The Digital Perm Experience

I have been blessed with God-given straight hair.  Never had my hair rebonded, relaxed, or permanently blow dried.  And you know what they say, girls with curly hair want to have their hair straightened while girls with straight hair want to have curly hair.  

And that is so true for me.  Over the years and for so many weddings and events, I had dipped my toes into the world of curls and waves using curling irons (or hair straightening irons used to make curls) in salons.  And more often than not, I've had the frustrating experience of seeing the gorgeous curls wilt and straighten after only a few hours, especially in  Manila's humidity and heat.  That's because with the blessing of straight hair also comes the challenge of hair with fine strands and thus, my hair cannot maintain the curls made with an iron, unless my hair is "set" first under rollers before being curled. And even if I buy a curling iron and attempt to curl my hair myself, I know I will just damage my hair in the long run with the prolonged exposure to heat.

And so it was that after years of envying real girls and celebrities with luscious waves and after months of dilly-dallying, I finally had my hair permed about two Saturdays ago.  I had my hair permed in Bang's Tony and Jackey, the Korean salon which has invaded the Philippines and is almost a household salon name.  As I recounted in this post, I've had an almost-traumatic experience with this salon a few years back when I had my bob trimmed (Buendia Makati branch). But I've also said that I will reconsider going back due to a former boss' good perm job.  Recently, one of my best friends also got her digi perm in Tony and Jackey (Magallanes) and I took that as my sign to finally have my perm done.

50 for 50 Project: The Finale

THE 50 FOR 50 PROJECT basically started out from my frustration with having closets full of clothes and still finding myself with most days figuring out what to wear and worse, feeling that there's nothing to wear. Or more to the point, wanting to have something new to wear despite the closets full of clothes. And since my closets are filled to the brim, I always ended up with messy closets that I had to fix almost every weekend.

Then came a day when I've been inspired to clear out half the contents of my main closet and as I've shared with you here, I've been inspired not only to prioritize quality over quantity when it comes to clothes, but also to be on the road to building the perfect wardrobe.  

What is the perfect wardrobe? Not only is that a question that every fashionable young woman must ask, it is also a process which she should undertake.  It is also very personal.  What is an essential piece for you may not be essential for another girl.

I probably spend too much money on clothes than I have to but it was only after this realization that I've come to answer the question of what is the perfect wardrobe for me: It should have all the basics and the classics, and should also have lovely,whimsical, one-of-a-kind pieces. It need not be a lot but it should be just enough--not too little that it will compromise my preference for being fashionable and not wearing any one piece to death.  It should also be not too many since I have a finite closet space and I don't have a trust fund to support any unbridled leaning for fashion.  While I love fashion and clothes, I've realized lately that  it cannot go uncontrolled and just because there is money to spare doesn't mean I can buy anything I want.  Before acquiring yet another new item of clothing, there should now be a deliberateness to the purchase, and a careful selection based on how the new acquisition will work with the rest of the pieces in the closet.  

I don't want to come off as too serious about this because as they say, at the end of the day, it's just fashion and it shouldn't be taken too seriously.  My day job is quite a serious thing already so fashion is not just a passion or past time for me but is also, in a way, a stress reliever.  I'll be more stressed when I face a stressful day at work if I know I look like shit.  Conversely, any day seems infinitely better when I go out of the house knowing I'm dressed to kill.

But more than just fashion, I am talking about personal style here, which is a manifestation of one's personality and philosophy, of how one projects one's self to the world.  Not too mention my concern with how our generation seems to be obsessed with simply acquiring the "in" thing (whether it comes to fashion, gadgets, restaurants), the seeming race to buy the latest, and all the mindless acquisition without really stopping and reflecting on whether we really need all that we bring home into our lives. 

So with that in mind, I was inspired to do THE 50 FOR 50 PROJECT, where I challenged myself to wearing 50 outfits from just 50 items in my closet.  I've shared with you my inspirations for the project, and the 50 pieces of clothes. I felt it was a real challenge for me because I usually avoid repeating the same outfits within a period of time and because it was an "intriguing" premise---that there can be that much new outfits with just those pieces.  And because I feel like I have too many clothes for my own good (and yet I feel I still lack some key pieces of clothes that I really need).

I've given you the weekly outfit posts from week 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, up to week 8  and now here they're all together in one place:

 

1. Classic White Tshirt & Denim Shorts, 2. Gray and Black Monday work outfit, 3. Coral & Black for work, 4. Red & White, 5. Embroidered peasant blouse for casual Friday, 6. All White for the Weekend, 7. White & Fuchsia, 8. In the Nude, 9. Victorian lace blouse + Black, 10. Red and Blue, 11. Stripes and Floral, 12. Kimono & Jeans, 13. Zara Breton Shirt layered with Poncho, 14. Gucci-inspired colorblocking, 15. Tie Neck Top + Lace, 16. Black & White + Yellow, 17. I Really Love Colorblocking, 18. Nude Colors for the Weekend, 19. Sequined for the Weekend, 20. More Colorblocking, 21. Shades of Blue, 22. Red, White & Blue for Work, 23. Sequins & Animal Print for Work, 24. Red, White & Blue for the Weekend, 25. Breton & Lace

26. Restyled Denim Chambray Shirt, 27. Red, White & Black, 28. Black and Blue, 29. Red & White, 30. Peasant Blouse & Plaid Shorts, 31. White Lace & Jeans, 32. Black & White + Camel, 33. All black + red + camel, 34. Black & White + Red, 35. Black & White + More Red, 36. All White + Black & Red, 37. Pops of Juicy Color, 38. Hot Pink & Zebra Print, 39. Colorblocking Plus, 40. White & Taupe, 41. Plaid & Stripes Mix, 42. Bright, White & Animal Print, 43. Nautical Chic, 44. Blue, Black & Gold, 45. More Nautical, 46. Lace on Lace, 47. One More Colorblocking, 48. Little Black Dress, 49. Black & White + Red, 50. Black & White

Did it look like I repeated any outfit? No, I didn't.  I never paired any top with any  skirt/pants/shorts twice over. Neither did I repeat pairing a top with the same blazer or jacket.  And still, there were a lot of pieces that I wore only once throughout the whole time!

And coming up with the outfit combinations wasn't actually that hard compared to the more tedious process of having those outfits photographed almost everyday for two months (good thing two of our house help are gay and could very well understand why they have to take my outfit shots). 

When I started out with this, I also said I won't buy new clothes. That worked for more than a month.  And when I finally did succumb to shopping and buying new stuff, the pleasure was half taken out since I couldn't wear what I had just bought until I finished with the challenge (yes, I was that honest and the only time I didn't wear anything from the 50 pieces was when I was away on holiday and at the beach, which I disclosed in advance when I started with the project!). So not only did the 50 for 50 Project force me to work with what I already have, it also discouraged me from buying any more new clothes.

But more than anything else, this project was really a tool for me to really realize that one can still be fashionable by working with just a few key pieces.  And by just creatively mixing, matching, and remixing, there are so many outfit possibilities.  Yes, the 50 for 50 Project is a testament that if always having something new to wear is that important to you, it's not only possible by working with even just a few pieces but is actually more fulfilling (as opposed to just buying up more clothes to get new outfits).  And just imagine the possibilities if you pare down your closet to just 100, 150, or 200 pieces of clothing that you really, really love.  Think of all the new outfit combinations, the bigger closet space, and the extra money you'll save by not buying anything that you'll end up only wearing once.  

With my 50 for 50 Project, I proved that this challenge can be done.  And as you who were with me when I started out this sartorial journey already know, this project was inspired by Kendi Everyday's 30 for 30 Remix. Back when I started with the 50 for 50 Project, I thought I couldn't limit myself to just 30 pieces (INCLUDING shoes!!) that's why I upped it to 50 and didn't have the heart to include shoes in the count.

Now, I'm ready to further challenge myself by actually doing the pure 30 for 30 Remix and with that, to be further on my way to the perfect wardrobe. 

I hope I've inspired you in my own little way to also remix your clothes and build your own perfect wardrobe.  Now, who's ready to go on the next style challenge with me? 

Cheers! :) 

50 for 50 Project: Week 8

This is it---the eighth and final week of my 50 for 50 Project! Unfortunately for me, this last week also coincided with a busy week at work, and I had to keep things easy and simple, while still wanting to encapsulate the style themes throughout my project. Some lace, nautical inspiration, black and white (with pops of color too), and of course, colorblocking.  My first outfit for the 50 for 50 Project was a white shirt and denim shorts.  I wanted the last outfit on a Friday to be just as classic---with just a white button down shirt and dark jeans.  But I had several meetings that day which didn't allow me to be on casual Friday mode. So I just had to make do with my just-as-classic pairing of black and white.  All is well that ends well. :)

Read about the round-up of my 50 for 50 Project here.

50 for 50 Project: Week 7

Week 7 of the 50 for 50 Project was actually a combination of outfits for about the last two weeks, mainly because I was away on  holiday for a few days.  I've already resolved not to include clothes for travel  (especially for the beach!) in the project since it would have been really difficult. And really, it's also because the goal of this project is not to needlessly suffer sartorially but to find creative ways to remix outfits only from 50 pieces of clothes.  If I had to include my outfits on holiday, then I know that I would be taking away the fun out of this challenge, and I might regret doing this in the first place.  To paraphrase what Kendi of Kendi Everyday (who's the inspiration for this project) said here: it's not a 50-day challenge, it's a 50-outfit challenge! Cheers! :)