Grès Anatomy

I had been meaning to go to the Bourdelle Museum to see the Madame Grès exhibit for a while, but when I stopped seeing the posters around Paris I figured the exhibit must have ended. WRONG. I saw the posters again this week at St. Germain after hanging out with a friend at Les Deux Magots (je sais, so tourist-y). Now I know for sure the exhibit will be around for a few more weeks, until August 28 exactly - our wedding anniversary.

So, now, this is the part where I explain why I want to go. Everyone knows I'm in no way a fashionista, but while I was researching the gown I wanted to wear to my wedding I came across Madame Grès.

From Paris.fr.

 
I love her signature Graecian silhouette. She makes women look like goddesses taking some time off from their altars; flowing and graceful, like living sculptures. It came as no surprise then, to learn that she was also a sculptress.

I mean, how lovely is this? From Trendland.net.

It may seem like a stretch to combine the hellenistic spirit of her aesthetic into the Filipiñana gown we all know, but I found a designer who was willing to work with my unorthodox idea. Hence, my dual- function detachable dress.

With my mom, minutes before the wedding.

J'adore the draping around the waist :) If only it wasn't so long!

Too bad I couldn't fit into it anymore, heheh.

The Wedding Video

This is just a repost, just thought I should add it in here now that I know how to embed :)

To our loved ones - especially those unable to go to the wedding, here's what went down:

Our Modern Luuuurve from Dumonster on Vimeo.

This video was supposed to be screened for the first time at our wedding last year but I didn't have the chance to finish it; were so busy creating new memories that eventually made it to the final edit.

This is a private video, meant for close friends only. No copyright infringement was intended in the use of Bloc Party's "This Modern Love" - it's just that the song fits our story so perfectly.

And to my editor friends - I have primitive editing software (which required guesswork pa!), so please go easy on me! I used to edit better than this :D

6 months baby, yeah!

We've made it through the half-year mark!

And already I feel nostalgic.

My lovely nanay.

G, in her equally successful blue and piña motif.

C reads for us at the chapel.

H's mom can't contain her tears. Neither could H.

My brother and cousin, shouting "Mabuhay ang bagong kasal!" through the streets of Gigouzac.

Our flight attendants announcing that cocktails are over.

And dinner would soon be served.

J oversees passport and ticket check.

And although I know I'd be hunted down for this, I can't help but wonder who's next?

V & A?

J & A?

Or my cousin and his movie idol? 

Chika lang, A and J!!! There was a bevy of awesome twosome pictures :)

2010 2ème Partie

This is the second part of this entry. Just so you can't say I don't finish what I start :)

June.
This was the month of running around like a headless chicken. In one day I would be zipping about from Pasig to QC, Mandaluyong to Cavite then Bulacan, QC to Marikina then Makati to Subic... and other seemingly impossible permutations. But I made it through alive (with a smile on my face). Hallelujah!

 

I went from my pre-wedding seminar to a friend's wedding shower, then from my gown fitting to a friend's wedding, I had shoots lined up while hunting for shoes (and then finally settling for having one custom made in Markina) and making headbands for Agay's wedding, I dealt with orders for my sideline business, requirements for my family's visa application, and hurrying off from meeting to meeting like the White Rabbit. There were also spur-of-the-moment reunions with The Dwarfs (what we called our gang in La Salle) after one of us got sick, and the JPREMS (my high school posse) for the funeral of Patti's Dadad.

An unexpected reunion with some of my oldest and dearest friends.
Sadly, it was a tragic event that reunited us.

But most unforgettably, my family and I went to Cavite to check the repairs on our first house. My dad was supposed to oversee it until we found out about his cancer and then we didn't have the money or the heart to finish it in 2009. By some miracle (and financial wizardry), my mother found the money to finish the house just before I left, on the anniversary of my father's passing.

Visited dad for the last time before getting married.

July.
After months of fretting, Mommy, Allan and Girly finally got their Schengen visas! It was the last, most important thing I needed to handle. After making sure that the bridesmaid and the family of the bride can follow in August, I got my signal to start packing. I cleaned my desk at the office and gave away what I could bear to part with.

Allan seems to be happy, but I'm not so sure :-\

Like a condemned woman I ate everything I could think of that I would miss, and said goodbye to the people I would miss even more than the food.

Jeyn and Patti of JPREMS (Pau and Jen still owe me pictures of our meet-up).

My fabulous lunch bitches.

The Legendary Yakkers. (Picture borrowed from Calvin)

The gorgeous dwarves and dwarfettes who cast their lot at my mini bridal bouquet toss.

Writers, poets, lovers of words! (Picture borrowed from Cathy)

Office friends throwing me a bridal shower! (Pic borrowed from Cathy.)

Probe farewell (pero reunion) party

And this is how I prefer to remember July: drink in hand and not crying! (Pic borrowed from Mark)

August.
There isn't enough space to write the highlights of August because every moment of every day there was something new and exciting that made me giddy like a fifth cup of coffee. 

H and I traveled a lot, and I saw and learned more about France. I swam in the Mediterranean, explored medieval cities, lived on a boat, saw the coast from an enthralling vantage point, woke up to gorgeous sunrises, had dinner under shooting stars, showed my family around Paris and the rest of France... 

 
Too many things. After a few weeks I began speaking a bit of French!

Trying on hats down the road from the coliseum in Arles. It's a Provence thing.

But best of all, in a matter of weeks H and I went - 

We clean up pretty well, if I do say so meself :)

From the official wedding photo album by Jenny (Soon to be uploaded!!!)

To be continued (soon, fingers crossed!)

Shoes Ko Day (as promised)

It's 3 am. My husband and I are are lucky enough to have a view of the skyline and by the looks of it, some people are still up and about in the City of Lights.

Yes, the deed is done, the papers have been signed, rings were exchanged, we are married and I am way behind on my blogging duties, but I must not skip ahead because before anything, I've got to tell this cinderella story.

There was a time in my life when I was most known for my colorful, striped socks. Pulling open my sock drawer was like opening a box of crayons. An officemate called me "Rainbow Brite," in Barcelona a Portuguese photographer called me "Rainbow Girl," and when I decided to grow my hair and wear florals, an acquaintance saw me on the train but couldn't decide if it was me so she looked at my feet to look for identifying marks. She wasn't disappointed.

You see, I used to be a total boy, and while now and then I would try wearing skirts and shorts, I could never let go of the socks.  I was Linus, and the socks, my security blanket. But something happened to me a few years ago, something that gave me so much confidence I hardly noticed I had stopped wearing socks every day. I had finally embraced womanhood. Oh man, it was epic. Shopping-wise.

I retired my old clothes, my credit card finally saw the inside of trendy fashion showrooms, and I started wearing ballet flats and sandals --- without socks. I felt naked at first, feeling the heat of the sun on my toes was a novelty. Friends were shocked to see my feet, not to mention my legs which were whiter than the rest of me. But there was one challenge I couldn't stand up to - HEELS.

I am a total disaster on pumps, wedges, kitten heels and of course stilettos. Every few months I would give it a go at the department store, but I couldn't manage to walk like I was sober. Not that I was very slick in sneakers either, a lot of people have witnessed me stumble on my own toes. No kidding.

Fast forward to May 2010, I had four months until the wedding and I couldn't find the right kind of blue, with the right kind of fabric, with the right kind of height. So I searched every shelf in every department store, shoe store, hardware store and drug store in Manila.

There were the too-high-pairs from Stella Luna, and a super sexy pair from Janylin that wanted to murder me the first two seconds I tried standing on my puppies. Some more brands followed, but it seemed the only shoes they make for women these days have heels 4 inches or higher.

 These were really blue, I forgot to white balance.

There was an almost perfect pair I found in a dusty, forsaken part of Landmark Makati that could have ended all my frutiless searches, if only their last size wasn’t 5. My feet are an undecided eight or nine, unfortunately. And that was the only nice shoe they had!

These were almost perfect, and cheap!!! 

Plus, the heels were only half an inch high.

I was tempted to do a wicked stepsister and cut my toes off.

These ballroom dancing shoes were about 3 inches high, 

but they had rhinestone clasps and were a bit Wicked Witch of the West-y. 

Which would be great for walking around in, just not very wedding-y... I think.

The way things were going, I was afraid I would march in the only blue footwear I had:

It's so Yagit 2.0!

It seemed hopeless until I met Project Runway Philippines designer/stylist who gave me the idea of having my shoes custom made. Luckily, I found a shoemaker in Marikina who said she could make a replica of the Loubotin shoes I like in the same color but with much shorter heels.

Look at the swatches! They can make anything! 

And sadly, the CAN make anything.

I went to their shop once for measurements and instructions about heel height and thickness, a second time for fitting and a third for pickup and to request some cleaning. It wasn't a Loubotin, for sure. There were some things about it that could have been done better but at least it fit and with a two-and-a half inch heel, I could stand in it. 

P1,500

On our wedding day we marched from his parents' house to the ceremony. One thirds of the way was rocky like above, another third was on concrete, and another third was on a traditional carpet of leaves called buis. We had lovely weather, a beautiful ceremony, and stunning pictures that relatives from back home said looked like a fairy tale. And that's how I feel about marrying H, it feels like happily ever after. The wedding party lasted 'til morning, and I was glad I didn't have to walk on glass slippers.

Still, it might have been funny to wear striped socks with the shoes, for old times' sake.