Fabulous #NLAW13

The Riyadh event landscape is changing. I'm not sure I'm supposed to reveal that out loud just in case someone who's not supposed to know discovers it. Haha! But there is nothing wrong in the events that are held by various brands in the city. They're fun, lively, and very stylish. It proves that Riyadh is actually the "it" city right now. Whoops, did I just claim that?! Haha!

One of the recent events we attended was held by one of our favorite fashion brands... New Look! This brand is our go-to fashion brand when we're looking for stylish yet affordable pieces. We do not leave a mall without going to New Look. Except of course when there's no New Look store in it. Otherwise, we just go to the stand-alone New Look branch in Olaya Road. 

New Look began in Taunton, United Kingdom in 1969 and has grown to over 1,100 stores worldwide. They're pretty popular in the UK and Europe. New Look has 30 stores in the Kingdom and they're opening their 31st branch in the Eastern Province soon. New Look offers clothes, accessories, bags and shoes that are trendy and easy-to-wear. Most of the items in The Pink Tarha ladies' closets are from New Look. What can we say? We love it!

A flawless, classic welcome for NLAW13

The New Look Autumn Winter 2013 Collection

The event last week was New Look's launching of their autumn 2013 collection. It was held in Maison Bo-M, also one of our favorite places in Riyadh, located in Nujoud Mall beside the Intercontinental Hotel. We were warmly welcomed by the New Look marketing team which flew in from Dubai, UAE. We were toured by the lovely Robyn to see the various collections and the bestselling pieces they have.

Here's a look at one of the best events we've been to this year:

The Baboushka Collection

Be on the lookout for the Russian-inspired collection. The accessories featuring matryoshka dolls are so cute! Love the black pullover too.

Blues, whites, and blacks... 

Who can get wrong in this combination? I love this collection the most because it doesn't only have my favorite colors, it's also my style.

A mix of casuals

The reds.

The primary colors red and blue are highlighted in the collections. I love the stripes and patterns too. You know the usual rule right? Patterns against solids makes a good combo.

Preppy chic

The collection above is for the sweet and adventurous. The florals and pastels lend a cuteness that's hard to resist and the denims gives off a fierceness that balances the whole look.

The formals and the semi-formals

I have a love for New Look's formal wear. They're affordable but glamorous and anyone can pull of the "prom" or "red carpet" look effortlessly with their long gowns and mini dresses. I was telling Robyn that I have one of their dress style in 3 colors because I really look good on that kind of dress (at least I think I do! Haha!). Remember my violet gown here? It's from New Look and I bought it when it was on sale (only SR160!). A lot of my friends said that I look 'expensive' on it. ;)

LOVE New Looks accessories and shoes

No one can argue that New Look boasts of the some of the best accessories, bags, and shoes in Riyadh. Half of our accessories and shoes came from this brand. And they have every kind for all occasions. Pair the ones above with the formal wear and you're on your way to the next glam event.

More bags and shoes

On to my wish list!

I appreciate the way they displayed the items on Maison Bo-M's shelf and cabinets. I wanted to point out all the shoes and bags that caught my attention and buy them all (okay, more of ask for them if possible, haha!).

Dashing!

The guys side

Oh look, the guys have their corner too. New Look are offering other brands in their label lounge. For guys, they have Tokyo Laundry.

After going around and checking out the items that we liked, we sat down in Maison Bo-M's cafe to enjoy the food. I must say that I am truly impressed with the appetizers and desserts that were served. They're all so good! Kudos to the chef!

Yummy! 

Love the chicken satay and the peanut sauce!

Congratulations to the team of New Look! You all did a good job launching the new Autumn/Winter 2013 collection.

Next event please!

So what are you waiting for, ladies and gents? See you in New Look? ;) ~ Sundrenched

NEW LOOK

Hayat Mall

Riyadh Gallery

Granada Mall

Othaim Mall

Al Qasr Mall

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

(other branches and contact details here)

How To Survive Riyadh's Sale Seasons

Brace yourself for yet another sale season, fellow Tarhas! The sale season is starting and bet your bottom dollar riyals that it will be chaotic, crazy-fun, and stressful (lol)!

But we have to be realistic here. In our opinion (as veterans of the sale seasons in Riyadh, ehermn, lol), the sales have diminished in value, both in quality and quantity, over the years. It's not like before when we can find really good items at rock bottom prices in large quantities. Now, every thing is just so-so and there are some shops that don't hold it as fervently anymore. But the sale season is still worth going mad over because you'll never know what you'll find. We like surprises! So kung galit ka sa pera, go lang ng go!

Are you set?!

Here's a few tips on how to experience the lows and highs of our favorite season in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

1. There are two basic huge sale seasons: the start of the year and the middle of the year. (There are also the less stellar mid-season and end-of-season sales.) The latter is the one beginning this month, if schedules are still the same. Although we enjoy the mid-year sale season, it's the end/start of the year sale (December-February) that we usually wait for when shops go all out!  However, let's not disregard this coming sale season because good deals also come this June to August. Prepare your fulos, ladies! They're about to go to battle! :P

2. Take note of the periods of a sale season, which we'll liken to the stages of "cooking water" here. (Sorry, water is the only thing I can cook, lol. #S)

a. Poaching. This the beginning where the water is kept warm but there's no visible bubbling to indicate heat. In this period, the sale season has started but they're still not advertised loudly. Merchandisers are preparing and any minute now, they'll be amping up the temperature so we can all feel the heat! You should power up your sixth sense shopping radar so you get the latest sale scoops. Also during this time, the department stores are already on sale. Centrepoint and Citymax just went on sale three weekends ago so that's a good sign. They wouldn't want to compete with the bigger brands during the sale season so inunahan na nila. Lol. For those who are eyeing the more known brands, wait for the next period before unleashing your cash... As you know, the "poaching" stage this year is over last week. Hope you got good finds in Centrepoint, Citymax, and Iconic. I know I did. *wink*

b. Simmering. Here we will see bubbles forming and gently rising to the surface of the water, but the water is not yet at a full rolling boil. You will see the red signs hanging and you'll probably think, this is it! It's here, it's sale season so let's go! Okay, hold it! The stores don't go all out at once. If you noticed in past sale seasons, they usually begin at 25% to 50% off. 25% and 50% off are good because well, you still get to save something. But we all know they can get lower two weeks, or even a month, from now so you can wait it out further. However, the advantage of having a major shopping spree during the "simmering" period is you get the first dibs on every thing. There will still be a lot of items that come in your size. The clothing, shoes, and accessories are in tip-top shape. Unlike when you wait out the 75% discount, you get items that were already handled many times. We're currently in this stage now. MNG, New Look, and Parfois are simmering and my wallet's suffering from a first degree burn from yesterday's visit to Othaim Mall.

c. Boiling. Of course, the hottest point among the periods! It's the most exciting part but also the most damaging (to your wallets). During this time, the stores are already offering 75%-90% off, the lowest they can get. The red signs are blaring and glaring and they’re utterly tempting. Unfortunately, this is also the time when a lot of people have already caught on the sale season virus and are in the malls almost all the time scouring for more goodies. You have more competition! You now need to dig deep in the bins for undamaged items and search the racks with passion for your shoe size. Lol. We say that this period is the most damaging to your wallets because even if you don't notice it, you buy a lot! You are attracted to the SR 10 necklace or the SR40 pair of shoes... which leads you to buy more stuff you're not even sure you need or want. Just so because they're cheap. Well, hold on for dear life! The boiling stage this year might be 2 weeks before and after Ramadan, which falls on August this year.

d. Cooling. Every thing is naghihingalo by now. The salesmen rearranging and replenishing stocks over and over, the racks losing shape and stuff, the pockets (of your husbands, lol), your wallets... you. You'll be tried from all the sprees that you will need to rest. And you will need to give the discounted stuff a rest too. By this time, latak na lang ang natitira. These are the stuff left behind by every one else and you will need to let go of them too because they're no longer worth it, even if it's so cheap. Alright, we had that time in our lives that we still went out and check out the latak just because we wanted to and unbelievably, we still had the energy to do so. But now, we know better (we do?!?). We let those stuff go... because we'll prolly see them again next sale season. Hahaha.

3. Mind what you buy. It's easy to get lost in the euphoria of the sale season but it will be a good thing to think before you buy (yeah right!). During the "poaching" period, head to the malls to check out the brands you love and take note of the products you'll want to buy when they go on sale. It’s also a good thing to be chummy-chummy (friendly) with the salesmen so you can ask the exact date when they’ll go on sale. During the "simmering" period, buy the stuff you really, really want (tipong hindi ka makatulog sa gabi sa kaiisip) even if it's just on a 25%-30% off because you'll never know if you'll still see it again during the boiling period. Wag nang maging super kuripot noh at mag-intay pa ng 75% off para sa mga bagay na gusto mo talaga. Sabi nga nila, "The early bird catches the worm." May gan’on?!  Grab and buy the clothes, shoes, and sandals that you love (and can never let off the hook) during the simmering period because they still have it in your size. During the "boiling" period, go crazy in the stores! By that we mean this: get a shopping bag, grab all the stuff you want without thinking, and sort later. During sorting, that’s the moment you think about it. Take the stuff out one by one and debate (in your head or with friends) if you need it or just want it. Discard those which do not make the cut. It will actually be helpful if you return them to the shelves and racks where you got them so other people can check them out immediately. During the "cooling" period, the only thing worth buying are prolly the small accessories that didn't get beaten up in the duration of the past three periods.

Oh my, oh my!

4. Mind your budget. We're the number one offenders of this rule. We go over budget during the sale season and we usually say we'll not gonna repeat it in the next sale season but we do repeat it. (Bad girls!) However, please feel free to not imitate us and work with the money you allotted for the sale season. Allot a specific amount for the sale shopping spree. It will be hard because we're betting you'll want a lot but just try and spend your money wisely. If you're having your vacation on the latter half of the year, then it might be wise to spend some money on pasalubong already. When it comes to saving, we're probably the worst persons to give you advice so we end this tip #4 now. Lol.

5. Have fun and enjoy the experience. It will be more exhilarating and fun when you shop with friends and your family (only if your husband is supportive, lol). You get to ask them their opinions. You get to eat lunches and dinners together. You get to wait out the salat with them. And you get to laugh at yourselves when you think how crazy you are for acting on your shopping impulses. Wives, please don't fight with your husbands when it comes to taking you to malls, orayt? Ask them nicely and sweetly. Threaten for a separation only when he gives you an almost ultimate refusal. Hahaha. Just kidding. It will be good to have one person who’s more decisive than you are. Chances are you will regret a lot of things you didn’t get but don’t fret, there will be more gorgeous stuff coming your way on the next seasons. 'Nga pala, wag namang parang end of the world na at mag-hoard ha?

6. This is the most important: Read The Pink Tarha for sale alerts so you always get informed! :)

Orayt, that’s it. We'll see you in the malls, ladies! Say hi when you bump to any one of us. Hopefully, we don't fight over the same stuff. Haha.

§undrenched

Honeysuckle and Inferi

Remember our series of Collage Week? Yeah, we neither. It's been such a long time since we published a Collage Week entry that we'd like to make bawi today.

Two months ago, the Pink Tarha ladies (still with M as the fourth tarha) decided to hold a photo shoot just because we couldn't find a recent photo where all Pink Tarha ladies were present.  Every complete photo we had was outdated. M canceled at the last minute to attend to more important matters that's why Shoegarfreeruby, Eyecandy and I were the only ones who made it to the photo shoot day. The three of us became super multi-taskers. We took the roles of stylist, make-up artist, set designer, and photographer. OMG, the chaos! Lol. But we did pull it off to produce some unexpected results. We chose three themes: black, pink, and red. We've already featured the red photos as a Valentine's greeting entry. Here are the photos from the pink and black sets.

The HONEYSUCKLE

Naturally, we picked a pink theme because we're the PINK tarha! Ingenious, right? Hahaha. Are you familiar with pegs? These are photos from fashion websites or magazines that serve as inspiration in a photo shoot. We researched for styles and looks and came up with the following description for what we should look like in the pink set which we named, "Honeysuckle," in honor of the color of the year and our planned color for the blog (which is now in effect).

Vibrant, fresh, and fun!

When you're wearing light-colored pieces, go for outerwear like cardigans, shawls, and jackets to hide whatever you want to hide. If you're feeling fearless like E here, go bare and bear it!

Eyecandy and Sundrenched: Solid and prints!

Eyecandy and Shoegarfreeruby: Solid states!

On Eyecandy: Pink satin dress COAST (on sale for 199SR from 499SR) | Nude pumps MILANO | Floral necklace ACCESSORIZE | Leopard scarf ALDO
On Sundrenched: Patterned silk handkerchief dress STRADIVARIUS (only SR29!) | Purple pointed shoes NEW LOOK | Shawl PARFOIS | Necklace NEW LOOK
On Shoegarfreeruby: Dress TOPSHOP | Coat H&M | Shoes MINNA PARIKKA | Stockings, belt, necklace NEW LOOK | Headband FOREVER 21 | Earrings SM |

The INFERI

The black ensemble is a peg we named "Inferi" just to bring out the other side of the Pink Tarha.  It's an "all-black, harsh winter." (Echos lang, haha!) During the shoot, it was still cold in Saudi Arabia so "winter" came to mind.

Mga kabowgera! :P

The number one tip for plus-size ladies? Go black! It's a fail-proof way to dress up or down. It's classic, elegant, and timeless. Sometimes it gets boring (especially for us who wear the black abaya everyday!) but what are your accessories for? Pile on the bling!

Black is back!

Layered dresses and sky-high shoes

On Shoegarfreeruby: Black dress MISS SELFRIDGE | Shoes JEFFREY CAMPBELL | Socks H&M | Headband FOREVER 21 | Cameo earrings SOUVENIR SHOP (Dumaguete) | Bracelet MISS SELFRIDGE
On Eyecandy: Black tulle-tiered dress MOONSOON (on sale for SR180 from SR520) | Gold stud gladiator heels NEW LOOK | Gray cheetah blazer RED HERRING | Feather headband UK (gift) | Chunky charm necklace NEW LOOK
On Sundrenched: Black dress NEW LOOK | Black cardigan H&M | Navy lacey wedge NEW LOOK | Necklace PARFOIS | Headband FOREVER 21

Remember ladies, have one beloved LBD in your closet!

As you can see, we come in big sizes (ranging from UK 12-18). Well, project na lang ng project! Haha. Confidence lang yan! Lol. When it comes to body issues and insecurities, we have a lot. (Sino ba ang wala?!) But you will not see us obsessing about these insecurities. Of course, we try our best (operative word: try!) to reduce weight for health reasons but for now, we work on what we have and hopefully, we show you ladies that outer beauty can only do so much. You don't really read us because we're sexy or we fit the mainstream idea of "beauty", right? So there you go. Love your bodies and work it! Go, go, go!

It also helped that we were so hands-on in this little shoot of ours. We know each other's style and because we're friends, wala na kaming hiya sa isa't isa! Haha. Sa sobrang hands-on namin, kami na lahat ang gumawa! :P If you want to stage your own photo shoot with your friends, make the Pink Tarha ladies your consultant. We can help you with your themes, wardrobe, make-up, and well, a little bit of photography. LOL. Jk.

Up next is the collage with our newest member, Sampaguita Pride!

Yes, we did a repeat performance of the chaos that is a Pink Tarha shoot! Lol.

Mid-Year Sale 2010 Is Here!!!

We're squirming in our seats and screaming at the top of our lungs at this very moment! *cough, cough* The reason?

Thumbs up for the MID-YEAR SALE 2010!

Yes folks, okay ladies (if guys can't relate), the sale season has come!!! New Look has raised its red sign (saw this ad in the Arab News today). We're sure all the other stores will follow suit soon. (Hint: Debenhams' sale will start on the last day of June!)

And oh look, it's Wednesday today... This sign here is the perfect way to end the work week and start the weekend. We'll see you in the stores. Ta-ta!

Don't forget to LIKE our FB page. We scream sale alerts in our FB account faster. *wink*

Winter in South East Asia

How are you enjoying your winter?

The other Pink Tarha ladies have posted the photos of their winter essentials. Don't you just love their cute and gorgeous stuff? I wish I can wear 'em here in Manila! Haha! I doubt if I can fit in Maryhadalittlehump's knitted wear though. Hehe.

While I am not experiencing Riyadh's brrr days right now, I had the chance to experience winter in another country! And I wore my winter essentials. Mabuti na lang may practice na ako ng 'winter' sa Riyadh, kung hindi, I'll probably stuck with just long sleeved cotton blouses for this trip. Before Saudi Arabia, I can't imagine a dry winter sans snow. But I ♥ winter! Here's my winter ensemble:

Day 1: ALL BLACK
Beret PROMOD Black turtle neck blouse ZARA Black cotton coat and black pants CITYMAX Jelly shoes JESSICA in SM

Day 2: CHECKS AND STRIPES
Shades TERRANOVA Scarf ACCESSORIZE Military jacket NEW LOOK Checkered boyfriend shirt THE BF SHIRT from the World Trade Bazaar Black velvet pants CITYMAX Black knee-high socks ZARA Embroidered flats LADIES MARKET in Mongkok Messenger bag HUMAN

Day 3: SPLASH OF COLOR
Black cap H&M Shades FOREVER 21 Colorful scarf ACCESSORIZE Military jacket NEW LOOK Inner graphic tank top TOPSHOP Black pants MNG Embroidered flats LADIES MARKET in Mongkok

I miss winter in Riyadh! I'm sure everyone's freezing in there but I know, with your family and friends with you, I'm sure you'll just give winter the cold shoulder and will not let the chill ruin your celebration of welcoming the 2010.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

§undrenched, blogging in MNL

PS. I just have to say that it's such a good thing I was already unveiled because I do not have to photoshop my photos to blur my face. Wala din kasi akong Photoshop dito sa Pinas, lol. Yun nga lang, kailangan n'yong pagtyagaan ang hitsura ko. Hehehe. ;)

More SALE Alerts

WE TOLD YOU SO! It's the mid-season SALE! We're getting high fever seeing the signs pero gaya nga nang nauna nang sinabi... bankrupt kami (because of some other reasons, not because of shopping...). Our pockets and wallets need time to recover. Baka next week okay na ulit. LOL. (Kailangan pa ring humabol eh noh?!)

Sale, sale, sale!

Visit New Look for shoes, dresses, and cardis!

Hep, this sale is for the Eastern region only. Head to Centrepoint for their Jaded accessories.

Anyway, enjoy shopping... But before you flash that cash or swipe that credit card, make sure you've already donated for our kababayans back home. They really need all the help we can give, especially with the onslaught of Pepeng in Northern Luzon. We heart Pinas!

Skirt-ing the Issue

Eyecandy and Sundrenched were in Al-Akaria Mall three weeks ago. For Filipinos here in Riyadh, we're sure you know that Al-Akaria Mall is one of the first malls in Riyadh. Madalas ito ang tagpuan ng mga Pinoys noon... kaya naman madalas din i-raid ng mga religious police! Now, the old Al-Akaria is not as busy as it used to be but it still houses best-selling shops that we cannot get enough of: Nine West which has racks of on-sale shoes, Aldo Liquidation which is always on sale (and whose racks are arranged per shoe size, thank goodness!), and Al-Sawani which offers designer brands (UCB, Guess, Levi's, etc.) with huge discounts. After searching these stores, S and E came out empty-handed. So they moved further and found Feel Free, a clothing store. This time, they came out with something some things... skirts!

So for this Collage Week, the Pink Tarha ladies welcome the fall season with feminine silhouettes with the help of SKIRTS. Yes, skirts. Even if we're really cowboys most of the time (i.e. kaladkarin sa ora-oradang lakwatsa, laging handa sa bakbakan [ulk!], etc.), we also wear skirts once in a while to remind ourselves that we're truly ladies (so we better act it!).

Here's what these two PT ladies got:

Skirting the issue. Yes, we're ladies.

Actually, excess lang yan ng kurtina, LOL!

On Eyecandy: Brown embroidered skirt FEEL FREE Sandals NEW LOOK On Sundrenched: Black embroidered skirt FEEL FREE White inner tanktop MNG Black blazer NEXXUS Thin belt DOROTHY PERKINS Silver sequined flats NEW LOOK Heart necklace CITYMAX

These are two almost identical long skirts but with E's and S' different fashion style, you can see two ways on how to wear 'em.

Eyecandy, Bohemian Chic

You can see E's free spirit in how she wore her brown skirt. She wore it as a dress! (Actually, nagmamadali lang yan kaya hindi na nakapagsuot ng blouse, hehe.) This la femme boheme knows how to show that earthy touch with neutral browns.

Sundrenched, Posh Chic

S seals her prim and proper fashion personality with this ensemble. (Pero sa totoong buhay, hindi yan prim and proper masyado, hehe.) The long skirt made her look taller and the black color and thin belt cinching her waist made her thinner. (In short, ilusyon lang ang lahat ng ito! LOL!)

Both girls love their skirts. S says that she can move freely with the cotton fabric used and E is so satisfied with the price (just SR50) that she got two more. It also helps that the skirts have dainty embroidery that is subtly eye-catching.

Now, we challenge you ladies to wear skirts and send us your photos! We're ladies after all. There's no issue there.

Power Shopping (Part II)

Diamonds are a girl's best friend right? But for an average-earning, single OFW like me, shopping is this girl's best friend.

Okay, okay! I know that this sale season has got my shopping frenzy off the charts...and I mean OFF.THA.CHARTS. Still, I'd like to believe that I am somewhat logical with my purchases because they are on sale (at ridiculous prices, might I add) plus, I know that it's still within my budget (classic excuse of a shopaholic?!). This is the second installment of my Power Shopping series. I am hoping it won't be a trilogy. (Eeek, crosses fingers!)

Accessories galore:

Accessories from Miss Selfridge, Claire's, Accessorize and New Look

All of my purchases from Miss Selfridge are at 9SR (see cocktail rings, brown flower necklace, ribbon and button earrings and the turquoise chandelier earrings). From Accessorize, I got a floral bangle for 9SR, "gong" earrings for 12SR, a topaz capiz necklace for 14SR and some black and gold bangles for 13SR. One item from New Look was a white heart necklace for only 10SR while Claire's was super ridiculous that they had items for sale for only 1SR! Yes, you read it right, 1SR! (see the bronze round earrings and the square silver hoops were both for 1SR!) Red layered necklace was 5SR from Claire's.

Shoes-es:

Black, fringed sandals with bronze studs from New Look

It's a crossbreed of the gladiator-look trend plus the everything-with-fringe/tassle mania that has hit fashionistas worldwide. This pair is special because the salesman from New Look (Kuya, whatever your name is, I will always think of you while I wearing these shoes) gave me an extra "discount" on this pair. Originally priced at 269SR, I checked out this baby for only 40SR!!!

Brown, leather, gladiator shoe boot also from New Look

I swear it is like gladiator meets Texas. I absolutely ADORE this pair and the fact that it was only for 40SR got me stark raving maddd! Now, only if there was an event I could wear this to...

Tops and Dresses:

Tank tops from Dorothy Perkins, 10SR each.

Gray, cashmere cardi from Dorothy Perkins: 75SR (I know it's a bit pricey still, it's CASHMERE people!) FYI: It used to be priced at 230SR.

Cream satin top from Dorothy Perkins, old price: 180SR, sale price: 45SR!

Purple gypsy top from New Look. 'Would love to wear this to a beach outing or somewhere sunny. Can be a dress or oversized top. Original price: 159SR. Sale price: 30SR!

Floral sunday dress from Dorothy Perkins: Original price: 275SR. Sale price: 68SR. And guess what? I returned to the mall a week after buying this, and I saw that it even went down to 50SR. Imagine!!? Kalurkey.

See, since booze and clubbing are illegal in this part of the world, I turn to shopping as my next best thing. So sue me! haha. In all fairness naman, I only become this "shopping amazona" during the sale season. Especially when prices are uber ridiculous already, you'd be crazy not to think twice about checking it out.

I am really apprehensive that there would be a Part III to the Power Shopping series because last Wednesday, I read that Citymax is at 50% off for summer clearance, and that there are Ramadan Kareem sales everywhere. Plus, S said that she was able to purchase two pairs of 9SR shoes yesterday at F&F. I can almost hyperventilate just typing about it. It doesn't help that it was just salary day last Thursday.

*breathes*

-ec-

Our Tribute to a Great Woman

The Pink Tarha Ladies wore yellow last Wednesday, joining many Filipinos all over the world to give tribute to a great woman who inspired millions of Fillipinos to aspire for greatness with humility and goodness.

As the Philippines bid farewell to President Corazon Aquino, we Filipinos in Saudi Arabia had our own way of saying our adieu to the woman considered as "the most loved president in the entire history of the Philippines." While we were not part of the huge crowd swelling into the streets of Manila ignoring the torrential rains of tropical storm Kiko to get a glimpse of the former president's brown casket, we paid respect by doing what we do best:

Dress up and accessorize... in yellow.

How we said goodbye.

Many Filipinos in our workplace wore yellow ribbons. It brought smiles to our faces whenever we encounter them on the hallways wearing their silent tribute. On the day of Pres. Aquino's funeral, the PT girls wanted to absent from work just so we could glue our eyes on television and watch the coverage. Alas, we couldn't! We just wore the ribbon above. Nothing can stop us to continue what Tita Cory has started and wanted - for us to be free and empowered.

Eyecandy, Mary, Sundrenched... continuing the good fight.

We were born on years when Aquino was president. While we do not have distinct memories of experiencing the first EDSA Revolution, we know how important that event was in our lives and the lives of every Filipino. We will not have this present if not for that glorious piece of past. Cory Aquino is gone but her ideals and leadership will remain alive. We hope that the values she left be the torch that will light our path towards Election 2010, for us to choose leaders with the same honor, integrity, and dignity that she had.

TULOY ANG LABAN, mga KABAYAN!

____________
What We Wore
On Eyecandy: Yellow tunic HARAJ Sleeveless inner top RIVER ISLAND Black slacks HARAJ Slingbacks MILANO Yellow cocktail ring DOROTHY PERKINS
On Maryhadalittlehump: Yellow sleeveless blouse ZARA Gray slacks PAPERDOLLS Black sandals ZARA
On Sundrenched: Cardigan, gray slacks, necklace, cream shoes NEW LOOK Yellow bracelets JADED (Centrepoint) Scarf CITYMAX (Eyecandy's)

Corporate Appeal

How hard is it to pull off a corporate look? It takes a lot of effort especially if you're one of the Pink Tarha Ladies. We do not like wearing the executive look because they're way too much effort-ful to conjure. We're doubtful if we can last a day in it. Our Collage Week on neutrals was the most formal we can get ourselves to wear. Corporate dressing? Not for us. We only wear them once in a blue moon, or when a challenge to power dress comes. Like last Monday!

The challenge was to come to work in a power dressing aka corporate mode. We had visions of tight pencil skirts and sky-high pumps like those working girls you see in the Makati Central Business District but of course, we have to subdue everything here. Subtlety goes a long way anyway. Here's how powerful we can get:

The Pink Tarha Ladies Tigresses
(Mary is still absent due to sickness. But she's doing well now, folks!)

Shoegarfreeruby's eclectic mix of colors

Batwing cardigan H&M Blue and white smock dress CITYMAX Black slacks (old) Gladiator sandals H&M Bag BETSEYVILLE by Betsey Johnson Black headband BERSHKA Earrings MS. SELFRIDGE Watch CASIO BABY G

Even if black and white is the main theme of the day, R ventured off the world of usual power dressing by incorporating color to her wardrobe. Her bag is definitely not something you'll see in the corporate ladder but so what?! If you have a bag like that, don't you get the attention worthy enough to get you to the top?

Eyecandy's touch of 'rock it!'

White polo and black round vest MARKS&SPENCER Ash gray plaid slacks RED HERRING (Debenhams) Black patent mary jane PEACOCKS Red crocodile purse LIZ CLAIRBORNE Black lace headband FOREVER 21 Grey plastic bangle CITYMAX Dogtag necklace CENTREPOINT Crystal drop-earrings ACCESSORIZE

Black, white, and grey... learn the most basic in corporate attire but don't stop there. Take E's cue on making the look yours by infusing your own style. She's still the rockin' and rollin' girl with her go-getter, always upbeat attitude. The red clutch, the floral headband, and the dangling earrings make quite a statement don't cha think? They catch the eyes of the beholder... and those looks will probably linger for more than just a while.

Sundrenched's classic approach

Blazer MS (Centrepoint) White tee ZARA Black wide-leg slacks NEW LOOK Black pumps F&F Mode Layered bead necklace PROMOD Black hand bag Thrifted from HARAJ

She's the only one who wore the blazer but to minimize the formality of it all, S chose to scrunch her sleeves to 3/4 and wore a basic white tee under. With a layered necklace and high heels, who cares if her black and white ensemble is your ordinary take on corporate look?

It might take a while for us to wear the corporate attire again but it sure is hell fun to become "powerful" for a day. Where's our whips? Whapakkkk! ;P