Accessorizing Your Off-the-Shoulder Top

Up until now, the debate is still on whether this summer's biggest trend - the off-the-shoulder top is work-appropriate. But sometimes when it's simply hot out especially before it rains, the issue becomes a moot point. Luckily for me, my work environment allows for some laid-back/ casual setting and we don't have an HR staff to actually point fingers at me so I wear them on a regular basis (See my collection and classification here) :P But to actually tone down this shirt silhouette in a professional environment, I make sure to pair it with conservative bottoms like wide-leg trousers, midi skirts or high-waisted denims as seen in the gallery below.

But if ever you're workplace is not too conservative like mine, I found a very budget-friendly way to accessorize this cute top and I highly recommend that you try it too. Now, we all know how chokers were also big this summer and spring amirite? (You can also check how I improvised mine in this post. :P) This time, I had to hoard some paisley handkerchiefs from a department store and turn them into chokers. As seen in some international bloggers, I think this accessorizing tip makes for one elevated off-shoulder look. Choose a regular-sized hanky, triangle it and continue folding up to a 2-inch size. In the three cases below, I start from the throat, wrap it around and tie the ends infront. 

At this point, I will stop talking and let the images speak below. Like it? Sound off in the comments. :)

Top/ Hat: H&M; Bag: Balenciaga; Pants: Unbranded; Shoes: Rubi

Top/ Sandals: H&M; Skirt: Asos; Hat: Zara

Top: Zara; Pants: Mango; Belt: Dorothy Perkins

Improvised Chokers

 Trends do come and go. I always get this reminder when my Tita would often tell me “Nauso din yan dati” when she sees me sporting something that’s reminiscent of the trend in her glory days. Hehe. An old maid in her 60s, I can tell that she’s seen so much. So you can just understand the “ancient feels” I got when I saw this trend coming back from the 90’s – the choker.

Not that I was already fashion conscious then. But it’s one of those trends that you can easily participate as a kid because the cheap plastic tattoo ones are available at school and you can purchase even without asking your parents’ permission. :P I did a quick research about the history of chokers and it’s fascinating how it’s been on since the 1800s and used for different purposes. There’s no fixed identification for different eras though– it can go as low as a uniform prostitutes in the 1860s or an elite marker in the late 1800s.

In my interpretation, this trend is a continuation of the neck scarf trend that I posted here. And if it is anything affordable like that, of course you can always count me in. :P But what’s better is participating in the trend without me shelling out something from my wallet. How?

In the first look below, I actually used the cloth belt of my jumpsuit and wore it in my neck. Come to think of it, that’s the only time I used it since I always remove it from the suit itself. :P  In the second look though, I was actually using a black rubber headband.  There are so many resources to use to jump into the bandwagon without actually buying.  How would you improvise yours? J

Jumpsuit: Topshop; Belt/ Bag: Mango; Shoes: H&M

Vest/ Trousers/ Bag: Mango; Bustier: Topshop; Shoes: CMG

Blazer: Forever21; Top: Penshoppe; Pants: H&M; Shoes: Marks & Spencer

Top: Unbranded; Pants/ Bag/ Sunnies: Mango; Shoes: CMG

Fortune Island

This abandoned luxury resort in Batangas operated from 1995 to 2006 and I was thinking, clearly 10 years isn’t enough to destroy everything that was built in there isn’t it? According to Wikipedia, this posh resort that once catered to the rich people of the society used to have a salt-water swimming pool, clubhouse, cabana, basketball court, helipad, desalinator for freshwater consumption and a museum. But there’s nothing much basically in there when we arrived except for the Grecian pillars on top of the island overlooking the waters – the main selling point for different travel tour agencies.

Don’t get me wrong. I loved how the sand felt on my feet as soon as we landed in that 27-hectare property and even walked barefoot ‘til my feet couldn’t carry the scorching heat of the sand anymore but was instantly turned off with how dirty the used-to-be main lobby appeared. That’s where we’re supposed to camp out for a night unfortunately. :-/ The island doesn't have toilets provided because of fresh water unavailability (???) so you can just imagine the situation. And then suddenly for some reason, I got annoyed. I thought about how careless some people can go just to earn money, to post pictures past caring about their environment. It didn’t help that there were innocent animals killed recently in the news just for some people to appear cool in their social profiles. If they can kill animals, they can be reckless with nature or the environment too right? There's seawater, why can't they use it to provide a decent toilet in the area? I' was generalizing but seriously, I don’t know what was wrong with me that time. Haha. Not that I needed a loo or something. Lol!

But I was able to shake it off after some time. Screw the crowded people at the "Acropolis" having their selfies taken, I was there to have a swell time with my co-workers for a mini teambuilding. And good time we all had. It was almost too fun that I burned my back with too much swimming, frolicking in the sand and cliffjumping. Woohoo! Lol! As a mini protest, I never had any of my selfies by the pillar (though in true Cassey fashion yes I did bring a “Grecian” look for the venue). But as an improvement from the last beach post, I took these pics in different locations in the island. Lol!

I may not know much but I think there's something more to the destruction (or lack of preservation thereof) of the resort than the lack of freshwater. I was also looking up for pictures of its old glory online but couldn't find one. Lastly, I do wish the caretakers would do their best to preserve the beauty and maintain cleanliness in the island. That's all. :)