SCARLET APRIL View RSS

And just like that, I'm back. I sure as hell abandoned this blog, and for that I apologise. If you happen to read this, I would like to let you know that there was never a day that I did not miss writing on here. I would always have this inactive blog on my mind and I would always visit to re-read some of my old posts. But so much has happened and my style has changed as well over the course of, what...2 years since my absence? In as much as I would like to pick up where I had left off, I had contemplated long and hard about continuing my story on a new blank slate. So yes, my dear reader, I am back to let you know that Scarlet April is no more and this is where her last chapter officially closes. I would also like to let you know that in the meantime, I am on instagram (@jonessamendoza) where I post some of my outfits (as seen above) still, should you care to be updated about my insights and love for fashion. There's no sufficient way to say goodbye and I would have to keep this short because actual tears are starting to well in my eyes as we speak and I don't want to cry myself to sleep tonight. So, Goodbye Scarlet April. I have learned so much of myself here and you had been witness to all my turmoils, my little successes in life and whatnot. I would like to thank everyone (all 279 of you here on blogspot/blogger and those who already unfollowed when I stopped updating haha and those who occasionally found themselves here) who had seen a HUGE part of my life develop here and for simply reading what I had to say and share in my tiny space of the interwebs. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love you. 

Quite a quirky look for a comeback post don't you think? That is if you've even noticed that I haven't blogged for about 2 months. Even this look, I'm afraid to say, is a backlog. Still better than nothing, right? The direction I was heading for this was reminiscent of the quirky 50's laundry/resort wear look, made modern by itty-bitty distressed denim shorts and a contemporary print.

Of course, such an outfit required an equally fun occasion to wear this to. A mini vacation with my boyfriend seemed perfect for this. More specifically, in time for Labor Day weekend. Man, this just shows how old this post is though! Haha. No matter. Every outfit I post here is like an entry to a diary anyway.

top- Forever 21
shorts- Cotton On
leather sneaks- Forever 21
headband- Forever 21

After a full-bodied and flavorful start, we headed next to Larcy's for their cupcakes. I fell in love with their red velvet cheesecake cupcake during my first visit and residing in the North leaves me only a few chances to revisit. Therefore it was only natural that I went back for the red velvet cupcake that captured my heart. This time we tried their Speculoos cupcake and Hot Frozen Nutella Smoothie as well. I'm not much of a fan of both Nutella and cookie butter spreads so I didn't really care much for them. It was my boyfriend who ordered these (very macho my dear haha) and I got to try them out of sheer curiosity. For someone who can't be bothered with them and surprisingly enjoyed them, I could say that they would extremely delight fans of Nutella and Speculoos. They're that good. 
Soon it was time for dinner. We wanted something fancy and ended up in The Girl + The Bull. We got their Pork Confit with potato puree and their 100 % beef burger with fries. It was our 2nd time back and the entrees that we had that night were only okay. Leave room for their desserts though especially their famous Faux Twix! 
We finished off a whole day's meal at Magnum Opus Fine Coffees. This was the perfect end to our day. We sat outside the shop and sipped coffee under the black night sky.
I had their Belgian Heartbreaker served cold which tasted more chocolate-y than coffee which was kind of the point. Meanwhile, Mark tried their hand brewed single origin coffee which had notes of a citrus-y flavor (orange I think) and got too excited and ordered another cup of a much more potent type called Draft Spro which closely resembled the taste and fizz of beer. This was Mark's favorite part of the trip as he enjoys drinking and knowing more about coffee. The staff was very knowledgeable of their concoctions and they humbly explained every drink that we ordered. The purpose is not just to simply gulp down the drink but to appreciate its art and subtle varying flavors. I liked this part of the trip because of its novelty and the conversations exchanged during the night. 

And...she's alive!!! My god. A whole month had passed since I wrote last. I even celebrated my 22nd birthday and wasn't able to do a post about it. I can't claim that a lot has happened which led to my negligence of the blog as that wasn't the case. In fact, I tend to squeeze in a post or two and write more when there is so much to do. That's classic escapism for you, I guess. No, my absence had nothing to do with preoccupation. It was more of having been eluded by inspiration and motivation to continue updating this virtual and visual journal of mine. Something is amiss and ive been stuck in a rut that has alarmingly carried on for over a month. I wish that this post will ease me back in to writing.

I wore this outfit out to another foodtrip at BF Homes Paranaque thus the casual and fun look. It wasn't just a typical food expedition though as I came with a purpose to take photos of everything that I had consumed that day. It's for a photography project and I'll share some photos here on the blog once I finish editing. Stay with me 'til then? :)

shirt, headband, shoes, necklace- Forever 21
shorts- The Second Shop

Pencils skirts are kind of my thing lately. Having been sent to the Office of Student Behavior twice now for wearing short hemmed skirts with a corresponding punishment of attending a seminar aptly called Turning Over A New Leaf (I had to pinch myself real hard under the table to keep myself from bursting into a fit of snarky and disdainful laughter in front of this stern officer) just made me more determined to ditch my itty bitty skirts...for a while. And yes, I wore this outfit to school Mr. Skirt Police. 

top- from years ago
skirt- Forever 21
shoes- Zalora 

The LBD is indeed an essential in every girl's closet but there's also the LWD which I think is given little appreciation. After all, wearing white has proven to be quite challenging to put on while managing to look pristine the whole day. Nevertheless, it's just as important and effortlessly stylish as its black counterpart. 

dress- Forever 21
denim jacket- Forever 21
shoes- from Hong Kong

Dressing in theme for much awaited movies and stage plays is so fun and exciting for me. This is one of the few times I get to expose my geekery for something and use fashion to show it. Last time I did was for Harry Potter, I think. The event for this one was Wicked the musical staged at the CCP in Manila which offered me this great backdrop for this outfit. Quite ironic to shoot this look near the water since the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, fears water as it's the cause of her doom. But that bit of weird coincidence was a fun inside joke in my head. 

It was very nice to see that a lot of people also dressed in theme. What was real funny for me though was noticing a bunch of guys wearing pea green shirts who were smiling and looking amused at my green skirt as I lined up for the entrance. I guess they found a fellow geek in me haha. My outfit was actually inspired by Elphie's look when they went to Emerald City. My bowler hat served as the Witch's black pointy hat, spherical sunglasses that every Ozians wore at the city, black crop top to signify her black frock and of course my skirt that matched her green-colored skin! 

My boyfriend even joked how I could've won best costume of the day if there was indeed one. Haha. #commitment

crop top, shoes- Forever 21
bowler hat- H&M
skirt- vintage from the 90's (mom's)

I just had to post at least one look donning a sweater for the holidays. It might not be as noticeably chilly now than the past couple of years but there's something about a snug wool-y pullover that just completes the yuletide season. They didn't call it sweater weather for no reason, right? 

sweater and sequined skirt- Landmark
necklaces- Forever 21
shoes- Scarlet for Zalora

Before the year ends let me post a look that in my opinion is perfect for all the festivities happening around us now. Quite frankly I didn't have Christmas in mind when I put together this look. My inspirations though were nothing short of fun and color that's for sure. Upon picking up this skirt, an onslaught of vivid images of anything Latin America coursed through my mind. Cuban lady dancers wearing ruffle-y rich-colored skirts and headwraps. Chunky gold jewelries that clinked and clanked. Fruit baskets and headdresses. The feathered costumes found at the Carnaval in Rio. Of course, the resulting outfit wasn't a literal and direct translation. I subdued all the excitement by pairing the skirt with black and finished it off with gold accents. As you might have observed I am quite cerebral when it comes to dressing up. Nothing quite compares to the thrill of interpreting inspiration through fashion for me. It's like having an inside joke for myself. :)

crop top- Forever 21
necklace- Forever 21
shoes- Scarlet for Zalora
skirt- Landmark

"You seem to be wearing just tank tops lately", that's what my boyfriend noticed about my style choices recently. Very keen my dear. I'm guessing it has something to do with feeling kind of lame because it's that time of the month. Need I say more, really? Let's all be thankful I'm not just lounging around in sweatpants. Haha! Quite fascinating how hormones also play a huge part in our way of dressing. Logical though and not improbable as it directly affects our moods which consequently, affects the way we express ourselves. 

The theme for today's outfit post is, unintentionally, panels. You can see it on my leggings and on my bag. This type of detailing is subtle but it makes a flat monochromatic attire look more interesting. The sheen from the patent and leather somehow go well with my silver accessories too, don't you think? This was my outfit when I went to see Sarah Geronimo's (a local singer/actress) concert last night hence it was also practical that I wore something comfortable and concert-friendly. 

tank top and leggings- Forever 21
shoes- Scarlet for Zalora
bag- Kate Spade

Nothing quite like a good pair of floral printed shorts (in this season's hottest cut--the origami of course!) to spruce up your wardrobe. This print though is quite different from my usual. For one, it reminds me of those resortwear graphics without bordering on garish. What I also find nice about this is that by being in this print, this trendy skort can still remain usable even when it has finally run its course because floral is practically timeless. Even when this particular style of skirt/shorts is no longer trendy, you could still put it to good use by wearing it to the beach for instance! In my recent browsing of Zalora's runway report for their Ezra line, it was shown there how much of a staple in women's closet this print is! Because really, what would scream girly/feminine better than flower power? 

As for what event I wore this to...this was my outfit when I went to see Lisa Macuja-Elizalde's last ballet performance of La Bayadere. It was such a fantastic experience to have watched it for the first and last time. You can view some photos that I took on my instagram! This get-up was perfect for such an art-filled event, I must say. 

top- Bench
skirt- random brand
shoes- Gibi
necklace and sunnies- Forever 21

You know how some people have this love-hate relationship with junk food/desserts/whatever-their-guilty-pleasures are? Well, mine's coffee/tea. Just last week I was sent to the ER for hyperventilating and my doctor advised me to avoid anything that has caffeine seeing that I stress over things too much and don't handle uppers well. It's not the first time I've been told this and I obediently let a whole year pass me by without it but I gradually eased it back in my system again last year. Now though I'm back to abandoning coffee and specifically my latest addiction: milk tea. I'm a late convert, you see. 

It's quite funny how this whole post is so ironic now. :)

crop top and skirt- Forever 21
stockings- random
shoes- S&H
bag- Kate Spade

How was Halloween for you guys? I went to the province with my family and celebrated the holiday there. Here are a few instagram pics taken that day. I went as a femme fatale in a film noir. My costume was actually thought of the last minute---a few hours before I left town! These were just normal going-out clothes that I put together to form a jumpsuit of sorts. I was quite lazy to come up with a costume that entails a photo shoot this year unlike my previous Halloweens which you can read about here and here. So how did you celebrate the holiday? Tell me all about it, I'd love to know. :)

Here's a simple, sweet and short outfit post! Thought I'd share to you what I wore when I went shopping/malling the other day. I would like to show you how I dress not just on the days when I'm dressed to the nines for a special event or a party. This blog is primarily a documentation of worn outfits (simple and/or trendy) and I would like to keep it that way so I hope you appreciate the "non-fierceness" of some of my looks once in a while hehe. As for my look, blue and gold make a subtle yet striking color combo, don't you think? 

skirt- Cotton On
flats- S&H
bag- Lacoste
necklace- H&M

I guess this get-up didn't help in making me look approachable and friendly. My default *sungit* face went well with it. Completed the look, I must say. Don't hesitate to be friends with me though 'cos I am nothing like my facial expression (Oh keep quiet Mark I can hear you protesting from your office!). *laughs* 

The focus of this outfit was obviously the tied up button down around my waist. I just wore an all black ensemble to make the red accents pop. Et voila, an automatic/instant 90's grunge look. What really went on in my mind during the time I was dressing up for that day was I needed to at least partly conceal my ant-bite marks behind my thighs. So that was me hitting two birds with one stone, right? Fashion and function. What do you think? #medyobadgirl signing out hahaha ;)

flannel shirt- Forever 21
tank top- SM GTW
leather skirt- WAGW
shoes- S&H

Look at me wearing two colors that I rarely wear/use. These, however, are Mark's chosen colors. I now can't help but associate these hues to his favorite NBA team the New York Knicks ever since he passionately introduced me to it. Consequently, this hotpants and shirt combo remind me of jersey uniforms---the shorter version worn by players circa the 1970s, that is. 

Now these are things that I don't do often. 
1. Wear blue and orange. 
2. Graze on the topic of sports.  
3. Incorporate anything sport-related to my fashion choices. Or just my life in general, really.

Everyone knows how lame I am when it comes to physical fitness. I have a weird phobia of balls and sports. In grade school, my P.E. instructors would just exempt me from participating in any form of vigorous exercises (starting grade 2 to 6). They just let me happily sit on the benches playing paperdolls or dominoes---safe from bouncing and rebounding balls! No kidding. The one time I was pushed out of my comfort zone was in high school when I had to play volleyball which was equivalent to an exam. I was so anxious I felt like I was gonna get myself sick thinking of the humiliation that would undoubtedly happen once I come in contact with the ball. I "served" once, and obviously the ball didn't even so much as touch the net. After seeing my lame attempt, they just let me sit down and watch on the sidelines again. *laughs*  Now you know why talking about sports on MY blog is kind of otherworldly for me. 

What brought on all these, you ask? Well today I had to sit through the experience again in my P.E. class. But unexpectedly, I had a really fun day and it sorta extinguished my fear about the subject so I'm open to talking about it here on my blog now. Let's see what's in store for me this term! I'll keep you updated. :)

top and shorts- SM GTW
shoes- Parisian

This outfit has a really simple silhouette and style. But if you look beyond the simplicity of it, you'll see that there are different prints and textures that comprise it. The plain t-shirt is spruced up with sheer lace that is both dainty and sexy at the same time. The skirt is polka-dotted and floral, the shoes are in a neutral shade but perforated, and the bag adds a pop of color to this monochromatic pink look. The different patterns somehow add a touch of intricacy, don't you think? 

t-shirt- Pink Manila
skirt- Cotton On
bag- Coach

Today is my mom's birthday and I wore this earlier to her lunch celebration. For some reason I would always wear red on birthdays even though we don't normally follow Chinese traditions in my family. It's just something I picked up I guess when I was young when my family would tell stories about our Chinese relatives. Anyway I feel weird just talking about it since my siblings and I have about 1/8 of Chinese blood running in our veins only. Haha! I just noticed that it's become an unconscious yet natural move to wear red for me. A couple of blog posts away I also sported red on my boyfriend's birthday and also a gown in this shade on my debut. I think it's perfect and apt for celebrations. I'm also biased because it's my favorite color---if it isn't very telling yet, what with my blog title and all. :)

tank top- Forever 21
skirt- Forever 21
cardigan- Forever 21
ribbon necklace turned brooch- Flatterbuy
shoes- Celine
bag- Coach

I had been such a busy bee. So much so that for the month of August I got to publish 2 blog entries only! I don't think that has ever happened to me before until now. Forgive me. I am back to blogging now though as I had just finished with my first term as a *legit* fashion design student. Gosh. I am over the moon.

Now, now, I feel like my writing has gone rusty! Please bear with my stunted thoughts and fragmented writing! For sure I'll get my groove back soon.

Here's an outfit that I wore to a celebratory date with my main man at our new favorite wine place, Terry's at The Podium! I went for a pencil skirt because my thighs are still blemished and currently healing from ant-bites. Curse them ants. The itching is just pure torture! I was just being a sweet girl. Get it? Sweet and...ants? Alright, I'll stop. Haha! Since I didn't wanna go the prim and proper route like I did before, I made it look casual by pairing my skirt with a simple t-shirt and wedge sneakers. The result was a fresh and interesting contrast of casual and sophisticated. What do you think?

top- random brand
skirt- Forever 21
sneaks- S&H
bag- Kenneth Cole

The skater skirt is one of the easiest things to wear this season, no wonder it has been the uniform of college gals like me who don't have to wear uniforms in their universities. Although this piece of clothing is seen on almost everyone in my campus, I'm not gonna stop sporting it anytime soon and you'll probably see more of it just in different colors and prints only 'coz it has been my default attire whenever I'm lazy to think of a more creative outfit. This may very well pass as my comfy sweats. And since this post does not offer anything too out-of-the-box, I'm just showing you how I paired this skirt with a quirky top that somehow makes up for the plainness of the look. Silver metal pieces like the spikes on my loafers and collar necklace add a touch of toughness to this otherwise playful and young look.

One little anecdote about this outfit that I'm going to let you in on as well is that when I wore this I wasn't my happiest...and yet the vibrant hues helped elicit chirpier emotions within me that somehow made the day a little bit rosier for me. And that, I think, is just one of the many contributions of fashion in my life. :)

top- Pink Manila
skirt- Cotton On
shoes- S&H
necklace- F-Stop

This would be odd but my inspiration for this outfit is a jail cell. The stripes would be the prison bars, the gold chainlink necklace would be the binding chains, and the tattered shirt symbolizes the unglamorous living conditions. And if I were to complete this "fantasy"; I would have gotten out of prison---with my crime being a "shopping addict" (as imprinted on my shirt)---in this outfit and equipped with a deadly weapon that came in the form of my spiked platforms. What do you think?

DIY shirt- Mom's
pencil skirt- random brand
shoes- Oasap
bag- Furla
shades, necklace, earrings, neon yellow bandeau- Forever 21
watch- Guess
bracelets- Divi

This cropped sweatshirt had been sitting in my closet for a year. My boyfriend gave this to me as his first monthsary gift to me last July and I only got to wear it now. Mark was getting tampo that maybe I didn't like it saying that by the time I'd finally don it, the world has spouted tons of crop tops already. What do you know, he's damn right. The crop top trend is in its full swing now. This whole time I was just looking for the perfect garments (a specific cut/style to my leather skirt) and accessories (chunky gold chainlink necklace which was not so readily available before) to go with it to complete the image in my head. It's not surprising at all that it takes me months/years to wear an outfit especially if I had envisioned it in a certain way. There is no way for me to just wear it out the first time styled in another look. This outfit from before took me two years to complete (click that link why don't ya). My stubbornness, being idealistic and a perfectionist (throw in a lil bit of OC) show so much through this.

crop shirt, skirt, necklace, sunnies- Forever 21
shoes- Gibi
bag- Kenneth Cole

As mentioned in my post before this, Mark and I embarked on our own version of the Labor Day Weekend which we jokingly and lovingly called LaborAlabang 2013. We were stuck in the Metro after all. What we did all day long was eat in BF Paranaque and go around Alabang. We left my home in QC in the morning and started our food adventure at a pretty obscure steak place called Grandad's which was camouflaged in the strip of restos along BF Homes. The place was perfect for brunch as Mark said. We had steak, wine, and shrimp cocktail---which could've been better if it was chilled. 
After driving around, we started getting hungry again (haha blame Mark's bottomless pit of a stomach) and the sliced Parma ham that we were munching on while inside the car was just making us hungrier. We had dinner at a Japanese "home-turned-resto" named Tatsu No Ko which wasn't fancy looking at all but served affordable and good Japanese food. Now, I would consider myself quite picky and critical with this cuisine (with my love and fondness for Japan and all) so I'm glad to report that the food was really delicious. Mark liked his shrimp tendon (not in the photo 'coz we gobbled it up instantly and forgot to snap a photo of it) which was still crisp and not soggy despite the sauce coating it. I also commend them for serving us Japanese rice and not just plain 'ol rice! We can tell if its just Dinorado or what. The rice is usually a neglected element in some Japanese restaurants here in the Philippines so I'm happy this resto had round and sticky rice to go with their equally tasty dishes.
The chicken teriyaki wasn't good though. It didn't taste smoked or grilled at all. The sauce wasn't even close to tasting like a teriyaki sauce plus it had this gelatinous consistency which made us think that they just reheated it.
But I'll be forgiving since the chunks of salmon they used in their sushi were huge! And the tuna sashimi, well what can I say...it's my favorite so naturally I loved it.
To cap off our night, we randomly picked Larcy's Cupcakery for dessert which turned out to be my favorite food trip of the day! I am not too crazy for sweets/desserts except for candies and bubblegum, so I wasn't really keen on having dessert. But Mark still wasn't done with his pasarap so I obliged. I almost didn't order anything and looking back I'm so glad that I did because the cupcake I had still haunts me in my dreams even up to this day! Not exaggerating, I was daydreaming about it the week after. I had red velvet cupcake and even though I haven't had a lot of this, I'm going out on a limb here and say that Larcy's red velvet is the best in this cupcake saturated market!
It was served really cold, tasted like cheesecake, had white chocolate chunks and crispy chocolate crusted bottom. It was so heavenly. In my head I was arguing if it was cheesecake or ice cream!
And there you have it! Another food trip brought to you by Hungry Boy and Parched Girl! "Til the next! :)