Stunners in Rompers

In the 1970's there was 1 piece of clothing that was SEXY, COMFORTABLE, & FUN all at the same time and that was the 1-piece jumpsuit.  Inspired by air force pilots' uniforms,  it evolved into a popular glam version made of silk or satin, elongating & highlighting the curves of a woman's body.

Think Charlie's Angels, Brigitte Bardot, even Liza Lorena & Cecilia Rodriguez!  hehehe.  It was so popular and is considered an iconic symbol of 1970's fashion.

Farrah Fawcett in a luxe green satin jumpsuit from the 70's

Brigitte Bardot roughing it in style

the latest remake of the Charlie's Angels series

(jumpsuit is still part of the cast) :-)

I particularly like this one by Chic Yamada, 

their Boho Collection was inspired by Marianne Faithfull & Janis Joplin. 

and this one...

Elegant silhouettes. Why, this is by Halston, of course. *love*

It's better-known today as the romper and it's still as sexy & comfy as ever!

In neutral shades & minimal or NO accessories. I think 90's minimalism is coming back.

(Elle MacPherson, Katie Holmes, and I don't know who's in the middle. :p)

It's hard to pull off a jumpsuit in a solid and VERY bright color like this one, 

but if you DO (like this gal), it's unbearably chic.  

Pair w/ blonde hair, turquoise-strap shoes, and a smile.

Casual & still gorgeous. Best w/ a flowing mane of hair...

like Rosie Huntington's below:

What a hair! Watta body, watta cheekbones, watta jumpsuit. 

But I'm sorry Rosie, our very own Cherie Gil just made you eat dust w/ her Rajo Laurel jumpsuit. Step aside if you don't want red wine (or champagne, or water, or whatever) to be spilled all over your suit & your face! eeeps! Cherie, the crown is yours. In Tagalog, IKAW NA. *bow*

These denim numbers are fab as well. 

I've been looking for 1 just like Chloe Kardashian's...know where I can find one please?

Heidi Klum picking up her daughter from school. Effortless chic!

I can't seem to hate her. I'm sorry! She's my guilty pleasure,
all 3 of them damn Kardashian sisters.
I looooove her romper & her shoes  & her bag!

All jumpsuits look great w/ wedges...

...or metallic sandals (i probably own more than 6 pairs w/ I've all hopelessly worn them out)

finish off w/ minimal (just 1, if possible) accessories.

Because of it's all-the-way, 1-piece structure, some folks find it troublesome to take on & off. As my friend Tin Mags said, "Babe, it's hard to pee!" hahaha! So, it's probably not for everyone. 

But as a tribute to all my surf friends who undeniably ROCK THE ROMPER in their own signature way, I've put together this happy collage. 

STAY SEXY, COMFY & HAPPY EVERYONE!

(and yes, that's a baby romper you're seeing...I just couldn't help but put Cadence in!)

Christmas Day: foxes, eggnog & Lady Gaga

December 25, 2011. Christmas Day is here!!! :-) 

Nothing spectacular happened to my day but I can definitely say, it was just the way I wanted this year's Christmas to be.  Just "coastin'" through....no rushing between commitments & appointments...

I'll just tell the events of this day as they came and went...for it is a day filled w/ ordinary things & people.  But like what Norman Vincent Peale said, 


"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful".  


I woke up this morning to the smell of ham & eggs, and brewed coffee. Don't frown on me when I tell you, "boy did i slather on the butter!" It IS Christmas day anyway, we should loosen up on the diet & all the calorie-counting right? 

I didn't really plan on writing about this day so I didn't think of taking a photo of my breakfast.
This is a borrowed photo from Slim Paley. 

I really wanted to just stay at home in my pajamas, catch up on reading, listen to Ray Coniff or the Rat Pack's Christmas albums and be somewhat in a situation like this:

gorgeous Gwyneth Paltrow...always & forever

I was also hoping to catch up on my blog posts, and other photos I've been wanting to share online.  Beach houses & rompers & jumpsuits &...oh gosh I don't know where to start! 

Buuuuuut of course, family & Christianly duties called so we geared up for noontime mass & family lunch.  I was feeling very chill so I put on this outfit:

My brand new Brown Belly bed jacket over my Forever 21 striped tank. This IS  going to be a very casual Christmas day! :-)

The rest of the day pretty much went like this: 

blueberry pancakes for lunch

We also passed briefly by the Marikina memorial grounds to lay flowers on the markers of our beloved.  My lolo, dad, and his sister whose birthday was also today, Dec 25.  The thought that flowers will be left there on their graves throughout the night and on til the morning has always been a comforting one to me.  

this holiday photo from House of Turqoise was my mood peg for the Christmas season.  Am so loving that over-the-top (literally, haha) garland of ornaments!

Our house doesn't have (& doesn't need) a fireplace but it sure has a nice brick wall that lends an unbeatable warmth to the place. And our Christmas tree is full of ornaments w/ memories attached to them! 

can you spot our latest addition, Kaia the Origami sufer girl?

My architect cousin Mikey painstakingly cut-&-fold this li'l one for me! What an awesome Christmas gift. :-) She's somewhat Japanese & rides a surfboard. Looks familiar...*wink*

...and this is my Christmas gift (& 60th bday gift, combined) to my Mom. It's quite a pricey one so it had to be two-in-one! A beautiful painting by Karina Baluyut, inspired by her trip to Japan.  Since my mother loves flowers, trees, birds, & leaves....you can't go wrong w/ this one!


In the early afternoon, my friend Nikki passed by to give some homemade eggnog from her family to ours. I can't tell you how much all that cinnamon & cream added some more Christmas to the day. 

and yes, I gave her an Origami surfer girl too. :-) Thank you for the eggnog, Nikki!

More bliss: I settled in the sofa while watching "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" for the 4th or 5th time already...

my favorite characters in the movie: Ash & Kristofferson

The goofiest-looking bandit hats ever (i secretly want one!!!)

Wes Anderson + Christmas Day (on a Sunday) + eggnog + coffee + cool weather + no work tomorrow = CHEAP THRILLS I certainly live for! 

and then the Lady Gaga Monster Ball concert came up on HBO so i sat thru that too. She is truly an awesome artist & her creativity, talent, & boldness to express amazes me! My mom kept saying that she is like Madonna but w/ less energy. Of course I begged to differ! Madonna is Madonna is Madonna.  End of topic. 

 More visitors passed by thru the night, neighbors & Ninangs & Ninongs & godchildren & kids & doggies...and overall the Christmas weekend was quite a busy & heartwarming one.

Mikey's cool shoes. I dunno if this is wool or tweed or denim or what. It looks good against the carpet though. 

cousin Binky w/ Lucas the sweet cuddly black lab! 

cheese popcorn midnight snack -- less than a hundred bucks & hits it right on the spot

showing 87-yr-old Lola Felisa how to check out photos in Facebook--- priceless!

A simple Christmas weekend, but I got almost all the rest & zoning off that I wanted.  

For now, I can't ask for a merrier Christmas.

Goodnight!

A visit to Hermes Alegre's Studio

1 of my dreams came true 2 months ago: I was invited to visit the studio of 1 of my favorite Filipino artists, MR. HERMES ALEGRE! I only like a select few of figurative painters and Hermes is probably my top 3. 

a typical visually breathtaking Alegre work-in-progress

A fan for 8 years & running, I've been coveting his paintings of beautiful, mysterious women against backdrops of lush flora & fauna.  Luckily I had a requirement for 1 of my projects & I went w/ my friend Charisse who was building her house that time.  She wanted to have a painting of her & her sisters done by the one who does "tres marias" best...who else but Mr. Alegre himself. 

We were kinda star struck at first (haha), but he made everybody feel comfortable (a bottle of wine was opened immediately, of course!) and was nice enough to show us around his studio. See the artist's "Paris-Pinoy boho" living quarters: 

only the essentials exist to inspire the artist

stuff around his house looked neat, orderly & totally stylin'....i was so inspired!

1 of my favorite paintings of Hermes, a striking portrait of his beauuuuutiful wife Helena above the bed.

(the one on the right is his self-portrait)

See glimpses of his studio below

this works, by the way! eco-friendly sound system...100% electricity-free!

classic beauty Helena..no wonder Hermes is always inspired :-)

Thrilled to be in his creative lair...was holding & touching all his brushes & paints!

w/ good friends, good wine, & excellent art!

Weeks after, when the day came for us to check the commissioned painting, we hung out at his studio again & Hermes made sketch portraits of us.  Talk about *kileg*!

so, I also made my own sketch of him.  It's not much but for everyone's information, he LIKED it! Why, thank you very much! :-) 

and so...the painting was done for my friend's house.  I told Hermes it was going to be against a RED wall. And so he used all the lush & impossible colors of purple, green, orange, and reds! This photo does not do justice at all but if you get to look at an Alegre painting up close you will notice the painstaking layers of matte & metallic textures...per square inch, mind you.

The surprise details are wonderful, too--- dabs of neon green, fuchsia pink, and the geometric pastel back-shapes to keep the eye focused on the women.   

I'm no credible art critique or writer.  But I know what excites my eye & touches my heart.  Hermes' works have always captured my attention...and held it for a long time.  

And as I write this,  I see my black-&-white charcoal Alegre sketch of a woman waiting at an airport for her flight, across my desk at work.  Lovely, huh?

Have a nice weekend to all! :-)