Coral Swimwear is a venture that was started by a group of friends in an effort to produce…read morehigh-quality swimwear that women can wear proudly and confidently. With their company thrust being "feet in the sand, head in the sky, and heart in the ocean", I feel that they've truly accomplished this with their recently showcased line of swimsuits. The designs are varied and women with differing tastes will no doubt be able to pick something out that appeals to them. I highly recommend getting in touch with them on their Instagram: coralswimwearph. You may also have a look at their current offerings through the same.

There's one stall in the SM women's clothing department that I always look at when I'm in the area…read moreand it's Coco Cabana. Even when the men's resort wear line got its own label under Coco Republic, I'm always sure to be crossing over to the women's line to browse their clothes. Their style is very summery and bright, of course, which isn't exactly on the nose of the current minimalist active wear fashion, but I like that. Sure, give me a crisp, clean, black and white outfit any day, but sometimes you'll feel like having a beachy island look and Coco Cabana helps with that. Most of their stuff is women's swimwear and kaftans and short shorts and summer dresses, which I'm not so invested in as much as their mesh and sheer overlays and tops, which I am in love with. The colors might be a little garish sometimes, but there are a good number that can be part of your closet. I'm always at SM Cubao, but I do prefer this branch over the others as they seem to have much more of the stuff I like than the SMs in Makati or Megamall, even if their stall here is smaller. I also appreciate that there are often fewer people in the department store, which is great for me to be looking through women's resort wear in peace.

Whenever I'm in Podium to get a cone from Sebastian's (always to get a cone from Sebastian's),…read morethere's only really one store that I visit often, and that's Sewn & Co. in Markati Palazzo. There are a lot of other boutiques and showrooms in the Markati Palazzo, and all of them have more clothes, but the great thing about Sewn is that their clothes are much younger and more accessible, both in style and price, than the others. It's all very sweet and soft, which I do look for sometimes--they had a long, knit vest thing that I liked which was on sale, but I was undecided about it until it vanished from their racks and I regretted skipping out on it. They also carry a lot of other lines, with a focus on women's swimwear and sandals and shoes. They also have a few preppy men's shoes though, so that's something for the guys to see. I always look at their accessories rack, for sure, but there are many other things they have like cosmetics and glasses and stationery other girly things. And if you're into that they're always worth a look.

Local swimwear brand Soak Swimwear gets this island girl's vote of approval simply because they…read morenever stop delivering on great designs. More than just your regular fare of bikinis and one pieces that come in traditional shapes and cuts, Soak likes to be a bit more experimenting when it comes to their designs especially with cutouts and color combinations. But more than just their ever growing number of designs, Soak has recently upped their resort wear game. What that means for us beach bums is that we've got a whole bunch of kaftans, cover ups, and maxi dresses to choose from, along with wide brimmed hats! How's that for a chic summer on the beach? Expanding their line into more fashionable territory, the brand has teamed up with celebrity stylist Sidney Yap for a bikini that's both sporty and sexy aptly named, you guessed it, the Sidney. I got my pair in black and white just because it reminded me of old school bikinis minus the granny pants. Not your typical bikini, it comes in a sporty halter with an uber sexy cutout down the middle. It doesn't do much for water activities but it definitely turns heads.

I ordered two items from their online store and I had huge expectations. Only to be majorly…read moredisappointed at the quality of the items I received and with their customer service when I expressed my intent to return the items. I was really excited when I ordered because the items looked really good online. To my dismay, there were like overpriced tiangge items with poor quality. I'm writing this review because I made my purchase without doing any research on the brand and their items. Hopefully, this review will help somebody who doesn't want to waste their hard-earned money like I did.

The place to go in Manila for handmade leather shoes for gentlemen…read more Great craftsmanship, beautiful products and a manager who is not in it for the big money but for the satisfaction of giving a wonderful product to the customer. Really worth a visit, even though Marikina is not next e.g. to Makati. Indeed, some hope that not all is lost in Marikina's once famous shoe industry. Good luck to the Black Wing team for the future.