Saturday, May 25, 2013

Seeing Green

So cool to see this from The Sartorialist last May 20...



...a month after I wore a "green sleeveless print dress" to a store opening in Bulacan!
(the invite told us to wear shades of green,  I'm glad most of the guests complied!)

with my friend Rhycel Marcelo & 
Celine Simbulan-Darcen (Managing Director for Sales & Marketing)


  Thank you for inviting me to be one of the guests of honor. 


Congratulations to The Simbulan Group of Companies for opening "Our House Lifestyle Store!"
To know more about their store click HERE

Friday, May 17, 2013

The Fitzgerald Suite & Other Deco Obsessions

I read The Great Gatsby some five years ago on a rainy-day streak in apartment and I couldn't believe a Hollywood production has yet to be made about it.  Now that it's finally here, I can't wait to watch it and be transported to the beautiful, innovative, and opulent Jazz Age.  I have a date with you soon, Baz Luhrman! And ok, you too, Leo.


I am so amazed at the designs coming from this era.  The playful geometric forms, organic-inspired themes, sharp and bold graphics, bling-bling everywhere! It was just such a modern, positive, unique & assertive age in design! For me it expressed the progress, urbanization, and vigor of the world coming out of the post-Victorian era and World War I.  And I haven't even started talking about one of the most elegant structures it has produced, The Chrysler Building.


interior pegs via


Now how AWESOME is that Fitzgerald Fan? Too cool.

Meanwhile check out The Fitzgerald Suite at The Plaza Hotel in New York (a personal favorite of Fitzgerald), in collaboration with Restoration Hardware.  At $2,795 a night, you can live like Jay & Daisy (the pillows on the bed even have their monograms), watch the film on HDTV, and for the design-obsessed like me, just drown in the Deco details  of the room.






the brilliant logo as woven on the carpet


note how the fabric on the curtains and rugs reflect the Gatsby graphics


Deco details

This makes me want to re-visit the works of one of my favorite artists, Tamara de Lempicka. , an important 20th century figurative painter whose life and works represented the strength and beauty of the modern woman of her times.  I was drawn to her art years ago (and I remember giving Rajo Laurel a book about her for his birthday)...because it reminded me of my favorite book characters, Howard Roark & Dominique Francon from 'The Fountainhead'.  If they needed to be illustrated by anybody, it would be de Lempicka.  

In the real world, her works remind me of Madonna, Coco Chanel, Eva Peron, Wallis Simpson, and Anais Nin-- all collectors of her work.  








On a trip to Singapore 2 years ago, I bought a book on Art Deco prints.  I was so in love with it! Seems like the right time to feature it--- it will be blogged soon. :-)

Here's a teaser: 


Looking at this print makes me so happy. 

 And I'm sure this will, too. 
Thank you for your legendary book, Mr. F.Scott Fitzgerald.










Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Skirt Season

I'm no credible fashionista, and like most of my girl-friends I dress depending on how I feel (and nowadays, on how hot it is outside), but it sure is awesome to know every now and then that I'm not too far from the right track.  

Last March 23, the UPIDAA (UP Interior Design Alumni Association) held Awarding Ceremonies for its annual design competition, called IDisenyo 2013.  Being the project head for this, I was very proud of my fellow officers and the participating students who made the event a huge success.  I attended the event in a black "Skater Skirt" from Zara, and a pajama-like top from Dorothy Perkins.  



Here awarding the winning team, "Eco-Lab", who designed an awesome 
Classroom of the Future for Interior Design students

goofing around with future star interior designer Carla Sebastian


and with my friends Nicola & James, and cousin  / event photographer Charlie Gomez

(insert: this was my inspirations for the pajama top)


So anyway...I found out yesterday these "skater" skirts are hot right now 
as I stumbled upon them in Polyvore:

and in www.oliviapalermo.com...

Spring/Summer 2012


I also saw versions of this skirt in various lengths in street-fashion blogs everywhere:



Hooray for spring skirts! Ladies are just lovelier in them.






And then I saw this girl (above) at Habitually Chic a week after I wore this to a party:

Im not as skinny as her but we got the same formula:
Glitter + chambray/ light blue + nude shoes. 
Her hot pink clutch even matches my hot pink phone!

#kiligfashionmoment








Tuesday, May 07, 2013

Girl(s) Friday

Last week, my girlfriends Kim, Nikki, and Tin had a sleepover which spilled over to the next day, Friday.  It started out with a movie ("Limitless" starring Bradley Cooper) as we huddled under blankets in an air-conditioned home theater.  No pizza, no popcorn, no soda on hand but the air-con was enough for me to be deliriously happy (summer in the Philippines = unbearable).

The next day, we had a free-wheeling list of activities.  We worked out, swam, did yoga, had endless cups of coffee, baked muffins, romped around with the babies.  7-month-preggy Tin (fab as ever!) brought over her kiddos Miguela & Rukka and immediately a swimming party was in order. 



(oops sorry...couldn't help it. Hi Brad...hee hee)



baking in bikinis.  
from my Instagram (follow me at @nina_santamaria)


our banana-carrot-apple muffins were the bomb

as for this OTHER MUFFIN...Rukka I love you sooo much! 
Let me bite your hand for you please!!!

Her royal hotness, Tin.

The extraordinary thing about this day was...I dropped by another girlfriend's place on the way home.  Charisse and Celine are 2 very dear friends who I haven't seen in a LOOONG time! We've been planning to meet & catch up and since I was in the neighborhood, it was the perfect time.  Turns out, we had a lot of catching up to do.  The hours whizzed by really fast. 
The vegetable paninis made by Charisse was TOO AWESOME! I couldn't believe it was all veggies in there.  SO GOOD!  

with hot mommas Char & Celine

with Nikki, Tin & Rukka

with Kim



At the end of that fun Friday, as I plopped down showered & tired in my bed at home, I couldn't help but think how blessed I am to have girlfriends like these.  They may be busy with their work, kids, careers, and what-have-you...but for them to allot time every now and then to just hang out, catch up with each other's lives, and chill out is such a precious gift.  Talk about quality time.

Don't get me wrong...I have a few other girlfriends who fit this description.  But for that one particular Friday, it was a real treat to see five of them in one day.  I'm a lucky girl.