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Cakes and Styles

#TrioThursday: Wicker

I’d like to think the world has finally reached its peak French Girl obsession with these bags of the moment. Straw, wicker, raffia – woven bags are officially everywhere! And they’re not just styled by the beach, you see! Have you seen a style influencer carry it with her winter wardrobe last season? Do you think they match? Probably not. But does it look cool? Hands down, yeah! :D

If you’re into anything vintage, by now you’d know that this is actually a seasonally-backward trend. French actress Jane Birkin was probably the inspiration for living this 24/7 fishing basket life. She styled it with everything (even with a cocktail dress at Cannes Film Festival mind you!). And I intend to do the same with my recently acquired basket bag from Mango. It has its advantages.

Everywhere I went, strangers from all walks of life, from the sales girl at the grocery, random people in the gym to the hotel receptionist in Jakarta, went out of their way to praise my basket bag. I honestly think it’s one of the reasons why those little girls donned in white telekung solat took a photo of me (as though I’m a celebrity lol) while passing through a mosque in Jakarta. Hehe.  

It’s that one bag I couldn’t pack away with my floppy or wide-brim hats as they go so well together as proven by the three looks below. Oh, and a floral dress. And you’re about to see more of it in my summer escapades. :D

Dress: Zaful (see here); Bag/ Hat/ Sandals: Mango

Dress: Rosegal (see post here); Bag/Hat: Mango

Dress/ Bag/ Hat: Mango

It's Gonna Be May

Apologies if you're too tired of this April 30th meme but I just couldn't help it. April was such a traumatic month for me. There were just too many losses (friendships, financial loss and so much more) that still hurts to talk about as of this moment. Oh boy, I'm just glad they're all over. 

A few things to look forward to this month though: (1) A secret project. *wink* (2) Also, excited for my Mexican friend Luis from the US to finally visit in the second week and show him the islands. :) Yep, that means swim season has finally started for me. HAHAHA!!! I will be back in Cebu (see my last visit here) and check out some new places hopefully. No more simply poolside pics just like below but there'll be actual white sands in my feet and a whole new set of content featuring of course summer wardrobe from my clothing partners. I'm not excited, YOU ARE!!! So Bye, bye, bye, April! It's gonna be May! Lol!

#TrioThursday: Sleeveless Trench

One of the transitional piece that always comes about during spring is the classic trench coat. Us here at Cakes and Styles will always be a proponent of this piece - especially the one in camel. See this post for reference. It's functional and can multi-task, taking from you from day to evening. But what about it's cousin - the sleeveless one? 

Well, as proven in three looks below for today's hashtag, the sleeveless option also offers the same versatility and polished effect but is so much better considering our weather here. Pair it with jumpsuit, floral pants or a printed dress..the possibility is endless. I'm pretty sure that this is just the first installment of this series. 

Zaful/ Rosegal Wishlist

Ready, Set, Summer!!! Though I know I've already blogged about the heat in this post sometime ago, it's still not really summer for me until I have my "solid" beach plans! But with a friend visiting from the US coming in a few weeks from now, guess who's now ready to take on some new local destinations? ;) Thankfully, Rosegal and Zaful are there to help me get ready for the beach!!! Yay!!! Here below is my summer wishlist. Love 'em? Click the links below. :)

Zaful:

Gingham Cami Dress

Tied Bowknot Cropped Blouse

Heart-Shaped Sunglasses

Rosegal:

Yellow Two Piece Bikini

Woven Shoulder Messenger Bag

Sunscreen Hat

P.S. Use promo codes Zafulblog and Rosegalblog to get additional discounts. Hurry, they're on free shipping today! Happy shopping! :)

Style Inspo: Em Rata

Quick. Spring cleaning is approaching. You can use your knee high boots for a few more times. How do you wear ‘em? :P

Luckily, Emily Ratajkowski, queen of sultry sensibilities, has plenty of outfit inspo for us. The newly married model is actually not a fan of dressing her OTKs (over the knees, fyi) over skinny jeans as many would do. And it’s one of the reasons why her style is always on my radar.

In an interview with Vogue, she opened up about her styling trick: wearing boots with dresses. “I’ve started to think it’s easier than styling them with denim or pants because you don’t have to worry about lengthening your leg,” she told Vogue. LBDs or flared skirt? Here’s how I copied two of her OTK looks. Click this and this for her two looks or scroll down to jump break below.

Countryside Inspo

It all started with the desire to visit Provence while in Paris during my trip last year to see the lavender fields. Unfortunately, they’d be gone a month long before my scheduled visit so I could only look up some inspirational photos online. And that’s when I discovered Ann Street Studio’s sunflower field photo. The thing is, it’s hard not to like just one photo of her and not follow her. You’ll see what I mean when you click her profile here. Yes, you’re welcome.

Jamie Beck of Ann Street Studio is a photographer extraordinaire who left her life in Manhattan and is now living in Provence documenting her daily life through photos. Try not to be dare I say, obsessed, with her multiple self-portrait series (she even documents her photoshop skills in stories!) or the meticulously thought out idea behind her still lives. She’s one of those pure creatives in the world of Instagram that’s truly inspiring.

She’s like a Belle in the countryside, popping to her favorite bakery in the morning, exploring the beautiful corners of Provence and cooking her own healthy meal in the evening. I want to be this Belle too, making my own self-portraits in the French countryside, but since moving to Provence is currently not an option for me, I just copied what I could of her lifestyle in South of France when I was in Nueva Ecija last week.

Top: H&M; Skirt: Zara

#TrioThursday: Florals Lately

Don't get me wrong. Floral will always be "in" for spring/ summer but I don't know. Lately, they just feel blah to me. Recently, I'm more into polka dots and plaid/ gingham prints. Which is also not bad patterns/ trends to invest in because of their timeless appeal as well. So I'll keep this post short and present to you my recent floral numbers for today's hashtag. Enjoy :)

Farm Life Ed

Nueva Ecija, a landlocked province in the Great Plains of Luzon, is also known for many names such as rice granary of the Philippines, Tricycle capital or even Longganisa capital (??? Okay, I've yet to confirm this soon) as revealed by quick Google search. But for me, it will always be our second special home up north because of my Aunt and Uncle's lovely farm in the province's capital - Cabanatuan. 

We just spent an extended stay for an extra long holiday and it just occurred to me that a farm life editorial would be a good idea. You know, just for a quick scene change. Haha. So without further ado, let me present to you how I'd do a "Mary had a little lamb" theme in my gingham set. Uhmm, Cassey had more than just one lamb though... :P

Dress set; Zara; Top: Zaful

On Defining Your Personal Style

When I was doing my best 17 of 2017 year-ender post last December, I must admit at first I suffered from choice overload. Let's say there were about more than a hundred #ootds to choose from. So glad I get to have an additional one for this year, lol. But kidding aside, what helped me narrow it down is defining what best describes my personal style. 

Personal style as one editor put it is your signature 'vibe'. For other people, it's very transparent (shirt and denim type for example) while for some like yours truly it's still not very black-and-white. What I'm certain is that I love re-styling pieces and that up until now I still succumb to trends. Ugh. Yep, been style blogging for years now and I'm still not sure if I've figured it out.

One of the tips from this article to help pinpoint your personal style is to identify the repeat offenders. It says there's a reason why a certain type of clothing abounds in your closet. Well, I have a lot of maxi dresses and long skirts but one of the things that stood out from my outfits last year? This black tutu skirt. I wore it to the streets, brought in Paris and heck even styled it at the beach! 

So, if I were to again use this tip from this article and use three words to describe my style? I will use the adjectives for a tutu skirt. They're ladylike, elegant and dramatic. Oh well, dramatic isn't really a personal style per se but I'll keep it for the meantime. ;) Now tell me what's yours. :)