4 WAYS TO REACH "STYLISTA" STATUS

The road to being a stylish is not always easy. Fashion magazines, celebrities even other style bloggers can lead you down the wrong path into the dreaded land of  "TRENDY" (DA-DA-DON)

Don't worry...mamma Nant. is here for my Stylistas.

As you guys may have notice, I call the people who read my blog "Stylistas".  I don't like the word "FANS" (I am no one to have fans). I like "stylistas" because you are stylish or on you way to becoming stylish. For those of you who are already stlyish., use this as a check point.  For the girls with closets FILLED with clothing never to be worn and not sure of you stylista status....here is a quick way to know your Stylist Status.

WE SEE YOU LOOKING!!!

1. DISCOVER your fifteen
THE FIFTEEN are 15 items in your closet that you CAN NOT live without. People tend to wear 15 key items the most out of all the other items in there closet.  The rest complement the 15 so it doesn't seem like they are wearing the same stagnant items (even though they are). Stylistas know there 15 and spend quality money on those items.  It maybe your classic black leather jacket (that's me!!!) or a pair of comfortable yet stylish heels. Every Stylista knows her fifteen .


2. NEVER and I do mean NEVER wear things that don't fit.
In my younger years, I wore things that were too big in order to be the dreaded TRENDY (DA-DA DON).  I still remembering my baggy pant of 1993....shutter. Now I cant imagine putting on something too large or for that matter too small. A Stylistas knows how things should fit her body and has a tailor on hand who can hem, take in a waist or take it out without ruining the fabric.  I love my tailor and known him for over 10 yrs.  I've even eaten with his family as I waited for a skirt to be taken in and picked up a love for Rugby.

What about if  I fluctuate in weight?

No problem.  You just need two sets of THE FIFTEEN.  One for your heaviest and lighter weight.  Don't let weight stop you from being Stylish. 

REMEMBER... "Live your life at any size!!!"

3. ALWAYS take care of you clothing

Remember when moms had you change out your school clothes and hang them up to "air out"? Consider that your first Stylista lesson. (THANKS MOM!!!!)

Airing your garments before putting them away is a great way to protect your garments.

Come home, take off your heels and  toss them in a corner...NEVER

Take off your dress and let it fall to the floor UMMMM.....NO!!!

Stylista's take pride in your garments because she knows their worth.  Plus, would anything you care about be on the floor  (CHILD PLEASE)

4. NEVER follow Trends because well....its a Trend!
In the world of trend report, social media and being in one day and out the next, Stylista's doesn't waist their  hard earned cash on Trends.
I'm not saying she doesn't wear trends..she just doesn't spend loads of money on it.  Tends are what the H&M/Zarah of the world is for.  Low cost trendy items that we can wear for a season are a great way to try a trend and see if it works in your closet.    (I just wish more of us understood that).

"Dresses for yourself...not anyone else" 

Now that you know your way to stylista status, I hope your ready for this stylish fall fashion N.E.C. Style is about to give you.
I KNOW I AM!!!

ILLUSTRATION: JONQUELART

MY SOLUTION TO SUMMER CHAFING

CHAFING, CHUB RUB, THE BURN...whatever you call it its a problem for most women. I use to think it was only a problem for the plus size women but I've learned that most women suffer from some kind of chafing in the summer. Rather its between the legs, under the bust or the bikini area, chafing is suffered by a large amount of women.

O know this can be an embarrassing subject to talk about but is something I've had to deal with and know women are looking for simple solutions.  I've dealt with this my WHOLE life so does that make me an expert? Maybe.  For so many years I didn't know how to combat chaffing issues and still have some reminder scars of when I didn't take care of my skin.  I hope by sharing my tips I help someone else prevent the pain and scars that I went through so they don't have to. 

There are three things to remember when dealing with Chafing:

 PREVENTION, TREATMENT & PROTECTION

Prevention
Most of the blog and articles I see talk mostly about prevention  products so I won't touch too much on this.
For me, I like to use deodorant or powder

As a plus size kid, powder was a huge part of my daily routine. (I should have taken stock in baby powder with the amount I used as a kid.) Powder helped to cool and keep the skin dry so chaffing didn't happen. The problem was that it would get on my clothes and all over the floor.

As an adult,  I use/love the Monistat Powder Gel. It's not thick and not so greasy so its perfect.This is new to my list but this product is really good if your use to powder. 

A nice solid deodorant stick was my go too for inner thigh chafing.   Not only does it allow you to stay dry but also release a great smell.  The only downfall was that it could leave white residue on your clothes (like most deodorant).  Recently I switch to  Degree Dry Spray.  Its quicker, cleaner and has different scents that release extra protection when you sweat. PLUS, no white residue.



Treatment
Once chafing has happened it is IMPORTANT to go through the process of treatment. It can leads to more skin problems and even infection.
You should clean the area first then apply an ointment.

At www.top10homeremedies.com I found a few natural products to help sooth chafing.

 Another choice is diaper rash cream.   I have used A+D Zinc Oxide cream but my new love is Monkey Butt Ointment.  It has a nice smell and is not thick.

3. Protection
The best protection is to keep the skin from rubbing anymore while it heals.

For breast,  I use Bra lines.  They can wrap around you and snap like your bra or can attach to your bra.

For thighs,  you have a choice of  shorts (microfiber is the best fabric choice) or fabric band

If your like me and find shorts to be too warm or bulky, fabric band is the way to go.  My favorite brand is Bandalettes.  Ranging in size from 2-24, from lace or microfiber, from white to flesh tone (even for darker skin).  These bands are the best and do not roll down like other.  They are super light and cant be seen (even under body con dresses).

These tips are not only for summer but all year long. I hope this was helpful to you all.

My first fashion internship

Earlier this summer, I was thinking about going to fashion school to ameliorate my fashion styling skills. However, I didn’t know any more schools which offered fashion styling that wouldn’t coincide with my driving lessons. So I decided to go to driving school instead, setting aside my fashion dilemma for a while.

After sometime, a good friend of mine suddenly contacted me regarding an internship for a fashion show. I asked what I would do and she told me that I’d be styling models for a series of fashion shows. I didn’t think twice anymore and immediately said yes!

             The series of fashion shows is called Style Origin 2012. Style Origin shows are a series of fashion shows going on in all Ayala Malls every weekend from April until June. Saturday shows are Men’s Week fashion show and Sunday shows are High Fashion Street which are composed of clothes for kids, men, and women.

My co-interns and I didn’t really get to take a lot of pictures because, of course, we had to focus on our job as interns.  This would explain the lack of pictures in this post.  Since this was a fashion show, last minute changes were always present.  We had to be alert and prepared at all times. The last thing we wanted to happen was for the models we were styling to strut the runway with their shirts inside-out or their shoes wrongly paired.

GLORIETTA (April 28 & 28)

Style Origin’s first show was in Greenbelt.  However, I wasn’t an intern at that time yet. I only started the week after that, just in time for the Glorietta show.  I went there not knowing what to do and what to expect. I just told myself I’d give this a shot. Anything for my dreams! During the Glorietta show, each intern was assigned to a couple or more models. We would be the ones dressing them up for the fashion show. This is no joke! We would sometimes have to undress a model and dress him/her up again for his/her next outfit in a span of two minutes – and don’t even get me started with the accessories – there were loads of ‘em!

Some perks of being an intern is that we get to see, and sometimes, style celebrities like Xian Lim, Enchong Dee, Hayden Kho, Megan Young, and many more! I actually got to semi-style a DJ for Magic 89.9. Yes, she is none other than the ever-so-pretty Andi Manzano. I accompanied her to F&H in Glorietta 5 to get the swimsuits she would be wearing over her cover-up. Woot woot!

Got this photo from Andi Manzano's facebook page! :) http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150721439501896&set=a.116183521895.102454.34528296895&type=1

After this exhausting and nerve-wracking experience, I still decided to commit myself to the next shows. Why? Simple. I was finally doing something to achieve my dreams; I was meeting people, and most importantly, I was doing something I loved.

TRINOMA (May 5 & 6)

A lot of our local celebrities walked on the runway in this show – Georgina Wilson, Chris Tiu, Sam Pinto, to name a few. An unforgettable moment here was that our head stylist didn’t want the coat worn by one of the models so he decided to disregard it, AND HE REPLACED IT WITH MY BROWN CARDIGAN INSTEAD.  Our head stylist asked me to take my brown cardigan off and made the model wear it for a more preppy look! Good thing it matched with the model’s loafers ;)

MARQUEE MALL (May 12 & 13)

This show wasn’t required for us to attend to since this is located in Pampanga. Luckily, this is my province so I volunteered to go to the show. Yeah, eager beaver right here! I’m so glad I went to the show and met one of the best Filipino fashion designers, Bang Pineda – who, by the way, is the stylist of none other thanVice Ganda! Vice Ganda was in the show too, but I didn’t get to see her since I was too busy prepping the models up. Boo :(

This neon orange eyeglasses was an accessory for one of Bang Pineda’s collection. Yeah, I used it and took a shot of it! Just so you know, I asked permission from Mr. Bang himself! Got this photo from my BB. You might wanna follow me on Twitter! :) Here! https://twitter.com/#!/willchengiam

ATC shows (May 19 & 20)

                                               (c) Rollen Ancheta

Pretty much the same things happened in this show. We were a bit idle so we got the time to take some shots! I wanted to go for a mild-rocktar-ish look so I went with the Topman black V-neck top, Bench pants (which looks cool as I have been told), Ecko shoes, and a Toy watch!

                                     (c) Rollen Ancheta
A little bit too idle. Sarreh fo that! Guess I just missed cheerdancing. So I decided to do a side hurdler-ish for my jumpshot :)

What's good about this is that not only am I working but I am also interning with people who are also into styling, meeting Filipino fashion designers, working with celebrity fashion stylists (like Ms. Alex Lapa, Mr. Nio Manzano, and Mr. Noel Manapat), and lastly, learning a lot of things with this experience! 


FEW TIPS ON WHAT AN INTERN 

(A FASHION INTERN) MUST DO

1.) Do a lil research - It is important to know a little about the environment you are working in so you won't seem like a dimwit.

2.) Know your position - When I say "Know your position" it's like knowing where you stand. Knowing who are your bosses, the ones above you, then act accordingly. 

3.) Be polite - We have to be respectful. Not only to our bosses but also to the other people like the ones from the other department, maintenance, guards, etc.

4.) Be willing to learn - Since you are interning, you must be willing to learn and be open to all suggestions since this is for your own good. Committing mistakes is a part of learning, a very important one, I might say. Don't dwell too much on your mistakes, learn from them. 
*** Know the peg/genre/inspirational looks of your boss/ the company you're working in. (Special thanks to Jan for this additional tip)

5.) Socialize - One of the most important things is simply talking to people. Meet new people, converse with them, and who knows? You might be "discovered" and be hired as an employee!

6.) Enjoy! - It's so hard to learn and work at the same time when you're not enjoying! 

We can’t really say some things and post some photos until the whole show is over. So wait ‘til the show’s over, then I could prolly post more pics and blog about it. Soon! 

Anyway, you can still catch us on these dates!

June 2: Bonifacio High Street

June 3: Market Market

Style Origin will also be going to Cebu and Davao for their last shows! Check out the Ayala Malls located there. 

Edited by: Steffi Jao