UNIQLO to open stores in Mall of Asia and U.S. malls

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On my way to work today, I saw a commuter bus painted white, with red text printed on it. The ad read: From Tokyo to Manila. The Japanese casual wear brand UNIQLO is opening a store in the Philippines, right in Mall of Asia or MOA in Pasay City. The brand's first store in the Philippines will be a 1550-square meter haven of apparel for men and women alike. The UNIQLO store will open its doors on June 15, 2012. If I have time, I'll check it out. :)

According to the UNIQLO website, the brand is a subsidiary of Fast Retailing Co. of Tokyo. The original store was established in 1949 as a men's wear shop. The group soon expanded to become Unique Clothing or UniqClo. The overseas expansion went from Tokyo to China, France, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, UK, US, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, and now the Philippines. UNIQLO is similar to the GAP in approach of clothes retailing. Their tag line is: Made for All.

Here are some of their looks:

Casual and androgynous? Check!

Orange and coral? Check!

Say Hello to the bratop.

Innovation seems to drive the brand. One of their campaigns is called UT Project or Unique T-shirt Project. The project wants to enable the everyman and everywoman to express themselves to something as simple as a t-shirt. The UT project's philosophy is: “A T-shirt is more than just a T-shirt. It’s an expression of who you are. Where you’ve been. What you love." To do this, UNIQLO collaborates with various global pop culture icons, including popular artists and musicians. Korean band Big Bang has the top-selling line so far. To celebrate the UNIQLO Philippine store opening, the company is holding a UT Project promo. You can win UT merchandise -- or a trip to Japan -- through UNIQLO's “UT Vote And Win” promo. All you have to do is “like” the UNIQLO Philippines Facebook Fan Page (www.facebook.com/uniqlo.ph). Read more about that in their press release.

The next question to ask? Who will endorse UNIQLO in the Philippines? Here are the UNIQLO brand ambassadors for the Philippines:

Can you name each one?

Yup, these are Chris Tiu, Iza Calzado, Nikki Gil and Chito Miranda (of Parokya ni Edgar). See more of their photos here.

Is UNIQLO all about t-shirts? No. I've read raves about their jackets too! I can't post photos, so to browse their Spring/Summer 2012 collection, check this online catalog.

Last week, UNIQLO has also started on their US mall campaign. While brands like GAP and Abercrombie & Fitch are planning to close shop in many US malls, UNIQLO believes that they need more mall presence. If you're interested in retail theory (Is there such a thing?) and fashion business ideas, the report is in a New York Times article. For clothing reviews, you can just check the comments section. :)

So, do you own a UNIQLO item? Do you plan to buy when the UNIQLO Mall of Asia (MOA) store opens?

Giveaway Alert: A French Bakery Jewellery

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Hello dears! I'm alerting you of an INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY! Laura of Unspeakable Thoughts Unspoken and the jewellery brand A French Bakery are giving away a free item of your choice.

I'm re-posting some of the photos here to convince you to head on to Laura's blog for the promo!

 

"A French Bakery is a jewellery brand inspired in the typical French bakery and tries to pass on the French culture through its creations. All the items are handmade, so each one is different and unique. All their items are nickel-free and with a layer of gold covering to avoid allergies." -Laura

 

Yummy pink macarons

A spoonful of sweetness

Raspberry cupcake cuteness

I can't stress this enough, the giveaway is INTERNATIONAL. And you don't have to worry about the shipping either.

To join, just head on to Laura's blog here. You'll find the instructions there. I joined already! Goodluck to me and to you. ;)


Ciao,

Pinterest Picks for the Week

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Before you girls accuse me of being biased towards dresses in my Pinterest Picks, I'll beat you to it and admit that I AM IN A SERIOUS DRESS PHASE. So much that I've bought one too many -- two too many? -- dresses for the past months. And I haven't worn pants to work for almost two months. It's bad, isn't it?

What's in store for you as you scroll down my selections for this week? Beautiful and unique maxi dresses, bursts of colors, bohemian pieces and another nail art bonus. :)

Of course, Taylor Swift did a "Kate Middleton teal lace dress viral pin" with her red Elie Saab gown at the Billboard Music Awards.

Photo from outfitidentifier.com

 Taylor Swift wears Elie Saab and rocks it.

Dress from here

blue chiffon mullet dress + hi-cut leather boots 

Dress details here

purple and rainbow skirt maxi dress (looooveee!)

Photo from Late Afternoon Blog

Green floral jumpsuit + leather jacket + braids

Photo from sheinside.com

Lovely pink chiffon dress + leather jacket + redhead (sigh!)

black and white Leyendecker maxi dress

Leyendecker DIY from honestlywtf

Looks awesome :)

Photo from sarahklassen.com

Colorful ballgown from the Dior Winter 2011-2012

Photo from chicwish.com

Celestial mullet skirt - truly heavenly!

Photo from songofstyle.blogspot.com

Sexy intricate back...

Photo from here

...and a more sophisticated version. Wowsers!

Photo from here

Paloma Barcelo 'Sue' Sandal. Walking on rainbows everyday!

Photo from rstyle.me

Isn't this the cutest coin purse?

Purses by  The Acquarians. Buy here

I guess there can be more cute purses. :p

Accessories by The Bohemian Collective

Rings to rule them all

Headpiece by Moorea Seal. Buy it here

Headpieces are on trend this year.

Bracelets by Nharo

These are cool and green... Recycled PVCs, can you believe that?!

Nail art by Amanda

1. Paint your nails white/cream. 

2.Soak nails in alcohol for five minutes.

3. Press nails to map and hold. VOILA!

4. Paint with clear protectant immediately after it dries.

Also works with newspaper.

-by Amanda

Whew! That was quite a handful! If you haven't followed me yet, add me on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/diwataluna/

'Til next week's finds!

Diablo 3 Feature Post: Diablo 3 Cosplay + Bonus

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I know, I know. Why would a girl blog about something that plans to steal away her boyfriend. Especially if she's never even played the game. :p But with the recent Diablo 3 release last May 15, so much buzz has been made that it's hard not to jump in. Diablo 3 is Blizzard's new roleplaying game (RPG) that completes the, duh, Diablo trilogy.

I've played my share of RPGs (gasps in the background) and have a secret desire to cosplay a female character from Ragnarok. I actually tried at home, but I'm not about to post a photo and embarrass myself now. Anywho, game artists and designers have extreme costumes for female characters. And by extreme I mean "something always seems to be too exposed or provocative-looking." Intricate detailing, tight bustiers, vavavoom cutouts... I won't be surprised if they find inspiration from haute couture and vice versa. That's why I've always been fascinated with game posters, especially fantasy RPGs. I've seen amazing Warcraft and Ragnarok cosplays, but I didn't expect to find female Diablo 3 ones. (Told you I haven't played it.)

After scouring for Diablo 3 cosplay photos and sites online, I came up with the following picks. BTW, there's a bonus at the end! :)

Diablo 3 Monk

Meet Miyuko of the cosplay group Spiral Cats. She looks perfect as a female Diablo 3 monk, don't you think?

Photos are from www.justd3.com.

Another excellent cosplay for the Diablo 3 monk is Christina Sim's photo sets, which was shot in the desert. Cool.

Photo from http://fashionablygeek.com

Photo from www.justd3.com

 

Diablo 3 Tyrael

Another cosplay-worthy Diablo 3 character is Tyrael. Jo-Jo Chen portrayed Tyrael seductively during BlizzCon 2011.I covet those long wavy locks as well.

Photos by Onigun

Photo from Blizzard

Diablo 3 Demon Hunter

Spiral Cats member Tasha balances the fierce enigma and subtle sexiness of her demon hunter character from Diablo 3. Check out those heeled boots and luscious lips.

 

Photos are from www.justd3.com.

Bonus: Diablo 3 Nail Art

For extremely geeky and Diablo 3 fanatic fashionistas, there's a Diablo 3 nail art tutorial just for you! Below is the sample photo. The nail art and tutorial are by Luka Undomiele.

EPIC! Larger image here.

The nail art tutorial can be found on Undomiele's Youtube page. Who knows, you might be able to enchant a couple of hardline gamers along the way. ;)

Hope you enjoyed this short Diablo 3 fashion feature!

Love,

Flashback: Pictorial in Intramuros

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Last year, my office friends and I went on a day tour of Intramuros in Manila. Intramuros was a walled city considered as the capital of old Manila during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines. It was bombed during WWII and all that is left of its old grandeur are a few stone walls and some old structures. You can learn more about it and see before and after photos here. We also visited the St. Augustine Church, which has an adjacent museum of Catholic paintings and items, and the White Knight Hotel Intramuros, a frequent wedding venue.

We had two photography enthusiasts with us so I ended up having some nice shots.

The natural spotlight came from a domed window.

Black and white version for drama.

Not sure what I was doing here. :p 

Where did that rose come from?

I wish I'd worn a more stylish pair of footwear.

 

Cassssssuuuuuuaaaallllll.

Babae sa bintana. (Translation: Girl by the window)

Really love the effect of the dark and the sheer pastel-colored curtain.

One of my favorite shots among the walls of Intramuros.

Awkward closeup.

Photos by Ram Casumpang and Bernie Esporlas

I was wearing a spaghetti-strapped black polka dot maxi dress (thrifted), red belt and white belt ala obi belt, peach flower brooch, and red bangle.

This year, we went to an island called Anawangin and I also got photoshoot-like pictures. :) You can see the photos in my nautical swimwear outfit post.

Ciao,