Need to update your wardrobe this year? Want a new swimwear? Or do you just want to shop till you…read moredrop without burying your wallet alive? Then this discreet yet stunning local clothing line could do the trick for you. Apartment 8, with branches in Trinoma, Greenhills and Glorietta, have been around for some time and has been creating quite a stir because of their trendy collections. Endorsed by famous fashion bloggers, Apartment 8 offers clothes for women, mostly for teenagers and young adults. But hey, their clothing line is for everybody, as long as you wear the dress, and not let the dress wear you. From casual to formal, from summer to winter, from vintage to modern - Apartment 8 surely has them all.

I come by The Ramp all the time because even though I rarely ever buy anything, I think their…read moreclothes are always plenty eye-catching and intriguing without having to be so on trend all the time. I'm especially a big fan of their Yhansy line of accessories, which used to have its own stall in Shangri-La I've had to say goodbye to. Their stuff can be a little odd sometimes, which I like, and they're not all that expensive either. Their men's clothes can also be quite interesting, especially the Mundo line, which is always out there, with the prices to match. The shoes can be good though, and are much more affordable. There are a lot more stores in the place for sure, but I guess the problem is the whole area can get a little muddled and confusing, with their home line being hidden in the corner, covered by children's clothing, and all the women's clothes overlapping each other. It's honestly a bit cluttered, which is why they don't get as much traffic as they'd want from what I can tell.

I am easy to impress when it comes to fashion, since I'm no expert and I couldn't really tell a…read morestylish look from a boring one. Like I could really like this dress, but I wouldn't know that it's not uso anymore or that it's drab or boring. It's like fashion-blindness. Everything looks good on a hanger or a mannequin. So imagine me in a place with lots of good clothes like The Ramp Crossings in Trinoma. PROS: The place is just so classy and beautiful, like a #ladyboss type of store with crisp shirts and stylish dresses. There is a huge variety of styles - from the trendy and edgy, to the girly florals and flowy fabrics, to the classic LBDs and killer heels. The Ramp has it all. I can't help but get lost in the beauty of all these clothes I think I'd never get to pull off; They have shoes, accessories, even some pieces of furniture and décor at their Crossings Home brand. CONS: When you buy clothes from Crossings, you're dressed to kill. And it kills the budget too because their apparels are fairly expensive. It's on the mid- to high-range pricing, which I think is justifiable given the good clothes that they sell. TL;DR: The Ramp Crossings offers stylish pieces and classy accessories for the Manila fashionista.

In today's world where fast fashion reigns supreme, I must admit I'm pretty sick of throwing away…read moremoney on a pair of sandals made of shitty material that only lasts a couple of months before I have to throw them away - yes, I wear out my shoes past the point of any help that Mr. Quickie can provide. That being said, I like to invest quality footwear because I walk a lot, and it's a nice plus if I invest in things that are proudly Filipino. Our Tribe is a footwear and bag brand that showcases Filipino leather craftsmanship at affordable price points. It has a couple of branches located in malls around the metro, but luckily, there's an outlet store along Maginhawa Street in UP Village (yay!). What I love about Our Tribe is that each pair of sandals looks (and feels!) really sturdy. Most of the sandals have a certain granola-eating, dirty hippie esthetic, which is TOTALLY fine with me because I personally love wearing strappy leather sandals with most of my outfits. Plus, they are comfy as hell (after you break them in, of course). Our Tribe is a local brand I am proud to support and talk about!

It's Our tribe since I was in elementary and uppto now I still love wearing this brand. My friends…read morein United States always notice sandals I'm wearing they say it looks unique and very good quality.

Being the designated driver of my girlfriend on Friday nights, she dragged me to go to the…read moreApartment 8 Design House, because she heard from a friend that they really had good deals for off-the-rack dresses. Without having any other choice, I went with her to look for this place. It wasn't difficult to find the place because of our familiarity with the area, and the house that greeted us was pretty impressive. We had to ring the doorbell to be let in, and the place really felt like a design house (I don't exactly know what to expect, coming from a guy, but I guess in my head, this is what a design house should look like). The dresses on the walls were arranged well, and even the dressing rooms were fashioned after something you would see in fitting scenes on TV. In the back room, you could see the design staff was working hard, looking through the latest trends and coming up with fresh designs for dresses. I still couldn't tell the differences between most designs, or what was or wasn't trending, but I'm pretty sure that Apartment 8 deserves a lot more recognition.

I've seen a lot of Apartment 8 Clothing with their very active Instagram account…read more Not only do they make unique pieces od clothing, they also the dress with Kim Chiu being their favorite star to dress. While I've visited their Greenhills branch, I was told that their main store along Scout Borromeo offered a better selection of choices. Since I was looking for a gown to wear as a wedding guest, I decided to check them out. It was a quite Thursday afternoon and I was pretty sure they we're expecting any guests. The lights were closed, the aircon was turned off and the guard was a little shocked to see me there. But everyone hurriedly went to their places and accommodated me well. Unfortunately, they offer limited sizes which meant dresses were a lot snug on me. If I wanted a particular design, I had to ask for them to custom make if which was out of my budget. Anyhow, they do really good designs with unique patterns and nice tela.

I love shopping at Claire's especially at Christmas time and I have a lot gifts for my tween and…read moreteen godchildren. They have the cutest items that are great for that age range. The truth is, I also buy a lot of things at Claire's for myself. They have a lot of hip accessories like sunglasses, jewelry, hats and bags. The best gift I found there were locked diaries for tweens with cute owl designs and a bejeweled red one. They are also among the few stores that have gloves, we're not really a glove-wearing country so that's a bit hard to find before Claire's. And they also carry the Prism line of Katy Perry. They often go on sale offering buy 1, take 1 promos for items of the same price. If you ever chance upon one of those, I suggest going big on the shopping because you will always be able to find young girls and those young-at-heart to give the items to.

Claire's is every pre-teens dream come true. When i would vacation in the US, my shopping itinerary…read morealways included Claire's for all my kikay needs. Their accessories are the best! They sell colorful hair pieces as well as cute earrings, belly rings (for the rebellious kind) and even boy band merchandise. Just so you know, i didnt buy any of the Justin Bieber stuff when he was super famous. In grade 6, all my classmates wanted to have my denim wallet which had glitters and the world Angel stitched on the front part. When i told them it was from Claire's their faces looked a bit upset because they knew they wouldnt be able to buy it right away. When i saw Claire's open their first branch in BGC i remember feeling what i used to feel when i wouls enter their US stores before. Unfortunately i was already working so i decided to be happy for the preteens instead. I still pass by once in a while and delight in the cute stuff they have.

I.Candy is a clothing line which has always been one of my favorite stores. Not only do they sell…read morecolorful, updated and retro style clothes, they also offer dresses that suit for almost any occasion. You can work their dresses up as a semi-formal outfit with high heels or wedges, but you can also style it casually, with sneakers of your favorite Keds. With these, you know that one dress can rule almost any outfit, you just have to style it right! Regarding quality, I like the fact that some of their dresses can be easily altered without major cuts and re-linings. They're manageable, especially if you know how to sew. Thankfully, I do! So I.Candy is one of my dress shop bffs. Btw, they also have cropped tops and other blouses, if you're not big in dresses.

If ukay ukay was classy, this is the place to go. The items here were pre picked by the owner thus…read moretheir quality and overly done pricing. I mean you're paying almost the same price as new stuff from a bazaar for used clothing. But if you really know your shiznit and your way around vrands, you'll appreciate this cozy little spot at the entrance of expo. They have an impressive shoe selection with original but second-hand brands like Tom's, Sperry's, Guess, just to name a few. But mahal! Like a pair could be anywhere in between Php500 to Php1k depending mostly on the brand. They also have used books but nothing worth paying Php100 for.

Ever since Jennyfer opened in SM North EDSA, I rushed towards it…read more Originally established in Paris, Jennyfer is one of those rock-and-roll style yet chic, updated and urban-ish shops for girls. Sounds rare? Because they are. Whoever Ms. Jennyfer is, I thank her for a great store. Jennyfer has done black, one of my best colors, justice and outgrew the usual rockstar princess look. They weaved it for women to look their best through quality, hip, and modern clothes. Well, it all depends on how you style and mix-match, but Jennyfer possesses almost all the right pieces. I personally like their jumpers, crop tops, and black jackets. Go on and find your style and rock it, Jennyfer style.

I only learned about this place just this weekend when a former colleague-turned-friend asked to…read morehang out here. I've always liked Maginhawa but it's just really complicated to go to for someone who doesn't own a car so admittedly, I wasn't too thrilled about the idea. I still agreed to go, though since it has been a while since we last saw each other. Since I wasn't familiar with Maginhawa, I decided to take a cab and Waze it. YAY, WAZE! It was situated right in front of the famous Artsy Cafe. WUMS (When Uan Met Sally) Cafe had a conjoined store of all things kitschy! They have bracelets, necklaces, boho-inspired garments, boho bags and a ton more! If Phoebe Buffay swung by this place, she'd probably live here. Too bad though, most of the items are pretty expensive. Think a bracelet for 1,000 bucks or more. On to the cafe part. Okay, first off, I love Mumford and Sons, and I feel like if they ever made a Mumford and Sons-esque cafe, it would be similar to WUMS. It just had that very down-to-earth, hippie vibe that I love! Just walking into their small cafe and seeing the interiors, I knew I was going to love this place. I got to try their French Onion Soup and to be honest, there wasn't anything special about it. I'd still prefer Friday's French Onion Soup any day. Their Margherita Panini, however, was pretty good. I also loved their frozen house blend iced tea. Overall, this place is a delight to have been discovered. If only it weren't too far from me, I'd probably visit this place more than a few times in a month.

I just love this place…read more I live about a block away from this place and I would pass by it ever since it was still being constructed. I watched it evolve from an empty garage to a construction site, and now, a really hip and cool place to eat, to shop and to hang out with a couple friends over good food and wine. I love the artistic vibe and the very artsy inspirations that went into the design and the concept of the store. It combines a lot of intricate Byzantine frescoes and paintings with distressed furniture, lots of bronze and wrought iron, and lots of soft textures from the silks and the clothes that are being sold. They have antiques and flea market finds from all over the world that you can buy and add to your collection of curios at home. This antique shop/vintage store/gift shop/knick knacks paradise/cafe/restaurant (whew lots of slashes there) is a fun and quirky neighborhood joint that will have you coming back for more. I am a big fan of the squash and sweet potato soup, which is just the right consistency and creaminess. Squash soup is simply my favorite, and I love how they do a good job with that here. The service is top-notch and the ambiance is just lovely. I would recommend it for a date with a special someone, or if you want a cute space for a meeting with a client. I will surely come back for more!

Jellybean offers women's clothing for all occasions: be it formal, semi-formal, casual, for a…read morenight's out, or simply being fashionable at the malls. Divided by color in their store, you wouldn't have a hard time looking for what you want (because you may basically want them all) and would be tempted to mix and match all day long. Their clothes are of quality, although some may complain it's too thin, but if you take good care of it, it would last long. They offer hip, fabulous and updated dresses, shirts, blouses, skirts, jumpsuits, shorts and what have you! Also, their shoes are also beautiful! I always choose Jellybean if I want new heels or clogs (they specialize in those kinds of shoes), and even flats. They also sell teen style bathing suits, accessories and sunglasses.

I remember being in college and making it a point to enter Jellybean everytime i shop. They carry a…read morelot of cute and trendy clothes and sell it at very affordable prices making it the perfect store for college students who need to look smart everyday. When they go on sale, you will be surprised at ho much you can buy without shelling out much. Back when the shopping meccas like Forever 21, Uniqlo, and H&M were still overseas, this is where i would go to shop for everyday clothes like blouses, skirts, and even shoes. They have small stores but the variety of styles is impressive. They have clothes that match different personalities and preferences. Even hipsters would find something nice in this store. What i like about this store is how they organize their clothes by color so mixing and matching becomes easier and fun.