Outfits: Corporate Creativity

SHIP'S LOG: B shares her go-to interview/job hunting outfit and asks: Would you hire me? Also included are personal ramblings and the give-away winner!

The best word to explain where I am (career-wise) is limbo. I am currently finishing up my last subject before I graduate but my class is only once a week for 3 hours leaving me with more free time than I would like. So I've been trying to hunt for a part-time or even full-time job but it's slim pickings without a diploma.

Anyway I wore this outfit to a final interview with an ad agency. My brother advised me to look corporate with a hint of creativity so I let my red suede shoes speak for themselves. It's a bit frustrating to be so excited at every new opportunity only to be terribly let down but I know that's the breaks. In any case, a new wave of opportunities has presented itself so I'll be busy working on that for now. Cross your fingers for me, friends!

Anyway I will use the rest of this post to answer questions you guys left awhile back! Readers are always confusing Arianne and I (hint: I have long hair and she has short) so we thought it might help to share a bit more about us, individually. A will post her answers in her post this week.

Melai asked: Was your style different before you started blogging?

I would say that my style actually changed when I started reading blogs (long before I started my own). I used to be into really street and punk looks. I had a big thing for skulls, if you can believe that. It was only when I started reading Liebemarlene that I came to love simple, feminine and vintage-inspired style. But friends sometimes still give me skull patterned clothes. And I realize, wow! I have changed so much!

Sanam: What inspires your outfits?

Well, I am definitely influenced by the ladies listed under B Navigates in our side bar. All of them have such distinct and lovely personal style. I also have a small collection of Japanese magazines (mostly Vivi) that I constantly flip though because their styling is always so cute. I also regularly check up on Zooey Deschanel and Alexa Chung.

Christy: What do you enjoy most about blogging?

I love contributing to the community, firstly. I used to just lurk and read blogs and often wished I could go to pretty places in pretty dresses too! When A and I decided to make one, I was so psyched! It's so amazing to have my own little corner of the web where I can share ideas and outfits that (hopefully) inspire others too. Secondly, I really love the community. I feel silly saying it but it's like I've made all these new friends!

Ashley: Since you are both vintage lovers-what do you think about trends?

I like looking at it on others but I don't actually wear much vintage. They look so costume-y on me, sadly. I don't mind trends but I try my best to only go for the ones that fit in my style. Even when gladiator sandals were literally the only sandals available for months-I never allowed myself to buy a pair. So not me!

Lloyda: What is your most prized possession in your closet?

Hands down, this Topshop dress! I bought it a few Christmases ago and have kind of worn it every holiday since. My mom said I would regret it because it looked like a nightgown but I never did. I think I've worn it for two Christmases in a row already (maybe even New Year!) but I can imagine still wearing it this year. It's perfect.

And the winner of the Lavander Love Give-Away is Chi Qast! Congratulations, girl! We'll be in touch soon.

B wears striped dress and high-waisted skirt both from Promod and red suede pumps from Zara

Outfits: Pastel Pastures

SHIP'S LOG: Introducing friend T in a lookbook for A's online store Sock & Sole Co. A and B multitask business with fun on a Saturday morning at Joseph's field in UP Diliman.

Sunshine on pastel dresses and lacy picnic blankets—these are a few of our favourite things. Raindrops and roses, not so much, as a thundershower was on its way. We were at Joseph's Field in UP Diliman taking photograph's for A's online shop Sock & Sole Co, opening soon with hordes of stockings and hats for sale.



Meet our friend T for Tinka! She is the most well-dressed economist cum cook (she made rum bacon ice cream and caramel bacon brownies once and A just died of joy) in Manila. T is a perfect fit for both A Plus B in the Sea and Sock & Sole Co, don't you think?

Have we mentioned how awesome it is to have stylish friends who are generous with their wardrobe? The outfits you see here are a mish-mash of accessories, shoes and dresses from our respective closets. A and T are wearing A's best buys from the last few Topshop sales and B's shoot-perfect brown shoes.

B says:

These pictures look pretty fun and fancy-free but I will certainly be spending the next few days scraping soil off the heels and soles of all my best leather shoes. Worth it!

Caption: T tells B a secret about A.

What is not captured is A's mock fury at the two and the entire crew poking good fun at A for the rest of the day. Also not pictured: the fifteen (actually, thirty!) buffalo wings devoured by the team after an exhausting morning of shooting.

B says:

Tinka lent me this coral dress and it is so fresh and fun looking. It is making me re-think my devotion to blue. She also turned me on to the brilliance of hot rollers—my next beauty investment. Hair is so important for those of us who don't wear much make-up. Also if you notice the tights they are pale yellow and darken as they reach the toes. A quirky detail without being too out there. Tinka's tights are an adorable pink lemonade shade.

A says:

I'm so sad that the pink of my crochet socks didn't come out so well in the photographs. Someone teach me how to photoshop properly so that all the pictures look the same please! SOS.

In this shot—pensive? Dang, we were going for thoughtful. Come on, Ten Things I Hate About You memories in honour of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the awesome Inception?

A wears yellow Topshop dress and Charles & Keith Sandals. B wears SM Department Store coral striped dress and thrifted oxfords. T wears floral Topshop dress and H&M wedges. All socks, tights and hats from Sock & Sole Co.

Art direction and photography by Steph Poon and Jan Lim.

Inspiration: Amy Pond

SHIP'S LOG: A gets over a bad, bad beans week with a little Doctor Who love. Currently obsessed with Eleven and Amy Pond (Karen Gillan) and her amazing blue and red wardrobe. Half inspiration post, half Play Pretend, enjoy the geekery.



I am a Doctor Who fan. There, I’ve said it. It’s out in the open—I’m a major New Who geek.

Yes, I get all excited about special effects that were only special in the 1960s and lanky British actors babbling on about banana daiquiris and wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey travel in five dimensions. Yes, I have an affinity for pepper pot villains and cracks in the universe. Yes, I get shivers when I hear the electrica song of the electric blue TARDIS. And YES, I still hide beneath my blankets during the scary bits and watch the weeping angels though my fingers.

So what’s Doctor Who got to do with style? Two words. Amelia. Pond.

For those not in the know, Amelia ‘Amy’ Pond is a lucky, lucky Scottish girl who gets to help the Eleventh Doctor save the universe several times over. She’s clever and stubborn and has red hair. Red hair’s the kicker for me, I always wished I could have that crowning glory of hair the colour of a red-gold sunset.

It would probably not surprise you that I wanted to marry Ron Weasley when I was eleven. I’m telling you, red hair = awesome. But I digress.

Amy Pond has a fantastic sense of style. We first meet her in the middle of the night, dressed in a voluminous (too much romance novels, not enough legal research) night gown, fire-engine red Wellington boots, and a navy blue toggle coat to die for. Immediately I am thrown into fits of jealousy over a seven year-old's knitted red dressing gown. Young Amelia even has a vintage suitcase and a bobble hat!



Next time we see Amy she’s grown up and working as a kissogram in sharply tailored police uniform (we don’t get to see the nun’s habit). The rest of the fifth series has Amy in a slime-covered nightie, 17th century Venetian gowns, and a floral wedding dress. Her favourite outfit is an over-sized jumper or jacket, a skirt of pair of shorts that hits mid-thigh, dark tights, and Converse sneakers or cowboy boots. A sort of tomboyish but still feminine look worthy of Van Gogh.



The UK magazines moan that Amy Pond dresses too sexily for a children's television show but I heartily disagree. I love her use of proportion. I also adore her red and navy blue wardrobe which is exactly what I want for myself for the next two or three years. I totally need Amy's red scarf.

Here’s my take on Amy Pond (thank you to my photographers: the Cat, a twin, and T):




Huge brightly coloured sweater? Check. Grungy tights and beat-up sneakers? Check, check. TARDIS blue little girl’s bedroom (she has fairy lights, I have rainbow streamers) as a backdrop? Doctor Who fans, we are go.




A wears pink and black jumper from Topshop, an old run-filled pair of black tights, a pair of denim shorts from NeXT, and sister’s too-big Converse sneakers.

Play Pretend: (500) Days of Summer

SHIP'S LOG: B , who suffers from an addiction to the color blue, finally acknowledges the influence Zooey's character in (5oo) Days of Summer has had on her. After all, the first step to recovery is recognizing the problem, right?

If you are a follower of this blog, it may have dawned on you by now that I hardly wear colors other than blue. (If you haven't already noticed, scroll back a few posts and you'll see what I'm talking about) While I don't think I am nearly as sassy or lovely as Summer Finn (nor would I ever make the mistake of dumping Joseph Gordon-Levitt), her penchant for all shades of blue has definitely had a lasting effect on me. The summer effect, if you will!

Anyway what's with the headphones? I figured music was such a big part of the movie that I had to incorporate it into the shoot somehow. My boyfriend (who gave me these understatedly cool, white Onto headphones) and I still jump to dance to 'You Make My Dreams Come True' whenever it comes on. And when I play Rockband, you can bet that I will be singing 'Here Comes Your Man'!

When you're as minimal a dresser as I am-you feel like you have to compensate for the simplicity somehow. This is why I own a hand-full (pun!) of little gold rings. The tree ring is from Bangkok. I have bird ring too which would have matched my top perfectly but it's missing at the moment. Probably misplaced in one of the pockets of my many purses... Am I the only one who takes off her rings while writing or eating then eventually forgets to put it back on?

I am not really a big fan of wedges but somehow these Keds caught my eye. The dainty bow and nautical colors make them a perfect fit in my wardrobe. I definitely want to collect different prints one day-the cushioned inside is the best! Keds, when will you sponsor A and I already?

Anyway this is the outfit of Summer that inspired me to do this shoot. I'm pretty sure she's also responsible for the three mexican embroidered blouses in my closet! I am so easily brainwashed...

A funny story about (500) is that my brother and I enjoyed it so much that we decided to challenge ourselves. 500 days of 500 Days of Summer! We wanted to try watching it for 500 days straight! We reached day 5 before giving up. Any one want to try to break our record?

B wears thrifted embroidered top, brown belt and denim shorts from Greenhills, blue Keds wedges and white Onto headphones. Photos by: B's brother M

Outfits: Ozymandias Redux

SHIP'S LOG: A and B learn nothing from Bug Bites and Bows. They check out the ruins behind Vargas Museum and are promptly devoured by gigantic red ants. Creepy crawlies and grey skies don’t get them down though, for they find a boat permanently docked in a sea of green.



Long ago we visited a sculpture park in Tuscany where interactive art installations of stone and glass littered the walks and by-ways of a shady wood. Persons unknown must have wanted something just like that in the grounds of UP Diliman. Sadly, the crowds of art lovers never appeared and everything was left to fall into ruin.



You can see the stone pillars beneath the bamboos and half-buried in storm-tossed leaves and creeping ferns. Embraced by the branches of a gigantic mango tree, a wheel twelve feet high. Was there supposed to be a temple to pagan gods? Or simply a tribute to the mathematical construct of Pi? We'll never know.




Wandering among the abandoned sculptures, one remembers a little from high school English. You know, Percy Bysshe Shelley!

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . .
Look on my works, ye mighty and despair!"

We'll never have an art scene a la Paris or London, but at least we'll always have an awesome place to romp around in floral outfits with nary a care about being ogled by museum goers.



A says:

I think the replica boat is supposed to be a balangay which is what early Filipinos used to travel from island to island and across the ocean to Polynesia and even the Marianas. It's a pity that the boat will never set sail and discover far-off lands and battle pirates in junk ships. But when I look down the broken boards at the helm, I can imagine I'm floating on a sea of green, ferns and grass and ivy instead of frothy waves. If you've read Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis, you'll know exactly what I mean.

B says:

The past few weeks have been hectic so this is our first decent shoot in a long time. It was great to remember why we loved blogging so much. A showed me more awesome spots in her campus (and we have barely scratched the surface, folks!) and we learned a valuable lesson about the necessity of bug spray. Anyway, dear readers, there is much to look forward to as we have planned our agenda until August! Also adding a new member to the team (hopefully): a tripod!

A says:

I decided to change my ballet flats for a pair of candy-coloured Keds sneakers. My uncle picked them out for me in Bangkok and though I wasn't too sure I had clothes to match the cotton candy pink and sky blue, I love the built-in happiness that slipping them on gives me.

Golden bow: stolen from my sisters.

We do not find long-term borrowing from relatives contemptible. In fact, we would highly recommend sharing closets with sisters, cousins, and aunts. Huge savings ahead if you do.

B says:

The transparent umbrella is my new favorite shoot prop. (Filipino readers, you can buy an assortment of adorable umbrellas from Babo-who knew!) I will dub it the boater hat for rainy weather. Also, I have no idea why I look so impatient/mean in these photos. It's probably because my skin has been breaking out all week so I hardly felt photogenic.

My one and only vintage dress is pure magic in my eyes. It fits me to a T and has dainty pearl buttons down the back. When I found it two years ago, I thought it was incredibly old fashioned. Now, I have no idea why I was so scared to wear it. Oh and say goodbye to the mint green nails! It was fun while it lasted-but they are definitely not for me.

Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things.

Get thee to a library, and find a copy of Shelley's poems or his wife's uber-gothic novel (we're sure you know it) Frankenstein. We must aim to improve our minds as well as our wardrobe selection. Hmmm . . . did we get that out of Clueless?



A lot more ruins and A & B wading knee-deep in grass and mud for the sake of a good picture up on our Flickr! Too many pictures, so little white space.

A wears thrifted floral skort, Dorothy Perkins ivory blouse "borrowed" from auntie's closet, mother's old belt, rainbow Keds champion sneakers, black So Fab flats, and a yellow cardigan from Zara. B wears thrifted dress, A's Keds wedges, and thrifted belt.

Presents: Lavender Love Give-away

SHIP'S LOG: A and B present their very first give-away. Up for grabs is a lovely leather purse in lavender (or if you prefer, periwinkle) for readers everywhere.



It has amazed us that we have passed the hundredth follower mark this week. We never thought that so many people would care about what we have to say and share a love for vintage-inspired fashion on a student budget. Each comment, whether from far off places like Rotherham and Sint-Josse-Ten-Noode (thank you, Google Analytics), gives us a warm fuzzy feeling. To express our appreciation we've decided to give one lucky reader a present!

Up for grabs is a sweet leather bag. It's got a cute little clasp and unique trapezoidal shape. This lavender (or periwinkle or lilac or purple or whatever name you like best) confection would be a great addition to any girl's closet. It could be yours for Hmmm . . . we'll stop sounding like a home shopping network commercial now.

So how can you win it? Simply leave a comment until 24 July 2010 GMT +8. Tell us how you found A Plus B in the Sea and ask us a question! These past two months have taught us that one blog with two authors can be confusing to readers. So we thought it might be helpful to re-introduce ourselves in a future post. What would you guys like to know? Feel free to leave a fun fact about yourself as well. We love getting to know our readers!

For two extra entries (triple your chances to win! Woot.) let us know if you've linked to our blog. This makes it easier to link back.

Please don't forget to leave us your email address so that we can contact you about shipping arrangements. Let us reiterate: this "contest" is open to readers from Manila to Timbuktu so spread the word.

We are so excited and we hope you are too!

Outfits: Flash Sunshine

SHIP'S LOG: A found a thirty minute period of sunshine to take photographs. Success! After two days of rain quite literally raining on my parade.



Apologies for the delayed post. This week the mornings were bright and sunny with nary a hint of rain. I would gleefully rush to my classes, lugging an extra backpack with camera and change of clothes, only for the skies to release an unrelenting downpour just as I was about to take pictures.

Today I was determined not to be foiled by the vagaries of Mother Nature. Oh no, I grabbed my telephone box red umbrella and dragged my younger sister out to a playground in the University of the Philippines Diliman. Just my luck, storm clouds at noon and a drizzling shower in the late afternoon BUT we caught a glorious thirty minutes of sunshine. Flash floods? Let's talk about flash sunshine.



So here I am, trying out the boyfriend shirt trend. I snagged this awesome plaid Brooks Brothers shirt at the ukay-ukay at EDSA-Ortigas (check out Thrift Manila for details) a month ago. It's a wee bit short worn as a dress, but so comfortable for watching Germany v Spain or reading trashy romance novels after a brain-numbing exam.



My auntie came back from the States with a beat-up tan satchel for me. I love Dooney & Burke, and now I have two! Joy joy joy! The satchel is a little grimy, but if it looks good now, imagine the greatness after a thorough leather rub-down.



I was planning to take photographs at the ruins of an old Marcos-era art installation but the early morning rain had soaked the plain through so that it was mud and mud all around. A pity but look forward, mates, to seeing columns and statues covered in wildflowers and vines. Very Ozymandias and a fun shoot for A and B—next time.

A wears thrifted yellow Brooks Brothers shirt, Keds sneakers with plaid trimming, secondhand belt, thrifted Dooney & Burke satchel, and red umbrella.

Outfits: Pool Party

SHIP'S LOG: B takes advantage of an empty swimming pool and discovers some creatures along the way. Warning: Readers with frog fears, go no further!

Okay, I know this is not the prettiest of locations but how can I resist an empty pool? I've always found it so cool that once a pool is emptied out, it suddenly looks 10 times bigger! Anyway this pool is not mine or anything-just another one of those trespassing adventures.

I hope you guys don't mind that you've seen the skirt, hat, belt and sneakers before. I do my best to make sure my purchases are very well thought out thus I have a relatively small but well used wardrobe. Real girl, real budget!

We actually took photos in this lot before but there were workers in the pool at the time. There was also a gigantic frog hopping around inside! I was in awe. This frog was bigger than my hand! It doesn't take much to impress this city girl.

So on our trip back today we saw the frog again! But he was floating in a puddle of grimy water- maybe dead? I felt a bit sad but still insisted my brother take a photo of him. I was really tempted to entitle this post FROG BLOG or something equally corny.

Also, I couldn't help but notice this pretty mint shade of polish on some of my favorite bloggers. I wanted to try it out but after application I realized it may not be the best color for my skin tone. My hands look weird and alien-ey! I only got as far as painting one hand. What do you guys think, honestly?

Also I'd like to introduce you guys to my dog, Garth (held by my brother/ photographer M). Look how he smiles with his eyes! Tyra would be so proud.

B wears mint green polish from Face Shop, personalized double finger ring from multiply, navy polka-dot skirt, tank, belt all thrifted, boater from Greenhills Market and Keds

Haul: Topshop Mid-season Sale

SHIP'S LOG: A and B take part in their first Topshop V.I.P Sale and share their respective hauls and lessons learned from weekend sale madness.

So this all started when B's mom announced 'I have something for you' and magically pulled out three flimsy black envelopes with the golden letters V.I.P embossed on the front...

In reality, the VIP sale isn't even that big a deal because it just means you get to shop one day before everyone else. A big (rather obnoxious) cloth is used to cover up Topshop's doors so that it would appear devastatingly exclusive. It's actually fairly easy to acquire one of these "V.I.P" tickets though. Sometimes you just have to ask!

Anyway on to the hauls:

A says:

I jumped for joy when B gave me her spare ticket to the Topshop VIP sale, quickly running through the wish list I had for the last two months. Wanted: black skirt to replace my favourite Old Navy a-line, almost transparent after six years of washing, and a cream tea dress. I came home from Trinoma with both and an over-sized jumper that I couldn't afford before. Eureka!

The latter was a particular joy to find because I hadn't been able to find my proper size during the last sale. So even if it was a size 10, I had to grab it. Look out for its neon pink greatness in my upcoming Doctor Who post. I'm going to be Amy Pond (if only)!

What I love most about mega-sales is getting three or four items at the cost of one blouse regularly priced. I like to think about preparing for sales in terms of game theory (no prisoner's dilemma, just fashionista's ha!). What are the odds someone will buy this and in my size? Should I wait for it to get a 70 per cent discount or buy it now at 30 per cent and risk oh-damn-if-only-I-waited syndrome? Shopping: it's educational.

B says:

Have you guys ever seen a piece of clothing and just felt that it was the one? Well, this simple beige dress with just the smallest splash of flowers stole my heart from the moment I laid eyes on it. It's romantic, vintage-inspired and goes perfectly with all my brown belts and boots.

But when I saw the P3,900++ price tag, my heart sank. But not too much, because I just knew that this dress and I were made for each other. And sure enough, a few months later this beauty is safely nestled in my closet and at 50% off too. True love does wait!

I also visited the first Forever 21 opening at Megamall and it was fairly insane. This will sound especially weird to our international readers but there were seriously big and burly bouncers standing outside the store. They also had some odd protocol where people had to line up outside the store and be led in every ten minutes. Honestly, I felt like I was going to see the President or something!

I actually didn't buy anything because I was still so satisfied with my dream dress purchase. The highlight of the trip turned out to be spontaneously getting to meet fellow Filipina blogger, Gela!

Isn't it so weird when us bloggers see each other in real life? We just smiled in surprise and started chatting without introduction! Hilarious, since we'd never ever met before. I had an awkward time explaining how I knew her to the friend I was with though. Oops!