Breakfast Joints: SV

If you learned about the reason why I’m doing breakfast joints in my very first post here, then I regret to say that it's just half the truth. :P So, allow me to tell you a story about my SV discovery.

It all started one Monday night while I was waiting for my late yoga class at 830 and I decided to walk around the workplace doing location scouting for shoots. It’s been months since we moved to the other side of Ayala in a temporary workspace and I haven’t familiarized myself yet well with our area. Well, to be honest with Makati city in general. Somebody made me realize this cold hard truth when I ran out of dining suggestions on a date.  Oh please don’t give me that look. Yup, it all started with this guy. Ugh. *facepalm*

As a foreign guy living in another country, of course he has to know his city.** And with friends who are quite the foodie type, then I think it was a mistake to date him. Lol. He used to come here twice a month for work and always always relied on me for post work dinners. To be honest, I kinda like it when the guy is in control but in this case, he’s in my city and I guess I should be the one in charge (?!?!)

So that night along with Toby’s Estate discovery and all its neighboring restaurants, I could only be too happy to discover this village. I was like, so this is Salcedo Village!!! I knew he’d like it as he isn’t a fan of dining at the malls. I had no plans of stopping by then but Toby’s Estate is just so inviting that I had to stay and order something non-caffeinated. In between sips of my beverage, I eagerly report ed to him about our new hang-out place on his next visit. He was indeed pleased with the area in general.

Fast-forward to the present with two more follow-up breakfast joints report here and here, I’m still not claiming that by now I’m already an expert in Makati but Salcedo Village has become one of my favorite hang-outs for breakfast, work breaks or even dinner. It’s just geographically behind the office so what’s not to love? And every now and then, it delights me to see 3^rd wave coffee joints, restaurants or gyms opening up in this area. The most recent one would have to be Cartel as seen below.

As for the guy? He never really liked coffee (seriously, why did I even date him? Lol). We are friends. (Hmmpp, showbiz. Haha!) Okay, just a funny story. During that entire period of dating him, I also happened to discover a Dutch restaurant somewhere here since he badly craves for home dishes and they’re not available in the country where he is living now. One morning, we decided to meet there for breakfast and a few minutes before we arrive, I called up the restaurant to find out that it is closing ON THE VERY SAME DAY. Wow. I guess it’s one of those “signs” that it’s simply not meant to be. (Observe observe din ng signs kasi para hindi nahu-hurt, Cakes. Lol!) And that is the reason why, he may be gone already but my love affair for coffee and breakfast joints continues. :P

Toby's Estate

 

Dress: Unbranded; Belt: Topshop; Shoes: Mango

Cartel

Vest/ Belt: Mango; Dress: Dorothy Perkins; Shoes: CMG

Your 5 Essential Jackets

Now officially into our second -BER month, we expect a "little" chill in our weather and we're excited to showcase our layering styles again. Now in here, I discussed the appropriate footwear for the upcoming rainy/ fall season but for this post we're talking about jackets. Sure, bomber jackets (this one here is a cutie) is a trend these days with avid fans like Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner but I'm here to discuss the very basic of jackets that you must own. Reference post here.

Jacket: Mango; Scarf/ Shoes: H&M; Skirt: Forever21

1. Blazer Jacket. I'll start from the very basic in an office setting and we're talking about blazers. Sure, I do have the black one but it's become so boring that I do recommend a red one in the workplace. Red connotes power and attention. Go get a red one. :P

Blazer/ Dress: Mango; Shoes: Zara

Blazer: Mango; Top: Zara; Skirt: Forever21; Shoes: H&M
Shop my reco blazer here

2. Trench Jacket. It's sleek and classic silhouette elevated it to a worldwide icon and we have Burberry to thank for that. Camel and beige would have to be the best color for this.

Jacket: Unbranded; Dress: Mango; Shoes: Zara

Shop my reco trench jacket here.

3. Denim Jacket. As versatile as it's bottom counterpart, a denim jacket becomes basic in the sense that it can almost be paired with anything. 

Denim jacket: Mango; Top: Forever21; Shoes: Keds; Bag: Balenciaga
Shop my reco denim jacket here or here.

4. Moto Jacket. Because cool chic needs to toughen up their look sometimes. :P And they should rock it like a boss! 

Leather jacket: Topshop; Shirt/ Belt: Mango; Pants: H&M

Shop my reco moto jacket here.

5. A Statement Jacket. I do get it, that duster leopard coat that I can just easily throw over my LBD for drama? Yes, I want that too. But while I'm still waiting for a good chance to purchase it (aka a super mega sale item, haha!), I will recommend a printed blazer in nautical theme. You'll get more wear in this since nautical look is trendy since forever. :P

Blazer: H&M; Top/ Jumpsuit: Topshop; Sunnies: Mango; Bag: Balenciaga

Shop my reco statement jacket here.

Straw

It’s officially the end of summer in the US and that means a wardrobe transition for my favorite bloggers in New York. While I can only be too happy seeing them in their layering pieces (hello coats and boots!), I will still miss seeing inspo for some summer accessories that let’s admit it are still applicable over here at the south east side of the globe. :D Yes, I’m all about more mileage of things. :P

So for this particular post, I’m going to feature this topper that made it big in the last season – straw hats. A quick look at how I styled them in the past revealed one common factor – they look good paired with off-shoulder tops. Oh, did I just bring up the off-shoulder silhouette again? Hahaha. It's as if I haven't talked about here, here and here. :P Let’s see, how it will play out in the chill season. For now, enjoy my compilation below.

Dress: Warehouse; Skirt: Bugis in Singapore; Shoes: Zalora; Hat: H&M

Scarf/ Hat: H&M; Top: Zara; Denim Dress: Mango; Shoes: Topshop

Hat/ Bag: H&M; Top/ Skirt: Zalora; Shoes: Mango

During the Cebu trip, to get more wears of the hat and of course to avoid stuffing it in the luggage, it's a must that it should already be part of the departure OOTDs. :P And since I didn't have a chance to blog about our pre-flight dinings, I'm posting it here instead. Hehe. This one's below taken at La Vie Parisienne, one of the beautiful French restaus here at Makati.

Hat/ Top/ Skirt/ Scarf: H&M; Shoes: Zalora

Going back to Manila, we included in our itinerary to check out this restau in Cebu City called Circa 1900 - it used to be an ancestral house that is again, worth checking when in Cebu. :)

Hat: H&M; Top: Topshop; Skirt: Unbranded; Shoes: Zalora

One and Done (Back in KL)

I don't know but recently aside from thinking of a theme for business trips (here. here and here), I find myself reaching for my reliable jumpsuits on these occasions. Their "one and done" quality makes planning easier plus you'll always look put-together in them. Don't believe me? Let the gallery below speak. :P

Day 1. If you've been following my daily looks at IG (cassey_cakes btw *wink*), you'd know how many ways I've styled this gray jumpsuit I got from a night market in Taipei. Most of them by layering something underneath so it's a first for this to be worn with a blazer. Style tip: A blazer or a smart jacket is almost always necessary for wearing a jumpsuit in the workplace. Choose a shade that is complementary. In this case, I chose red because I need to feel empowered in my presentation. :P

Blazer: Mango; Shoes: Zara; Sunnies/ Jumpsuit: Unbranded

Day 2: I've always felt I needed something in olive and I never thought the opportunity will present itself to me when I found this number from the kids' section of H&M. It's on sale guys and the second to the biggest size available for the kids fit me. IT FITS! Don't you know how happy that makes me? Lol!

The front-zipper details, drawstring waist and cropped effect. What's not to love in this trendy piece?! Already excited about the many ways I could style this! So watch out for it. :) But to make it a little appropriate for the workplace, I added an oversized vest. This color looks good with leopard prints as my accessory here, agree?

Jumpsuit: H&M (Kids); Vest/ Bag/ Belt: Mango; Shoes: CMG

Jumpsuits are good and refreshing alternatives to dresses or the usual blouse/ skirt look at work. And with a lot of options out there, I'm pretty sure that you'll find something that would work on you. ;)

Birthday Leave

Apologies for the utter lack of posts last week. It was a very busy week indeed with a few days spent at Kuala Lumpur for a business trip (which I will post soon) and spending a "happy fiesta day" (lol!) at The Farm, a wellness resort in Lipa, Batangas. :)

It was indeed a perfect place for appreciating the body as it gets a year older (lol!) by treating it to vegan food, relaxing scenery and healing activities (yoga/  massage). Of course, it never hurt to do some photoshoot as well. :P

I don't have a big message as I turn 3x. Haha! If there's just one thing I realized from the birthday messages I got, it's how others perceive me as an inspiration of how a single woman should live her life. As someone put it, the single woman who has her sh*t together. "Inspiration and peg" are such big words and it's hard to live up to it. But I'll try to do my best. Lels. 

Hat/ Shoes: H&M; Dress: Zalora; Bag: Dorothy Perkins

Hat: H&M; Dress: Sammydress; Shoes: Rubi; Sunnies: Mango

Swimwear: Shapes & Curves

Off-Shoulders for Fall

In this post, I sort of hoped that off-shoulder tops will elevate its status from #1 trend of summer to a wardrobe staple. My simple basis for this is the emergence of the silhouette in different fabrics that's simply appropriate for weather transition. One particular trend with the same history was the matching coords that is still seen in some bloggers today.

So, if you're like me who's a BIG fan and wouldn't stop baring shoulders (lol!), simply swap cotton and linen iterations and opt for longer sleeves to offset exposed shoulders come fall and winter season. Proof? Look at trendsetter Bella Hadid's style here. Of course you can always update your shoe game to make it weather-appropriate too. Her outfit kind of actually reminds me of this dress from Mango I got for half the price during the midyear sale. Guess I can swap ankle boots in here come -BER months where we are exactly now. Hello, September my favorite month!

I think it's safe to predict now that off-shoulders are now a wardrobe staple. And if ever I am wrong about my prediction, then I guess I can just be thankful that we don't have fall/ winter here in PH and I can safely wear my collection of this top anytime. *grins*