Striking a Pose

Girls, you should try this!

Book a studio and have a photo session. A photo session is the best way to body and beauty acceptance.

Now, it's not just  getting a picture.

A lot of things happen in just a picture.

Now, I've put simple, natural make-up for this shoot. This creation is dark, perfect for big girls like me. I like to play with a lot of props and accessories.

Here are some tips on posing and body movements. It's important to get posing right especially in full-figured modelling. There are many poses not so flattering. During a shoot, it's hectic. The photographer would just keep clicking. As the subject, we have to create a story using what we wear, the props and our body movements.

Striking a Pose: Basic Pose.

Cross legs makes the legs look long and elegant

Experiment!

There's a Storm! Think charades!

Use the props you have. Create angles with your arms. Bent arms make the arms look longer.

Can you do a profile or side view? the body.

It's best to experiment on this one. Some girls have double chin and cannot make a good side view.

I can pull-off side-view face but not a side view body so /i do a 3/4th angle for 

Every girl has to have a "Taray Look."

Secret tip: When crossing your arms over your chest, don't press your arms too much to the body.

Pressing it too much towards you can make it look chunky and full.

This W pose is very experimental. I was thinking to put fireworks on my palms. :-)

Experiment  in front of the mirror and see what works for you.

If all else fails, have confidence!

Nasa "Carry" lang yan!

How to Tie a Neck Tie by Carson

I thought I might share this page from Carson's book. It's really useful.

Getting Rid of Half of My Closet

Gluing their Eyes to the Consul

Do you allow your kids to laze in public seats playing angry birds on your or their iPhones?

I see a growing number of young children who have not a care in the world but the game they play. I was in DFA last week and there were a lot of kids waiting, being literally dragged by their parents because their are so engrossed in whatever consul their eyes were glued on. This picture of a girl is in a church lobby. The man besid her is trying to talk to her but she is non-responsive. (I heard her other siblings are not so respectful to elders)

What are the parents allowing their children to become?

When I was young, my parents will not allow any of us to be unproductive. Oh, we can play. We are encouraged to have sport, music or some hobby. We can make a mess but they want us to learn and have an output. My siblings and I played a lot and made a mess of the living room a lot. My mother was fine by that as long as we moved our bodies and build our creativity. I spend countless hours in my room scrap booking or beading but that was ok as long as I home my creativity.

These games on consul are fine. They're fun too but they keep oneself isolated in the midst of a crowd. Besides, it's lack of social etiquette. When they grow up, they'll still be glued to a gadget and not much on socialization and manners. And these kids will think it's ok because their parents allowed them to in the first place.

For the parents, they are spoiling their children this way because they can't baby sit them well. True or false? Giving them your iPhone or android to play with until all hours is not love. It's opposite. It's like hating to deal with the problem so you let the gadget handle them. Well, newsflash. These gadgets will handle them to social decline.

So, parental tip. Give them time to play with the iPhone/cellphone/android. Let them play but not in public and certainly not for too long. An hour or two tops at home. Oh, and don't forget to teach them social etiquette and manners. Discipline them if need be.

If you can't handle your child, parent, you need therapy.

Varekai!

I love it! 

The show costs (cheapest) is Php2,700.00 and it was worth it. We were in the middle row near the side aisle but we can see well.

I love the music and the acrobatics. The costumes are inspiring. 

I super love it. 

If another Cirque show comes to town, I'll see it! Definitely!

Thanks, Varekai Production! I had fun!

More power!

Shoe Shopping with the girls

 Cake Shoe!

So, shoes for the big girls is hard to find. First of all, when you are a big girl, chances are, your feet are also big. I'm a size 14-16 and 5'4"... my shoes isze is 8 wide. Easy to find???
Wrong. Not in this country, anyways.
Our shoes sizes are so limited but that reflects on our economy. For the past decade, there is no longer half sizes. We don't have any half sizes either. Oh, did I mention our sizes here are medyo varied?
With China imports and brands that shoe their own shoe lasts, we really have varied sizes here. I get a size 8 for Marikina shoes. If it's made is China, it's a size 39(9) but if it's a China brand that's made in China, It's a 40 to 41. By the way, if my relatives send me shoes from the states, it's usually 8 petite or 7 1/2 wide.

My tip to buying shoes? FIT it! Wear it, bend, walk and jump.
Ask yourself these questions before buying the shoes(especially impulse buying)

1. Does it fit well?
2. Is it comfortable? Even after bending and jumping?
3. Which outfits/coordinates will match it? (If it fits 3 to 4 coordinates, then buy away)

I bought the tan one!

 Me!

 I love the pink clogs!

I want the bling one!

10 Days of Feasting

Davao is not Davao without Sun, warm peaople, Afternoon Rains and FOOD. Did I happen to mention Delicious food?

Whoa. Mom got so mad can she blame me? Davao food is hard to resist. No, don't eat grilled everyday. Even Davaoenios have sophisticated taste.

Here's where I've been:

Day 1 Arrival: Hanoi in Abreeza for some crabs and spareribs. Hanoi is a Vietnamese Restaurant created by my Tita and Tito. I'm not biased. The food is really good. 

In the evening, a version of gourmet Sinigang in the house.

Day 2 Roaming Around Day: Lunch at Eden, Mirienda at McDo and Wedding Eve Dinner.

Eden is a man-made forest. They have tours and fresh buffet food.

Day 3 The Wedding day: My cousin's wedding day. Catered food but forgot by whom. Cocktails by Tsuru. Tsuru is Japanese food here in Davao. It's #1 here.

Day 4 Girl's Day Out: Lunch/Mirienda at Picobello, the best pizza in Davao. Apart from the stone oven they boast, Picobello also boasts buy 1 take 1 pizza (2-5pm) I love their Calzone!

Day 5 Talicud Trip: Ate at an unamed resort. Yup, no name. No signage. Just a patch of beach front with a lot of benches and bamboo table. They served Adobo chicken made of free-range native chicken. Dinner at Tsuru Main branch (they have 3). Ate Gyudon. Yum! Thinly sliced beef with egg and rice. Love it. I also love the Miso Soup!

Day 6 Visit other side relatives: Fish lunch at house and Dinner at Lachi's. What a name right? Lachi's. Well, what cakes too!

 Tasted 3 cakes: Black and white Brownies, NY cheese cake and creme brule cake. Heaven and affordable too!

 Day 7 Girls Day out Part 2: Thank you Ate Faith for the lovely lunch at Tiny Kitchen. It is tiny  9the place, I mean) but not the servings. I finished a half chicken to myself (one serving lang yun!)
That night was a celebration for Tita Didit's Bday! We ate at Selera and had drinks afterwards.
Day 8 Little Girls Day: Baby sitted young nieces, lunch at home with some pasta and dunking donuts. Dinner at Apo View Hotel for Hijos de Davao. We magiced ourseves away and went to Brewery for some drinks with Joan and her friends. Was so hammered with Tequila Rose (2 cups) and Vodka
 (approx 3 and 1/2 cups). Wuuuuuh!
Day 9 Tsuru Buffet: Tsuru has buffet every 15th and 30th. Tourists who come to Davao must go and fatten up with Jap food. It's worth 599. Even if you just eat sashimi. Very fresh! Record: 5 plates. That would be 11 makis, 9 tempuras, chicken lolipop, gyoza, dessert and more. Can't really keep track. SO much food!
Dinner at Coc's in F. Torres at 4pm to sawa. So full!

Day 10 Airport food until I leave.

Davaowenios might not shop a lot but they sure EAT a lot! Yet, I can't find many big peeps here. Must be the fresh food and most especially the mineralized water that comes out of the tap. Super safe!

Flattering Prints

No matter how proud we are of our body, face it! We want to look slim and fit. Nobody wants to look bigger than they are.

Working with prints are a little tricky because they might not be flattering.

Here are flattering prints and not flattering prints:

No pile is things someone size 12 and above should avoid. Mostly there are the horizontal stripes. Having it checkered tartan style is not flattering either.

Yes pile is obviuosly the suggested ones. Vertical and diagonal lines are the body. They actually look like movements for your eyes to follow.

Maybe pile is subjective. There are prints of various types. Try it on first before purchasing clothes with these prints. They may or may not look ok on you.

Plus Size and Cosplaying

I have encountered people who are scared of dressing up or cosplaying because they think they are fat.

I've been big most of my grown-up years. Ever since I started cosplaying, I was always a big girl. That didn't stop me. My stagefright stopped me but never being plus size.

I guess I had good support. No, not the girdle. I never wore girdle or bra during HS.

I had support from my friends and some of my family.

My sibs and I cosplayed together for fun. 

Here I am, still costripping and dressing up for occassions.

I got a couple of shots of confident peeps.

I wanted to take more shots but didn't quite catch a lot of the other plus-players.

Love this...

Formal Weddings in the Morning

I've attended a morning wedding but I wasn't sure what to wear. It's a morning mass with a lunch receptions. The attire is Formal.

WHAT TO WEAR???

This is a dilema for us girls. We want to be stunning and to show-off a fashionista personalities. At the same time it should be formal since it's a wedding and conservative since we are inside a church.

This is my outfit.

Since it's the last days of summer, I've decided to wear something with print. It's metallic in material with satin details. Prints are ok in a wedding but make sure it is a bit formal. Make sure the prints are not too loud. Silky fabrics give a formal taste to it. 

For my accessories, I wore pearls. Pearls always makes an outfit classy and formal. My headband is also pearls. Brooch, gloves, belt and stockings are all black. I wanted brown but I lacked the brown shade that I wanted. To be safe, I chose black. 

It was a rainy so I opted for a shawl since the weather was cold. (shawl not in picture)

So, here is my outfit beside the doors of Malate Catholic Church. It's a quaint little church with nostalgic architecture. I like it. The perfect venue for a new beginning.

This is the bride's dress. We collaborated on the design together. 

"I have nothing to wear!"

"Oh, really? Are you naked?"

A lot of people keep saying they have nothing to wear. 

They do. It's just not to their liking.

If you have nothing to wear, open your closet and revamp your wardrobe. Maybe there's a combination you haven't tried before. Try layering. It's not too hot anymore that you can't wear a shirt on top of another.

Also, you can always raid your mothers and sis' closets.

:-)

Picking in a Feast

It's hard not to eat who you are in a party. Since we are Pinoys, it's rude not to eat at all. Like all Pinoy Party attendees, I feast but am now more picky in what I shovel down my gut. Make no mistake, I still eat a lot.

I shall reiterate what's on the table and divide it up to LOTS, SOME, NO WAY.

LOTS (Go on an feast on these)

• Ginataang shrimp (When cooked right, it's healthy and so fresh and rich in zinc)
• Fresh Green salad (duh) Easy on the dressing
• Freshly baked Buko Pie
• Pansit
• Fresh Ripe Mangoes

SOME (take it easy)

• Adobo (Lay off the soysauce.)
• Lumpia shanghai (But it vegetarian! So? It's still fried!)
• Rice (limit since it's a party 1 1/2 cup)

NO WAY (stay away from these food... if you can)

• Cake (just a bite. So you won't eat too much, share a slice with your sis)
• Letson (But I can't help eat a few bits and a slice of balat!)
• Ice Cream (Don't eat this unless you want to clog your arteries. You just ate oily foods and top it off with ice cream. Are you crazy? One word: SEBO go research!)

So, I encourage you guys to make a mental checklist of what you ate in a party. It could save your hearts. Not to mention belly.

I'm living a full and healthy life and this is my type of diet!

I think I lost a little weight...

No, I didn't go on a diet.

I couldn't.

Too much yummy food laid out on the table.

What my secret? Mom stuffed me with fruits and veggies. Yup, snack time is fruits and breakfast comes with a bowl of cabbage soup.

But I've decided something since our little fiber regiment. I was going to try to eat as healthy as I can. So when my brother and I were at the mall, I had to look at the menus carefully. Fast food will just a rare treat.
It's not like I'm avoiding food or oils or carbs. Those things, we can't help but be served. I just make sure my fried foods are limited and I pick things that have no shortening or too much butter.

Nail Art

Was at Bloggers United Yesterday.

Had my nails done for free. :-)
Met a lot of cool peeps too!

Make-over Day

Today was my make-over with the Plamp Pinays. We were at Azta Urban Salon in San Lazaro. Me and four other plumpies had our faces done by Ms. Kaycee Lim and our hair done by Azta Stylists. Thanks, Kaycee, for the skin tips!

At first I was scared. What would they do to me? Make me look like a rooster? Worse, blond. Thank goodness Ms. Rich of Azta had some ideas to play with. I told her to go play with me. My only conditions are: Don't make me look like a Chicken and don't make me bald.

Ha! They gave me a layered bob and red mahogany hair. I love how they treated us. Milk tea was good. The services were pampering. Felt like a Diva without having to act like it.

Ms. Rich gave some good hair tips. The Azta team did a good job on the dyeing.

Thanks girls!

Thanks to the Plump Pinay for our F21 accessories and this opportunity to get a make-over. 

I'm now a red head!

Make Over

My make over is tomorrow...

I thank God we are not yet at this stage

Our country won't spare expenses for these kinds or research. On the upside, the Philippines have 80% organic food. We scratch our heads asking what's not organic in the country? Everything is manual labor.

And Thank God!

...

This makes me think. We have to know where our food come from and what fertilizer/feeds given the potential food.

My Hair Regimen

1. Hot Oil once a year
2. Conditioner one in a blue moon
3. Virgin Coconut Oil Bath Once a Month
4. Milk Bath when I feel like it
5. Shampoo every day.

Model Within

I've decided to have a photoshoot.

Partly for portfolio.

Partly for myself.

This is my boost of confidence shot.

This is also the picture I want posted if I die. 

So, please post this on top of my coffin. :-)

Modelling 101

As a Designer, I have to be able to coach my models into the poses best for a shoot/runway. 

I did a bit of amateur modelling and was surprised to find being on the end of the catwalk actually thrilled me.

Here are basic modelling poses and tips to help any girl out there building their portfolio.

Note: I pictures these myself. How??? Put the camera on top a shelf and hit the timer. (hehehe)

To practice posing, here's step 1: Dress comfortably 

Step 2: Comfy clothes but unfortunately, every model needs heels. So, wear high heels.

Heels work wonders on your legs. Try it. I'm wearing leggings to see the effect. 

Step 3: Apply light make-up even if it's just mascara and lipstick.

Now it's time to vogue.

The Head Shot

Head shots are important aspect in your modelling portfolio. Let's face it... It's your FACE.

It's a model's mugshot.

Take a picture of yourself: Front, 3/4, side profile and semi-back. Look which angles best suit you.

Head shots are tricky because it it limited to the space of your head. For this shoot, I added some props. This wedding hat should convey a lot of meaning and that must be in line with how I pose my face.

Yes, faces have to be posed as well.

From happy to thinking, to shocked, to secretive, to angry then finally prayerful. See the difference?

Body Movement

Try being creative in posing. These poses are static except for the arms. The blue tulle shows movements.

Also find ways to get the best shape for you.

Creative Posing

Strike a pose! Vogue it! Put on some music to inspired you. Get a mirror and look at your body movements.

Tip: Create space through your hand movements. Utilize your legs. Bend them in angles. Bend your body in angles. You can also use props to help you get into character.

Well, ladies. Hope these help you. If you're not planning to be a model, it's fun to let go and imagine once in a while. If all else fail, it can be goo facebook profile pics.

Revamp an outfit

I'm in need of a good outfit for office or anywhere. Instead of shopping for a new one, I've decided to revamp an outfit.

So, I got this old tennis dress that's been in the closet for some time. I've only worn it a couple of times because it shows my undies especially in the day time.  Then, I found this old vintage belt. Who owns it? I don't know. Probably my aunt's of granny's.

What else I fished from the costume closet? It's an old skirt I used for fashion shows. Ha! It fits!

Now, putting together: Dress and skirt? Won't really fit together.

The dress is too long and it hides the skirt details.

I've decided to cut the length. I'm now turning this dress into a shirt.

Cut, cut, cut!

Insta outfit!

Here I am with the new outfit!

Looks like my doggy approves.

Dad's Grease Party

Sandra Dee with Poodle Bag instead of Poodle Skirt.

Everything I fished out of the closet a couple of house ago.

Thinking of my True Style

I've been thinking...

What is my true style? I like lace, ruffles and volume but at the same time I like figure fitting, modern and clean lines.
There's so many to choose from. :-)

See your best angles

One tip:

Mirror

Sometimes, the camera capture not so flattering sides of us. How do we avoid this? Not by plastic surgery that's for sure. Practice in front of the mirror. That's how you can see your best angle. then try taking snapshots of you. See what works in front of the lens.

After a few tries, you'll get it right.
So, click away!

Today's Outfit

Today's look: Neutral Chic.

Grey puff-sleeve dress, black layered chain necklace and clip ribbon.

Blue Look

I tried layering this blue dress I made with this shirt I bought. 

This is what I wore for work today.

Closet Organization Part 1: Bring on the Bin

It’s still the start of the year and if you follow the Chinese Calendar, it’ll be new year in a week’s time.

What does that mean? SPRING CLEANING.

Well, in this country, there’s no spring. It’s just beginning of the year, dry season, stormy season and Christmas season. So we start the year anew. It’s fresh, it’s sunny and the weather is great. That means it’s the perfect time to clean out the closet.

Let’s make closet cleaning more fun with a game. It’s a scavenger hunt. Below are descriptions of clothes that have got to go. It fits the bill, then…

Bring On The Bin!

ü  Any item you’ve never worn in the last 6 months.

ü  Any item you’ll never wear in 6 month or more.

ü  Clothes that are too big

ü  Clothes that are too small

ü  Over-stretched items

ü  The garter’s already gone

ü  The brass/metal buttons are rusted

ü  Things with permanent stains

ü  Holes that can’t be patched up anymore

ü  Garments with worn areas or himulmol

ü  Baston pants, psychedelic prints and large polka-dot tops (trust me, they’re not coming back anytime soon)

ü  Tattered underwear

Spare yourself the closet space. Get rid of it.

Next time on Fully-Figured: Closet Organization Part 2: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Skirt Sweep of Width

The opening for your legs is called the Sweep of the Skirt. This also determines the cut of the skirt.
This picture above may help you to determine what they are.

This is the basic skirt design.

Pencil Cut and Straight cut skirts are usually used for corporate wear. They need stiff fabrics to give a good flow. There materials would be Wool, Gabardine and sometimes, heavy cotton. Straight cut skirts can be used in denim and twill skirts.

A-line is the common cut because it is most flatering on a woman's body. Should she have thick or thin legs, an A-line works wonders.

Full Skirt is very wide with the sweep of about 30 inches (x2) to as much as a full circle. This cut always uses flowing materials for it to fall daintily and not stiffly. Textiles commonly used are silks, jerseys and light cotton. Guaze can give it an ethereal look.

Working with Turtleneck Tops

Turtleneck is not usually recomended for short/stout necks. But there are some new designs that are out in the market that can just be for you. For one thing, haltered designs will help to elongate the torso.

The problem most short necked people have is being short in stature. For the stout necks, these girls usually have a box figure. The cut of the clothes is very important in altering the shape. Part of the cut is the neckline. Necklines are tricky because they are the top of your garment. If you are not comfotable with the haltered effect, find ones that are semi-haltered. The opening of the armhole starts one inch from neckline. This hides the underarm forld that most full-figured women wish to conceal.

In buying turtleneck tops, find ones with shirring. These shirring creates lines that will elongate your torso. A keyhole or cut-out design will also do the desired effect. These two elements will go a long way in adding to your neck length.