My 2007 Best

Coolest Person





Cecile Zamora van Straten. Ah, the wittiest/funniest/most stylish fashion renegade/retailer/journalist/mother/wife/blogger etc. The possibilities are endless. I'm a fan, what can I say.

Favorite Collections

Ann Demeulemeester s/s 07

Balenciaga f/w 07

Jil Sander s/s 07

Most Inspiring

Ann Demeulemeester. After all this years, it takes balls to stick to your guns and own up to your inner voice.

Best Buy

Dior Homme shirt because it was simply cool buying it.

Coolest Store

Dover Street Market. Ecclectic and directional in anything.

Yummiest Food

Savory Ice Cream. Wasabe, peppercorn, cinnamon with specules, thyme, etc. It's the surprise in your tongue that makes it so exciting!

Fave Blogs
chuvaness
nagali manila
las tres estrellas
beautiful stranger
moody's gorgeous life
fash pack

Christmas Luncheon

My officemate David and her daughter Jen invited moi and Andrea for a Christmas luncheon. Since I'm pesco vegetarian, Jen prepared some shrimp kebabs especially for me. I was so touched knowing that it was such great work for them to prepare everything. We had some prezzies, delicious nibbles, paper hats, glitters, wine and more sparkling wine. Needless to say I was tipsy.hehehe!

Santa Claus...er, David

Romeo

Andrea and moi









Jen

Jen again

smoked salmon with cream cheese & greens

I forgot what they call this sausages but it's like 'skitted pigs' or sumthing

The delicious cheese plate

Seafood fare for moi

fried goose

andrea

moi!

Pacharan

I've been meaning to try out this tapas restaurant in Phnom Penh because I heard a lot of good reviews about it and also because from the outside it looks like a cute, romantic crumbling building. We were supposed to try the restaurant beside it called SO but when we got there, it was unfortunately closed for good. I plan to go back soon.

We ordered several tapas, a fish dish with mushroom and asparagus

Brewster

Loven

moi. I was so tired from the trip from Siem Reap going to Phnom Penh that I had to take a nap before dinner. My eyes are still sleepy.

December Reads

Iloilo Ukay and me

Iloilo is a haven for ukay but I never really cared for ukay that much until I graduated from college. No, let me rephrase that. I never really got obsessed with ukay until after college. Well, when I was in school there were a lot of ukay places to get some really cool stuff for just about any occasion. These are the ones where you literally wrestle yourself through mounds of clothing, usually displayed in Jaro Plaza or during Thursdays in the Jaro Market. But I never really cared for the usual Ralph Lauren (although I remember buying a slim, navy wool military coat of his), Calvin Klein and DKNY flooding these places. Much more so with all the Abercrombie&Fitch, Nike, Esprit, United Colors of Benetton stuff that would make the ukay hunters go crazy. I have seen ukay hunters go crazy like flies swarming over a newly opened sack. Nakakaloka! I don’t ever wanna go there (that is unless it’s a sack full of Yohji Yamamoto, Issey Miyake, Dries van Noten). At that time I was already changing and evolving in my sartorial choices and having just regular labels (well to me anyway) just doesn’t fit in my whole ukay buying concept. I’d rather not buy at all. I was more into looking for the obscure labels and designers that were featured in fashion magazines that I read like Nylon, self service and Surface. It didn’t help that I started getting serious with my designing, also. I just stopped buying mass market clothes offered in the malls or department stores but compensated by wearing my own designs or having the few acceptable ukay finds (Comme ça du Mode and Uniqlo).

Dries Van Noten net top

The obsession came when my friend Jaki tipped me about this new ukay store inside an old mall where she said they hanger their clothes in racks and the store is airconditioned. I was skeptical at first and thought it was just a glamorized version of the ukay. But I eventually decided to go when my other friend Sol got some cool polyeamide Vivienne Tam top for his wife. Wow, I thought, because the top looked brand new and I know that a Vivienne Tam top is expensivo!

Comme des Garçons top

Of course I have to check the place now. When I got there I hurriedly sifted through the racks. The first piece I found that literally made me go “Whoa!” was this Comme des Garçons top by Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo. My blood quickened. I never imagined myself finding a Comme in an ukay. It’s like really weird. Then I found a Jil Sander shirt and a Martin Margiela navy jacket. Whoa! At P100 each it was a real bargain. That really started my whole obsession with this ukay thing.

Yohji Yamamoto one buttoned shirt

I really can’t describe the feeling of getting something so beautiful and well designed from the ukay. I remember dreaming of this Martin Margiela AIDS-tee with the white on white print. It was from their 10^th year anniversary where the label didn’t make any new design but just remade some pieces from each year of their history. The twist there is everything in white. I scoured eBay to no avail and asked a few friends who are also ukay hunters about it but like me they have seen it only in pictures. My world literally stopped when I found the Margiela anniversary tee in the ukay. It just means so much to me like a relic or a piece of fashion history. Hay, I know it’s crazy and kinda weird but then again it’s just me. And it's what I keep going back for in the ukay. That 'Voila' moment when something that I find literally makes me stop and makes me wanna jump for joy. lol!

Martin Margiela ligne 6 with gold print dog

Ukay affords me to have the designer stuff I want at rock bottom prices. I know I can’t have all the new season stuff (which I can’t definitely afford) but then I also think of it as a way to curb the materialism in me. It’s a compromise. It also helps the environment because we seriously need to re-think all the brand new junk we incorporate in our lives. In ukay, something that is worthless becomes loved again. I especially think of my ukay pieces as part of this large designer archive I collect. So, cheers for ukay and all the ukay hunters out there!

Moi in Missoni shirt and a black cotton jacket from this Italian designer I can't remember now.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

photography by loven ramos
taken on december 24, 2007

Mega's Hit Parade Editorial

Seeing through the lenses of edgy-cool Marc Nicdao, we witness fashion pandemonium as the future stars of design pair with fashion's freshest faces. Each designer was given cultural tribes as inspiration.


moi

"Don strikes us with his deconstructed aesthetics and with his fidelity to couture principles. Now based in Cambodia, we will surely miss this ingénue's bold interpretation of forward yet ultra-functional fashion.




What was your inspiration and how did you choose to interpret it such that readers are able to respond and relate to your vision?
The inspiration was the people of the Andes region and the Incas. I interpreted the knits and fabric of their garbs by enlarging the thread that I used. It was just a simple knitted top paired with a slim cut pants. It's modern but slightly ethnic flavored at the same time.

How did you fuse the inspiration assigned and your personal design sensibilities in this outfit?
I'm a ready-to-wear designer. I like the versatility of clothes that can be incorporated into one's existing wardrobe. I think I design pieces rather than singular outfits.

What look or attribute best describes your designs?
They are quirky.

What is a non-negotiable in design?
Quality should not be compromised.

Who is your ideal client?
Everyone who wants to consider my vision and proposition when it comes to dressing.

How is this particular editorial an ideal platform for you to showcase your abilities as a designer?
This editorial allowed me to show that I can do wearable clothes inspired by powerful concepts.



Mega December/January 2007-2008 issue



Martin Bautista



Veejay Floresca



Jerome Lorico



John Herrera



Jerome Ang



Brian Leyva



Aries Lagat



Photographed by Marc Nicdao of Wildbunch
Styled by Patrick Ty, Assisted by Camille Sison
Hair by Nante Alingasa for Kiehl's
Make up by Barbie Chan for Maybelline, Bobby Carlos for Make Up Forever
MEGA Magazine December 2007-January 2008 Issue

(thanks to martin bautista for the scans)