Maxi dress, H&M | Denim vest, ESPRIT | Lace vest and sunglasses, FOREVER 21 | Booties, ALDO

Photos by the amazing Hannah Reyes

When you see a mound of junk collected in a sketchy area – say the back of an archaic, deserted-looking building – your reaction probably shouldn’t include jumping for joy, running to the area and playing with the seemingly dirty things you find.  But when you’re in UP and set to find that perfect location to shoot, well, trash becomes treasure and dumpsters become sets.

Oh, btw. I’m doing a huge-ass giveaway next month!!! For the whole month of June I’ll be giving away prizes EVERY DAY. And maybe even weekly too. And a shopping spree as my grand prize? I’m so excited! So, let me just announce a few of my sponsors for the giveaway. Well, first off, there’s OXYGEN. Then there’s  BENCH. Then there’s also ZALORA. and then there’s…

That’s for next time folks. If you want updates on my giveaway, I’ll start announcing soon. Don’t forget to like my new page:  https://www.facebook.com/alyssalapidblog and follow me on Twitter @alyssalapid for updates. Just so you guys know what you’ll be winning, of course. More partner brand announcements soon. Stay tuned. #AlyssaLovesYou

Denim vest, ESPRIT | Snakeskin print dress, ZARA | Crochet clogs, CALL IT SPRING 

I have learned to dress down during Fashion Week. Or maybe I’ve learned to dress down period.

Wore this to Oxygen’s show last night and I must say, I really enjoyed the show.  I love how they have colors and styles that I would’ve never thought they’d carry – peplums, prints, tangerines – among others, but at the same time the pieces were still very Oxygen (more about that next time). Congratulations to the team! Another awesome show. Also, have I mentioned Oxygen’s one of my sponsors for my upcoming birthday giveaway? Stay tuned for that.

The key in mastering the art of dressing down is keeping one’s outfit interesting to avoid looking sloppy. For instance, in this particular ensemble, the dressed down person made sure that she mixed textures – denim, chiffon, crochet and leather. Another key is noting that the littlest detail matters (especially since the dressed down person does not usually wear heaps and heaps of accessories.) So, like our guinea pig here, one can pop the collar ala Elvis, tape it so the ends overlap, button the topmost button, leave the rest open and show some ‘cleavage’. And that my friends, is the art of dressing down. - sorry was having too much fun talking about myself in a third person pov…aaaaaand imagining myself talking in a wizard-like voice. teehee. 

Dress, TOPSHOP | Tank, PENSHOPPE | Boots, FOREVER21 | Bag, HELIANA

Photos by Hannah Reyes 

DAY 18: Friday, May 18, 2012

Summer means boho and boho means fringe! Well not just fringe. You have boots, wooden accessories, loose garments, etc. I seemed to wear all of them in one outfit.

Read more: http://www.candymag.com/fashion/31-days-of-style-alyssa-lapid/

I apologize for the hiatus guys, it’s just been crazy busy lately. To give you an idea of my week – there was the Joe Jonas thing, me walking fashion week *giggles*,  meeting with Bayo for the competition, etc. Of course, I’ll give you a more detailed rundown.  How can I not? These are MAJOR for me.

Right now, I’m off to SMX to watch OXYGEN’s fashion show.  So excited! I heard The Misshapes are walking. See you there?

Speaking of Bloggers United, Zalora made a Starships lipdub video with some of the participating bloggers and it was so much fun! Just imagine how LSS we all were after shooting this.

Sweater top, OXYGEN | Flaired jeans, FOREVER21 | Clutch, PARFOIS | Neckpiece, DONDI BELEN

This is how I really dress – lazily.

I know I’m supposed to be all summery this May but I needed to take a break from all that color and wear something a bit more subdued.

Still, a statement piece was a requirement of course as I was attending an event (after a life-planning session and a business meeting). And this necklace is such a great (not to mention weighty) conversation starter (thank you to Dondi Belen for another hit, you talented person you).

Left the Civic Duty Launch a bit early but congratulations to Aren Pe and to Elle Ong for another kick-ass shoe brand. You should check out the pieces, they look like they’re made of crumpled paper. They also had a bunch of artists work on the pairs and they came up with the most ridiculous pieces (ridiculous in a good way, of course). Some had wings (well Dee Jae Paeste’s at least) and I was reminded of Prada’s fire heels – just coz they both seem like they can take you to some magical place. Like Dorothy’s! Okay, I ain’t making sense. Point is, the shoes were awesome to begin with and were made even better with those creative renderings by ze artists. I wonder if they’re selling those…

Dress, GENESIS ALCANTARA | Heels, DAS | bobby pins, GOODY

photos by Tippi Sy

What to wear to a SoFA party? A dress by a SoFA student, of course! Here’s one by up and coming designer, Genesis Alcantara (this is actually made with Jusi and has such beautiful pleated details, I hope the pictures do it justice.)  Summer tip: “Take a break from color-blocking and inject white in your summer wardrobe.”

Read more: http://www.candymag.com/fashion/31-days-of-style-alyssa-lapid

I’m really proud of SoFA and how it just relaunched into one hell of a design institute. I know they’ll be breeding more awesome talent and that they’ll be serving as a platform for future stars and geniuses in the industry. #itsmorefuninSoFA

btw, please help guys! shutting down my old page so please please do like this new one on Facebook: Alyssa Lapid   thank you thank you thank you

Photos by Tippi Sy

The one day I felt like a ‘designer’. Well, first, I actually designed this dress- hence the very deep neckline. You guys should’ve known. And second, that day I also found out that I’m a finalist for a design competition!

Two weeks before school ended, I decided to join my very first design competition. It was for Bayo and it was so funny and weird because I was so obsessed with it that I’d actually visit the store to ‘The Secret’ getting in. true story. and when I thought my entry wouldn’t be included in the panel (coz I passed it a tad bit late) I got a bit depressed and cried literally everywhere. But I found out a few days ago, during the Zalora launch (yes I wore this dress to the Zalora launch), that I got in! I’m a finalist! Yipee! So all we have to do now is produce our collection for the fashion show and pray that the judges like our designs. WISH ME LUCK.

Anyway, back to the event. Zalora just did their grand launch a few days ago at Skye. And guess what? Our team organized the event (the same team that did Platform.) So I was actually working when I decided to wear this dress. Lesson learned: when you need to move around, get fashion tape. I honestly have no idea how to blog about this event, coz again, our team organized it. So it might sound extremely biased if I praise it like cray. But I still will, of course. Though not in this post. More about Zalora and what went down that night soon.

p.s. this dress was made for my Clothing Evolution finals. #justsaying.

*I’m jumping days. this is day 6.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Bring out ‘em sandos! Summer is my perfect excuse to wear sandos. I used to dread them, but I learned they aren’t all sloppy. I kept it fun and flirty by pairing it with a tutu skirt and earrings.

Cute and breezy (literally)!

Outfit: Top, tutu skirt and belt, Forever21; Earrings, Charlotte Russe; Oxfords, Sole Service

Read more: http://www.candymag.com/fashion/31-days-of-style-alyssa-lapid/

p.s. I don’t really do ballet. I tried when I was five but didn’t stay long enough to even make it to the recital.

p.p.s. I’m getting addicted to tulle. Tempted to go to fabric warehouse and just buy yards and yards of tulle.

and OH. and I have major news. Imma share that real soon, I promise.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Summer’s the perfect time to wear crochet! You don’t need to go all-out boho if you don’t want to. You can pair it with a mini instead of a maxi if you want to keep that playful vibe.

crochet halter tom from Bangkok, Skirt and sunglasses by Forever21

oh and, the title’s connection to the outfit/trend? Absolutely nothing. It was just inspired the upper 1/7 of the photo.

Collaborations between brands and designers have been popular these days as it makes popularly-conceived high priced designer items within reach. This philosophy is true but more than being affordable, the general public is given access to the designs, art and ingenuity that designers are born with. 

Their tie-up with designers Eric de los Santos and Jerome Lorico has been on-going for two years already as it has been a hit. This season, Eric takes inspiration from the colors of the beach and translates that to flowy cover-ups, dresses, tops and bottoms for the ladies. Menswear designer Jerome, on the other hand, utilizes the laid-back feel of summer but adds a tailored twist in both short and long-sleeved polos. Also, he designs sandos inspired by the Brazilian rainforest – that means watermelon and parrot prints on that sleeveless favorite. Being a sando fan myself, I’m excited to head out to the menswear section of F&H and grab me some watermelons.

And for a little teaser, here are some of my favorite photos from the collection. Head out to Folded & Hung stores to see the rest. Happy shopping!