Neckline Du Jour

You know a trend has become a wardrobe essential when a year after you've blogged about it (as seen here), it is still going incredibly strong. I'm talking about the trend that emphasizes the shoulders as the new erogenous zone - the off-shoulder. And what's even better is that, different styles have emerged since then. Since its debut, the craze has evolved to different silhouettes, each of which is just as stylish as the others. 

So when I saw this post about the different types of off-shoulder, I couldn't help but reflect how far have I gotten in uhmm collecting the different styles, lol! But after a careful inspection of a year worth of personal styling, I realized that I have improvised a bit to comply with the other categories of this top as seen below. You can compare my list with the original post as seen here. ;)

Here are the different types of off-shoulder top for this summer season:

Straight Across. 

Top: Zalora; Pants: Dorothy Perkins; Hat: H&M; Bag: Balenciaga

Top: Zalora; Pants: Topshop; Shoes: Mango; Bag: Aldo

Asymmetric.

Dress: Warehouse; Skirt: Unbranded; Shoes: Bebe; Bag: Dorothy Perkins

Full Sleeves.

Top: Zara; Pants/ Shoes: H&M; Belt: Mango

Dress/ Shoes: Zara (also here); Skirt: Unbranded

MAKESHIFT SERIES

Subtle exposure. For this one, I tried to make an off-shoulder top by loosening up buttons of my brother's buttondown and pulling the collar lower at the back :P

Top: Topman; Skirt: Topshop; Shoes: Zalora

One shoulder. In here, I raised the other sleeve up to make a one-shoulder effect. 

Top: Unbranded; Pants: The Ramp; Belt/ Shoes: Mango

Cold shoulder. To make the cold shoulder effect, I layered an off-shoulder crop top in my LBD to produce that tiny skin display as seen in some styles recently.

Top: Topshop; Dress: Unbranded; Shoes: Miss Selfridge

Breakfast Joints II

Welcome to the breakfast joints series! If you're a new reader, you may read up on how this started here. But basically, it's just exploring what Makati has to offer for a semi-foodie like me. *grins*

Wildflour Cafe + Bakery. Okay. You'll often find me bringing my dates here. Lol. Not only it is so close to my workplace, the ambiance is very pleasant too. is very One time, I made him choose between The Wholesome Table (blogged here) or this and it was a good weather to be seated alfresco so he made this choice. I'm a bread lover so I really love that I can always get my cronut-craving satisfied. Dulce de Leche flavor, please? :P I also love spotting celebs here from time to time. Lol.

Top: Unbranded; Skirt: H&M; Shoes: Mango

Top: Zalora; Skirt: Topshop; Cardigan/ Shoes: Mango

Crepe Amelie at A Venue Mall has this rustic interiors that really looks inviting as seen outside through its glass panels. I'm not actually a fan of crepes for desserts but a breakfast crepe with eggs in it? Yeah you got my attention. Lol! I ordered the Crepe Madame and it's so surprisingly good and filling. I was so full again before work that day and as usual I burned it off by walking for 20 mins to my workplace. That's how bad the traffic situation is in Makati Avenue in the morning. But I will definitely be back here for the crepe cakes! It's intriguing from the other food blogger's posts. :P Let you know soon ;)

CaseStyles: White Wide-Leg Trousers

Whenever I think of the most appropriate bottoms to be used in the workplace in the trousers category, I couldn’t think of anything better than the wide-leg ones in plain colors. It’s so classic and simple and very flattering for my frame. When done right, it can elongate the legs, make a tiny waist, balance proportions, etc.

My favorite as of late which is perfect for summer/ spring is this high-waisted flowy ones which I’m making a case in today’s post.  Here’s how I styled them in three ways, particularly in white on white fashion:

Top/ Sandals: H&M; Trousers: Mango; Hat: Zara

Top: H&M; Clutch/Trousers: Mango; Shoes: CMG

Top: Zara; Trousers: Mango; Hat/ Sandals: H&M

Castaway (Burias Island)

I do hereby acknowledge (1) That my second to the last post is about Maldives and (2) That the next post after that is where I mentioned that it’s already the start of rainy season here but

Yeah, I went to the beach again last weekend. *grins*

This time it’s in the less known islands in the South namely, Alibijaban Island (a 15-min boat ride fronting the mainland of San Andres, Quezon Province) and if you have extra time you can tour the surrounding Burias Islands of Masbate (Tinalisayan, Sombrero and Animasola). My impression is that this place has been relatively under the radar which is good for me because I like quiet beaches (guess you can say I’m not a people person, lol!) but with its white sand beaches and crystal clear waters, something tells me that it's going to be crowded like Calaguas Island soon. :( All it takes is that one sensational social media post.

Alibijaban is known for its mangrove forest. We took a short boat ride to view them and swim in a supposedly sandbar but was on a high tide during that time. :-/ Everything is back to basics here (lack of electricity, water rationing, tent living etc.) which is all fine by me . :) This is also where I saw one of the most dramatic sunrise as seen below.

Tinalisayan Island. This island is a bit literally rough around the edges with its sharp rocks along the beach shore but it's a charming island too with an adjacent long sandbar, scenic hill and rock formations. Most of the shoots were done here mainly because it was the first stop in the second day. Haha!

Sombrero Island. This was my favorite actually. Apart from its Maldives vibes from afar, I really like this rock formation upon which this island was named after.

There are also some other islands that we visited where you could do a cliff jump (funny how it's just a common activity for me now :P), Snake Island (stopped by for quick group photo-ops) and Animasola Island (known for its rock formations but skipped because of location). So many islands to explore, the Philippines is truly worth visiting y'all. ;)

Collab

Aaah, this whole social media thing. It’s fascinating isn’t it? It’s a good platform to showcase your interests alright but to be noticed and be tapped as a talent is something even better. And something I never thought would happen to me.

While I was in Maldives, I received an email for a collaboration with a clothing brand in China. They wanted to send me dresses, shoot high quality photos with it and send it back to them (I get to keep the dresses! Yay!). I believe the images will be used for marketing purposes to their online shops. Yay!

What’s fun about this whole project is the challenge for me to make the looks my own given that normally these are not the clothing within my “comfort zone”. I’m actually chuffed about how I styled them so here are the five looks that we shot around Makati one fine Saturday. Oh and don’t even get me started about loving this city on a weekend! J

Look #1 The yellow print suit

Look #2 The chevron dress

Look #3 The Mint Lace Dress

Look #4 The Orange Maxi

Look #5 The studded jumpsuit

Best Summer Ever (Maldives 2016)

Summer is just about to end here in the Philippines while it is just starting in the other side of the world! As with other travel posts here, I wanted this Maldives post to be all about "how to have a stylish summer vacay" with this summer essentials list but since I got a lot of questions from my friends during the trip, I thought I should bring back my old travelogue-ing self and give additional details about my trip in the second half of this post. :P

Credit where it's due, I lifted below's list from a style authority website but I edited it to what I felt is most appropriate. Without further ado, your summer essentials:

• Off the shoulder top: because it is the IT body part of the summer season
• Cropped denim Denim cut-offs (for bikini coverups)
• Flat Slides Strappy sandals with block heels would do coz I don't have it. Yet. :P
• One-piece ( Or bodysuits. Aren't we glad it's back on trend? No need to have a perfect tummy :P)
• Straw Hat  (perfect prop to a sun-laden Instagram shot)
• Denim Miniskirt (Suede mini skirt would do)
• Floral Dress (of course, the print of the summer!)
• Sunglasses (instantly steps up your summer selfie game)
• Lightweight Duster (A sheer cover-up would do)
• Sneakers

Additional from Cassey:

• Mandala (oh you know those chic round towels that I haven't gotten so much mileage yet from its price, hahaha!)
• Floaty (the IT pool accessory of the season and they come in different yummy food item or animals too!!! <3)

Malé. Upon arrival, we stayed at the capital for a night and a half-day the next day that gave us a glimpse of the real Maldives. We did a quick tour the next day courtesy of our ever gracious hotel driver where we saw the president's palace, the fish market and the artificial beach. Malé's lifestyle is a stark contrast to what we saw in the succeeding days. Even at night, the city is bustling with its night market and to me it's a bit surprising that I didn't feel threatened at all while us girls were walking along the streets at almost midnight.

Maafushi Island. This is a small inhabited island in the south atoll about 1.5 hr away from Male and the place where we stayed at for four days. For a more authentic travel experience, I recommend to stay in local islands like this since it will also benefit the local community and not the uhmm wealthy resort owners. :P Maldivian islanders are very friendly and we got a chance to mingle with some of them in a party boat (apparently that's the only place where you can drink, haha!) and you will surely find delight in the laidback vibes and colors of this island. :)

However, what's a trip to Maldives without visiting the classy water bungalows and infinity pools where it is known for? One night I was perusing a book in the hotel and was just amazed at the number of resorts that's geographically dispersed  in this country. Day trip to some resorts can be easily arranged from different guest houses in the island using speedboat transfers. Our second day was immediately arranged at Adaaran Prestige in Vadoo Island. The day tours usually include mind-blowing buffet lunches or even cocktail drinks all you can and can be upgraded to all-inclusive packages.

While we were there, I got a lot of questions asking why go to Maldives when you have beautiful beaches in the Philippines? Of course, we have world-class beaches that is undeniable but we're here for a close-up feel of the luxury resorts and take my best summer selfie for life (however shallow that sounds, lol!) While it's true we have them somewhere in El Nido in Palawan but isn't it sad that they're somehow inaccessible to budget travelers like us? The point is, I don't want to get stuck for four nights where the honeymooners are. *major eye roll* I only want a preview of my future. Because, yes indeed I am claiming it. I am going back to this very country and spend my honeymoon in those water villas. Thaaaaaattt's the spirit, girl! HAHAHA! And this, my fellow single friends, is another reason why staying in inhabited islands is much much better. :P

Adaaran Prestige Resort (Vadoo Island):

Centara  Ras Fushi Resort and Spa:

Sandbank Excursion 

Other activities that most guest houses/ hotels arrange for tourists are island hopping (includes reef visits/ snorkeling and dolphin watching), manta/ shark ray points and water sports (scuba diving, parasailing, etc.)

We availed the island hopping on the second day and the sandbank excursion kind of reminded me about this 9gag article I saw a few weeks before my trip. The one I went to in Camiguin is definitely cleaner and I've seen better coral reefs in Batangas while scuba diving but I still enjoyed the snorkeling activity nonetheless especially that it's been a while since I last went scuba diving. Double shame on me for not trying it here as well but our arranged itinerary is what's best for me and my friends. :)

Speedboat Rides/ Transportation

Most of the transfers to the resorts/ islands are done via speedboats. But boy, if you're following me in my Snapchat, you should've seen how bumpy they can be. It's definitely not for the seasick. But this just also highlights another thing about Maldives that we don't have - an efficient island transport system. I've never been to El Nido but I know in my heart of hearts that the 5-hr ride from the airport is worth it. Our trips to the resorts took us 30 to 45 min max speedboat travel so it's very easy and convenient. Now THAT's luxury!!! They also depart exactly on time that one morning we had to re-book (and spend extra moolah, ouch!) because we were 10-mins late. *facepalm*

I'll be back for honeymoon, Maldives. Someday, Someday...