Liaa Ramirez's blog on imeem

Bring Me Back Some H&M!!!

Liaa Ramirez — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 07:21:07 -0000

Friends have been planning a trip to HK for ages, and the thing that excited me the most was that they'll get to go to H&M and bring me back a few things! YAY!

Here's what I want:

That satin fuchsia clutch. Wow. It just says "look at me!" Best to wear it with monochromatic colors.

Of course, the site really amused me and I ended up making up other outfits with my pixel dolly:

A tiered dress with silver ballet flats--charming!!! Of course, there are tons of ways to wear a little dress--with heels, with tights, with socks, or ballet flats.

But to be realistic--with the weather here and all, I came up with these:

Just a little corporate but still pretty cool. The coat is very Star Trek. Hehe. However, I was dissuaded by E. because she says the coat is probably made of wool. The coat can be worn with jeans for a more casual look, as in:

Anna Sui Dresses

Liaa Ramirez — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 01:29:45 -0000

I am a self-professed vintage girl. So, when I saw these Anna Sui dresses, I was quite taken by the cuts and the fabric. I am also a fan of layering opaque, see-through material over other fabrics, and Anna Sui accomplishes this brilliantly with distinct and powerful colors--stripes of hot pink and yellow!

As for the last dress, it just says, "70's" to me. And I love how fun the dresses and clothes were in the 70's. Designers weren't afraid to be colorful and quirky. Vintage is always charming. I am not sure if it's because it's a remnant of bygone days, but tie-front blouses, circles and stripes are classic. I won't be afraid to wear them at all. Or maybe I like to wear them because it's not the current trend. (I haaate trends. I'd die if I had to wear skinny jeans with striped 80's shirts and patent. Ewwwwgh.) Still you can update your look with silver platform heels, or strappy shoes in a daring color like blue, to be worn with interesting socks or stockings--maybe in gray and black argyle, or green or yellow, purple or blue.

Tanner Krolle Cruise Watermelon Bag

Liaa Ramirez — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 05:53:57 -0000

I bought this pretty pink Tanner Krolle bag at the ukay-ukay in my area for 400 pesos. Roughly, $11 or so. It is sold in Neiman Marcus at $950 and can be bought in ebay for $289. My bag is a bit dirty with some ink marks, but they can be cleaned off. I generally avoid anything made of suede because suede is so difficult to clean, (and the nap on this bag is somewhat dusty but not so much...) Still, it's a bargain at 400 pesos. I found the perforated design of the bag charming and vintage-y, and it would be perfect with swing coats, and my red T-straps, and my doily-looking flapper-ish dress shirt--basically anything frilly and girly.

I googled Tanner Krolle and found something interesting about them. To quote from the Purse Blog:

"Tanner Krolle was founded in 1856 to produce bespoke (i.e. custom-made) luxury travel bags and accessories for the wealthy landed classes of London. In the 1990’s the house was owned by Chanel, but was reacquired by British owners who were determined to bring the brand the attention of the luxury goods market. Tanner Krolle uses absolutely top quality leather and exotic skins that are treated and finished to exacting specifications. Tanner Krolle has a limited distribution network and therefore limited production of bags and shoes. The result is TRUE exclusivity and an attention to detail and workmanship not found in more well-known lines."

Hmmm, what do you know.

What I Want For Christmas

Liaa Ramirez — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 05:34:46 -0000

1. Ian McEwan's "On Chesil Beach"

I love, love the way he writes! Usually, I am not a person who reads an author out of admiration for the "language" he uses; plot is the most important for me, but McEwan is one of the reasons I continue to write.

2. Flight of the Conchords Series

Dry humor, sexy New Zealand accents, and Figwit. Makes for a delightfully offbeat sitcom.

3. A moleskine notebook (one without any lines, please)

Moleskines are the notebooks of the greatest thinkers in history. Either way, I might at least be inspired to finish my three novels-in-progress, or be encouraged to think profound thoughts.

4. MAC Eyeshadow

Yes, I am an eyeshadow fiend! Hehe. And I love this antique-style compact.

5. Poster of Marat Safin

What can I say? I love him!

6. An Everlast Power Tower Punching Bag

It's yellow and quite adorable, if I do say so myself!

7. Everlast Boxing gloves

My old ones are broken. I would like ones in yellow, but the pink ones would do as well.

8. An Authentic Chilean Poncho

I love coats and I am usually attracted to swing coats, but I have always been interested in obtaining a poncho.

Please no Ugly Betty Guadalajara ponchos! (But actually, I do think it is kitschy cool since it can be worn as a "reference.")

9. The Sims 2 Bon Voyage

I used to be addicted to this game, but since my PC has been, well, wiped out, I haven't been playing and feel no compulsion to play lately. Bon Voyage might interest me in the game again though.

10. Twix!

Yes, it's a cheap thrill, but I loved Twix when I was a kid, and it's really strange but now I can't find them anywhere anymore (except at expensive candy stands).

Hmmm. It appears those are the only things I want. I do believe I'm becoming less materialistic!

Khussa

Liaa Ramirez — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 08:16:08 -0000

Someone once asked why I love shoes. I said something like, "Because they are little pieces of art you can wear." Just like these shoes:

And my favorites!

Called Khussa, they are usually worn by Indian women, but are mostly used for belly-dancing. I can't dance to save my life, but I like that they are embellished with beads and sequins, with some intricate stitching.

I would love to have something like the pink ones but I settled for these velvet eggplant Seychelles shoes instead:

The large pink flowers can be off-putting for some, but I really like that they remind me of the beaded slippers that my grandmother used to wear. And when I saw them, I was thinking, "gypsy" and "Bulgaria." You can't tell from the picture, but they are a rich violet. They're pretty cute, aren't they?

A Spanish Lesson: Chulo and Chula

Liaa Ramirez — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 08:15:36 -0000

Yesterday, my Spanish friend Mofi and I were talking about tennis stars and I mentioned that I am in love with Marat Safin. He's rank 54 or 56 now, but well, in his day, he was able to beat Federer. Plus, he is sooo loveable because he is--well hot and cute and sweet. And I love it when he loses his cool on court, and there are so many anecdotes about him, like, he gave a speech once and he said, "Thank you to Kia (but he said it Kaya) and the feminines." (Because of all the girls cheering him on, hehe). And he's been known to kiss the "pulot girls" (girls who pick up the tennis balls during the game). Anyway, for Mofi, Kournikova is the best player and I'm like--no way! You only like her because she's pretty! And then of course, I realize, same thing for me liking Marat! Haha.

I also had a tennis question question for Mofi, regarding Rafa Nadal. I said to Mofi, "Is it only me, or does Nadal appear stupid in most interviews? Is it maybe because he doesn't know how to speak English well?" (I mean I gotta say, Rafa is a beefcake. "Beefcake" as in, the more muscles you have, the slower you are upstairs. But there are exceptions, as Mofi himself pointed out. Hehe. I mean, there's Marat, and, um, Mofi!)

Apparently, I am correct in my assumption. Mofi says that he is indeed stupid. The term in Spanish is "chulo." As in, "Nadal is chulo" or "The King of Spain is chulo" or "Chavez is chulo" (not to be critical, just in light of the recent developments re: the "Shut up, Chavez!" thing and all). In Spanish, "chulo" means something bad, when referring to a man.
But when referring to objects, such as a car for example, then "chulo" can mean something very good. Like "That chulo car..." or "What a kick-ass car!" (Mofi, "kick-ass" means something very cool and awesome.)

The feminine equivalent of "chulo" is "chula" according to Mofi. He says when applied to feminines, I mean females, (awwwgghhh, I'm like Marat!!! hehe) it means something cute. Mofi's sample sentence was, "Anna Kournikova is chula" as in "Anna Kournikova is very cute."

*************

In other tennis-related things, today at lunch, I was reading the newspaper with my officemates when Elie said, "Check it out, the Neanderthal is in the paper." Which is really funny because yesterday, I was just talking about chulo Nadal.

Well, OK, he may not be very smart, but he is the only one who comes close to beating Federer these days. Props to Nadal!

How to Pronounce Famous Brand Names

Liaa Ramirez — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 01:36:55 -0000

Alessandro Dell'Acqua Del-LAK-wa

Anna Sui SWEE

Anne Demeulemeester Ahn Deh-MUH-le-mees-ter

Anteprima On-tay-pre-ma

Agnes B. Ahn-NYAS Buh

Atelier ah-tell-ee-ay

Azzedine Alaia Aza-deen A-LYE-a

Balenciaga Bah-LEN-see-aga

Bally BAH-li

Balmain Bahl-MAH

Baume & Mercier Bom ee Mer-SEE-yay

Behnaz Sarafpour Beh-naz Sa-RAH-furr

Braun Buffel Brohn Byu-furl

Bruno Magli BROO-no MAL-yi

Bottega Veneta BO-te-ga Ve-NE-tah

Boucheron Boo-ke-ron

Burberry BURR-behr-ri

Bvlgari Bull-gah-ree

Byblos BEEB-los

Chacharel KA-sha-rel

Cartier KAR-ti-yay

Celine: s seh-lyn

Cerruti Cher-RU-tee

Cesare Paciotti CHE-sa-ray Pa-chi-YO-ti

Chanel Sha-NEL

Chantal Thomas SHAN-tal To-MAH

Charles Jourdan Sharls Zhor-DHUN

Charriol SHA-ri-yol

Chloe KLOH-eh

Chopard Sho PAR

Christian Loboutin kris-tian loo-boo-tan (soft N)

Christian Lacroix Christian LAH-kwa

Claude Montana Kload Mohn-TA-na

Comme des Garcons Kom deh GHAR-sohng

Coccinelle KOH-chee-nel-li

Costume National KOHS-tyum NAH-sho-nal

Courreges Koo-REZH

Cynthia Rowley Cynthia RAO-li

Dolce & Gabbana DOL-cheh and Ge-BA-na

Donna Karan Donna Kah-ren

Dries Van Noten Dress Vahn NOH-tehn

Elie Saab EH-li Zahb

Emanuel Ungaro Ee-MAN-noo-el OON-Gah-ro

Emilio Pucci Ehm-ee-lee-o Poo-chee

Emporio Armani Em-POHR-yo AR-mah-ni

Erotokritos arrow-toe-kri-tose

Ermenigildo Zegna Ehr-MAN-ni-jil-do ZEY-na

Etro EHT-tro

Etienne Aigner Eight-YEN AHG-neigh

Faconnable FAH-so-nahb

Georg Jensen Yorg YEN-sen

Gianfranco Ferre ZHAN-franck-o Feh-REH

Gianni Versace Jee-YAN-nee Ver-SA-chee

Givenchy ZHEE-von-shee

Gucci GOO-chi

Guy Laroche Gee Lah-Rosh

Hedi Slimane EH-di Sli-MAHN

Helmut Lang HEL-moot Lung

Hermes Air-h-MEZZ

Herve Leger Er-VEY Le-ZHAY

Hussein Chalayan HOO-sayn CHA-layan

Issey Miyake EES-say Mi-YA-kay

Jacques Fath Zhack Faht

Jaeger-Lecoultre Yay-ger Leh-KOOT

Jean-Charles de Castlebajac Zhan-Sharls de KA-sel-ba-zhak

Jean Louis Scherrer Zhan LOO-ee She-REHR

Jean Paul Gaultier Zhon Paul GOL-tee-yay

Lanvin Lahn-VAWN

Les Copains Leh KHO-pang

Loewe Lo-EH-veh

Longchamp Long-shum

Longines LOHN-jeens

Louis Ferraud LOO-ee Fay-YOH

Louis Vuitton LOO-ee Vui-TOHNG

Mainbocher Men-bo-SHAY

Marithé et François Girbaud Mah-ri-TAY eh Frans-SUAH Jeer BOW

Martin Margiela Marr-JEL-la

Manolo Blahnik Ma-no-low Blah-nick

Martine Sitbon Marh-TIN Si-BOHN

Miu Miu Myu Myu

Moet et Chandon Moe-ET A shan-don (soft N)

Monique Lhuillier Moe-neek Lu-lee-ay

Moschino Mos-KI-no

Narciso Rodriguez Nar-SEE-so-Rod-RI-gehz

Nicholas Ghesquire NI-ko-la GEHS-kyerr

Olivier Theyskens Oh-LI-vi-yay THIGH-skens

Piaget Pya-jay

Piazza Sempione Pi-YAT-za Sem-pi-YO-ni

Pierre Balmain Pyerr BAHL-mahn

Pierre Cardin Pyerr Kar-DOHN

Plain Sud Plan Sood

POLECI policy

Proenza Schouler Pro-EHN-za SHOO-ler

Ralph Lauren Ralph LO-ren

Rochas RHO-shas

Romero Gigli Romeo JEE-li

Salvatore Ferragamo Sal-va-TOH-reh Fehr a-GAH-mo

Sonia Rykiel REEK-ki-yel

Thierry Mugler TEh-ree MOOH-gleh

Tiiu Kiuk tee-you Quick

Thomas Maier TOH-mas MAH-yer

Veronique Branquinho Ve-ro-NEEK BRANG-ki-no

Xuly Bët ZUH-li Bet

YSL Rive Gauche YSL Reev Gosh

Yves Saint Laurent Eev Sahn Lor-UHN

From stylecritics.com

For pronunciations, please check out: Designer Pronunciations

The Blond and the Blue-eyed

Liaa Ramirez — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 03:49:59 -0000

I was having dinner with some girlfriends and we then talked about eyebrows. Specifically, I think one of my well-meaning friends suggested that I should have them plucked or that I should go for threading. I replied that I used to pluck my eyebrows, but I've since decided that I am happier with my eyebrows all wild and natural. (Actually, my eyebrows don't look at all wild, as you can see in my picture. I just don't want to look too made up.) Anyway, she remarked that it will be "nicer" if eyebrows were plucked. And so, I explained that I want to be distinctive and different and not have eyebrows like everyone else. She might be thinking it's just a lack of grooming, which irks me because she doesn't understand that I might want to be individual and unique. I gave as an example, the snaggly-toothed Ms. Kirsten Dunst. People must wonder why she doesn't have her teeth fixed. It's because the snaggly teeth make her who she is. She is remembered for that, much like Jewel is remembered for one crooked tooth. It makes her look much more interesting. I wanted to use Hilary Rhoda or Natalia Vodianova as examples, even Brooke Shields, since we were on the subject of eyebrows, but there was a big chance my friend did not know who they are so it's safer to use Ms. Dunst as an example. But she still didn't get what I was pointing at. She said plainly, that she didn't remember Kirsten Dunst for that, which isn't the point really. So, I tried again. And then she said I was being defensive about my eyebrows when it isn't the point at all.

I suppose my main gripe is, some people can be so painfully normal and they don't think outside of what they know. And try as I might to expand her worldview, she resisted and wouldn't even consider it. She put it as something like, people have their own preferences, which is really open-minded of her. But it got a little frustrating because I wanted to talk about trademarks, identity and individuality and we had a confusing miscommunication where she was making me feel petty about having to defend my eyebrows. I just wanted to discuss the idea of how some people want to have character and quirks and that not everyone wants to be normal like her.

Lace-up Oxford Pumps

Liaa Ramirez — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 07:06:44 -0000

Bongo Lace-up oxford pumps

I shall buy these shoes next Wednesday. Usually grandmothers wear these shoes, but lace-up booties are making a comeback and the preppy in me just fell in love with the shoes. It might be difficult to think up of outfits to wear with the shoes, so I asked around:

Re: What can one wear with Lace-up Oxford Pumps

Oh, I love those! And you're right, they would go perfect with menswear, but girled up with a pretty shirt.

I was thinking some wide leg herribone pants and a cream colored shirt:

(pants Anthropologie, shirt bluefly).

Or, some opaque brown tights and a tweed jumper dress. Like this:

From Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5989655

Re: What can one wear with Lace-up Oxford Pumps

Oh! Those are cute.

I could see wearing tweed or herringbone as well, and also they would look good with darker denim with a tweed or herringbone blazer and a blousy top. They say "fall" to me. Actually, I think they would be a fun "build the outfit."

Re: What can one wear with Lace-up Oxford Pumps

« Reply #4 on: October 21, 2007, 05:34:17 PM »

I just got a pair too, mine are black on black spectator lace-up oxfords. Aside from the obvious thing of wearing them with pants - try them with tights and almost anything. They are great with a pencil skirt, wool, denim, whatever. I wore mine with a tiered velvet skirt which worked really well. I think they would look fab with a jacket and knee-length cuffed shorts suit. Or any kind of long coat over a sweater dress. A long silky skirt and sweater coat would absolutely work. So would a short jacket and skirt. Just be creative. As long as you try to work with the colors in the shoes, like light or dark brown tights, and include at least one heavier fabric in your outfit to balance the weight of the shoes, you will look great!!

Marge Simpson in Gaultier

Liaa Ramirez — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 03:18:09 -0000

I'd have to say, Marge had never looked so chic.

Marc Jacobs Jacket

Liaa Ramirez — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 03:14:55 -0000

Bought for only Php 230, roughly, $5.

What I like about the jacket are the little details. It is not in the picture but at the back, towards the tails of the coat is a row of blue buttons. The stitching is also complicated, as well as the inner lining. Also, you have to love the hook-and-eye detailing at the front. Not to mention the kind of blue used--I think it's Navajo blue (?). When E first saw it, she said, "Sgt. Pepper." As of yet, we have not been able to place this jacket (which season, which collection?). The label only indicates that it was made in Bulgaria and "machine warm wash with like colors."

1950's Poodle Skirts

Liaa Ramirez — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 08:09:12 -0000

I love the '50s and the clothes then. These poodle skirts are just too charming for words. It's really quite something that this iconic outfit was worn in the 50's but can still be worn today. I'd make the skirt much shorter and probably wear it without the crinoline. The poodle appliques are cute and the chiffon scarf adds a whimsical touch. And sequin belts came back two years ago. Take out your old bobby socks and black and white oxford shoes and you'll be good to go. :D

A Trippen A Day #2: Elfe

Liaa Ramirez — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 04:09:43 -0000

Elfe

One does not have to wear drab footwear during the rainy days. I am loving the graphic shape of the boot. It's supposedly inspired by Lord of the Rings.

Esque Glass

Liaa Ramirez — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 06:04:50 -0000

I love the glassware of Esque. They make all sorts of things for the living room, the kitchen and the dining room.

suck bottle

water drop jugs

punch bowl

slumped vase

lamp shade

sloped pitchers

venetians

space [ice]bucket

I like how minimalist, and modern the designs are. The peaks in the pitchers and punch bowls belie expert glass-blowing skills, and the somewhat skewed designs of some of the vases and pitchers add a touch of quirk. :D The venetians will make the kitchen counter attractive when filled with creamer, olive oil or vinegar.

Perfumeria Gal Lip Balm Tins

Liaa Ramirez — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 04:03:53 -0000

I bought my apple-flavored lip balm about a year ago, and although the lip balm is somewhat harsh on my lips (ingredients are unfortunately not organic), I fell in love with the tins, designed by Spanish artist Agatha Ruiz de la Prada. They are so art noveau!

The lip gloss is made in Spain, by a company called Perfumeria Gal and available in Amazon for $5.50. (I bought mine in Watson's for about Php 120.) I was a bit surprised to read in their description in Amazon.com that Oprah loves them in redcurrant.

This is the tin for the face powder, which I included in this post because I love how it's so antique pretty. We almost never see designs like these.