You Do The Math

Sweater: Neon Island / White Button Down: Romwe / Leather Jacket: Mango / Skirt & Boots: Zara / Necklace:Mauve / Eyewear: Karen Walker

I've regressed to my younger self with this quirky collegiate Mathlete sweater that's begging to be worn prepster-style. I've actually had this sweater for quite a while, silently tucked in-between piles of skirts and similar knitwear. When the right balance of cloudy weather + chilly draft (with just a slight drizzle) presented itself two days ago, I knew it was the perfect time to whip out this cool Neon Island sweater. Not wanting to look too juvenile, I threw in a chunky crystal necklace from Mauve (obsessed with this!) and le 'ol mannish boots.

P.S. 

My apologies if the #OOTDs have dwindled to just 1 post per week. I've been dealing with tremendous workload (let's not forget the irate, shitty rainy weather too) and have been having a hard time squeezing in a photo shoot during weekdays (and even on weekends). I can't promise a more frequent nor faster pace in posting outfit shots but I'll do my best. I actually envy those bloggers whose only problem is dealing with backlogs due to numerous stocked-up outfit shots. I'd gladly take that dilemma any day.

The Basics

Jacket, Top &Shorts: Zara / Shoes: Alexander Wang / Personalized Necklace / Bag: Balenciaga (available HERE)

Leather jacket. White shorts. Black strappy top. These are just a few of the basic pieces that every woman should stock up on. And trust me, you can never go wrong with these -- they're failsafe, versatile items that you can play around with and mix with other pieces from your closet. When I'm cast in situations wherein I can't be bothered to even dwell on coming up with a decent OOTD (a.k.a. #busyworkinggirl), I rely on these basic pieces to get me through the day. Case in point: the achromatic and casual ensemble pictured above which I wore to a long, tiring day which entailed orchestrating a big client event and mobile on-location shoots. Whew.

P.S. This is what happens when you're not looking and the camera is clicking...

#BloggerPoseFail (insert crying smiley emoji here)


*photos by Nina Abuzo

Get A Leg Up

Skirt: Romwe / Jacket: Mango / Tank Top: Daley Tees / Shoes: Alexander Wang / Earrings: Chicnova / Wallet: Givenchy

I rarely wear clothes which are too revealing or coquettish. And when I do, I make a big effort to downplay the possible sexual undertone by throwing on a physical cover-up or an innocent demeanor. This mixed media skirt has a modest thigh slit which shows just the right amount of skin for a little Jolie side-leg-pose action. But while it's appropriate for daytime wear, a sleeved top or jacket should be strictly enforced.

 What say you about the impending Friday? I'm pretty sure we're all looking forward to it (who isn't anyway?). By the way, I'll be flying to Cebu this weekend for the Ironman 70.3 event (no, I'm not racing). See you there?

Happy Endings

Dress: Romwe / Jacket: Mango / Bag & Shoes: Alexander Wang

Neon and mesh? What's not to love about this combo? Got this cool shirtdress from Romwe (one of my favorite online stores) a few months back. As soon as I was able to retrieve this dress from the postal office, I made sure it got acquainted with dear Mackenzie (on sale HERE at 60% off!) right away. Threw in the (faux) leather jacket for that added warmth inside the cinema -- where I had to muffle my screams with a handkerchief whilst I watched in awe the awesome movie that is World War Z. Have you seen it already? If you haven't yet, you definitely should. I'm not a fan of zombies but the movie is a-maze-balls (despite some loopholes in the story).

Palm Springs

 Jacket: Nastygal / Heels: Zara / Necklace: Margiela x H&M / Eyewear: Karen Walker / Jewelry: Wear Mauve

Say hello to my lovely tropical-print pajama pants. This pair is probably one of the most comfortable pair of bottoms I own, next to these printed wide-legged pants. These pants need not much styling nor accessorizing, hence the somber pairing with a simple tank top and bi-color jacket.

You can get the same pants HERE or a similar pair HERE. Below are other tropical print pieces you might also fancy:

P.S. Thanks to Honey for my Margiela x H&M neckpiece!

See-Through

Skirt: Choies / Jacket: Nastygal / Shoes: Alexander Wang / Earrings: H&M (courtesy of Honey Andrade) / Eyewear: Karen Walker / Clutch: SM Accessories

I can be very particular with the cut, fit, design and make when it comes to picking out skirts. I love it when a simple silhouette, such as an A-line or pencil skirt, is amplified with interesting details such as cut-outs, flaps, embroidery, clever pocket placements or even the use of different materials. The sweet lace pencil skirt I'm sporting here (you can also get this in black) is one good example of a simple skirt which plays on different textures -- lace and mesh/net. For someone who's not a fan of looking too saccharine, the mesh/net works wonders as it adds a tinge of edge and freshness to the whole skirt.

If you're feeling more romantic and feminine, here are other variations of the quintessential lace skirt which you can choose from (my faves are the Tibi and Sportmax Code skirts!):

Tropicale

Skirt: The Ramp / Jacket: Mango / Top: Romwe / Shoes: Alexander Wang / Eyewear & Earrings: SM Accessories / Bag: Neon Island

I'm letting the blogger-favorite-Zara skort rest for a while I put the spotlight on this Cameo The Label-inspired printed origami skirt from The Ramp. Love the playful mix of fabrics here and the unique waistband detail. Creativity ditched me as I was fumbling around on how to style this skirt so I had to resort to my tried-and-tested button down polo and leather jacket combo. It hasn't failed me yet. This look was almost slightly devoid of color so I had to punch it up with this adorable bird-print clutch from Neon Island. It's so perfect for summer. :)

Another Dimension New Galaxy, Intergalactic Planetary!

 Leggings: CROW / Jacket: Mango / Top: Romwe / Boots: Zara / Spiked Cuff: Pretty Little Blings / Eyewear: Subcult

I remember going through a "printed leggings phase" last year (as seen HERE and HERE). Apparently, the appeal of this type of leggings hasn't worn out on me yet. Printed pieces call for minimal accessories, hence the simple ear studs, a solitary spiked cuff and a swag pair of round mirrored sunglasses. On a different note, I feel so refreshed from the one-day holiday yesterday (all thanks to our local heroes). Killed the alarm clock, took a long snooze and woke up to have my nails done and decompress. How did you spend the holiday?

P.S. Brownie points to whoever can guess the song reference for this post's title. :P

*photos shot by the amazing Anton Aguila and edited by me

Hailey

Jeans: Wrangler / Jacket & Eyewear: Mango / Shirt: Street Beat Boutique / Shoes: Pedro / Bangles: Mauve / Earrings: Satine

My insatiable love affair with denim jeans continues with this pair of Cool Max Hailey indigos from Wrangler. These Cool Max jeans are pretty cool, both in the literal and figurative sense. The fabric technology in these jeans is specifically engineered to tackle the challenge of constant, sudden and changing weather conditions -- these jeans keep you cool and clean during hot and humid weather and also provides accelerated drying time and insulation effects when it's cold or rainy). Now, styling these jeans was a pretty easy feat. All I had to do was to bring my high heels out and throw on a leather jacket over a random top -- in this case, a vintage rock band tee. Heels and jackets can truly do wonders and this formula always works for me.

P.S. How cute are the heart-shaped peeptoes on my pumps? Very fitting for the upcoming Valentine's, right? :)

Marant

Jeans: Folded & Hung / Top: Daley Tees / Jacket: Zara / Heels: Mango / Clutch: Made U Look / Bracelets: Mauve

If you haven't noticed, I've been sporting a lot of clothes from Folded & Hung in recent posts (such as HERE and HERE). I can't help it. Folded & Hung has been consistently churning out great trendy pieces, such as this pair of tie-dyed jeans (they remind me so much of last year's great jean hit from Isabel Marant). I think most of you already know by now that I have a fetish for printed jeans. I've already worn a similar pair of tie-dyed jeans in a few posts though but I must say, the pop of red in these F&H jeans is such a refreshing change from the sea of blue pants inside my closet.

It's a Friday, my dear lovelies! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Rooftop

Jacket: Zara / Top: H&M / Skirt: The Ramp / Boots: Sam Edelman / Bag: Alexander Wang / Eyewear: Karen Walker

All black or black & white are my go-to "color" combinations when I'm too stressed to come up with a cheery colorful outfit. This look took me less than 5 minutes to complete. I was such in a hurry to leave the house for work that I just literally grabbed the first few pieces I saw once I opened my closet. Thank goodness everything matched...well, at least that's what I think.

It's Thursday already and we all know what comes after today! Friday, Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday...okay, I'll stop now. Whew, this week went by pretty quickly. I can't wait to have some R&R this weekend! Hope you guys have a fantastic weekend too!

Don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@kookiebuhain) for blog updates!

London Boy

(Jacket: Zara// Top: Peekaboo// Skirt: Style Trend// Boots: Jeffrey Campbell// Body Harness: PlusMinusTimesDivide// Clutch: SM Accessories)

Nope, this ain't a Versace x H&M skirt. It's a dupe, a knock-off, a replica...or maybe not as it does lack the metal corners on the hem. I don't give a fudge though.

 If you've been paying good attention to this blog, you may have noticed my sudden proclivity towards prints. The once print-and-color-shy Kookie is beginning to welcome change with arms semi-wide open (*gasp!*). There are old things that still remain though -- such as the use and abuse of a beaten-up (faux) leather jacket, the fascination for shoes more than 5 inches high above the ground and the ongoing love affair with hats and anything black...or dark. This is my attempt to bring the old edgy back (not that I've really lost it -- it has always been there, but in a slightly different manifestation).

:)