Art Attack x Style Files: FLORIGAMI

I consider myself very lucky to have always been surrounded by very talented, creative, intelligent, funny and driven individuals. Earlier this year, colleague, photographer and friend Kaity Chua, asked me to be a part of a collaborative series: Florigami.

Now, Kaity and I have already worked together and produced some pretty cool editorials (which will probably be blogged about in the future), but Florigami is different, this is by us and for us.

Florigami, Kaity's brainchild, is a true collaboration. I discover that two other colleagues at our day job, Angee Chua and BL Martirez - who respectively handled Hair and Make-Up and assisted the shoots, were also to be part of the Florigami team. I was soon introduced to Vicky Velasco (who I now call the Paper Queen) was to create and supply all the paper sculptures for the shoot. Marco Ortega built the six-foot stool  and swing set as Production Designer.

The planning process was so organic, the idea of a flower headdress evolved into a space-age geisha. At another time Kaity says, "I wanna do a bull-headed biatch layout,". That layout transformed into a punk-rock-matador-Frida Kahlo amalgamation.

You know what, instead of me talking about it, let me just show you.



Friends, I am very proud to present:

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During our last day of shooting, the team decided that this will be an open-ended project. If at any time a new concept or layout is imagined, the team would reassemble and make it happen. We want this project to *ehem* keep blooming. Yikes. So yeah, stay tuned. I already feel a few ideas budding (okay that's the last pun I swear...). Seriously, much like the original concepts developed organically, I really do hope that this series grows in a similar fashion.

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Special Thanks to our models:

Jessica Yang - the Space-Age Geisha

Eriko Malabanan - the Bull-Headed Biatch

Pauline Prieto - Thumbellina

Nikita McElroy - the Reverse Marie Antoinette
Jasmine Maierhofer - the Mad Hatter

and

Natasha Bautista and Nova Torres: the Swing (Out) Sisters

This would not have been the same without you.

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So, Miss Ria Bolivar, see you at the next Florigami shoot?

I wish.

♥♥♥

Style Files

As if my hodgepodge blog needed any more categories, here I go starting a new one. I call it:

the STYLE FILES

Fashion and style have always ranked highly in my personal hierarchy of needs. I mean, I wouldn't say I live, eat, breathe, sleep fashion, but I do think that one's personal style is the world's first look (and impression) of that individual, so yeah, it's pretty dang important—not necessarily to seek approval from the world, but to give the world an insight into the person that you are.

The clothes that you wear, the haircut that you choose and the accessories you pile on are all reflections of who you are. I do believe that dressing yourself every morning (or evening) is an Art. You can choose to wow, blend in, contrast, not care (and look like you don't care), impress, shock, or even inspire the people you pass by each day. Most importantly, it's your choice. You look professional because you choose to look professional. You look sloppy because you choose to not care. Whether you admit it or not, every stitch of clothing (or lack thereof) on your body was chosen solely by you. YOU chose to keep that item in your wardrobe and put it on today.

Whether you choose to accept it or not, you are a part of the fashion industry the moment you put a piece of clothing on—and that piece instantly tells us something about the person that you are.

In order to develop your personal style you must find and wear things that make you feel like you. I am a staunch advocate of individuality. The ones who look the most stylish, chic, hip, current and put together are usually the ones who look entirely like themselves no matter what they wear. These people radiate a confidence and identity that we can't ignore. We see how their outfits and pieces work for them, even if we wouldn't necessarily wear those pieces ourselves. Don't let the pieces wear you, and you must make the trends work for you. I firmly believe that personal style trumps trends and fashion any day, hands down, no contest. I also firmly believe that—


fashion is for everyone.

This is a big reason why I decided to start this series. I've "been in fashion" for a few years now, and have been an expert on myself for as long as I can remember, and have been dressing myself accordingly since. I consider myself lucky.

I've had the fortune to be exposed to fashion—to options available to me. To even more choices I can make. Throughout the years I have been lucky enough to see what's out there, try them on and make them work for me—and because I really do believe that fashion is for everyone, I want to share all these wonderful things that I see with you.

This new series will share things image-, style- and fashion-related. I will share with you the things that I buy (and only wish I could buy), things that are given to me as presents, my current obsessions, fashion projects and the stories behind them, and shopping tips, tricks and treats.

I hope that within this new series, you find not only something that would help you to enhance and accentuate your wardrobe, but also that you find the courage to be and dress who you are—the courage to do you for you.

So in the wise words of my Twin, if you want to get somewhere, you need only do three things:

Get up. Dress up. Show up.

BOOM.

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Image From:

http://www.styleapple.com/public/user_details.php?account=overview&id=69&uid=69