Just the place to get some bargain knock offs! Yep, I'm cheap. Everyone's respectful and no one…read morepushes their stuff on to you. Just check them out and get only what you want.

Over the years, Tumblr users have skyrocketed. It's so popular that a lot of kids, teens and hip…read moreyuppies get inspiration from Tumblr blogs. May it be photography, quotes, memes, gifs, art, pop culture, style and most especially fashion. My friend actually introduced my sister and I to Fashion Market. After learning about it, we go there every time were at this mall. Fashion Market is split into 2 sides on the mall - the left and the right. I suggest going through all stores. It can take hours though, haha, but you won't regret it. They have every style and trend you'd typically see on Tumblr, fashion blogs, Youtube beauty channels and fashion week! Inside, you'll also find spas, salons, money changers and ATM's. The prices range from super inexpensive to normal clothing price rates. A lot of stores sell super hip shoes, clothes, hats, shades and even prom dresses and traditional Filipino costumes. Definitely check out these stores I frequent when you're there - (right side) Push Thru, Mastermind Chase and Muradito, (left side) Nava, Berca and Ballow. Happy shopping! :)

Having a custom made dress doesn't necessarily mean that it will turn out looking amazing…read more Sometimes, even the best couturiers have their bad days. Enter Miss Selfridge. Miss Selfridge is a good place to buy ready to wear formalwear. It's relatively cheaper than a custom made dress. They have short cocktail dresses and full on formal wear with sparkly beading, embroidery and the works. They usually have good deals on their sale racks but be careful when buying last pieces. There are usually runs on the dresses. If not, the beading tends to be incomplete. A lot of people are afraid of buying ready to wear gowns because they run the risk of having another person show up wearing exactly the same thing. I always buy ready to wear formal wear and I've never had a twin at an event. Even then, it's always a game of Who Wore it Best. Rock that gown and everybody will only remember you.

I always make sure to check the latest collection of Miss Selfridge because they have really nice…read morepieces. I like how their clothing items range from casual to evening wear. I have had times, especially during the sales, where I would buy a lot of great looking tops - may it be for the beach, everyday or corporate wear. There were also times where I am in dire need of semi-formal or evening wear and I would also find it here. The price range for Miss Selfridge is okay especially if you need a dress for a special occasion but I recommend that you wait for their sale if you want to purchase some casual/corporate wear for everyday use. They also have really nice and sturdy accessories - scarves, bags, and very beautiful hats! Some of my scarves from Miss Selfridge have been with me for years and they haven't faded at all. Good price for the quality.

It's undeniable that as you grow older, taste really changes. When it comes to clothing and the…read morestyles that I prefer, what I liked before is light years away from what I like now. Before, when I was much younger, I used to be quite a trendwhore, blindly loving and wearing any new trend in sight. Now that I'm much older (and wiser), I've come to appreciate simplicity and comfort. But of course simple doesn't need to be boring, and comfort doesn't necessarily mean unstylish. One local brand that's got the whole easy, breezy stylish look down pat is Facile, a newcomer in the local fashion scene. Only two collections young, Facile is all about comfort and ease of wear, without sacrificing style. The brand usually comes out with a small capsule collection of tops and dresses that capitalize on the slouchy, effortless way of dressing. I'm such a big fan and if you see their clothes, you will be too. The brand doesn't have a physical store yet but they do have an online shop and pop-up in bazaars from time to time.

Manila has seen a steady stream of cool and stylish international fashion brands coming into the…read morelocal market and I am very happy about that! (Although my wallet may not be as ecstatic.) One of those brands in Stradivarius, which hails all the way from Barcelona, Spain. Whenever I enter Stradivarius in Glorietta, I always get a little bit confused - confused because I don't know which top, blouse, skirt or pant to grab first. I always find a whole lot to love amongst the different laid-black styles that the brand is well known for. Easy-breezy, unfussy clothing that's great for everyday is what Stradivarius is all about. Nowadays, since I'm much older and less susceptible to following every trend in the fashion book, I'm more inclined to choose the understated but still quite fashionable option. And I love how Stradivarius has got a ton of those kinds of options. Sure, they still have the more trendy stuff but it's balanced well with the unfussy, minimalist stuff that I love.

Holy hell, I can't believe I only discovered this store a few weeks ago. Like, where has this gem…read morebeen all my life? Stradivarius has a TON of great clothes that feel very bohemian and classy. Basically, if you want to emulate Vanessa Hudgens' Coachella style, go here. Something really important I noticed is that all the fabrics are very comfortable and soft. Other trendy stores *cough* F21 *cough* tend to have beautiful designs in itchy material, which is terrible for my super sensitive skin. No problems for my skin demands here! My major and only problem with this store is that some of the items are super overpriced. Would you spend over a thousand pesos on a tiny pair of floral shorts or a super thin, plain maxi dress? My sis and I decided no way. It's important to shop with a critical eye here and look for pieces that really give bang for your buck and would be hard to find. The bags and hats scattered around this big store are super cute. If I had the money, I'd snatch up more than a few of them. Also, there's this gorgeous leather jacket I was eyeing and will hopefully get on sale soon for a trip abroad. Need to get it on sale otherwise my wallet would cry.

Before I became a wife and a mother, I used to be kinda cool. YRYS was the store of choice during…read moremy high school days and even throughout college. I hated wearing plain shirts over jeans. I wanted something unique. I was more into the punk-rocker chick look that you'd see in US stores like Hot Topic. The different stores from the Gozum sisters really made my heart flutter when they first launched in the Philippines. Of the three brands they have, YRYS was my favorite. Everything there is so stylish and fashion-forward. Before them, finding a short plaid skirt here was next to impossible. They broke boundaries in an ultra-conservative country and revolutionized the way women dressed. And it's not just the clothes that I really love, it's all the little accessories, too! Suspenders, hats, finger gloves, belts and cool jewelry were available for really affordable prices. Even now that I do dress more conservatively for the sake of my daughter, I often find myself still looking through their display window, reminiscing the old days when I was able to fit in those super short skirts that I loved so much. Here's a tip: watch out for sales, especially when it's midnight madness at the mall. They often slash their prices by more than half. They have racks of clothes marked down to P200 and P300.

I love this store! Their clothes and accessories are a mix of styles - kitchy, rocker, punk, trendy…read moreand tumblr-esque. When I was still a youngin at school, I'd always buy from this store for their great price point and fashion. I love their accessories the best. They sell some really cool jewelry, finger gloves, hats, flash tattoos, suspenders and even corsets (I have 2 from them). I always feel like I'm in the streets of Hong Kong when I entire the store and look around...like I'm checking out those affordable and fashionable fashion stalls or stores at the night market. This store is perfect for high school students and hip college students and the prices won't break the bank. Look out for sales too because who doesn't love a sale? As you can see from my photo, you can even buy items for P99! Now that's a steal!

In the Philippines, most women are accustomed to the "pagawa" culture, which essentially means…read morehaving just about everything you wear custom made--from Christmas dinners to weddings. Which is why it was such a big thing when Myth opened in Greenbelt 5. Unlike your usual retail shops, Myth offers designer RTW finds. That means, gorgeous embellished gowns and perfectly tailored cocktail dresses readily available for purposes. For someone with a busy schedule and not too much time to shop for dresses for special occasions, Myth is a godsend. I can enter the store and come out with the perfect dress. A well curated shop, the boutique offers finds from established (Randy Ortiz, Noel Crisostomo, and Francis Libiran) designers as well as up and coming ones like Nixon Marquez whose embellished tees are my current personal favorites. Its like a quick introduction to Filipino fashion and if you have some balikbayan relatives or foreign friends visiting the country, it's a great place to take them to if they'd like to bring something special home.

So you may not be a girly girl but if I could give you one good reason to visit this place it would…read morebe the fact that one of the most celebrated local designers, Rhett Eala, is the Creative Director behind this brand. Taking his painterly inclinations into more commercial territory, Rhett's designer touch has turned the store around into a place where fast fashion becomes somewhat of an art. Think dragonflys and butterflies on dresses, skirts, and tops, in a collection aptly named Metamorphosis--and that's just one of Rhett's standout collections in the last couple of years. Plains & Prints as its name suggests, is a treasure trove of women's wear good for the weekends, the office, and sometimes both. The aesthetic of the store is generally feminine and romantic but there are some pieces in store (if you look closely enough) that favor the more rugged, but still riding high on the bright colors. It's a bit pricey for a retail shop but considering the team behind the designs and the effort that the store puts into properly curating the lines available for each season, I'd understand why it's more expensive that most of the other local stores around it.

I took me quite a while to place the correct categories for this place, as there seems to be no…read morecategory called "CUTE THINGS YOU DON'T NEED BUT WILL BUY ANYWAY". Yelp, get on it! I'm a sucker for anything that has animals on it (NOT their skin! Ditch fur and leather, please!). Or polkadots. Or vegetables. Or fruits...Or all! This place is for every girl who likes "kawaii" things --BUT of course, that wouldn't be appropriate to say because this store hails from Korea, so instead, say "gwi-yeo-wo-yo"! Are you celebrating someone's birthday soon? If so, this place has the cutest little party hats (of course, with animals!) to top your dear celebrant's head with, greeting cards, party "gear", and other colorful festive things! If you're a sock collector, then this is the place to get cute silly socks! Pretty notebooks that are too cute to write on? Check! Mushroom lamp? Check! And if you have not outgrown your sticker addiction, they have soft, "pillow-y" ones that are just ~squeeee~! Koreans really know how to make things murderously cute! Take my money!

Finally, Korea's uber cute fashion is finally within reach! Artbox is full of adorable clothing,…read morestationery, mugs, and what-have-yous! I wanted to get so many things that I don't even need anyway. Like a blanket with a hood. Or an unnecessary number of socks. Or storage boxes. (Well, I may need those storage boxes.) If you're a complete sucker for things with cute animal faces, this place is a must-see for you!

I've had a recent interest in kooky jewelry using found objects and odds and ends, stringing them…read moreonto chains or rope and wearing them as necklaces. There's really nothing skillful or crafty about it, but it's fun to do with stuff that are pretty but you have no idea what to do with them. And I don't know anywhere else to get small chains but in Quiapo, at Joyo Fashion Accessories. It's very easy to miss this store walking along Evangelista St. from the Recto LRT Station, since it's covered by the area's wealth of stands hawking religious items, flowers, and candles, but it's not hard to find, really, since it's near the church and one of few stalls there that aren't selling construction supplies or phones and gadgets. If you've ever been around the stores in Quiapo, it's very much like most other places there, just stacks and racks and walls of stuff everywhere. You see necklaces, earrings, rings, and other accessories first before you get to the actual good stuff--beads, charms, trinkets, lace, cording, and other things you'll need to make your own jewelry. There are other places in the area selling similar things, but Joyo has an advantage being closer to Recto Station, and being in the somehow calmer, less dense area of Quiapo.