When I was younger I've always associated Louis Vuitton with matronas. But for the past several years LV has really been updating their designs... either that or I'm getting old. Wait... I think I should say... my taste is getting more sophisticated. Hah!

My mom just came from London and she bought us the Speedy Monogram Mini Lin. I say us because she says she now buys bags and accessories for us to share. I love my mommy!

Oh, for those true blue designer addicts, wasn't sure which one should go first, the style of the bag or the design. Sort of like ordering your coffee from Starbucks eh?!

Made in the iconic shape of the House, this Speedy comes in Monogram Mini Lin cotton and linen canvas and is both light and supple. Ideal for everyday essentials, it features a zipper closure. Size 11.8" x 8.3" x 6.7"

I did get my French Sole red ballet flats. My mom reminded me several times how expensive it was. It will be my last. Promise.

Turning 5!

Not Tini of course! As usual, Eia and Tini met up to greet each other happy birthday. Eia and her mom, Elaine, gave Tini San Cai, a Siamese kitten. Our gift to Eia? She won't get it till Saturday. A day at the spa!

Blowing their candles...

Eia and Tini with San Cai

01.28.07

He asked me.

And ... I said yes!

So that's that.

Sonya's Garden, Jan. 28, 2007

No, I didn't force him. He just looks that way. Hahaha!

In Memoriam

"Princess"

September 26, 2002 - January 28, 2007

You will always be in my heart, my little sister. I'll miss you! - Ate Con

POP ICON GOES FASHION ICON

I consider Madonna the ultimate pop icon of my generation. Her ability to continuously reinvent herself has been remarked on countless of times already. She is just remarkeable in every way! Maybe except movies... A performer, a children's book writer and a staunch supporter of Pilates and Kabbalah, now she follows great designers such as Viktor and Rolf in creating clothes for one of my favorite fashion stores, H&M.

H&M the international retail giant and their head of design Margareta van den Bosch have teamed up with Madonna to create a line of clothing and accessories that are scheduled to arrive in all stores carrying the women’s wear collection, around the world in March 2007, it was announced today.

The 'M by Madonna' fashion line will reflect Madonna's timeless, unique and always glamorous style. A long standing cultural icon whose enormous global influence on how people dress and look is without equal, Madonna worked hand in hand with Margareta van den Bosch to create a wardrobe of clothing and accessories that represent her own personal and modern spin on her very own wardrobe staples.

'Madonna has an impressive feel for fashion and trends. She was extraordinarily style conscious, passionate and was involved in even the smallest details of every design. There is no doubt that Madonna's influence is reflected by the 'M by Madonna' line', stated Margareta van den Bosch regarding the collaboration.

'I've made no secret of my love of fashion over the years. Working with Margareta and H&M was an exciting and new creative challenge for me. I'm really happy with the results and look forward to wearing 'M by Madonna' along with the rest of the world', concluded Madonna.

Will the designs be as outrageous as Madonna's personality? Hmmm... we'll soon find out. But I'm sure it will rock our fashion world! Oh! And I heard from the grapevine that H&M is planning to come to Manila. Imagine how exciting it would be for all the fashionistas to have H&M alongside Zara, Mango and Topshop in our malls!

(Article from H&M Press Releases-Fashion)

Walking the red carpet

Here are some of my Golden Globe favorites...

Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie: The current First Couple of Hollywood! Gray is so in right now.

Ellen Pompeo: Never seen a doctor look this hot!

Forest and Keisha Whitaker: Forget about Forest... I love Keisha's dress!

Justin Timberlake: Thanks for bringing sexy back!

Rachel Weisz: I've been addicted to red lately and this is simply sexy!

Reese Witherspoon: How the hell does she pull this off?! Red shoes?!

Sheryl Crow: Love the way it falls on her body.

Yunjin Kim: From "Letters from Iwo Jima". I can pull this off too!!! If I had the cleavage to go with it.

and Golden Globe goes to...

Of course I watched the Golden Globe. I was rooting for some of my favorites and I was happy most of them did win. Here's the list of the winners:

MOVIES
Picture, Drama: "Babel"

Actress, Drama: Helen Miren, "The Queen"

Actor, Drama: Forest Whitaker, "The Last King of Scotland"

Picture, Musical or Comedy: "Dreamgirl"

Actress, Musical or Comedy: Meryl Streep, "The Devil Wears Prada"

Actor, Musical or Comedy: Sacha Baron, "Borat"

Supporting Actress, Musical or Comedy: Jennifer Hudson, "Dreamgirls"

Supporting Actor, Musical or Comedy: Eddie Murphy, "Dreamgirls"

Director: Martin Scorsese, "The Departed"

TELEVISION
Series, Drama: "Grey's Anatomy"

Actress, Drama: Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"

Actor, Drama: Hugh Laurie, "HOUSE"

Series, Musical or Comedy: "Ugly Betty"

Actress, Musical or Comedy: America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty"

Actor, Musical or Comedy: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

I was so happy Meryl Streep won! Her speech was so funny and sooo Miranda Priestly. I was also happy Hugh Laurie won coz I love watching HOUSE so much. I love his sarcasm. I was also rooting for America Ferrera and Jennifer Hudson. Of course who doesn't like Sacha Baron! Borat was hilarious!

Anyway, people are saying we can see the trend of how the Oscars will go. There's the SAG Awards frst though.

But first, let's enjoy the red carpet...

Lemme do my jete!

Having been a ballerina for almost ten years, wearing ballet flats now just makes me want to jete and pas de bourree. I have several ballet flats which my mom got from GAP and American Eagle. Here in the Philippines I bought a couple from T. Although theirs is not as soft as I'd like them to be.

Day from now my mom will be traveling to London. Home of the French Sole, the best ballet flats ever! I've already printed the style and color I want and gave it to my mom. Just to make sure, I also emailed it to her with the store's address. My friend Tin-tin, who is a self-proclaimed French Sole addict, is also requesting for a pair too.



What's so great about Fench Sole? Like a true pair of ballet slippers, their ballet flats conforms to the shape of your feet. So when you buy one make sure its a snug fit.

I love my heels. I always say I could be Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City running in my Manolos... if only I had one. But I like being the laid back feeling of being closer to the ground.

Idol 6

I'll be going home early again every wednesday.

American Idol Season 6 will be starting on January 17, 2006. Same time and same channel. Same three judges.

The season premiere is usually my favorite. Watching people go crazy in auditions. I know, iknow, I'm not really a good singer. But, dang! I'm not uber bad either! And I know when I'm making a fool of myself on international television! But it does make great entertainment.

I hope we don't get another Taylor Hicks this season! Ugh!

STILL REIGNING FASHION DIVAS!

We played Sartorialist last night when the 315 Girls, sans our Bacolod Barrio lass, met up for dinner at Portico in Serendra. We wouldn't be 315 Girls if we didn't look hot in our own individual styles. I just had to take pictures of our outfits and as you can see, we really did try to live up to our reputation as fashion divas.

It was like old times for us. Our dinner conversation was full of fashion tidbits, wedding plans and other future plans. Tin-tin and I are crossing our fingers for Alisa. She just might work for Gucci in Milan as a business analyst. Best of both worlds! She'll still be crunching numbers but for a fashion house! We have our own selfish motives for being excited for her. Gucci bags at discount!!!

Check out our fashion pictorial below.

Notable Item/s: The length of the pants and the black tights makes the gold shoes from People are People pop even more.

Notable Item/s: The cute belt with ribbon from H&M and sexy skinny jeans, also from H&M make this whole look feminine but edgy. Check out the Gucci bag and black patent shoes (below) from Mauro Leone, a local Italian brand.

Notable Item/s: I love the ballet flats from French Sole, the mother of all ballet flats, and the eye popping red Coach bag. Individually, the items are very neutral and simple but put together, the whole look is a classic.

Oh, and check out our rings! It's Alisa's pasalubong for us from Milan. It's so simple but really unique!

I see an iPhone... I want!

Can you see it in your hand?! I can! I've been expecting something like this from Apple. Introducing the new iPhone! It's the most natural thing for them to make after all the models of iPods they produced.

Here's the specs of this baby!

• Screen size 3.5inches
• Screen resolution 320 x 480 at 160 dpi
• Input method Multi-touch
• Operating system OS X
• Storage 4GB or 8GB
• GSM Quad Band (MHz: 850, 900, 1800, 1900)
• Wireless data Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) + EDGE + Bluetooth 2.0
• Camera 2.0 megapixels
• Battery Up to 5 hours Talk/Video/Browsing and up to 15 hours Audio Playback
• Dimensions 4.5 x 2.4 x 0.46 inches / 115 x 61 x 11.6mm
• Weight 4.8 ounces / 135 grams

No retail price yet but for sure I can't afford this. Doesn't it look yummy?! Actually, I hate PDA phones coz I text and drive. But maybe with the new iPhone, I might change my mind.

Techie Shopper

I am just now appreciating shopping online. My brother has been a master of it for years!

Multiply is a haven of individual sellers. I've found several sites I usually go to. Their products vary from shoes, clothes, bags and accessories. Imagine window shopping without leaving your home, or better yet, in between work in the office! Lucky me the IT in our office hasn't blocked Multiply yet.

Most of the sites I go to are referred by friends or by other sites I frequent (I always find something new at http://www.kikay.exchange.ph/).

The Purchaser - "If you like it, let me help you purchase it" I learned about this site from Kikay.Exchange. They sell mostly shoes and clothes. Sometimes they also have bags and other accessories. Personally I haven't bought anything from here because every time I try my mom arrives from her trips and gives me new shoes for pasalubong. I'm a self-proclaimed shoe addict but why spend if I get it for free?! They have their new 2007 UNO Collection however, and I'm loving the Happiness wedge shoes.
Payment terms: Deposit down payment in bank account, rest of the payment before delivery
Delivery: Shipment only via courier

Earthly Jewels - It's all about the bling! I was out with friends one night when I saw my friend's lovely necklace. I asked her where she bought it and she told me about this site. Nice fancy jewels but very affordable. The maker of these blings takes time to meet up with buyers in case it's more convenient for you. Again, I haven't bought anything yet from here because I got some jewelry last Christmas.
Payment terms: Deposit in bank account and COD for meet ups
Delivery: Shipment via courier or meet ups

M's Site - I love designer stuff but usually I just borrow my mom's since I can't afford it. Until now. You'll find mostly bags and wallets here. Although I did find some shoes weeks ago. I learned about M from a friend during our Christmas party. I noticed her gold bracelet with two really huge heart charms and wondered why the heck were the hearts so big?! She opened it and inside were lip gloss. Brilliant! Again, girls love to ask: "Where did you get it?!" To which she replied, "in the internet". On tuesday I'll be depositing money for the Juicy Couture Bowler bag I just got to have. My first online purchase! From my research, M is a Filipino living in New York. He has access to these designer items at discounted prices. Inventory, however, is very limited so you really have to grab the bag as soon as you see it.
Payment terms: Deposit in bank account
Delivery: Shipment via courier only

Maybe I find now buying online easier because I don't have to give out my credit card details. But because these sites give me another payment option, I'm more confident to splurge. In a way the world got smaller because of the internet. But for us shopaholics... it just got bigger!

I shop at THE FACE SHOP

It's all Manila Fashion Observer's fault! She introduced me to The Face Shop and now I can't seem to stop!

The prices are so affordable and the shades are morena-friendly... what more can I ask?

The Face Shop is the latest import from Korea. It tops kimchi and Korean novelas in my list of Korean faves. For now anyway.

I love the variety of the cosmetics line. During my first visit I bought a blush (pink), concealer and nail polish (black). I also bought a lip brush that I gave to my friend so she can use to apply her concealer.

They also have face, body and haircare products for both men and women which I have yet to try.

No harm in trying it. I know you'll get hooked too! It also helps that Kwon Sang Woo is endorsing The Face Shop.