Remember my open letter to Anna Maria Perez de Tagle from around this time last year? Well, consider this entry a sequel.
Anna, dearest: As your unofficial ninang in the Filipino blogverse, or at least this particular corner of the Pinoy blogverse that deals with these sorts of style issues, I feel like I have to be a little more protective towards you. See, I know that you're very much into this fashion thing. We have similar approaches to our wardrobe, especially when it comes to the specific "issues" that come with being petite. And I love that you're also working with classic, retro looks, which is very refreshing for a young woman of your age.
HOWEVER.
You do realize that you are headed towards a style rut, right? (Just look at your IMDb page and tell me that you're not.) And for every picture that shows you at your best - including this totally chica gray number - there are probably a handful of others that, unfortunately, make you look like the Bride of the Marshmallow Man. And I will not dignify those pictures with a hot-link.
I'm not doing this to rag on you, dearie. You're still very young, and having a lot of fun - so it follows that you should enjoy this moment while it lasts. But I also want to remind you that, somewhere down the road, you will want to do things differently - in fashion, and in life - and you will realize that, at 19, you're way too young to be stuck in a rut.
Behold: Another set from Polyvore, created by yours truly.
What we're dealing here is the one instance where you're most likely to get your picture taken at this point in your career: premieres for teen movies, where everyone usually dresses up hip and casual. Think of it as the Disney/Nick version of aspirational dressing - not too casual as to look cheap, but not too OTT so as to get the parental units upset. There are two looks in this one set - one is breezy and casual, and the other is dark and edgy - but both are unified by the same constants: a basic, knee-length black skirt (in this case, the Balenciaga in the middle), tanned legs (though you may want to add some fishnets in there if you want), and major eyelashes from the Diorshow... along with the long hair and clear skin and whatnot, of course.
The casual look: Pacific Rim fusion. I don't know if you've seen Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but one of the things that really stood out for me in that movie was Mila Kunis and her consistently flawless tan. I wanted to recreate that here by incorporating some beachy elements into the existing look. The ikat print on the top runs vertically - hello, lengthening effect! - and pairing that with the gold earrings leads the eye up towards the face. The woven detail on the platform sandal grounds the ethnic look along with the black skirt, and takes the outfit away from the beach. Since this look is very summery, I chose to pair this with some light bronzer from Sephora and a sheer, creamy lip gloss from Philosophy to go with that semi-effortless glow.
The semi-formal look: Eurasian chic. Should you decide that a scholarship to FIT or Parsons would be a good post-Disney career move, may I suggest updating that off-shoulder look to something a little more avant-garde? Sure, that Martin Margiela top is way too pricey for a deconstructed T-shirt, but it's tailored to stay as close to the body as possible - again, a big plus if you want to look taller, especially when you add the earrings and the peep-toe heels to the equation. And because I couldn't resist going dark with this, I would suggest taking the light pink side of the Sephora bronzer from the other set and pairing it with some Urban Decay eyeliner and a MAC Lipglass for extra-chica factor.
See, hija, it all works out for the best: you don't have to follow this to-the-letter, but you can pick up a few hints here and there to get you inspired. Baby steps, mind you, or you might end up skankifying yourself. Good luck! :)
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