Stark + link love

Quick primary-color themed outfit post for today!

I love the clean lines and simple color palate of this outfit, but the other photos show me as having the most unfortunate limp and lifeless helmet hair! This was the best of the bunch, so up it goes twice. Wearing: Forever 21 blouse and brogues, black vest from Magarbo and red trousers from Market Market's Fashion Market.

(Gossipy tip: everyone's abuzz about that new SM Aura opening at Bonifacio Global City -- with Sarah Jessica Parker gracing the event, kabog!, and word on the street is that Market Market will be "upgrading" to compete with its saucey-sosi neighbor. I hope not, because if the tiangges go, where will I get my affordable fashion fix?!)

Links to love
Anyway, it's performance evaluation time at the office so I'm crazy busy; but it doesn't help that I'm so distracted with some excellent web material. To wit:

• Hysterical Literature - (Slightly NSFW) Artist Clayton Cubbit's video project has women reading aloud from their favorite books while being, erm, distracted under the table. I've been, uh, pimping this link to all my friends since last Friday because I think it makes a great statement about female sexuality and pleasure, the love of literature, the disconnect of mind and body, and it's just really fun to watch!
• $40,000-a-night escorts: secrets of the Cannes call girls (via The Hollywood Reporter) - Dude, that article title is all you need to know. Who doesn't love a salacious Hollywood tale?!
• And now, a break from all that sex talk: I just love, love, love the idea behind Jamie Moore's Not Just a Girl blog post, where for her 5-year-old daughter's birthday she took her portrait dressed as five feminist icons, like Coco Chanel and Amelia Earhart. As a mom looking to raise an independent, strong, feminist daughter, this project seems so awesome to me. I'd love to do an Asian woman's version! Cory Aquino, Aung San Suu Kyi, Gabriela Silang -- who else would you nominate?
• Finally, something that speaks to the heart. Angelina Jolie wrote in the New York Times about her decision to undergo a double mastectomy as preventive measure against breast cancer. Until my grandmother died of the disease last year, I never thought we had this in our family. Angelina's reason for her decision are so intense and well worth the read.

Fasyon of the day - Solange Knowles

I've been reading my fill of the Met Gala red carpet, which was, despite the theme Punk Rock: Chaos to Couture -- oddly boring (if you want to dive in, check out Tom and Lorenzo and Go Fug Yourself's posts, and NY Mag for just pictures). Anyway, with both last year and this one, Solange Knowles outshone her flashier sister Beyonce by being low key -- by not trying too hard.

Look how comfy and chic she looks compared with her sis (2012 and 2013 Met Gala looks):

It can come down to preference and personality, overall, but I much prefer cool and funky than outrageous and overworked.

Purple Haze

 I've long since lost my beautiful purple locks and now, short of redye-ing it altogether, I despair of regaining them anytime soon. (Even the violet color-deposting conditioner I got was powerless to stop the purple fade of my second dye job). But it's still fun to relive the glory days: those short-lived weeks when my head was the color of grape juice:

 What better way to amp up the grape juice factor with more purple-tinged clothes?

Curvy Shoutout!

It's always nice to "hang out" with people with the same interests/out look as one does, even if it's online -- well, given that I'm almost always online, I should change that to "especially if it's online." If you're a curvy Pinay who feels alone in a sea of balingkinitan reeds, take heart and inspiration from:

Pinay Curvies, the "sisterhood of fat and fabulous Pinays," founded by Mitch, whose style I crazy admire and have featured here before, and Lorna as a fun community for size acceptance and body love. Check out the Pinay Curvies blog, Pinay Curvies Facebook group and Pinay Curvies Twitter. 

#UsapangCurvy is the Wednesday night Twitter party hosted by @pinaycurvies. I have a lot of fun on these tweet-fests and have 'met' some cool people through them! OK, even if I am secretly antisocial, my wish is for a face-to-face Usapang Curvy heehee! It's THAT fun. You should join next Wednesday!

Check out these plus size bloggers for inspiration too!

• The pretty Belated Bloomer, Abi
• Mitch's wonderful Feastful Life
• The ExtraSeksi Lorna

Your turn!

So many buttons

Some longhair #throwback today...

 

Hiding all my buttons. Wait till I turn!

Water baby

Forever 21 top; Speedo shorts (they have large sizes, yes!!)

I've never been a huge believer in zodiac signs but I've always been fascinated with how elements define traits of the zodiac -- e.g. the fire signs are passionate, the earth signs are grounded, etc. I'm not an expert on this at all but I find it odd, because although I'm a Virgo -- an "earth" sign -- I've always loved being in or near the sea.

Hot child in the city

Is it hot or is it HOT?! Now this is a sizzling summer! How do you deal with the heat? When we've got places to go and people to see; as much as I'd like to spend all day in a dark, air-conditioned room in a loose sundress, I have to go out...and look presentable!

Here are my tips for dressing up in the heat:

• Go loose -- anything too binding will trap heat and sweat (eew)
• Go light -- dark colors absorb the sun's rays
• Go thin -- thin, breathable fabrics like cotton are excellent for this weather

 Lest you think that means loose shorts and pambahay tops, I interpret this as an oversize chambray polo (Esprit), a soft cotton bubble skirt (Topshop, thrifted from Magarbo), a loosely fastened skinny belt to add shape (SM Department Store) and some coral flats for contrast (Scarlett, via Zalora Philippines)

What are you wearing this summer?