (oh dear Lord), and big ol' knocker earrings (let's not even touch on the hair *shudder*). Then for the youngins and for us 80s babies that experienced the recent rebirth of the styles from said decade, then leggings were worn in a more acceptable way - with vintage tees or t-shirt dresses. Nonetheless, the style was more on rock glam rather than high street chic.

Nowadays, as with many styles that have resurfaced, we now know how to apply the working equation for how to look 100% modish = 80% classic elements + 20% trend. Evident in my examples above, we see a lot of the trend in the leggings as they are executed in ways we haven't seen in the past, but they are toned down with quintessential tops and footwear that are far from awkward. There is minimal use of accessories because the leggings are already quite busy and the tops serve as the solid foundation; think of the leggings as highlights in your hair and the tops as your base color. Basically, you don't want a full head of faux blonde. And speaking of hair, styling was kept very simple as should you when you rock these looks.

Let's discuss the looks from L-R: 1) While I wouldn't be brave enough to wear that much white, I have to say that I love the lacy leggings. They are so feminine and sexy in a subtle way. We just all need to remember to keep the top very clean n simple and to handwash only! Hehehe, 2) Ah the opaque leggings. These are actually very flattering for all body types, because they are the pants equivalent of a tummy tucking underwear. They really contain the bulges! 3) Sheer leggings are the best paired with dresses, because you still want to show skin even if its under fabric, 4 and 5) Leggings meet the ripped-jeans-from-the-90s-grunge-era. I'm not loving these, but I'm sure some of you could make this look work. I'm just not a torn clothes type of gal. Ü Best places to buy affordable, quality leggings are the department stores like SM, Rustans (they have the Juicy Couture brand), or even Landmark. People R' People, Terranova, and Mango have very nice styles AND a friendly reminder for everyone to take advantage of the mid-season sales! Besides, you're buying leggings not pants...how expensive could they really be?

Now, my dears, I believe we have covered this topic thoroughly and I shall leave you with more eye candy below. Keep living your life with divanity and go off and shop your way to glam gams!



Monique

The Frill of Life Will Make you Jump out of Your Suits & on to A New Platform!

Well, well dears. It has been awhile. And okay, the heading of this article may not make sense to you now, but it will. Despite busy schedules & lack of inspiration; after a refreshing week known as Philippine Fashion Week (PFW), the Divanity team is back and truly inspired. While we will be sharing coverage of our attendance at PFW indepth (sista girl Hannah SFO made use of her new SLR camera no less!), this post will focus not on the high street designs, but on the designs that we can relate to in our everyday lives. Lets just say that we were happily surprised to know that our outfits purchased or taken out of our closets for the affair were completely in tune with what's hot now - frills, jumpsuits, and platform shoes! We didn't even do our research during preparation to boot! It just goes to show that fashion is usually about instinct and knowing what works with your body shape.

So lets start with Agee Dee & Hannah SFO...and our keyword for their outfits will be FRILLS, which were seen all over the runway by uber talented designers Mich Dulce & Pia Gladys Perey. The former, our favorite dainty girl, wore a sleeveless, empire-waisted purple dress with a frilly skirt done in a nylon fabric. As you'll see below, she chose to accessorize the outfit with an embellished gold belt to cinch the dress right below the bust along with black, opaque stockings and black, round-toed pumps. The latter, our beautiful petite-framed photographer, wore an LBD (little black dress, I'm sure you all know), safari style with frills all around the hem of the skirt and done in chambray fabric. With slight hesitation, she donned some black pointy toed flats to accessorize due to a sprained ankle (even though beauty is pain, wearing heels w/ a sprain is just too OTT). Nonetheless, if you are that slender and that charming, heels are just icing on the cake. :)

Agee Dee Hannah SFO

Now on to Mia G aka our brave Divanity lady that allowed her feet to suffer in the name of beauty. Paired with her LBD, the self-confessed flats loyalist wore the very visible shoe style all over the catwalk - the peep-toed pumps with platform heels done in different woods like cork, rosewood, etc (hers were done in rosewood). Hats off to you Mama! They are gorgeous shoes, NOT hooker heels as you swore out of spite. Lol.
Mia G

Aaaand, you probably already guessed the missing link. Yes, I rocked the jumpsuit. Mine was strapless, cotton, with a bow as the top accent and in a plum color with brown/gray undertones. Both to accessorize and to create a slimming effect, I chose to wear a cashmere cardigan over my shoulders (not tied at the sleeves or buttoned in any way), a wide black belt to cinch my waist, and my classic black open-toed platforms with thick leather straps (not seen here, sorry!). Jumpsuits seen on the runway were done really well by designers like Eric Delos Santos & John Paras in tunic fabrics.

Monique

Finally, I'm sure you know what's coming up next...where to shop!? Well, if you've got a higher budget, then you should definitely shop at the boutiques that sell the clothing of the designers mentioned, given that all designs showcased were RTW (ready-to-wear). However, if you are on a tight budget, then you are in luck sisters! The malls have already started their mid-season sales (some stores are yet to begin so just sit tight), but Hannah SFO and I found many hot items for 50% off at super chic store Tomato located on the 2/F above the iceskating rink at Mall of Asia (check with Click the City for branches closest to you). Here are their versions of frills and jumpsuits:

(L-R) Frills (there are gorgeous chiffon blouses too!) & jumpsuits

Now remember, when wearing frills and ruffles, especially if you are busty, make sure you keep your hair sleek and straight or even slicked back into a ponytail to avoid the Mufasa look or the help-I'm-being-engulfed-by-my-top look. Also, for chiffon material, make sure you wear an undershirt with spaghetti straps that is exactly the same color as the top and at least touches the waist of your pants. As for jumpsuits, these really do work with any body type for as long as you find one in the material and cut that suits you best. For the more voluptuous body types like yours truly, it is best if you buy yours in a non-clingy cotton fabric like my example that have very little accents around the butt area and have room to be cinched with your wide belts and for the slim ladies, you can opt to try the tunic-type fabrics that come with their own belts and have pocket accents on the front and back. As for shoes, c'mon now. Have we not taught you enough? Go through the archives here if you know what's good for you. Hehe.
So that's what we have to share with you for now ladies. Stay tuned for the PFW collection pictures as well as more shopping finds amidst the sales.
XX,
Monique

Been out of the Loop Just Like the Weather

A thousand apologies for the hiatus on this site ladies.

Busy? Unbelievably. But also very confused about the weather and therefore, confused about which trends to follow and to report about. Divanity has been as out of the loop as the weather has been. Low pressure areas and heavy rains in the summer?! If this isn't global warming, then I don't know what to tell ya.

Just when the sunshine and heat was at it's peak, I was going to do a review on the limited edition creamsilk conditioner SUMMER SHINE w/ UV Blocker, down came the rain and washed the sunshine out (feel free to sing that to the tune of "Itsy Bitsy Spider"). While I do suggest you all give it a try while it's out on the market as it is fabulous, I'm not sure if any new users will get to test the best of its abilities at the beaches and other sources of major hair exposure to the sun.

On to the discovery of what I could actually share with everyone, which is both useful and delightful. Luckily, I have taken delivery of the pre-fall collections of our favorite designers, which just so happen to be the answers to our Erratic Weather Woes or EWW (total brainfart, but it works!) Take a look at some of my favorites:
Basically, what we see here is layers. The Valentino is a bit more demure and utilizes gatherings and a one-off shoulder style, while the Tuleh is still reminiscent of spring (or in our case summer) by means of prints. Now, we wouldn't use these styles in the same mechanics as those actually experiencing 4 seasons, but more of practicality for us. Both the former and the latter are perhaps alternatives to looking like a hot mess in rain gear over your clothes (though you may want to weigh out the best footwear - boots vs. sandals). The layers would allow you to make modifications in your outfit should the sun and heat return throughout the day, yet enough cover up to shield showers of rain to and from venues and your car (it's not like any of us do much walking out and about).

Where to find your versions of these ensembles? Your best bet would be to visit the European stores whose styles are inspired by top these top European designers - Mango, Terranova, Top Shop, etc. Do your own mixing and matching with your layers. Just remember to always tie down heavy prints with a solid, only wear 1 article of clothing with heavy prints at a time, and that a dominant neutral is always key.

So there you have it, my dears. While the weather and workload are hindrances in updates on the Divanity site, rest assured that we'll always be back. Many thanks to those that continue to email comments and perhaps some of you may be interested in further developing those comments into feature pieces to be published here.

Warm XX and keep living your life with Divanity!

Monique

Confessions of A Shopaholic PROMO

Yup, the bestselling novel by Sophie Kinsella has made it to the silver screen and is hitting Manila theaters this incoming week! Now, being that the whole book series is a Divanity team favorite, we were a little miffed to find out that heroine Rebecca, is portrayed as a New Yorker in the film as opposed to a British girl that later discovers New York (specifically Manhattan) as her mecca. I guess what keeps us complacent is knowing that it was directed by P.J. Hogan who directed "My Best Friend's Wedding". Who doesn't love that movie? Plus, Isla Fisher does pull off the aloof Becky character.

So let's all watch out for that and I truly hope we have a whole discussion forum on the film after everyone has watched. Enjoy reconnecting with Becky, the sweetheart with the shopping achilles heel. :)

The Divanity Ladies

Our ultimate favorite collection.