New package from DM: Travel knick knacks

My lovely mother, being the thoughtful soul she is, sent me a package which had various travel knick knacks for my hk trip with drew. It's full of cute goodies that are meant to make our little vacation a little bit more fun! I suspect that they are all from Target too. haha! (well, maybe except for the mags.) ;)



Included are a bunch of magazines for the short plane ride, some over-the-counter meds in case of a sudden cold, 2 packs of trident gum, a pack of twix, 2 cotton tees and 3 tanks all from mossimo for some serious layering, a small denim bag for toiletries which was a freebie from teen vogue, a brand new apple green padlock for drew's luggage (I still have my purple ones), and my favorite: 4 animal head luggage tags. See those 4 kiddie animals at the bottom of the pic? Those are for my luggage! I just think the red ladybug and the pink piggy are adorable. :) Andrew can have the bugly bear. hahahaha!

More Proenza just because...

Okay, I know three entries about proenza schouler for target is too much. But please bear with me as I really can't get enough of this collection! :) I love that the duo really incorporated their signature style into this line and I can't stop myself from wanting too many of the stuff. It's like they made something refreshing and unique for spring but it still emanates proenza. *gushes* I am looking to get more stuff later on if the budget permits... but I would have to cross my fingers just yet. hehe.

Anyhow, I was just re-reading an article about them in Vogue Dec 2006 and found it funny when they sketched the key GO international customer. Here's how they put it. "She appreciates fashion, loves newness, always wants to be trend right and appreciates designers. She's looking at youtube, blogs. She's on DailyCandy.com, on Style.com." Hey I think they just described you and me dahlings! hahaha. But I think they forgot to say that "she" is also "on a limited budget" and hence "cannot buy haute couture on a daily basis". Perhaps vogue edited that out, noh? haha.

And just because I felt like talking about more PS, here's a collage of proenza designs from online archives (2003-2007) and target (of course). I was a wee bit lazy but I tried to incorporate where the GO designs were "inspired" from. I'll try to add some more tomorrow but what I have placed here as key pieces are the bustiers, trench coat, some tops, skirts and the palm print. Enjoy! ;)



Don't you wish you could get them all? *sigh*

Proenza arrives on target

P.S. did arrive at target.com today but I heard that some target stores will not be putting the stuff out until this tuesday. I wonder what's up with that? Also, I noticed that some of the stuff weren't even placed on sale online as of yet. I did not see the bustiers in other colors except for the purple one, as well as the oversized tropical print bag or any of the tropical print dresses for that matter. *shrugs* Geez, some people were really looking forward to get these things asap you know. hehehe! Hmm... I suppose the duo's family and friends got first dibs? hahaha, just a theory! It's just that they kept on saying that on their interviews right, that they're happy to do this thing especially for their friends. It's really not a problem for me though. My multi-talented mom went to the 4-day presale at the Opening Ceremony store in New York City yesterday and already got me the 2 items I absolutely must have from this collection. Can you guess what they were?

Hint: my 2 items are in this compilation of various looks from the collection. *giggles*

Photo courtesy of the LAist.

Oh and to those of you in NY, the sale is until Feb. 5! Do tell me if you end up with some good stuff. *wink*

She's a sexy secretary

For some absurd reason, I've always gotten voted as secretary eversince gradeschool days. (FYI: in manila, schools teach students to formally vote class officers the moment they enter first grade.) Well, I remember secretly wanting to be treasurer all the time (coz I wanted to collect the money, hehe) but always won as secretary on most years. I actually thought highschool would end the trend but no it didn't. I got the same position when I was a sophomore. In fact, it reached my college days - I became secretary-general in a major science guild in the university I went to. Then, come first year in medschool (just when I thought officers were no longer needed in postgraduate/doctorate studies), I got voted once again as secretary of my class. This really puzzled me for the longest time because although I may seem to have a "vote me for secretary" vibe, I really am the LEAST person who deserves this position. Why you ask? Here are just SOME of the reasons. hehe! Number one, I am always late (and I mean ALWAYS); two, I am super disorganized (all my notes are in scratch papers); three, I abhor writing on the board (the chalk dust irks me); four, I have hideously crooked handwriting (I can never undestand my own notes!); and five, I am always missing my pens. and papers. and notebooks. Case in point? hahaha.

Well, I remember ranting about this to one of my college friends a few years ago and she came up with an equally hilarious reaction to my ironic tale. She said, "Maybe it's because you're sexy. You know, like, you have a little miss sexy-tary image?". Hehehehe! It's a funny memory (miss you k!) and I ended up reminiscing about it just now because one of my favorite looks from recent style trends is the sexy secretary look. :) You know, the one where pencil skirts, cardigans, and pretty blouses are involved?

A clip from Lucky mag

Anyway, mom gave me a go signal to shop the clearance sales of target and first thing I hunted down were the components of this one sexy secretary-esque look from the Behnaz for target collection.



I really did take advantage of the chance (hey they're slashed down more than 50% off!) and went online shopping today as target also has free shipping and additional 10% off right now. But alas, the black skirt is already out of stock (along with the silver skirt and bag I got 2 months ago, heehee.) so these are the pieces I ended up getting.

behnaz sarafpour velvet skirt in oxford magenta and ribbed tank with satin rose in ebony and classic ivory.

Oooh... I just can't wait to get them and emulate my sexy-tary side when I get the chance! haha.

Bull's eye for Proenza Schouler

Whilst it is no longer surprising news that Proenza Schouler is the next designer brand to join Target's GO International line up, I just felt like creating a post here about them before I leave for school. (yes, school starts today... *groooaan*) Why you ask? The very recent (dec. 28) papermag article about them pushed me to conclude that I am going to like this line as much as the behnaz one. :)




Dubbed as "fashion’s bright young things", Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler created a resort-wear line for Target that is slated to be fun, fresh, flirty and vibrant. This sounds all too familiar as typical marc jacobs vibe but I'm sure the collection will have a PS twist. Quite a contrast from the understated luxe and feminine of behnaz but a good contrast nonetheless. It's for spring after all!



From what has been written, the promising collection will consist of must-have quirky items such as heather grey skinny jeans, eye candy belts, sailor-rope-printed bikinis, flirty mini skirts, breezy sundresses and their signature piped bustier tops (the latter is actually what I am pining over). As for accessories, they came out with weekend totes and simple elegant suede clutches that were said to be dreamworthy too. Well, it really seems like there's a whole lot of yummy things!



Famed for their fabulous cut and construction, loved for their fashion savvy-style, young Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler (a combination of their mother’s maiden names, the second of which is pronounced “Skooler") are the epitome of New York cool. The talented duo met in 1998 and almost immediately took the fashion world by storm. By 2002, their expertly tailored collections were being honored at the 40th annual Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards as the “Future of Fashion.”

I say bring on the Proenza mania! :D

I love Behnaz Sarafpour

I think the first time I started paying attention to Behnaz Sarafpour was when one of my fave actresses, Selma Blair, wore this gray sabrina-cut dress by the designer to a movie premiere.



The reaction in my head went like this: "ooooh, this dress is gorgeous!!! It was made by beeh-noz saraf...? sara.. saraf.. sara-pouz?" hahaha! I couldn't figure out how to pronounce it. Turns out it's simply read as ben-oz sah-rafpoor. (Yes, I can sometimes be a stuttering loon) I guess having a fancy name can either make a person remember you distinctly or help them forget you alot faster. In my case it was easy. Selma + pretty dress + fancy name = *ding ding ding ding!* long term memory name storage!

In case you have not heard, Behnaz Sarafpour is an Iranian-born girl who grew up in Europe and graduated with flying colors at the Parsons School of Design. She launched her own line in 2001 with strong support from a number of fashion's most influential names such as Vogue's Anna Wintour and Barneys' VP Merchandising Julie Gilhart (to name a few) and is becoming quite known for her refreshing take on classic feminine pieces.

Behnaz w/ one of her models in Town & Country Feb 2006

Here are some of her past pieces that I adore:


An ad in Cosmopolitan May 2006 issue

You all remember ashley's pretty dress from the previous post?

Whilst I would kill to own her whole spring 2007 runway collection (uh-huh, every woven thread of those darn clothes), I am quite content with the fact that she is target's latest darling to design for their GO International collection! This makes it a bit easier for us poor girls who have yet to afford hoarding runway dresses on a whim. hehehe! (I guess you already know that this post is leading somewhere about a certain someone buying something for her naughty little heart's desire. right? haha.)

Here is the opening image for the GO International flash ad at the target site:



The first time I had a look-see at the behnaz collection for target, I couldn't help but fall in love with the items. It was indeed very 'behnaz'! The whites, blacks, grays, bows, brocade, lace, and other pretty little details were very classy and timeless... the characteristics of high-end couture. I just really love her concept and I love the fact that she made an effort to make this collection identify with her more expensive line. So far this is my fave GO International collection.

Some looks from the target collection, Kristin Bell was actually photographed sporting the tafetta dress with grossgrain waist to an event!

I also couldn't help but compare some of the behnaz for target ensembles with the ones from her recent spring 2007 runway collection. Take these for example.





Don't you think they 'feel' a bit similar? (The price difference is quite dramatic though! *wink*)

However, the one dress from the runway that literally made my jaw drop was this gorgeous reinvented flapper-style silver dress which did not have a cheaper target counterpart. *pout*



There was something very magical and pixie-like about it and the muted silver color was very pretty. There really wasn't anything like this at all from her target collection (it would turn out to be too fancy!) but she had incorporated this silvery brocade material in her collection that I find attractive just the same.


According to my DM, the brocade material is even prettier in person because it is more of a rich dull gray with shiny silvery thread incorporated in the cloth. (I am definitely going to get the bag and one matching piece. either the skirt or the top! decisions decisions.. hehehe)

I also really adore the accessories in the collection. (I wonder why they are so few in number...) I really found the charm stuff cute! very chic and very new york, plus its made of 100% brass too which rarely discolors. I also liked the lace duffle.





At first I wondered how big the charms were, and then I found this picture by a seller in ebay.com:



Look, the charms are quite big! They will really make a statement for sure. I love it!

Here are more pics of the collection. :)







All I can say is, uptown chic has never been this cheap and effortless. All the pieces are very easy to wear while frolicking about in the city. Thank you behnaz and target! ;) I am definitely going to order a few pieces from this line. Will just update this after I have done so! *wink*