I live in the Philippines, I’ve heard of “memorial day” but I never celebrated it nor even know what it is and why people celebrate it but I do also enjoy the so-called Memorial Day Sales online for the past couple of years. So what it is really? Thanks to Google, I learned a few about it. 

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in USA which occurs every year on the final Monday of of May. It is the day of remembering the men and women who died serving in the United State Armed Forces. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the Union and Confederate soldiers who died in the Civil War. By the 20th century Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died while in the military service and has also been the mark of the start of summer!

In any country, when we say “holiday is coming” it means as well as beach, sunshine, barbecue etc. So are you ready for your holiday? Have you prepared bikinis, sunglasses, hats? For this reason, Romwe is holding a 20%off sale, where you will find your favorites.

Romwe Memorial Day Sale, 20%off selected items from 05/25/2013 to 05/27/2013

Summer and especially the Wedding Season is almost here, it is the perfect time to launch your own fashion business and join Stella & Dot’s growing team of Stylists! Stella & Dot creates flexible, work from home business opportunities for entrepreneurial women. Create the success you deserve. To find out more information visit www.stelladot.com/stylist. Get started today!

One of my biggest fashion problem is finding the shoes of my dreams especially for important occasions. I may find something that resembles those in my imagination but of course there are always some missing details that will make it “the perfect shoes”. I’m quite sure I’m not the only woman who have that kind of fashion problem. I currently encounter it with debutants, high school girls that are going to prom, graduating students, the list goes on but it is more frequent with bride-to-bes. The wedding season is already next month so those bride-to-be’s out there who still haven’t found their perfect shoes, keep reading.

Shoes of Prey is here to provide us the opportunity to design our perfect pair of shoes… At a great price! For four years, they are hand making and delivering shoes to customers all over the world with free shipping and 100% return policy. Their 3d designer allows us to create literally our dream shoe with  (most recent approximation) 361,685,197,172, 662, 270 different combinations from flats to heels. (I hope I know how you could read that number). They also offer their customers 170 fabrics in 12 different shoe shapes as well as letting them customise heel height, shape and many other feature before adding accessories.

Recently they debuted their collaboration with Australian fashion labels Romance Was Born as well as Carla Zampatti.

Romance Was Born

Carla Zampatti

I’m always on the lookout for customize shoes and I definitely find it now. I can’t wait to have my first pair of perfect shoes. What do you think of Shoes of Prey?

Exalted Souls is the title of the first solo exhibit of my favorite Filipino illustrator/ artist, Soleil Ignacio. Her name may not be familiar yet to most Filipinos but I’m sure a lot of you have seen at least one of her works in fashion magazines or in the sidewalks of your favorite malls like Trinoma.

Soleil Ignacio presented a total of nine artworks made of watercolor, acrylic and graphite on paper with her signature medium of ethereal-looking women with long sexy wavy hairs and expressive fierce eyes which was all inspired by her favorite kind of animal, the cats. No wonder her artworks represents strong, confident women and even femme fatale.

The exhibit was held on Vinyl on Vinyl Gallery in Makati City last May 11, 2013. I went there with my up and coming artist friend, Jeanne Quilop and my brother, Paul, the same brother who inspired me to write about men’s grooming products that women could “borrow”.

Me (on the right) with the woman of the hour, Soleil Ignacio.

Soleil Ignacio with my friend, Jeanne Quilop

I and Jeanne are so fascinated with her exhibit we can’t stop staring even in the littlest details of each paintings. If Soleil will have another exhibit I will be surely present again.

What do you think of her work?

PS: Today is election day in the Philippines, to all my fellow Filipinos who will also vote today, I hope you’ll vote with conscience and wisely. Keep safe!

Full of glitz, glamour, ornate details, and a true style all its own – what girl wouldn’t want “The Great Gatsby” look? Whether you are looking to enjoy a casual Gatsby themed garden party or don your most glamorous look at a fabulous cocktail evening, there are plenty of ways to add a flapper-esque flair to any look this spring/summer.

• Details, details, details. Epaulets, pearls, rhinestones, and sequins were highly used during this time period to add glitz to an evening outfit.

• Slender silhouettes. While you could still see a full skirt, long hemline, and high neck, the robe de style dress featuring a drop waist and straight cut was the most popular style.

• Dancing shoes. In Fitzgerald’s novel, Gatsby is known for throwing lavish parties in his mansion every week. It’s not a party without dancing and the best shoes for it are Mary Janes, Oxfords (with heels, of course) and T-straps. It’s stylish and perfect for those all-night dancing with Jazz music.

• Haute headpieces. To top off the entire look, add a whimsical & decadent headpiece from ModCloth like a classic cloche hat. You can even DIY a fabulous headband with ribbon, feathers, and gemstones!

You may already have the clothes, shoes and accessories but a look will never be complete without hair and makeup. Set your smokey eyes on this step-by-step guide to glamour, compiled by Katie Reynolds, a twelve-year style veteran who has mastered hair and makeup for film, television, and celebrity clients, this photo-packed manual makes it simple to recreate iconic looks while flaunting your natural features with a few practical principles. With a different starlet or songstress to inspire each chapter, this elegant hardback edition captures the signature expressions of each era from the 20s to the 80s. Whether you’re looking for marvelous ‘lids, vibrant lips, or ‘tips’ on building the perfect beauty bag, you’re sure to be delighted when faced with this historical how-to!

Style Me Vintage Makeup $15.99

1920′s is the era known for unprecedented economic prosperity, the evolution of jazz music, flapper culture, and bootlegging and other criminal activity, which are all plausibly depicted in Fitzgerald’s novel. But still, its glitz and glamour still influences our present beauty and fashion styles.

What do you think of 1920′s fashion?

Did you knew that men also wear leggings? Leggings are a type of skin-tight clothing covering the legs, which can be worn by both men and women. Originally leggings were two separate garments, one for each leg. It is sometimes worn fully exposed, and are more traditionally worn partially covered by a garment such as a skirt, a large t-shirt or shorts, or fully covered by an outer garment, such as a full length skirt. Leggings are also worn to keep a person’s legs warm, as protection from chafing during an activity such as exercise or as a decorative or fashion garment.

The two separate leggings are called hose, it is worn by men in Europe from the 13th to 16th centuries (the Renaissance period) as the trews of the Scottish Highlands. In the late 19th century, soldiers of various nations, especially the infantry, often wore leggings to protect their lower legs to keep dirt, sand and mud from entering their shoes, and to provide a measure of ankle support.

In the beginning of 1980s, exercise-style leggings have been worn for fashion, and as street wear. Leggings has gone a long way, it is now worn like a skin-tight trousers or a tighter version of capris.  There are now shiny leggings which sometimes called a leather-look leggings. It has a have a shiny, metallic, or wet-like appearance.They emerged as a popular fashion trend in the late-2000s, particularly in 2008, popularized by celebrities like Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Rihanna, Kelly Clarkson and even Lindsay Lohan. Then there’s also the so-called “jeggings” they are leggings that take certain attributes from jeans, such as color and style and particularly a colored seam down the side, thus a mixture of the two and hence the adoption of the name “jeggings”. Some styles have even taken the jean-like look to such lengths as adding faux pockets and faux zip-flies to add to the look.

Now, leggings has gone way beyond pretending to be as jeans (as I would like to call it) from stripes, melting candy, ancient Egyptian  Pharaohs to even prints of Bart Simpson’s face, leggings nowadays are now more fun, colorful, graphic and crazy! And what’s much more crazy is that, you can have one for only $19.99!

Only 19.99$ for 300+ CRAZY LEGGINGS from 2013.5.15 to 5.17.

PS: Happy Mother’s Day to all Moms, Grandmothers and even Mom-to-be out there!

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Fashion is dominated by women, no wonder there are more female fashion bloggers than men. But of course men are not so left behind, they may be mostly known as lazy dressers but these five men below proves to the entire female species that they could also be as fashion savvy as us.

#1 KateLovesMe.net

Prince Pelayo is actually one of the first fashion bloggers I knew when I started to research about them. When I heard about his blog I thought it was all about the iconic supermodel Kate Moss because of its name Kate Loves Me, well ‘Kate’ really refers to Moss but the blog is not all about  her. It’s about Prince Pelayo’s unique chic often avant-garde personal style that every fashion forward female will surely adore. He is from Spain but he could be spotted all over Europe too due to his work. He was even spotted briefly in the Philippines!

#2 Mike Motsok

Armed with aviator sunglasses, black jackets which are mostly leathers, cool tattoos and his cigarettes, Mike Motsok is one of the most stylish men in the blogosphere. He is the very first male fashion blogger I know before anyone else here. I found him on Lookbook where he used to be the most hyped man until his account was somewhat hacked and deleted. But now he’s back and have an amazing blog too. His style is not as fashion forward as Prince Pelayo but it is equally stylish. His style could be describe as “cool” and classic street style. What I love about Mike’s blog besides his look is the photo composition which is not actually quite surprising after all he is a photography student too. Mike is from Moldova but last time I heard he is currently studying in Italy. You could see more of his look in his blog: http://mikemotsok.blogspot.com

#3 ShiggersOnStreet.com

If you’re in to rock, punk or grunge style (which is actually trending right now thanks to this years MET Gala), you’ll surely love Shiggers On Street by gorgeous long-haired German male fashion blogger Dustin Hanke. His style is so bad-ass, even with a cast on his left leg it look so good! He founded the blog when he was 14 years old with  photos and texts about his experiences and his outfits, from Fashion Weeks in the world and even Streetstyles shots. Since then the blog is now one of the most influential Male Blogs (source: Vogue Mexico) and is currently occupied in the world ranking place 6 (Source: Bloglovin).

#4 Hermes is My Dad

Eros Buzza named his blog after one of the 12 Greek gods in Olympus which is also the name of a famous luxury brand, Hermes. He chose it not only because of it’s connection to fashion but also because in Greek mythology Hermes has a son named Eros. The connection and coincidence is so great, he find it a cool name for his blog. Besides rocking both a classic luxe attire and the casual cool,  this sneaker-loving blogger is also showcasing his photography skills on his blog. Eros’ blog used to be in HermesisMyDad.com but recently he joined Gloss Fashion and imigrated here http://glossfashion.com/hermesismydad

#5 DavidGuison.com

David Guison is a fellow Filipino fashion blogger. I already met him several times in some fashion events in the Philippines and he is truly one fashionable and good looking guy, he’s nice too and an ultimate hipster! Which is actually quite trendy too nowadays. His style could be describe as Coachella fashion but often times he is also a dashing debonair or a hunky hunk. There are only a few legit fashion bloggers in the Philippines, in my opinion, and David is one of the top fashion bloggers.

What do you think of these male fashion fashion bloggers? I’m planning to have a part 2 of this post. Do you know any male fashion bloggers in your country or internationally that everyone should know? Share it below.

I haven’t been married before but I do know that wedding dresses are extremely important that some brides turns into some kind of a super b*tch famously called “Bridezilla” due to stress to make everything perfect and choosing her dream wedding dress is one of those “stressful stuff”. Trust me I’ve seen a lot of those both on TV and real life.

Before I say my point, I’m reminding you again that I haven’t been married before so I could be wrong but I’m pretty sure that my message will be important for those bride-to-be’s out there. To be frank, I don’t see the point of looking for the perfect wedding dress if you’re just going to wear it once in your entire life. Sure, it will be immortalized on your wedding photos or maybe your future daughter might wear it to on her big day too, but fashion trends on her day will be surely different and might opt for something else. I say just choose the dress where you feel beautiful and confident. Who else do you have to impress when you already marrying the most special person you love? That’s why for me choosing the right shoes are the most important instead of the dress. Because you could wear again the shoes how many time you want. You could wear it again on your anniversary, renewing your vows, date nights or any special occasions. The shoes is something that is part of your big day that you could use again to be part of your new special days. Below are some shoes I pick that could be use again.

The Classics

Nothing beats the classics! Multi straps, ankle straps and platform shoes are not only great for weddings but also for other cocktail occasions. My pick is the Lavin heels which actually have a hidden platform! Chic and comfy.

1. Lanvin Concealed Platform $950 // 2. Hudson Metallic Leather Multi Strap Sandals $625 // 3. Rebecca Minkoff Ellie $295 // 4. Alexander Wang Antonia $525

Metallics

Tory Burch Metallic Tania Sandal $295 // Gianvito Rossi Metallic Ankle Strap Pump $516.20

Casual Chic

1. Bionda Castana “Maddox’ Floral crepe satin pumps $385 // 2. Salvatore Ferragamo “Mandoria” Sandal $443.22 // 3. Burberry Buckled Leather Sandals $595 // 4. Manolo Blahnik BB Patent Pointed-Toe Pumps $595 // 5. Veronique Branquinho high-heeled ankle strap heels $219.83 // 6. Miu Miu Crystal-embellished patent-leather sandals $555

Bohemian Shoes

Rejoice bohemian brides! For those boho-themed wedding in gardens or beaches, of course heels aren’t really for grass and especially beach sands so flats and wedges are surely a good choice.

1. Jean-Michel Cazabat Talasa $195 // 2. Marc by Marc Jacobs Metallic Leather Wedge $248 // 3. Oscar De La Renta Floral Sandal $578.50 // 4. Kate Spade spring sandal $238

What do you think of these shoes. Do you agree to me that shoes are more sentimental than the dress?

Ready for a retro rewind? Reebok has recently launched two classic designs that will have you reminiscing about your favorite kicks from the ’80s and ’90s. The DMX Run 10 was created by Reebok back in ’97 and defied what comfort could mean. With DMX moving air technology, this shoe is back and ready to defy expectations once again.

The Pump Twilight Zone is another blast from the past, and only available at Reebok.com! These shoes were made famous by the “Human Highlight Reel” Dominique Wilkins as well as many other superstars of the the late ’80s and early ’90s. Its pump technology adjusts the air chamber to fit your foot and has a high-abrasion outsole of traction and durability. These shoes will be available at 8am on Friday, May 3rd so don’t miss out!

Don’t miss out on these classic shoes and head over to Reebok to grab a pair today!

Special Mother’s Day Campaign

Celebrate Mom’s Fitness Style with Reebok

Featured Categories:
– Fit-For-Life Mom
– On-the-Go Mom
– Yoga/Studio Mom
– CrossFitMom

Do you find ways to WorkOut With Mom?  Share your ideas by Tweeting @Reebok with #Tag #WOWMOM!

Though I had been featured several times on Independent Fashion Bloggers’  (IFB for short) weekly Projects, this  is the very first time Style Vanity got included  weekly Links à la Mode and I’m so thrilled to share to you this week’s roundup for the first time. Enjoy reading!

Beauty Positive

Real beauty comes from within. It’s an old saying, and generally I find it to be true. Beautiful people have positive souls. But … it never hurts to have good makeup and style to make your inner beauty shine. This week we have a great mix of beautifying tips on several levels to bring out the very best in you. From positive fashion quotes, owning your age & style, to nixing online bullying in the fashion community… body positive thinking and actual beauty tips galore. As a beauty junkie, I was delighted to read all the beauty tips! Of course, we have loads of style tips to get you started for the coming summer season!

Links à la Mode: The IFB Weekly Roundup: May 2nd

• Attire Club: Choose Your Glasses According To Your Face Shape
• Beach Living City Loving: Favorite Beauty Products: Part 1- Drugstore
• Cosmolawitain: H&M’s Expansion Into India
• Coverrated: Shoes are the new corsets
• Fashion Files: Interview Style
• Fashion Is Evolution: The Phenomenon of Bullying in the Blogging Community
• [Flash] Frame: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eyeliner Review
• I Am Turquoise: 5 Ways to Wear: Denim Vest
• J’Adore Couture: the one thing: dressing your age
• La Vie en Couleur: How to Dress Like a Parisian
• Nothing to Wear: Say Something: positive and uplifting fashion quotes
• Rose & Pine: Stunning Spring Sunnies for Under $40!
• Romeo Style: Think Outside The Box For Prom. Part 1
• Serving Up Fairy Dust.. The Best Makeup Primer for Sensitive Acne Prone Skin
• Style Vanity: What to Wear to Weddings?
• The Fashionable Wife: Maxi Styling
• The Fitted Frame: The Skinny on Body Image
• The Photogramps: Making a Simple Dress Unique
• Undercover Dress-Up: Porcelain Print
• Wild Beauty World: Peggy Olson at Work? Cosmetic Ads from 1968

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