It was criminal the way they didn't let you even try them on even if you weren't buying them.
-- Isobel Saint-Pierre (Referring to clothes or dresses), Fresh Off the Boat
Though shall not steal thy best friend's man.
--Vicenza Arambullo, Fresh Off the Boat
Remember the quote I shared the day before? Let me refresh your memory.
(1)I'm very serious about 'The Outfits.' I plan them days in advance, in my head, silently coordinating shirts and skirts, colors and fabrics, deciding whether to go with trends or classics, plain fronts or pleats. (2) But this Sunday, I had no clue. I just didn't know what to wear.
-- Vicenza Arambullo (Intro)
Finally, after a very long time, I will share my thoughts I pondered about a quote I have shared the day before. I'm glad that this is my second post this month for my 'Bookgasm' section. Yay! My mojo is back!
Anyhow, as you can see, I divided the quote in two parts because I will tackle both in this post and I will discuss the second line first.
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Have you ever felt that? Your closet is full but you feel like you have nothing to wear? This happens to me at times. Sometimes, I will see myself looking at my closet for thirty minutes or more and I can't seem to find the piece of clothing I need. Sometimes, it actually frustrates me. But my mom will always tell me that I have a lot of clothes to wear and I should go through them.
The problem was sometimes we tend to only see the pieces that are in front of us. We never go through beyond that. We were too familiar with the pieces we've worn lately that we can't seem to appreciate the older pieces. Admit it, sometimes we feel that these older pieces are outdated and we feel like burying them in the deepest part of our closets. We are scared to be labeled as 'Outfit Repeaters.'
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Now that I have pondered about this, I realized that there's nothing wrong in repeating old clothes. It's not a crime as long as you recreate an old piece and make it look new. Don't let the fashion police catch you wearing the same thing! I am a recreator of looks as well! I have been experimenting with old pieces that I have.
Here are some of my looks that I have recreated:
I was able to create these looks with the use of my imagination and of course, effective planning.
Like what Vicenza do, I also plan ahead on what I will wear whenever I go out, whenever there's an important event or special occasion that I have to attend to or just outfits for future use. Yes, I reserve looks in my mental file. It just pops in my mind at random times. And I mean RANDOM. Like whenever I am in the car or in the shower, or whenever I am just lying in my bed. That kind of randomness. If you follow me on Twitter, you will know how random I am.
I will be going to Palawan at the end of June but I am not panicking on what to wear. You want to know why? Because I have planned everything months ahead. I hate cramming my outfits because I always want to look my best. If you cram, you might end up looking sloppy and you might put pieces that will not compliment each other.
So here's what you have to do. Like I said effective planning is key. In order to do it, you need three things: imagination, creativity, and mixing & matching.
Explore your imagination.
First, think of an outfit you want to achieve or a look you have never created before. Do you want to stand out? To recreate a look your fashion icon have worn? Get the pieces you think you may use to create your icon's look. Use different accessories to up a notch the look or to create a variation. You don't need to have the exact same pieces as your inspiration has, to achieve that look. A similar item that can substitute the original will do.
Here's what I did when I was inspired by Isabelle Fuhrman's look. I have achieved the same look but you can see the difference. She was wearing floral shorts but I used a skirt in my version because I don't have one. She has a floral blazer on while I used a floral polo as a cover up. I actually substituted a lot of pieces to achieve Isabelle's look.
Be creative.
Create your own clothing items or accessories by doing a DIY. Bored of your old pants? Get a scissors. Cut it so you can have that edgy shorts we've all been seeing in the latest trends then add studs to have that rocker vibe. Get a shirt cut off the sleeves or the part. You can create fringes or cut-outs on the shirt. Experiment by dying clothes, ripping it off, etc. Even with accessories! I was actually inspired to do such projects by other blogs I read. Passion for Fashion and Vjuliet has the best DIYs you might want to try when it comes to accessories.
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Mix & Match!
Who says you always need to buy new clothes to achieve a new look? Think of certain pieces you have that you want to put together.
There are actually a lot of websites that may inspire you or even help you create outfits. These social platforms can help you in creating looks that may help you store them for future use or it can serve as your mood board or inspiration.
Don't forget the three tips I told you to recreate and plan an outfit!
Share your thoughts!
One thing about Filipinos--we love trends.
-- Vicenza Arambullo, Fresh Off the Boat
Divide and conquer was her preferred mode of operation during a big sale. She understood that speed was an important factor in successful outlet shop—grab first, check sizes later!
– Vicenza Arambullo (Referring to her mother), Fresh Off the Boat
As Fresh Off the Boat's Vicenza Arambullo said (a fictional character), I have the skin color of coconut cream.
She is a Filipina and she just migrated to the United States with her family. That is why the book is called Fresh Off the Boat. According to the Urban Dictionary, it is a degrading term for people not up to date on the culture meaning you still carry your sense of fashion from your country which clashes with the current countries cultures.
But that is not the point of this post. I just have to share a few details about the book so you would have an idea.
It's about our skin color.
I guess Melissa De La Cruz gave the perfect description that would really make Filipinos feel really good about our skin. I don't know this just struck me so well and made me feel better.
Admit it, once in your life, you also wanted that fair white skin our friends from other countries have. I actually felt that when I was younger and when I was in the puberty stage. I wanted to look perfect and we think that is really the standard of beauty.
But as I grew up, I learned to love my skin. I know I don't have that really coconut cream skin that Melissa said. But I experienced that before and it's not so bad. I even experienced "sun burnt tan" due to the sports I play and the dances I performed in an open field. Though I will not share a photo, it might be blackmail worthy just because I was a late-bloomer.
I just want to share some Filipinas that embraces their true color and they are very beautiful at that.
Shay Mitchell also known as Emily Fields of Pretty Little Liars
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Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls
Ms. Tweetie De Leon
Ms. Angel Aquino
Danica Magpantay (Ford Supermodel)
Vanessa Hudgens
They are all so gorgeous, don't you think?
Makes me want to shout, "Yes, I have coconut cream skin and proud of it!"
I can't resist posting this photo of myself. I love the tan I had here on my legs. And you will definitely see this on a future post.
People in every color are beautiful!
Embrace your skin!
I have the skin color of coconut cream.
-- Vicenza Arambullo, Fresh Off the Boat
Fresh Off the Boat by Melissa De La Cruz
(Started: July 18, 2010; Finished: July 19, 2010)
Summary/Description:
Source: Purchased at National Bookstore Bestsellers
Shelf: Goodreads, Shelfari
Dear Peaches,
America is perfect! I love it here. I wish you could come visit—we could go shopping on Market Street and you could meet all my new friends. And my new boyfriend. He looks exactly like Tobey Maguire (from Spider-Man, not Seabiscuit). We’ll be the hottest couple at the Soirée!
I miss you!! xxxooo,V.
Okay, so Vicenza isn’t being totally honest with Peaches, her best friend back in Manila. But what fun is it being the new girl at snooty Grosvernor High? Or rooting through the Salvation Army for unholey cashmere sweaters? Or having culture-shocked, embarrassingly clueless parents? Maybe being Claude Caligari’s ignored geometry partner is sort of fun, but Vicenza would rather be his girlfriend ... or at least his date to the annual fancy-schmancy Soirée d’Hiver. Instead, she’s stuck going with scrawny family friend Freddie in an outlet-purchased, coupon-reduced dress that is nothing short of disaster!
Review: 3 starsBut Vicenza won’t be friendless, fashionless, or “fresh off the boat” for long—it’s only a matter of time before she sees what’s right before her eyes, and her luck begins to change.
Source: Purchased at National Bookstore Bestsellers
Shelf: Goodreads, Shelfari
I liked how the author put a Filipino twist in this book. I can somehow relate to it. It was an "okay" read. Nothing more. It sort of left me hanging. It did not really satisfy my reading expectation. But like I said, it was okay.
Still, it makes me PROUD to be a FILIPINO!
Sound snippet:
Fresh Off the Boat by Nelly Furtado
I'm fresh off the boat
fresh off the boat
fresh off the boat
fresh off the boat
Stranger in a Strange Land by U2
And I wish you were here
And I wish you were here
Stranger, a stranger in a strange land
He looked at me like I was the one who should run
Tayo'y Mga Pinoy by Francis Magalona
Tayo’y mga Pinoy, tayo’y hindi Kano
Wag kang mahihiya kung ang ilong mo ay pango
For the quotes I got from the book, please visit my Tumblr:
Happy Reading Everyone!
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