Snowtober

Hello, world! Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been very busy because of school work. This week was a crazy roller coaster. Let me fill you in on my latest adventures:

Monday:

Merchandising midterms. It was fine, I hope I did well. Went to the writing center after to get some feedback on the formal analysis I wrote about Matisse's painting La Japonaise: Woman Beside the Water.

I also started sending out my resume and applying for spring internships. I was so excited when I got an immediate response from the HR department of Alexander Wang, Inc. They asked me to drop by on Wednesday for an interview. Spent the whole night perfecting my 17th century dutch still-life painting for my color theory class while listening to A Rocket to the Moon, The Maine, and Never Shout Never.

Tuesday:

I was really scared about posting my project on the wall (like what we do every week) and hearing the critique, because I really doubted my painting. I thought it was too dark. Surprisingly, my professor thought it was nice. My critical reading and writing class went well too. We discussed jeans and how it's amazing that it's an article of clothing that can cut across social classes. After that I headed to the fashion building for  spring registration advising. Can you believe it? The semester is halfway done. I hope I'll be able to get the classes I want next sem. I really want to take the Public Relations class and the Fashion Show production class. 

Wednesday:

I woke up early to prepare for my interview. I dressed in all black, because I felt that it's so much like the company. I arrived at the showroom thirty minutes before my interview. As I stepped out of the elevator, I almost bumped into someone. When I looked up, it was Alexander Wang! I was really shocked. I smiled a little then went to the reception area. The showroom is amazing. I saw the interns do the inventory of the clothes. I wanna do that too! The clothes from the S/S 2012 collection were there and it was so beautiful in person. I think my interview went well. I hope I get the internship! I'll have to wait around two more weeks to see if I get called for a second interview. *crossing my fingers*

Went to school after. I got the results of my recent marketing exam. I am not happy about it. It's line of 8, but still... anyway I spent my night doing my paper weaving. I am so glad I now know how to do a hound's tooth pattern. It's not that hard. It's a simple 2-2 twill weave. The one the makes the pattern is the alternating colors of thread.

Thursday:

I spent the morning working on 5th Avenue Republic, my Fashion Industry Marketing project. I attended my textile class after and talked about the unique fabric I found. We had an exam, and when I was done, I just had a quick snack and worked on 5th Avenue Republic again. Can I just say, I hate that I sort of crammed this project, because the ideas came to me so late. But I did like what I came up with anyway.

Friday:

In Fashion Industry Marketing class, we each discussed our project. The idea was to take Banana Republic merchandise, rebrand it, and sell it on Saks Fifth Avenue. We had to create a brand name, specify our target market, figure out the  new price points, which floor we'll put the collection and beside which brands. It was fun! I did two brands with two different markets. The first one, I called it "Moneta" after the goddess of prosperity. It's a collection for urban professionals who love to dress for success. The second one is a denim brand which I called "Savage Heart". I positioned it as a competitor to brands like 7 for all mankind, J Brand, Citizens of Humanity, and True Religion. I wish my ideas came earlier so I could have expanded more and put more "meat" into my project. 

Anyway, after that I made my mood boards for fashion design class. We had a model in class again. Out of all the models we had in class, she was the one who had the really dynamic poses. 

Friday night is movie night, and I watched Puss in Boots! It's such a great movie. I love it. You should watch it!

Saturday:

Woke up late today, and when I did, it started snowing outside. Third time I experienced NYC snow! I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to do my homework for color theory. Yes, I commuted and braved the snow and the cold. I had to sketch patterns and symbols from any culture I want. I really love the terracotta pots of Greece. I love the intricate designs, so I picked that one. I also did some sketches from South American countries and Egypt. It's a really nice museum! Too bad New School students don't get in for free. 

Anyway, this was my outfit today. I just changed from these boots to rain boots. I'm always covered up nowadays. I miss living in the Philippines!

So, basically that's how my week went. I still have a lot to do for next week! Oh well, that's student life. I love it so much. 

XOXO

Art Gallery Escapades: Haim Steinbach

Haim Steinbach's art works are shelf arrangements. This particular show I went to is called "Creature". 

The shelf above has a sheriff, a bucket and a cone on it. What do they mean? I have no idea. The thing I learned about art is that in some works, you don't have to dig deep and find its meaning. Sometimes you have to just take it as it is. 

More photos after the jump.

Cold Light

I wore this last Thursday, when it was said that the weather would have a high of 70 degrees. I forgot to check how low the temperature would get. Oh well, like what I say, I have to get used to the cold weather here. 

Uniqlo top, Zara skirt, Forever 21 necklace, Marc by Marc Jacobs bag

I think the weather's rubbing off on me. Like, it's so cold out here, I'm turning cold too. Not just cold where I need to wear coats and stuff, but like, a cold attitude. Or maybe I'm just going through a really rough time.

Tory Burch flats

I love these so much. They go with almost anything!

Anyway, I wanted to share this because I feel like my make-up skills have improved!

What do you think?

So my class that day was textiles, and I had fun weaving. We had an actual loom in the classroom and I got to try to make a piece of cloth. We also did paper weaving. Kind of like grade school, but not really. We had to make a houndstooth pattern weave! Took me a few hours to figure out how to do it since we weren't given exact instructions.

I met up with my aunt after that and we went to the World Trade Memorial.

It's so big. I wonder where the falls end. I couldn't see the bottom of the middle square.

This is One World Trade Center. I like the building's architecture. 

The memorial has this really big park. It's really nice. Still not open to the public, though. 

Before we went home, we dropped by Zuccotti park to check out Occupy Wall Street.

There were a lot of people and they were dancing. It's different than the protests I used to see in UP.

That's it. Right now I'm stuck at home doing chores and a gazillion projects for school. I'm sad that I couldn't join my aunts today. They're going shopping at Woodbury Common, my favorite outlet store. Maybe it's a sign that I should not shop this weekend. Boo.

On the bright side, only nine more days before Halloween! Yay for candy and costumes!

P.S. My title is from a song by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs

I Love Rainy Days

I love rainy days. I get to wear my rain boots. Surprise people! I'm wearing pants. I know I'm not a pants person, but I couldn't resist UNIQLO's $9.90 jeans. They're awesome. I went to their global flagship store during the opening weekend. There were so many people! Also, it was so big that I didn't know where to go first. Anyway, I got the parka I wanted. It's so light, but it's really warm.

Uniqlo jeans and parka, Banana Republic scarf, Aldo rain boots, 168 umbrella

I went to a costume store after my class to get my Halloween costume. I'm so excited because I love wearing costumes and Halloween is one of my favorite days of the year! 

Here's a sneak peek:

Can you guess who I'm going to be?

New York Turned My Closet Black

I don't know if you've noticed, but I've been wearing a lot of all black outfits lately. I don't know why. I guess it's the season? 

Ann Taylor dress, Laila Rowe wrap sweater

I really love this wrap sweater my aunt gave me (I'm so lucky my aunts always give me clothes). It's so warm and I like how it's cut. The cowl neck on my dress was so pretty on its own that I didn't wear necklaces.

Aerosoles boots, H&M socks

My favorite boots. It goes with everything. 

Anyway, merchandising class was okay. I thought I was done with accounting after third year college, but no. Merchandising requires knowledge in cost and managerial accounting. Oh well, at least I get to deal with clothes. 

I went to fabric stores after my class to do my textile survey homework, which was to look for an unusual fabric and take note of its construction, fiber content, and where it's from. I visited Mood (finally, after years of watching Project Runway) and I found nice fabric but I couldn't get any data regarding their manufacture and content. I went to Paron Fabrics and found what I needed, and the icing on the cake is that it's 50% off. I like their store because all the details of the fabric are attached to the roll. 

School's keeping me really busy and I love it! Tomorrow, I shall hunt for the perfect halloween costume :)

Lacey Day

Midterms week is over! I've said this a thousand time before, and I'll say it again: Time flies by so fast. Two months left and the fall semester is over. Anyway, here's what I wore last Friday.

168 dress, Ann Taylor LOFT knitted cardigan, Lace scarf (gifted), Dollhouse boots

The weather was just right so I wore a dress with a cardigan and a light scarf. To balance my look, I wore combat boots.  (I wasn't able to take a photo outside because I got home late. Say hello to my messy shoe rack! I don't have enough shoes to fill them in yet, so I placed my hats and my books on the top layer.)

It's so dainty, right? I really love the lace work. It was given to me by my aunt, and she told me she got it from the streets of London.

So far, I believe I'm doing well in school. I have to do better in the second half of the semester.  My task now is to find a spring internship. Wish me luck! :)

Wishbone

It's leggings season! Well at least for me. Since it's cold, I can't wear my micro mini skirts. That's like 85% of my bottoms. Maybe I should buy trousers and more pants (I only have three pairs of denim jeans)... or I can just layer leggings with maxi skirts. I am so not a pants person.

H&M top, lace-print leggins, Dollhouse lace-up boots

Forever 21 bracelets, 168 ring

Marc Jacobs wishbone necklace

I love my donut bun

I knew I was going to have a busy day so I opted to wear something I could easily move in. I attended a talk about Mudpie, this really cool resource where I can get fashion, color, and trend forecasts as far as 2 years into the future. They also have editable flats, graphics, and prints, and a huge collection of photos downloadable in Adobe Illustrator format. It's perfect because I have this digital mood board project due in a few weeks. 

After that I had my textile class. I'm really glad my classmate Kayelle, who's also from the Philippines, shares the same vision with me. We both want to give back and create jobs back home. We both believe that we can do something to improve the economy and well-being of people using fashion. (Like try to get foreign companies to produce their goods there, or like improve the textile industry. I don't know if there are fiber manufacturing plants there. I envision our chemists creating new eco-friendly fibers and fabrics.) 

Anyway, after my class, I studied for my Fashion Industry Marketing midterms with my classmate Christine. Our study session finished early so I met up with Pia and we had a Uniqlo adventure. Then we had dinner and bubble tea at St. Marks. Finally, real milk tea! 

Anyway I have to go study some more because I'm GC and I don't like getting Asian Fs (aka A-) 

xoxo

Made for All

Here's a quick post while I'm on my study break.

This is what I wore today:

Zara pea coat, Topshop shirt dress, Uniqlo Heattech leggings, Aerosoles boots, Polka dot umbrella from 168 

Uniqlo's Heattech leggings are awesome! They're totally soft on the skin. It's light and sort of see through, but it's really warm. Perfect for the cold weather. I have to get more!

Since we're talking about Uniqlo, I'd like to share this with you:

Uniqlo's ads are all over Manhattan! I really like how they market the brand. They show photos of different people with their achievements, and finally tell what Uniqlo product they are wearing. I also like how they explain the technology behind their apparel. I absolutely love the "Made for All" tag line.

They're opening their global flagship store at 5th avenue on Friday. I wonder how big the retail space is going to be. It would probably be bigger than the SoHo store (which is like, three floors), so it's going to be really huge.

source

This is the next thing on my shopping list. I need this for winter! The nice thing about it is that it's very lightweight. You can even roll it into a pouch. The icing is that it comes in all colors of the rainbow! I'm still deciding if I want this white one or a hot pink one. Maybe I'll decide when I actually have the money to buy it.

xoxo

P.S. Uniqlo is coming to Manila next year. Are you excited?

Coney Island

Last Sunday, I had an amazing time at Coney Island. It was my first time to go there, and I was really excited since I've been hearing about it in movies and cartoons ever since I was a little girl.

I love rides :>

Mela and I in front of the Soaring Eagle. Too bad I wasn't able to ride it! It's not like other theme parks where you pay an entrance fee. All are pay-per-ride. It's expensive because most rides require 7 credits, and one credit is $1. Oh well, maybe next time.

What I did ride was Steeplechase. I kinda got scared because you had to hold on to the horse, and the only thing securing you to the ride is the backrest. It was fun though, even if it only lasted for a minute. 

With Dom, who took all the photos on this post. Thanks Dom!

Dom, Lia, Denise, Triszh, and Mela

The next ride we went to was the legendary "Cyclone". It was built in 1927 and is actually a National Historic Landmark.

Only Lia, Dom and I rode the rollercoaster. I was really excited because I love rollercoasters! I think the fact that it's made out of wood adds to the thrill factor.

Can you spot us? I really loved the sudden, steep drops. I felt like I was going to fall off or something.

After that, we went to the boardwalk. It was really nice beacause the weather was perfect. It's like a summer afternoon.

We grabbed some snacks, chilled at the beach, and watched the sun set. It was surreal, actually. It's a different side of New York. 

Isn't that lovely? This place is so beautiful I wanna go back and do a photo shoot! 

All photos are from Dominic Garcia.

Art Gallery Escapades: Roy Lichtenstein

One of the shows we went to during our fieldtrip that I really liked was Roy Lichtenstein's Entablatures.

An entablature is a horizontal molding on a building, a design element that originated in Greek architecture. 

See more of Roy Lichtenstein's work after the jump. 

Art Gallery Escapades: Matthew Barney

Another show we went to during our class fieldtrip was Matthew Barney's show "DJED", and it's at the Gladstone Gallery.

The show was mostly sculptures made out of metals like bronze, iron, copper, and lead. The inspiration for this, according to the press release I've read, is ancient Egypt and the progress of death and rebirth.

See more photos aftet the jump.

Art Gallery Escapades: Lisa Yuskavage

The second show we went to on our little field trip was Lisa Yuskavage. Her show is also at the David Zwirner Gallery.

"Triptych" caught my attention because I love the "3 parts to make a whole" thing that it has. I like that each painting can stand on its own, and that it tells the whole story once it's arranged together with the other ones. The colors are very vibrant, and they're very calming to look at (it might look different here, so check out the website to see the actual colors). 

The thing I find odd is that girl who's wearing a thong, rainbow socks, and eating a lollipop. What is she doing in the middle of the field? To the girl in the middle, Y U NO HAVE UNDERWEAR? If you look at the back, you'll see the contrast with the women who are fully clothed.

See more of her paintings after the jump.

Round and Round

Today, I decided to wear my white coat because I haven't worn it since I bought it. I got it from Cotton On last May during my trip to Hong Kong. The funny thing is that after buying the coat, I saw a video of Selena Gomez wearing something like it (though it's probably much more expensive). I had this idea to try to recreate it in the photo above. What do you think?

  (I got her photo from here.)

Anyway, here's what I wore to school today. 

The cold weather is really here, so coats are a must.

Cotton On coat, Leg Love by Kate Torralba lace stockings, Aerosoles boots

Why did I wear lace leggings? I don't know. I just felt like wearing them. The thing I like about New York is I can pretty much get away with anything I wear -- nobody really cares. 

Marc by Marc Jacobs tote bag

I got myself a present yesterday. I've been saving up for this for the past month. My Longchamp bag needs to retire already. I've been using it like, everyday for over a year. What I love about this bag is it can carry my textbooks and my snacks and all my other school stuff. I can also put my tumbler on the side pocket. Teehee :> My next target is a small leather sling bag. 

xoxo