A couple days ago I found myself in a tour. Of the shopping variety.

A few bloggers and folks from media headed to Bonifacio High Street Central for a fashion tour. Quite literally a tour, actually, the event was complete with a tour group, an itinerary, some walking and gorgeous tour guides in the form of host Kelly Misa and stylist Charmaine Palermo. Think, instead of historical sites (or religious, if you’re the pilgrimage type), there were retail establishments. Instead of selfies with picturesque backgrounds, we took OOTDs. And instead of a factual play-by-play of each place, we got styling tips care of Charmaine.

And because this was a special kind of tour, we also had some tasks. Each store visited prompted a product post according to the given style tip. I always seem to surround myself with equally competitive people so it was fun to take every challenge seriously. (Btw, sorry for Insta-flooding!) An extra challenge ensued towards the end with my favorite competitive group. I only won 2nd place, but still had tons of fun – and that’s given that I absolutely hate losing. It means the tour in itself was kick-ass. We dropped by Ever New, Mango, Karen Millen, Kenneth Cole, and Diesel and below are the tips Charmaine tackled respectively.

  1. Print on Print @ Ever New: Keep prints in the same color palette and combine different print sizes.
  2. Basics @ Mango: Basics are necessary, obviously, and can always be elevated.
  3. Cocktail Chic @ Karen Millen: Cocktail looks need not equate to a tulle dress. Try a mod silhouette for welcome variety.
  4. Workwear @ Kenneth Cole: Busy girls = Cramped schedules. Day to night office wear is a a must. The more versatile, the better.
  5. Military @ Diesel: Try the military trend by way of chic denim details such as pockets, zippers, fatigue prints, etc.

And because I had a little too much fun, I kind of rendered the tour/map in watercolor.

I guess my point is that we look at the Bonifacio High Street area and immediately think awesome dining (hello Nolita, Tampopo, Stella and Wholesome Table) but at the same time it’s really a treasure trove of some of the most in-demand fashion brands  too (including certain gems only available there such as Casadei and Karen Millen.)

So take this rendering as a sort of fashion treasure map. It kind of really is.

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With the host who moonlighted as the tour leader, Kelly Misa

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Snaps from Mango (topmost), Ever New and Promod (middle), Diesel and Karen Millen (bottom).

Head over to BHS for your own shopping fun. I’ll be back again tonight actually. Bump into you there!