Alisonbel: Saving your bank account, one pullover at a time

So I have this thing where I don’t repeat outfits in one term. I tell people that it stems from the fact that when you’re a teacher (yes, I’m a teacher, keep up), your students tend to see you every day, and I don’t want my students to think that we’ve implemented a new uniform policy that they haven’t been informed about. But in reality, I just like to buy clothes and would need a solid justification sometimes. Then again, since I'm a teacher and I'm still taking my PhD, that means I have to buy stuff that are cheap but don't look too cheap.

Enter Alisonbel: The House of Pullovers, Cardigans, and Tees.

Seriously, you guys, this online shop saved my life. Why, you ask? Because their pullovers cost 199php.

Yes, you read that right. Only two nines. 

This is 199.

Also this.

Guess how much this is.

At this point, I'm pretty sure you've either started Googling this store or you've scrolled down to see the links at the end of this post.

In which case, let me distract you more.

Grab this for only 200php

And this? Oh, just 249php

And you can get these in a whoooole lot of colors

Zipbacks are 250php. Nice print and fabric.

For when you want to look decent and still be able to eat three times a day

Look effortlessly chic for 350php

And no one can tell you're a cheapo. It'll be our secret.

As you can see, there is NOTHING more than 400php. 

Are you astounded yet? Because I still am, despite the fact that I just cleaned my closet a couple of days ago and found out that I had roughly 10-15 pullovers from Alisonbel. And honestly, I don’t regret a thing.

So Imma let you go now to do what you've been itching to do since that first picture: shop!

You can visit their website: http://www.alisonbel.com (I think they’re replenishing they’re stocks here rn, tho)

Or their IG: https://www.instagram.com/alisonbelph/

Comment below once you’ve experienced your very first Alisonbel hoarding experience.

Selling for the first time!

So I'm planning to do a wardrobe overhaul and have started to give sacks of clothes away to relatives and charity. But then I figured that I would need money to actually build a new wardrobe. And what better way to do that than to sell my clothes online. I've followed quite a few secondhand shops over the years, first on Multiply, Facebook, then currently on Instagram.  Out of the three, I chose to post my secondhand stuff on IG via a new account: A Penny for Fashion (@apennyforfashion).

I have all the pictures there (8 items so far) and prices range from 80php to 120php. All items have no damage whatsoever (those that do, I give away, not sell) and are in mint condition because my mother is an expert laundrywoman (lol).

So please do take a look and ask away thru Viber (my number is stated on my IG profile). I hope you'll help me move on to a more mature and classy wardrobe by buying my insanely cheap clothes. Yay!

Comeback Post: The Little Emily Shop

Oh wow, it's been a while since my last entry. But I am pretty amazed by the number of hits the blog has accumulated despite the lack of updates (it has 3 times the number of views my active blog actually gets; I don't know whether to be insulted or happy). Anyhow, I have recently rekindled my love for fashion since I finished my MA (in English, in case you're curious). Hence, I have been scrounging the net for new online fashion havens that will not burn a hole through my bank account. Today, I'm going to tell you all about Little Emily.

I first got wind of LE (yep, I just made it an acronym) on Facebook. Some of my friends liked their page and by that time, I thought it was just a cute little online novelty shop where I could get quirky notepads and whatnot. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that they sold really nice Korean apparel for super affordable prices. They had dresses for as cheap as 250php and leggings that went for 120php! Obviously, I started to hoard as much as my budget allowed.

So far, these are the pieces that I got from LE:

1. Leggings

Like I said, their leggings were awesomely cheap so I made sure to grab a couple: one had damask print and the other, a really good imitation of F21's cross-printed leggings.

Werk

It

I was expecting them to be made of really thin material, but to my surprise, they were not flimsy and looked and felt durable, steals for 120php. Unfortunately, I think they ran out of stock for these, but there are still a lot of options left. I have these other leggings on my wishlist:

There is no room for Maybe. 

Because the Union Flag is not seen enough on items of clothing

They both go for 195php and I'm pretty sure they are worth every peso.

2. Dresses

I can spend an entire hour going through their dresses and deciding which ones I want to buy first because everything is so gorgeous! I bought a leopard print dress from them, but I haven't worn it yet because it looks so cute and sexy that I think I will reserve it for a date (hihi). Since I'm on a minimalist mindset these past couple of dates, I'm thinking about getting basic pieces that I can editorialize (nuxx), like these:

Bryony Dress: Dress this up with boots and a big funky necklace

Azalea dress: High-heeled pumps, ponytail: Boom!

I also have my eye on some of their more dressy items because seriously, where can you buy classy party dresses for under 400php?

Arisa Claire dress 295php: Looks best with strappy sandals and dainty jewelry for extra class

They also restock pretty often and the items change a lot, too, so you won't get bored looking at the same catalog and having limited options.

3. Shoes

I am IN LOVE with the buckled boots I bought from LE that I wear them almost every day. They give my outfits that needed punk edge every time.

Yes, I took posing lessons while I was away

And you would never guess how much they are: 495php. Yes. You read that right, no zero at the end.

So obviously, I've got my eye out on another awesome pair:

Milwaukee Rebel Boots 550php: LOOK AT THAT

I'm planning to get them soon because LE's shoes don't restock as often (as I have observed, but I'm not entirely sure). The boots I bought are no longer available on the site, after all. But let me give you a tip: If you like something, put it on your wishlist, so that even if it disappears from the catalog, you can still access it and probably request for a restock. Then again, it is also possible that the boots staying on my wishlist was a glitch, and fate just wanted to bring us together forever.

They also have nice flats and high-end-looking oxfords that don't go over 500php:

Latisha Street Oxfords: 450php. For real.

So if I were you, bookmark this website and start shopping NOW. Just not for boots. Coz those bitches are mine.


Next time on Fashion Réal: Zalora!

PS. Did I mention they pack in a small gift for every purchase? Awesomeness defined.

Virtual Divisoria

I found another amazing online shop for you. It's aptly named Virtual Divisoria and it has the fashion steals that you'd walk a mile for (without having to actually walk the literal mile). I've been browsing their Facebook account for days, not knowing they had an actual site. So consider me pleasantly surprised that this online fashion haven made the extra effort to present its products in a more organized and visually appealing way.

But I'm not here to critique the website, I'm here to present you my picks from this affordable but wide-ranged virtual store. I have actually picked out more than five because they have amazing stuff. So for this post, I've decided to center on dresses because they have a load of things I'd like to have. Here they are:

1.  Floral Tube Dress

What I like about this dress is it's feminine and sexy silhouette. You can easily dress this down with thong sandals or dress it up with high heels and some pearls.  It looks comfortable and confident without too much skin. It can also double as a summer dress, if you like. This dress comes in different colors and everything is available on the site. Price: P250.

2.  Color Block Dress

Color blocking is also in this season and this is a perfect fit for that trend.  This particular pattern is not too loud when it comes to colors, so if you're a bit hesitant at trying the fad out, you won't go wrong in this (especially if you have fair skin).  For those who like other combos, you can visit the site and I think they have a couple more you can choose from. It's clearly a steal at P350.

3. Printed Dress

The print is unique and it looks so light and comfortable to wear. Plus you can get it for P250.  The reason I like dresses like this is because they are versatile; a trait that I believe clothes should have.  You can wear it solo or with leggings/jeans. Add a belt, a necklace, whatever! You can have fun with this dress and make it go along with your taste.  And the print is abstract, meaning you can wear this 5 years from now and you'd still look chic.

4. Another Printed Dress

Price: P250. I chose this because of its Asian feel. It's exotic and makes me feel relaxed just by looking at it. Another thing to love is the looseness of this dress. Even if it best fits small to medium, you can easily hide lumps and bumps in this dress. I'd probably wear this to go on a buffet date.  I won't have to worry about eating my heart out and still looking cute at the same time. Yes, I'm shallow sometimes teehee. 

5. Floral Butterfly-sleeved Dress

I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS DRESS. Before, I hated anything with flowers on it, but as I grew up, I decided I didn't wanna look like a long lost relative of Courtney Love. So, like me, you should embrace the utter girlishness that is floral print. I am definitely digging the butterfly sleeve. It's light and airy, and the black piping sort of equalizes the pink blossom print of the dress. It's worth it for P280.  But if you don't like flowers too much, you can go for the circular print that's also in stock. It's also pretty awesome.

6. 60-ish Shift Dress

Last one. This is a pretty classy dress considering it's only P370. It's not stretchy, but it compensates by looking crisp and clean. I can imagine wearing this to an informal meeting. Some sensible pumps and a really nice shoulder bag, and I'm good to go. It looks "sosyal" without being too pretentious.  Some people might have issues with wearing white, but I think it depends on where you're wearing it to. If I were gonna go to the park, I'm obviously gonna ditch this. But if I'm going to stay at an airconditioned cafe, then I won't have to worry about stains (unless they're coffee stains, so just be extremely careful).

That's it for the dresses. Next up, their tops. Wait for the next post! :)

Vintage Thrift Shop

There are a lot of shops online that promise you quality clothes for an affordable price. Especially in Multiply. Being a Multiply shopper myself, I've looked at possibly hundreds of online stores and I've only been interested in a few. A lot of them were second-hand shops that promised reasonable pricing, but when is P350 reasonable for something that has been worn before? Don't get me wrong; I'm a fan of second-hand shops. However, you have to consider the fact that what they're selling may have signs of wear and if not, age. Therefore, you must be extremely picky with things that you buy from online second-hand stores.

At this point, you may ask me, "Why buy from online stores then? And why second-hand?" My answer: "Because there are no decent ukay-ukay stores near where I live, apart from the fact that I have never been fond of the thought of having an asthma attack while inside an  ukay store. And why the hell not?" Pre-loved clothes do not equal to unwashed, raggedy clothes from the 1920's. You'd be surprised at what you'd find if you're diligent enough.

Enter the Vintage Thrift Shop on Multiply. It's a newly opened site that releases a monthly collection of vintage clothing with prices that will surprise you. Here are my top three picks from their site:

1. The Boyfriend Shirt

See it on the site

The Boyfriend shirt/polo is a recent trend that has been going on for some time now.  It's casual but you can dress it up.  Although some people can look like a lazy bum in it, the right combination can make you look like this:

If you can't afford the jacket and the boots, choose a simple cropped blazer and heels.
It'll work just fine.

The good thing about the BF shirt is you don't have to worry about the size. It can fit you right to a tee, it can be overly large and long (like on this photo), it won't really matter. My advice would be to choose something bigger. You can pair it with tight leggings and a chunky belt. Or if you're not into belts, keep the leggings and choose bold accessories, like big earrings and thick bangles. The best part: it's only for P130.

2. Gray Dress

See it on the site

The first thing that I like about this dress is the price: P180.  If that's not enough to convince you to buy this dress, here are some other reasons: You can rock it with or without the belt. With the belt (like above), you don't even need to over accessorize. If you're going for classy and chic, wear big, round sunglasses, a string of fake pearls, heels, and you're done. Without the belt, it'll give you a more retro vibe. Hoop earrings, some black (or red, if you want to stand out) stockings, heeled Mary Janes, and you're good to go.

Mary Janes. I got my pair from B-Club for P400

Imagine that dress and this girl's legs. You will POP.

With the retro look, you can party it out with friends, or have a nice lunch out. Withe the belted look, you can use that trusty cropped black blazer, stick with the Mary Janes and voila! You have an office outfit. Ah. One dress, so many possibilities.

3. Floral Dress

Florals are in, just in case you haven't noticed. I wasn't exactly a fan when I was growing up (then, my go-to fashion statement was "anything black") because florals can be tricky since you can easily go over the dowdy line and look like your grandmother.  Fortunately, there are floral patterns and cuts that will look absolutely perfect. Such as this:

See it on the site

It doesn't come with the belt, but if it were also for sale, I'd buy it. That belted look is perfect. It's fun and flirty, but you can also make it dressy, if need be.  What I like about the color is that sharp red. In fact, anything with that kind of red will make the look more youthful.  Brightly colored florals would be the way to go if you don't want to look like a time-traveler. Another thing to love is that upward sleeve.  A simple, straight-up sleeveless cut would have made the dress look boring, but the sleeve in this case brings the needed flair to make this a steal for P180. If you've got great, fair legs, this dress would make you look even fairer. Pair it with dramatic red lipstick (easy on the blush-on and eyeshadow, though, don't want you to look like a clown) and open-toed sandals like this:

Or this:

And your outfit is complete. :)

If you'd like to see more, just click on the links on the pictures (I know you're too lazy to backtrack so here you go: http://vintagethriftshop.multiply.com/) and shop away! You have to hurry, though, coz a lot of the items are already gone. But don't fret if you'r pick is taken. Get an account on Multiply and add them as a business contact to get updated on their newest collections.

I'll be scouring the net for more finds and so should you! If you know of a great shop (online or otherwise), drop me a line so we can all go see it for ourselves.

Sale-Crazy

SM Fairview had a 3-day sale that ended yesterday and I almost shit myself when I found out that Mint was going all out. Imagine, P300 for a really nice dress? Sadly, I was not able to buy one because I'm currently part-time job-hunting and have shopped too much this month. And I have no regrets. Why? Because I'm pretty sure they're going to have another sale again.

The thing is, guys, you should not forget about your budget just because there's a sale.  In our malls, sales don't happen four times a year. They happen every time shops have broken sizes and/or have apparel that nobody buys.  My dad is in the garments industry and I have learned a lot from him. He told me that you don't necessarily save when there's a sale. What shops do is that they slash the price off some shirt or dress that's overpriced to begin with (sometimes by 200%) when people don't seem to think it's worth the money they're asking for. It's like haggling at Divisoria, only you don't get a say in it. Shops dictate the price; you buy it if you think the deal's good. The trick is spotting clothes that you think you can't get anywhere else.

First thing to consider is if you're buying stuff for long-term use or just as something to add to your wardrobe. If you're the type of person who wears something until it literally falls off of you, I suggest you steer clear of sales in general. Good material and good design don't come cheap. It might never will. But if you're willing to compromise, let's say you're more of the design type and you don't mind having a dress that would probably last you several months, then join the fun. In fact, if you're the hoarder type (like me), sales are probably for the best. In my case, I probably have worn my tops and dresses an average of 3 to 5 times, so even if the material is not built to last, I don't have to worry because it won't go through the wash often. That and I have an awesome laundrywoman (Hi, Mom, I love you!).

So let's say you share the same sentiment. What do you look for in a sale? Look for the classics. If the only reason you're buying something now is because you're scared they would not sell it next week or next month, then don't bother. Fads are just that; once nobody wears it anymore, the next time you see it in your closet, you're probably going to be wishing you spent the money on something else.

Exhibit A: The Camouflage Capri Disaster of the Early 2000s

Choose wisely. Don't just start picking everything from the rack just because of that orange tag. The very first thing that you should ask yourself is "Will this look good on me?" not "Is this in?" Second thing you should ask is "Where will I wear this?" Because it won't matter if that gorgeous strapless red number is something you think you can't live without. If you don't even go out to events that are appropriate for it, then make sure you have enough room for it in your closet, because it will stay there. For a long, long time. And seriously, there is nothing as tragic as a pretty dress unworn. Well, okay, there's war and famine, but I digress.

Lesson for the day: Do not give in. Prepare for next time.

Me
Outfit Breakdown:
Rayban-ish sunglases - P299
Blazer (I forgot where I bought it) - P700
Jewels dress - P350
B-Club boots - P700 (50% off, bitchez)

Yeah, I know, I should learn how to pose.

Short Shorts: Rules of Thumb

Short shorts are a great way to show off and cool off.  Everyone's been sporting it lately. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. Needless to say, I have seen things that I should not have seen in a million years.  So for those who have the penchant for wearing these ultrasexy bottoms, here are some simple do's and don't's to avoid any unsightly incidents:

1. Short shorts are an asset for short girls because they show quite a bit of thigh, thereby giving the illusion of height. I'm pretty short myself and this is one reason why I love them hot pants. Just look at Hayden Panettiere:

Werk it

Even though her lower leg is pretty short, the presence of so much thigh makes it hardly noticeable.  So if you're of the same height, it means that you can go really short without looking like a hooker. The lack of height means too much leg still isn't too much. Then again, there's this:

Bringing us to our don't: Don't wear shorts that will show the underside of your buttocks. I don't think I need to explain this one.

Unless you really wanna show it. And you're Megan Fox.

2. Tall people can wear short shorts, too.  Models look good in it (moot point; they look good in everything), and it highlights what short people don't have: height. Legs that go on forever? You can achieve them with short shorts.  Now the thing here is since you are tall, you will also have the problem that short people won't have: too much leg.  In the States, people won't care. But in the Philippines, believe me, they would.  Rule of thumb: If you're extremely tall, don't go extremely short.  The safest length is a little less than half of your thigh.

Hoe Couture

This is how you do it

Going longer won't deduct sexy points, either. As shown here:

It's classy and chic, and it will get you the attention that you want (and it's definitely not from rapists).

3. Then there is the matter of "width", also known as the amount of meat your legs have. We have the super skinny, skinny, just right, curvy, and um, curvier. Skinny and just right-legged girls won't have a lot of problems with the type of shorts that they want to wear. But for super skinny and curvy girls, they might have to do a bit of picking.

A lot of super skinny girls make the mistake of choosing supposedly figure-hugging short shorts. The thing is, there is no figure to hug, leaving us with what I call the "chopsticks" look.

No.

It's not sexy. In fact, it looks slightly anorexic (and if you're thinking that there's nothing wrong with anorexic, then there's something wrong with you). If you'd like to insist on wearing hot pants though, you should probably look for those that would give you more mass in the hip and upper thigh area.  Try shorts with the out-pockets, like this:

I bought this at Robinson's Novaliches - P50

I am in no way a super skinny girl, so when I wear these, they make me look like I've gained 3 pounds. They're a bit too suffocating for me because of my meaty legs, so it would work just right on those that need a little oomph. Additional rule: it goes without saying that you should try the shorts on before you buy them. Do not be fooled by the sizes stamped on them. Remember, all shorts aren't cut from the same pattern.

For curvy girls on the other hand, how short shorts fit you would be a matter of how curvy you are. There are muffin tops and cellulite (everybody has cellulite; it's just a matter of hiding them) to think of. 

I don't suppose you were aiming for this.

 Regularly, I'd advise high-waisted bottoms for tummy flab, just to cinch it all in, as long as you're ready to compromise the length.

Not bad.

This would automatically get rid of prominent problem areas and would avoid this:

Simply put, you have to know your body and make the garment fit you and not the other way around. That way, you get to wear what you want without sacrificing how you feel about yourself.