Outfit of the Week: Camouflage

It's no secret that the camouflage trend is hot right now.  Different designers ranging from high end (Valentino) to high street and local brands have come up with their own camouflage prints.  And yes, I'm riding on the camouflage trend in this outfit.  Can you believe that the pants are actually from the men's section of Cotton On?  I bought it a few months back when most brands still haven't come out with their versions, so when I saw it, I just had to get it!  It fit perfectly too.  Score!  

And here's a closer look at my shoes and bag.   Love the skull detail on my flats and the embossed detail of the bag!  It's the small details that count!

Top:  Forever 21

Pants:  Cotton On

Bag:  Gucci

Shoes:  S&H

Topshop/Topman Robinsons Magnolia Now Open!

Topshop, one of my favorite high street brands, is now open in Robinsons Magnolia!  I can still remember back in my college days when Topshop first opened in Robinsons Place Manila.  I would make good use of my breaks and troop over there to shop, almost always ending up bringing something back to class.  My friends would only shake their heads and label me a shopaholic.   Ah, memories.  Fast forward more than a decade and a dozen or so stores later, Topshop still hasn't failed to amaze me.  If only money grew on trees, then I'd be a happy camper and just live inside the store!

Ok ok I'll stop reminiscing and dreaming, on to the reason for this post!  Yesterday was the day Topshop/Topman Magnolia opened its stores to the public.  They had quite a number of promotions too, like Php500 coupon for the first 50 customers in queue, free tote bag for every Php1500 worth of purchase, cocktails and a DJ.  Cool huh?  Sadly I arrived a bit late and wasn't able to get one of those coupons, but congratulations to those who did!

Snapped a couple (ok, a LOT) of photos to share to you guys, here they are!

Storefront.  I hear this is THE biggest store to date!

What greets you at the entrance

Topshop Section:

The Topshop section.  The store is wayyyy deep!

They also have a whole petite section

Undies and shoes.  Check out that shoe wall!

Topman Section:

The Fitting Room:

Love this picture wall!

I'm in love with the color of the fitting room wall.  And check out the sofas!  Perfect for patient boyfriends waiting for their girl to dress up!

And here are some of my picks from the pieces that I saw:

Leopard print shift dress

Cap-sleeves lace dress

Peach floral organza dress

Floral jumper

Cropped top with matching skirt

Beaded dress

Leaf print jumpsuit

Digital print skirt

Lace fringe top

Aaaaah!  Seeing these pieces again made me want to rush over to Robinsons Magnolia two days in a row!  What are you waiting for?  Go give them a visit and be amazed too!  Happy shopping!

Topshop is in  Robinsons's Magnolia, TriNoma, Robinsons Galleria, The Podium, Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Robinsons Midtown Ermita (New Wing), Alabang Town Center Mall, Greenbelt 3, Power Plant Mall, Bonifacio High Street and Ayala Center Cebu

Topman is in Robinson's Magnolia, Robinsons Galleria, Robinsons Place Ermita, Power Plant Mall, Greenbelt 3, TriNoma, Alabang Town Center, SM Mall of Asia and The Podium

Outfit of the Week: It's That Shirtdress... Again.

Remember how much I raved about shirtdresses on this post?  Well, here's another version of it!  For a polished look, the best way to do it is to belt a shirtdress.  But there are days when you just want to wear it as is and not feel constrained.  Tip:  When choosing a shirtdress, make sure it's a bit loose.  You don't want buttons popping or your flesh showing when you sit down.  The one I have on here is waaaay loose, but that's how I like it!  What to do so that it doesn't look like you just threw on your pajamas?  Simple, accessorize, accessorize, accessorize!  A simple necklace and a bracelet would surely do the trick; heck, it could even make you look party-ready!  All you have to do is work it, baby!  I have a couple more of these sitting in my closet, so do expect more of these shirtdress posts because I really, really am in love with them!

Dress:  Monki
Bag:  Chanel
Shoes:  Call it Spring
Necklace:  Una Rosa
Bracelet:  Ever New

2nd Time Around: Wafu

Late last year, my mom and I were able to try Wafu for the very first time.  While it didn't impress us that much, months after, we decided to give it another go.  It's always good to give second chances, right?  And besides, other members of the family haven't gotten the chance to try it out yet.  So on a random weeknight, we paid Wafu a visit. (Still haven't gotten the chance to sit in their cocoon chairs, though.  It was reserved!  Boo.)

Here's what we had:

Edamame

Dobin Mushi

Chawan Mushi

California Roll

Gyu Don

Warm Mushroom Salad

Tiger Roll

Chicken Teriyaki

Angus Shortribs

Beeef Negimaki

Nasu Dengaku

I'll skip the commentary on each and every dish and just give an overall observation.  Did Wafu improve the second time around?  Uh... no.  Everything we ordered were so-so.  Underwhelming.  And sad to say, totally not worth it.  I'd rather go back to old favorites like Omakase or Yuujin to get my Japanese fix the next time I crave for it.  One word of advice:  do not mess with the tried and tested dishes.  What I noticed was that they kept on trying to reinvent some old favorites, but fail to do so.  Hence, the dish tastes funny.  2 out of 5 stars. 

Wafu is at Greenhills Shopping Center, N Western St Greenhills, San Juan.

Las Flores

After attending the VIP opening of SM Aura, food was the next thing to consider.  Since SM Aura had just opened, it was expected that not much stores and restaurants were open.  Good thing it's located at the Fort, which boasts of endless restaurants to choose from!  Initially, I wanted to go to Wildflour again, but at the last minute we decided to try something new.  I remembered passing by Las Flores back when Hubby and I had an overnight stay in F1 Hotel a few months ago, and it looked interesting so we opted to have our dinner in Las Flores that night.

Cozy interiors

This place looks like it's meant for either a date night or somewhere where a group of good friends can just sit back and catch up (see group of foreign friends above).

Complimentary Bread

I like the way Las Flores gives you a variety of complimentary bread.  Each one is different and interesting.

Bombas Picantes Con Su Salsa

This is basically mashed potatoes with minced meat with spicy-creamy sauce.  The portion is big; I thought it would be croquette-sized but this is about x3 of a normal croquette.  

Ensalada de Pasta

The Ensalada de Pasta was a pleasant surprise.  For someone who doesn't eat raw tomatoes, theirs is pretty good, with a hint of sweetness.  And yes, I polished it off.

Paella Negra con Sepia

One cannot eat in a Spanish restaurant and not order paella.  And since I'm an everything-with-squid-ink-lover, I chose the Paella Negra con Sepia over the seafood one.  No regrets, because unlike the other versions I've tried in which the only hint of squid ink is its color, you can actually taste this one in each mouthful.  Yum.

Chocolatisimo

Wasn't planning on dessert but the server suggested a molten lava version and we couldn't say no.  Sad to say, this was the fail of the night.  The portion is really tiny and there was no lava flowing out, at all.  Oh well, you can't have it all.

Overall I'd give Las Flores a 3.5 out of 5 stars.  We went there for a second time and ordered a couple more dishes but the experience wasn't as good as the first time.  The repeat orders like Paella Negra tasted less flavorful too.  

Las Flores is at G/F One Mckinley Place, 25th St. Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

Outfit of the Week: Rainbow Leopard

Here's what I wore to the VIP opening of SM Aura at the Fort.  With the media/bloggers all buzzing about the opening, who doesn't know about it, right?  Wasn't actually planning on going, but last minute changes to my schedule allowed me to do so and boy, was I glad I went!  Why?  Three words:  Sarah Jessica Parker!!!  Yes, I finally got a glimpse of the woman behind the Sex and the City fame (confession:  I still can't get over the fact that SATC has already ended so now I started watching The Carrie Diaries and got hooked!).

Anyway, on to my outfit!  Had a few errands that day so I didn't want to get all dressed up, but I wanted to look like I made an effort.  So what to do?  I went for the rock-chic look.  These pair of Jeffrey Campbells have been sitting in my shoe closet for the longest time and was I ever glad I brought them out to the opening!  Why?  Because there were soooooo many people vying for a chance to see SJP and I wouldn't be able to see her if I'm in flats!  Got to shop a bit too! (My poor, poor wallet)  Oh what a memorable day that was.

So has anyone here shopped or window shopped at SM Aura yet?  If not, then let me tell you that it's one of the chicest SM Malls I've been to.  DO check them out!

Vest:  Forever 21
Tunic:  Forever 21
Leggings: H&M
Bag:  Givenchy
Shoes:  Jeffrey Campbell

Balboa

Following the dinner at The Strip Hollywood Steakhouse, the second restaurant we explored in the new East Wing of Shangri-La Plaza was Balboa.  For those who are not familiar, Balboa is another baby of Marvin Agustin who also owns Marciano's, Sumo Sam, John and Yoko, Mr. Kurosawa, etc.  To tell the truth, we were deciding whether to try Balboa or Corazon across them and the interiors of Balboa won over Corazon's.  LOL.  There's a certain charm to it and that was already enough to convince us to go for Balboa.  

See?  It has a certain homey yet sophisticated feel to it.  Complete with nice floral chairs and the moose (or deer?) hanging on the wall.  Haha!

...and now it's time for the food.  Here's what we had:

Mushroom Soup

Didn't appreciate it that much.  Balboa's mushroom soup lacks flavor.  

Squash Soup

Didn't like this one either.  Again, it tasted watered down.

Oyster Rockefeller

Just alright.

4 Cheese Pizza

This was ok, but not superb.  I guess I got spoiled by those extra thin, super crispy pizzas from other restaurants that this one didn't impress me anymore.

Truffle Mushroom Linguine

We sent back the truffle mushroom linguine because we couldn't detect even a hint of truffle even if our noses were mere millimeters away from the pasta.  Came back with a nice truffle scent, and yet, it was just... normal.

I guess it's safe to say that we weren't the least bit blown away by Balboa.  The interiors are nice, but sadly, that's about it.  Hope it's just the opening blues.  2 out of 5 stars.

Balboa is at 4/F Shangri-la Plaza Mall, East Wing, Shaw Blvd cor. EDSA, Wack Wack, Mandaluyong