Recently, a man named Raymond Angat of DLSU Fashion 4.0 introduced us to the term Sporty Chic. To those who haven’t yet encountered this term, simply imagine tennis skirts, baseball shirts, baseball caps, varsity jackets, equestrian boots, soccer socks, running shoes, and the like. Incorporating these elements to your outfit successfully is the essence of sporty chic.

Who says you can’t have style and comfort at the same time? Some of the most comfortable clothing come from sports apparel. It has a range of items that you can use for any season. These pieces are also quite easy to find; whether you’re looking in the Department Store or in your favorite retail depot, you’ll definitely find a piece that you can add to your “sporty chic” ensemble.

Here are some guidelines on how to dress the part:

Shorts that actually look like skirts? You saw it first in a game of tennis! Pair your skorts with comfortable sneakers, throw on a sweater vest or a simple polo shirt, and you’re all set!

Top: Stella McCartney | Skirt: Thakoon Addition | Sunnies: Mykita Bernhard Willhelm Violetta | Belt: Barneys New York | Shoes: New Look

Don’t know what to wear with your basics? Prep it up with anything argyle! Try an argyle sweater over a nice tank, or wear argyle socks with your white sneakers for a winning look!

Sweater: Sacai | Skirt: Don’t Ask Amanda | Shoes: F Troupe | Socks: Antipast | Bag: Ralph Lauren

So you have this varsity jacket or a baseball shirt and you don’t know what to wear with it without looking too sporty. Try wearing it with girly pieces like suede shorts on sheer tights, or skater skirts; then, accessorize with colored oxfords or a nice fedora hat for an extra touch.

Jacket: Superdry | Shirt: Neuw | Skirt: Topshop | Belts: Neri Firenze, Bottega Veneta |  Hat: Rag & Bone | Shoes: Splendid

One of the innovative ways of achieving a sporty chic runner look is finding the right shoes to pair with your harem or slouchy joggers. You can pair `em with ankle-strapped heels for a classier touch, or go edgy with wedged sneakers.

Tops: H&M | Pants: Red or Dead, Barbara I Gongini | Shoes: Alexander Wang, ASH

Sporty can also be classy. Equestrian-esque wear is perfect for cold and rainy days. Just pair your white polos or sweaters with high boots or equestrian caps.

Top: Helmut Lang | Sweater: H&M  | Pants: Topshop | Hat: Ralph Lauren | Bag: Debenhans | Belt: Witchery | Shoes: Burberry  

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Check your closet of any of these, or add some to your shopping list:

Tops:

• Skorts
• Polo Shirt
• Basic Jumper/Knit
• Varsity Jackets
• Baseball Shirt
• Argyle vest/sweater

Bottoms:

• Skorts
• Skater Skirt
• Jogging/Harem Pants
• Chinos

Shoes:

• Sneakers/Trainers
• Oxfords
• Wedged Sneakers
• Ankle-strapped Heels
• High-cut Boots

Accessories:

• Tons of belts
• Sunglasses
• Fedora Hat
• Equestrian Cap
• Argyle Socks
• Knee High Socks
• Opaque/Semi-sheer Tights

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Show us your own interpretation of sporty chic by sending us an email to thegirlsroomonline@gmail.com and we might feature you here!

Yours Truly,

Cynch of The Girls’ Room

On the last weekend of October, The Girls Room, together with Dina Ledonio of Wired Charms and  Mikko Sumulong of I Try DIY, went on a Do-It-Yourself business venture at the HipPinoy Art + Food Fair organized by Iya Misa. HipPinoy promotes local ingenuity and creativity by bringing together holistic, innovative, and passionate Filipino entrepreneurs in bazaars and fun fairs. 

HipPinoy Art + Food Fair featured hand-made objects and home-made delicacies by different Filipino bloggers and entrepreneurs. It was our first time to join a bazaar, and we experienced a different kind of stress that we have never experienced with Do-It-Yourself things. Aki and Cynch decided to make accessories to sell during the event, using cloth and chains as their key materials.

For three weeks, Aki, despite her busy schedule, made a collection of pompom necklaces, bracelets, and hand chains she called the Blooming Pompoms Collection. Cynch, on the other hand, spent three nights knotting jerseys to make her Straight Knot Necklaces. She also spent the morning of the event folding newspapers to make paper bags, which the girls used to package their products.

Overall, we had fun doing all these things in days’ time, and we’ve come to the conclusion that we’d most likely join bazaars again in the future (hopefully with more stuff to sell). We also enjoyed the company of Dina and Mikko, and we even met really cool people like Kessy of Hey Kessy!

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Sleepless Aki fixing the booth

People coming to our small spot

Other booths at the fair

This is our “organized” booth! Just look at those adorable accessories we made by hand!

Trinkets by Wired Charms

Mikko’s adorable paper creations

Colorful key chains courtesy of I Try DIY!

This is our cute little spot at the booth. The display itself is DIY!

A close up of Aki’s Blooming Pompom Necklaces, aren’t they just adorable?

Cynch’s handcrafted Straight Knot Necklace (comes in Cobalt, Mint, Pastel Yellow, Coral and Lavender)

So that’s about it, ladies! If you missed the fair and you happen to adore the stuff you’ve seen here (adore them enough to want to purchase them!), you can always check out Wired Charms’s Etsy Shop and I Try DIY to buy or to make them yourselves! 

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If you like Aki’s Blooming Pompoms and Cynch’s Straight Knot Necklaces, don’t fret because they will be available on The Girls’ Room DIY Shop SOON!

Yours Truly,

The Girls of the Girls’ Room

Global Pinoy Bazaar is an annual project of the Yabang Pinoy movement that aims to showcase Filipino entrepreneurs producing Filipino products with 100% Filipino Love and Pride. The girls were lucky enough to get VIP passes to the event, thanks to IamMEG.ph’s Editor Wyatt Ong.

The Rockwell Tent housed more than seventy booths during the bazaar’s third installment. Food, fashion, beauty, handcrafted, and eco-friendly products were in generous servings, catering to a wide demographic of women and men of all ages. We saw families roaming around, shopping buddies, girlfriends, and even couples. The bazaar lured in the DIY enthusiasts like Aki’s cousin and the gal behind itrydiy.me, Mikko, among others.

Yuletide overhangs decorated the venue.

An array of all-natural beauty products

Accessories and jewelry

Paper wallets in unique and interesting skins

Delicate ceramics

Bags to keep your loot in

Boxes and organizers to keep your rooms spic and span

J’adore these shoes and slip-ons!

Some familiar brands like Punchdrunk Panda and Olivia and Fifth participated

Handmade felt notebooks, wallets, and hair accessories!

Candy-colored cupcakes from Frosted

Healthy dips and dressings from WHISK

We had a hard time moving around because there were so many people eager to look into every booth, but that only means the bazaar was a great success, if not tremendous. We only stuck around for a little while after noon, but there were no signs yet of the crowds dissipating. It was a good two days of Pinoy pride and ingenuity.

Support local products! Better yet, create your own locally produced business and support the Yabang Pinoy movement!

Love,

Kit of The Girls’ Room

(Source: thegirlsroomonline)

All photos courtesy of philippinefashionweeklive.com

The recently concluded Philippine Fashion Week gave us a preview of the coming season’s new trends, recycled classics, and creative S/S x F/W meshes. These include Ready-to-Wear collections, Avant-Garde and couture. Along with seasoned designers, runway novices and local brands joined the show lineup.

TRENDSPOTTING

To sum up the week-long celebration of fashion and creativity, here are the trends we saw that are sure to keep you on your toes once the weather heats up.

Sweet Summer

We saw traditionally summery trends in all the shows including florals, pastels, midriffs and cutoffs, athletic chic, ombre, colorblocking, print-on-print, and all-white. The most notable is Roland Lirio’s sporty lines and Roel Rosal’s fresh take on the solids trend.

Lace Craze

Another summer staple is the lace. Whether because it is perfect for ventilation in hot climate or for showing off a little skin, lace is still very much rampant on the runways and on the streets.

Bigger is Better

(left to right: CAMBE S/S ‘13 and VANIA ROMOFF S/S ‘13)

Big prints are definitely better, no matter what look you’re sporting — feminine, sporty, geometric, or color-blocking.

The Rise of Fall

Finally we see trends that dominated Fall/Winter leak into and integrated with 2013’s Spring/Summer. Brocade, Minimalist, Sheen, Tartan, Denim, Leather, Oriental, Minimalist, Androgyny, Oversized, and Sheer.

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Tip: Mix and match your basics with classic and trendy pieces to add interest to your outfit.

Love,

Kit of The Girls’ Room

(Source: thegirlsroomonline)

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Two weekends ago, The Girls went to the most hyped shopping event of the month, the ETC Fashion Flea Market, and boy, was it quite an adventure!

The ETC Fashion Flee Market was the perfect reason for the Girls to go out on a Saturday morning, especially because it’s for a good cause. The event was hosted by Solar Entertainment’s ETC Channel, for the benefit of the Cancer Warriors Foundation of the Philippines.

Coming to the Flea Market was quite an adventure for the three of us. The first ordeal we had to go through was finding a parking space in Ronac. For those familiar with Ronac Art Center, you would know that there are a limited number of parking slots. Thankfully, Xavier School which sits right across the building had a bit of parking space left for us. Upon entering the place, we were all overwhelmed by the number of people roaming around (both shoppers and the press alike).

We purchased these really adorable shopping bags for P99 each, also for the benefit of the same organization. 

We spent the whole morning going around, taking pictures, window shopping (while Akiko bought a really cute pastel satchel), interacting with the sponsors, eating delicious cookies from Sophie’s Mom, and even getting interviewed by ETC.

We saw familiar brands like Redhunt, 11:11 PM, San-sue Bags, The Plump Pinay, and so much more!

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Here are some of the awesome stuff we found:

Shoes for men by Flying Dutchman.

Food and drinks (from Sophie’s Mom and Botella).

Women’s Shoes and Bags

Accessories Overload

And of course, tons of clothes for the girls!

Did you happen to go to the Flea Market, too? Tell us about your experience.

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Love,

The Girls’ of The Girls Room