WORLD PREMIERE: That See-Through Miniskirt / Erzullie's First Look: Holiday 2013

After attending The Better Story Project's "Beauty Matters" workshop, I dashed to Eastwood for another empowering event. And when I say "dashed", I hiked up my long skirt to keep myself from tripping and hailed the first cab that came my way. I didn't realize how short this skirt can I get when I sit down before I left home (yeah, it pays to rehearse how it looks while sitting down) and it's a good thing I've set my mind to take cabs from one destination to another that day. 

I noticed that most people stare at my skirt and whisper something to their company and - worst - laugh about it - but I'm just grateful for this opportunity to apply what I learned from the workshop right away. I know that I am beautiful, whatever clothes I wear or whatever make up I apply on my face. If their idea of beautiful or fashionable doesn't resonate with mine, it's not a predicament I should worry about anymore. If there's anything, I was concerned if I were giving a peep show. Needless to say, I had to position my huge bag on my lap when I'm seated all evening.

Notice how the outer, longer skirt contradicts the casual, cottony feel of the gray miniskirt?I love the contrast! The lace details at the bottom of the skirt made me bring out my equally lacey flats. You know me, I love bringing black and red together. But don't we all?

Next time, I'll pair this skirt with something casual like t-shirt and Chuck Taylor sneakers. Let's see how it'll look. *winks*

Outfit of the Day:

Black bejeweled top from Nine West (overrun)

See-through skirt from ukay ukay shop

Red lacey flats from Solemate

***

After I had my vegetarian dinner, I headed to Erzullie's First Look: Holiday 2013 gathering to become one of its welcoming commitee. Being "too" early had its perks (to be detailed later). Knowing the inspiration behind this year's collection, I was even more excited to see the new designs. Plus the fact that I was looking for a dress to wear to 1 of the 3 weddings I'll be attending this coming November. 

My favorite part: socials-slash-pictorial!

Photos from Erzullie and Monica

Pinay Curvies came to support Erzullie!

Photo from Mitch

Our outfits look familiar, yes? That's because we squeezed in a little pictorial for this feature. Thanks for helping us spread the word about our vision, Erzullie!

Everybody's favorite!

Photos from Erzullie and Monica

Yes, I've found a dainty dress for an upcoming fairy tale wedding! I adore the peplum details and the charming floral design. I normally fit in 1L, but the chest area proved to be tighter than usual. So I ended up putting on the one in 3L. (Thanks for the assistance, Monica!) Little did I know that the designers only made 2 dresses per size, so imagine the horror in my face when models Loren and Vera asked for this dress in 3L! Like a mad woman, I told designer Berna I'll buy the one I tried, offered to pay right away and I'll leave the tug-of-war action between the models. We later on learned that Loren will get her own during this pictorial scheduled the following weekend. No need to panic at all! Phew!

As always, it was a fun to see one of our local brands continue to produce lovely designs and meet fellow plus size Pinays in the process. Mabuhay kayo, Erzullie!

Lessons from The Better Story Project's "Beauty Matters"

We all have our own sob stories - mostly untold and unfinished - that we struggle to escape from. Like what I recounted here and there, I've been told I was far from attractive...by my own family. I have pango nose, uneven skin tone, dinikdik na luya for my feet, dark lips, flabs, crooked teeth, cystic acne, alambre hair, stretch marks and the list goes on. Growing up, I got exposed to television, fashion magazines, movies, romance novels, billboards - all of them bombarding me with the same reminder: That there's no Prince Charming and happily-ever-after destined for ugly ones like me. And I believed them. All of it.

Then one day, I just grew tired of it. I discovered the joys of travels and started beach hopping even if it'll make my skin darker. While in graduate school, I followed the example of kolehiyalas and began donning carefree outfits. While working in a call center, I eventually learned to laugh at myself and take myself less seriously.  Then I accepted Jesus Christ and I got convinced that me, too, is fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14) 

So...why did a masterpiece like me even bother to attend The Better Story Project's "Beauty Matters" workshop? Simple. For someone who spent most of her life being pessimistic, I believe that self-acceptance is an ongoing journey. Plus, I can't afford to be complacent in my learning process. There's so much to absorb from other warriors and their battle scars. 

Lessons from "Beauty Matters"

Art by Crae Achacoso 

Obtained from this post

1.) "The world's version of beauty conveniently forgot the laws of gravity and mortality." - Ailene Ponce

Again, it's a reminder for us to ignore the socially-accepted - and, mind you, EVOLVING - standards of beauty. Skin wrinkles as we age, but what matters is what's beneath it. Just close your eyes, take a deep breath and search your heart and soul. There's kindness that flows inside you. Share it! 

2. What lasts? YOUR smile.

I remember walking out of the Smile For The World gallery with a huge smile in my face. Why did I feel so rejuvenated even if I hardly know the people in those portraits? Smiles, I realize, never fail to give off good vibes to the ones in the receiving end. Looking back, I've deprived a multitude of people of my smile just because I feel unpretty when my upper lip widen to show off my inflamed gums and/or my sungki. But then again, most of the compliments I received so far were all about how fun-loving and cheerful I am and how my rambunctious laughter proved to be contagious. See, nobody took notice about those flaws! It was just me and that critical voice in my head all along! (But, still, I had deep scaling done for my gums and had braces for my teeth for health reasons).

3. Don't put another woman down, especially a Filipina. Be generous with your compliments.

We spend so much time nitpicking others and it NEVER helps. It prolongs this vicious cycle of being harsh to other people and, in my opinion, being fault-finders or gossip mongers can make us too conscious about ourselves that we don't want to be talked about the same way or, worse, we forget to examine our own mistakes. 

Remember that the more we give, the more we get back. And to quote Ailene: "What blessing or curse are you giving out? And what will you take back?" So, it's important to compliment a colleague who doesn't seem to realize how charming she looks in skirts or remind a cousin that having backne doesn't make her less beautiful. Spread the conviction that we ARE beautiful! It'll make a huge difference.

Art by Crae Achacoso 

Obtained from this post

4. Real beauty means showing up.

Yes, there are moments when we feel that we're never enough and it's more comforting to lock ourselves up all day. But real beauty is knowing that nothing like a huge pimple or knee bruise can stop us from sharing our love and light to the world. 

In my opinion, it helps to know that we can't just stop at being pretty. We must aspire to be pretty creative and pretty smart, anything but merely pretty. 

5. Don't be scared of being beautiful. You ARE beautiful.

Beauty is not a gift entitled only to a selected few. Stop believing that some people happen to be idle and available nang naghasik nang kagandahan ang Diyos. Like what this video had elaborated, God is not fond of junk. He can't possibly create "factory defects". Just stop accepting what the world dictates as beautiful. Look at yourself in the mirror and utter a powerful affirmation about your beauty and your uniqueness. It will go a long way.

***

After Ailene shared her story, she invited us to do the same. I volunteered to narrate a story that probably deserves a separate blog entry. Haha! As I listened to the others, I felt inspired by ideas like Make Your Day Project, as discussed by Cindee, and "care package", as Aia described it. It's like a go signal for this little pay-it-forward project that I'm planning to do for Pinay Curvies. Can't wait to share it once it's finalized. 

Meet the beautiful girls! Wheeeeere's Waldo Lorna?

Photo also obtained from Better Story Project's fanpage

Bonus take-homes: postcard from Aia and GC from Manos Nail Lounge

I shall leave you with this clip that Ailene mentioned during the workshop. I suggest you look up the lyrics to this song like I did and reflect: Are we going to pass on our distorted and superficial definition of beauty to the next generation or are we going to start a comforting revolution instead?

Pinay Curvies Swag Challenge: Denim Jeans

This month's challenge is probably the easiest one to date. However, if you've been visiting this side of the world wide web, you'd notice that denim jeans are my least favorite. I prefer skirts and shorts since they are presko to be in, especially during that time of the month. Aside from that, denims take up too much space in my traveling bag. I'm no light traveler, but leaving my jeans at home is my usual approach to keep things lighter. 

Yes, I'm rarely in jeans that my colleagues usually do a double-take when they see me wearing one. And then they'll announce to the entire office: "Himala! Naka-jeans si Lorna!"

That being said, it was an easy decision as to which pair of jeans to show you. I only have 2 pairs in my closet when Mitch decided we'll go for denims (yeah, I went looking for new pairs in an ukay ukay shop recently) and only 1 of them is bloggable enough. Haha!

When I was still in college (1999-2002), I remember being a fan of jeans in dark wash. When I became a working girl (2003-2004), I gravitated towards beige hipster or low-rise jeans. When I juggled graduate school, graveyard shift and online business (2005-2008), I tend to don denim capri pants. And I want them wider from the knees downwards (how 70's!). When skinny jeans (2008?), jeggings (2010?), printed denims (2011?), colored denims (2011?) and other trends took center stage, I was already reduced to a mere spectator.

Last year, my colleagues and I went on ukay ukay shopping in Ortigas. I was already satisfied with my finds, but they won't quit trying on branded jeans after jeans. So I got intrigued and they found this drop waist boot cut jeans from Giordano for me. The moment I saw my reflection in the mirror, I got convinced it was meant for me. It's a nice deviation from my usual dark and flare denims! And it's cheeeeap! (I completely forgot how much, though).

Ube macapuno!

Outfit of the Day:

Boho blouse from ukay ukay

Giordano denim jeans from ukay ukay

Mum's big bag

Lacey flats from SM Parisian

P.S. I met my family after work and my brother Lec was surprised to see me in jeans. Perhaps I should take heed to Ehms and Fao to wear jeans more often. According to them, jeans make me look taller. Hmmm...

Photos by Bendell Timtim.

WORLD PREMIERE: That Sheer Poncho

Remember how I expressed my desire for Erzullie's sheer poncho on this entry? Well, that little dream finally materialized during the recently concluded Fashion Feast! From regular price of P850, I bought it for only P300! Hurrah! And what else to do after that fun-filled evening of shopping and socials? Edi i-world premiere right away! (Guess what? I already wore the matching skirt last week! Yep, it's also worth P300!)

In case you've noticed, I truly favor casual look over tiis-ganda "fasyon" look. But I sometimes get perceived as a fashionista and I'm quick to correct my friends whenever they call me as such. I have nothing against them, but I seriously don't consider myself as one. During Glam Tales, we had a discussion that some girls have this innate 360-degree vision to tell what goes fab with this and that. Believe me, I don't have that. I just take notes from others and, if I find it too ma-effort, I ditch the idea and rummage for something safe in my closet.

That's the same story for this outfit. I found a statement piece to wear and I stopped there. I just grabbed plain camise for inner wear, plain leggings and my usual footwear and - boom - I'm ready to go! I can already imagine your disapproving look on my flats. Haha!

Mahangin sa labas...and I love it!

You gotta love the details!

I appreciate how light and comfy the fabric feels. In fact, I feel like a playful dyosa (my best friend's word, not mine) who leaves magical dust when I pass by. To my glee, most people complimented my poncho and some of them, even thin people, inquired where I bought it. They want one for themselves! Endorser lang ang peg!

The designers Aries and Berna (or maybe either of them) told me before that there's another way of wearing this poncho. Some of their clients keep their arms hidden underneath it. Maybe I'll try that next time and ask you which one looks better. 

Outfit of the Day

Sheer poncho from Erzullie 

Black camise (nope, it's not a tank top) from Chubbly

Mum's leggings

Tan flats from Quiapo

Photos by Bendell Timtim.