Happy Weekend!

My Fall mood board is looking like this. I'm not ready to let go of color hence the vibrancy still, but in a richer, more textured feel. Just thought I'd share with you on a rainy Friday evening. Have a good weekend lovelies.

dissection of an ensemble {rainy day tuesday}

Le Misch seems to think that taking pics of what we wear before we head out, is the most natural thing to do. Last Tuesday we braved the heavy downpour and it was her brilliant idea to wear her spotted rain boots. Her enthusiasm rubbed off on me, I brought out my own pair of booties I scored at the "I'm Shoe In Love" bazaar. So out we went and danced in the rain. 

Fantasy Closet {Booties in the Tropics}

A typhoon hovering is probably the closest we can get to fall/winter weather and perhaps the only time we can strut those booties. Sorry, I think wearing knee-length boots in the tropics, no matter how bad the tropical depression is- is simply absurd. These Fendi booties with those cute rubber caps are my kind of fantasy footwear for such a weather. Wear with billowy trousers and a light knit top played up with a fun scarf. 

The Elements:

1. Fendi Detailed Ankle Booties
2. 3.1 Phillip Lim Draped Pocket Trousers
3. Raquel Allegra Reversible Shredded Cotton Jersey Top
4. Missoni Sunset Scarf
5. Alexander McQueen Leaf Skull Cuff
6. YSL Muse Two

Mischmash Stylish Mama {July}

Sarah Tirona, a former restauranteur who paints, sews, and creates jewelry. A real artist at heart who is also a nurturing mother to her 5y.o. daughter, Nikola. She also happens to be the author behind the fabulous blog, Ms. Eggplant's Chronicles.

Upon entering her flat, you can immediately sense artists dwell here. Music was blasting from interesting gold speakers and we found her typing away in her laptop at a bright and peaceful corner of her home. This is where she is most creative, she says.

Channeling the 70's in a high waist pair from Topshop, a pretty short-sleeved jacket with tassels from Funky Plum Vintage (which I absolutely fell in love with!), and clogs from CMG.

Sarah is very passionate of her vintage records and shoes. At the moment she is smitten by Jeffrey Campbell's Litas. Above is a pair of Julian Louie's for Aldo.

To be able to paint seems like the most natural thing for her. Some of her masterpieces greet you at the doorstep.

In one of her creations, an animal-print maxi. Only she can pull off pairing a loud skirt with an equally loud gold jacket (not to mention those Litas!) and not look over-the-top at all. Such is a signature Ms. Eggplant look. 

Describe your personal style.
Eclectic, I dress according to my mood and the music I'm listening to at the time, but more or less classic boho with a rock edge. I have always been greatly influenced by fashion from the 60's-70's.


What are you wearing this fall? A lot of light cover ups for manila layering, Jeffrey Campbell Lita boots.
Closet staples? Shorts, a good bra, my DIY camisoles, bell bottoms, statement shoes.


What is that one piece you can't live without fashion/motherhood-wise? Comfortable shoes, loose tops and maxi skirts great for running around in with my daughter.


How are you influencing your daughter's personal style? I make her mini versions of my clothes by request and I allow her to play around with my accessories and shoes. I believe in self expression through dressing even at a very young age. I usually give her free reign when it comes to her outfits. I just noticed that when I wear pants, she picks pants, when I wear skirts, so does she.


Style icons? Hollywood wise, I like Nicole Richie and the Olsen Twins. Lately, I've been digging Cherie Curry a lot. I also adore Edie Sedgwick, Jane Birkin and Bianca Jagger. I also look at a lot of stock photos from past decades.


Tip or 2 for all mums out there who want to stay stylish amidst all the hullabaloo motherhood brings? Any shopping advice? Don't be afraid to experiment and keep an open mind. Always be on the lookout for a good bargain. Buy clothes with simple cuts that you can easily layer and recreate from day to night with the right accessories.

Sarah with her adorable Nikola.

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Thank you Sarah for allowing us to take snippets of your life beyond Ms. Eggplant's Chronicles. Yours is utterly inspiring. 

I asked her to briefly describe herself and what she does..and she pretty much summed it up this way:

"I'm an artist at heart, sometimes a little eccentric that's why I decided to leave the corporate world to just do what I enjoy best which is to create stuff. I paint, sew, make and design jewelry for fun and sometimes for profit. I am happy as a stay at home mom to my beautiful 5 year old daughter and I managed to snag the best man in the world." 


How cool is that?
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I am secretly hoping you didn't notice I missed last month's Mischmash Stylish Mama. I will definitely make it up with 2 features next month!

Again special thanks to Anthony Co for the patience and wonderful photography. And for Le Misch for always gamely tagging along.

(behind the scenes)

-Prelude-

Weekend Tidbits

When we haven't pulled all-nighters nights before (which we rarely do), I like waking up and walking to Legazpi Sunday Market on Sundays when we find ourselves in our halfway home. Yesterday I was alone hence my leisurely breakfast and unhurried rounds of the market. I usually get my Sunday cup of joe at Tong's Coffee stall and yesterday I tried something new. Kesong Puti omelette by the husband and wife tandem of Tong's Coffee. Not bad, considering I am not exactly the omelette kind. 

The market is filled with interesting stalls selling gourmet fares, fresh fruits and vegetables, and local artists abound selling their art. I met Connie and her son Kaks (I hope I spelled it right) of Happy StarChild. They sell shirts and dresses with Kaks' drawings further enhanced by Connie's paintings. I was very impressed with the mother and son tandem. I spent a good 30 mins chatting with Connie and (Kaks too) and maybe another half an hour picking a shirt design. I walked away genuinely inspired and happy with my deconstructed white shirt with Kak's Andy Warhol rendition on it. When I opened it, it had a sweet note and a wish card. 

And then there was that Japanese booth that I love to browse. That day, I met the very kind couple behind the stall selling Waraji slippers and authentic kimonos, obis, and even organic mochi balls! It was so nice listening to them conversing in Tagalog, Japanese, and then English. I walked away with a real-deal kimono for Le Misch which I scored for just Php380(9USD!) and a little bird origami to keep. Sweet.

After my rather strong-Tong coffee, I usually cap off my morning with a Green Kiss Xavier concoction from RAWlicious. 

Another weekend highlight was the Dr. Seuss inspired fete we attended. I was amazed at the decors amazing mum Tricia put together just the night before. It was personal, cute, and DIY'ed in style. 

The weekend that was. Wishing yours was great too.

Happy Weekend!

I'm a scallop kind of girl. So when greeted with a bunch of these today, my weekend is totally made. Up soon in CHICIFY.

Guest Blogger Series {Pat of 101 Grams of (Eye) Candy}

Hi, I’m Pat. I am the author of the blog 101 Grams of (Eye) Candy. I was surprised Mikka asked me to guest blog since we’ve only met online. We follow each other’s blogs and exchanged a couple of comments. (I don’t remember how I stumbled upon Mikka’s blog but I remember sharing her link and recommending her site to friends!).

I am a mother to four girls, my husband and I run our own business together – we have a printing company we’ve put up back in 2002.

Here is my recipe for my kind of an easy-breezy motherhood..

He always gives me a fresh perspective on things, and is a positive thinker. His can-do attitude has rubbed off on me. (And he cooks for us – that crosses out a task for me!)

It is not the easiest thing to do but I owe my sanity to storage bins, boxes, trays, baskets, labels, binders, calendars, shelves and more shelves. Organizing has become more of a past time though, rather than a chore.

I love my work because it gives me so much satisfaction. Having our own business allows us to see more of our kids too. The best part is -- I get full access to our machines and office equipment—it’s a crafter’s heaven! (Plus, I save on gifts because friends and family always appreciate blown-up pics and personalized cards).

My current one…bunch of frames I need to hang! There is a moment of pride and fulfillment in every (DIY) project completed.

You would know what these are for, when I tell you I don’t cook. Please don’t judge me.

It’s ok to wait till the morning to clean the night’s mess, to let my child do her homework or test review-- alone, to pass on that party you’ve been invited to, to oversleep…because after all that, I know I can still manage.

Having had the patience to wait has given me the best things that I have now.

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Going through Pat's recipe made me smile. Made me realize how much I enjoy picking up tricks and tips from mothers who have truly mastered the art of juggling work and life therefore finding good balance. Thank you Pat for sharing your recipe with us. Ladies, mothers or not, you are sure to enjoy Pat's amazing blog chock-full of DIY tips and projects. Check it out here. 

All images by Pat.

Artwork by Mikka.

Cycling Style Mavens

It all started with Scott Schuman's clever snaps of women on bikes dressed stylishly more often than not, in skirts.

(images via the sartorialist)

And then there was that incident wherein a Dutch tourist (pictured below) in New York was pulled over by a cop. The crime? Biking in a short skirt!

(via a cup of jo)

With that, a fun protest was put together by a bunch of bike-riding, skirt-wearing ladies. What fun, right? Here are some snaps from Joanna's blog. 

And now, Phillip Lim has joined the bandwagon, capitalizing on fashion's current obsession on bike-riding ladies. He recently released a short film showcasing his 3.1 Phillip Lim Fall/ Winter collection. It's well-made and has that charm and mystery written all over it. Not to mention, fabulous clothes. 

3.1 Phillip Lim "Girls On Bikes" Women's FW11 Collection from 3.1PhillipLim on Vimeo.

Ahhh.. women, clothes, and bikes. There's something about that equation that's just so charming.

Fantasy Closet {Sheer Bliss}

I'm feeling the sheer trend this Fall. It's something we can easily do here in the tropics this season. Just make sure you wear the right underpinnings.  It doesn't have to be Kiki de Montparnesse. It just has to be decent enough. Pull it together with a well-cut tuxedo jacket. Try this look for a dinner date or a night out with the girls.

The Elements: 

1. Reiss Charlie Animal Print Sheer Silk Shirt
2. Kiki de Montparnesse Cage Bra
3. Topshop Dip Dye Maxi Skirt
4. Antonio Berardi Tuxedo Jacket
5. Diane Von Furstenberg Tondo Pony Clutch
6. Giuseppe Zanotti Ankle-boot Sandals

dissection of an ensemble

On my way out to a meeting last week, I asked our nanny to take a photo of me against a bare wall. Le Misch was quick to jump in and asked if she can join. "Of course," I said. Then she asked if she can change her clothes "because I have strawberries on my shirt, Mama.." Hilarious. Clearly, my fool-proof to a great day. 

So there, I attempted to do a little layering that day. I always kinda like the long-crisp-shirt-peeking-out-of-skirt look. Have you tried it?

Weekend Tidbits

Goes without saying, we had such a wonderful weekend. Any weekend involving colorful mats, a swimming pool, mojitos, dips, cheese, wine (the works), sprawling gardens, and comfort food usually results to kids and adults both having good 'ole fun. 

Le Misch sports a new one-piece from The Ramp Kids. She had way too much fun swimming her eyes got red as her swimsuit. The girl loves the water and boy can she swim! The day went by without her taking a nap and she finally konked out at 11pm in the car on the way home! Sometimes I  worry we push her too much, not having strict schedules like the other kids.. Do you mums, ever feel that way? 

And as if Saturday's festivities were not enough, she got on a horse the following day! Just for a photo op, don't worry. But yes, she knows no fear. She loved it and can't stop talking about Marushka being her most favorite horse, after. It was her first time to get on one, mind you.

Whew, the weekend that was.