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.

Cecilio Abad has been around for a while, but has only recently gained waves of new clients for…read morewedding entourage gowns. My girlfriend is part of a friend's entourage, and was asked to go to his store to get measured for her gown. I, of course, was assigned the role of her designated driver. We had a bit of difficulty looking for the place as they didn't have any notable signage outside. We got there at 9AM; the whole ride from her house to the place, I kept complaining about how it was too early to be up for a fitting on a Saturday morning. I really should learn that my girlfriend is always right. After around 5 minutes of getting inside, a parade of clients arrived. My girlfriend, being there early, was assisted first by the very friendly staff and they kept joking and talking her through her fitting. We were in and out in 20 minutes. My girlfriend was quite happy with her design and couldn't stop rubbing in my face, making sure that I knew that we needed to arrive early.

Being someone who loves weddings and used to write for a popular wedding website, Cecilio Abad has…read morebeen a name I have been hearing for the longest time. I've seen his work but I have never really seen him working in action. So I excitedly accompanied my mom to her first fitting for her gown for my sister's wedding. And yes, my mom was the only one who had a Cecilio Abad gown on. We treat her like a queen. Cecilio Abad's shop was very unassuming from the outside. Once inside, you'll soon realize how masterpieces are really made. 'Cecil' was on top of every little detail that is made inside his shop, he designs, cuts, tucks, stretches and sews himself. He is really the master of his pieces of art and I was amused by his work. My mom used to rave over and over again how comfortable his gowns were compared to other gowns she's used to wearing in the past Can't wait to have my own Cecilio Abad gown made.

Back in high school (whoa, major throwback right there), Glorietta was the only cool place to hang…read moreout in. There were only a handful of stores I could visit where I could actually afford to buy something. Broadway Gems was one of those places. What was a simple store to get scrunchies, headbands and clips from has grown at a phenomenal rate. They now have several branches across the metro. The size of their stores and the product lines have also grown significantly. They now offer shades, jewelry and my favorite additions: tiaras and wigs! Many years after first experiencing the wonders of Broadway Gems and they still make me feel like a giddy high schooler.

If you're looking for ANYTHING that you want to put on your hair, this is the place! From headbands…read moreto clips and extensions... you'll find anything in a huge variety of colours! Nothing too elegant but does the job! :D

I'm in no way, shape, or form a men's wear expert; in fact, far from it. Given this reality, I am…read moregrateful for Tino Suits and its people. I needed a nice bespoke suit for a good friend's wedding. I read a few reviews off Google and a few men's wear forums and all sings pointed to this spot along Benavidez Street in Legazpi Village. Upon walking in, I was welcomed by Ms. Eilene. I simply explained to her the situation; that while I wanted something immediate for my friend's wedding, I also wanted something that would do for future events. I explicitly reminded her that I wasn't really a bespoke expert, but that really didn't seem to matter to her. She gladly assisted me every step of the way. And then, I finally was introduced to the master tailor, Mr. Napoleon Arienza. He apparently studied in Italy to learn the fine craft of tailoring, and man, it showed. I also saw the passion in every step. So I got fitted up, returned a few times for the usual fittings. It meant a lot to me how the people at Tino made darn sure that my suit was done before the wedding date, despite a relatively short timetable. My suit was eventually ready for pickup in time for the wedding. That moment when I first put in on was absolute euphoria. I really felt the quality from the get-go. Despite being one of the pricier suit shops in Metro Manila (suits start at around 25,000 pesos), I felt that it was all worth it. I still have my reliable Tino suit that I run around in for events that call for the attire. When the time comes that it's my turn to get married, I'll definitely have a special tux made. For such occasion, I'd want the best for sure; that means heading back to Tino for them to get the job done once again.

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.

Ever New, an Australian brand, is definitely the Miss Selfridge for the over 30s crowd…read more Their range is much wider. They have strictly formal dresses with a lot of beading and they also have tailored pieces for office wear. They have beaded cocktail dresses perfect for engagement parties and everything in between. The clothes are pricey though. Think PHP 6000 to PHP 8000 for a short dress. The bright side is, if you wait for them to go on sale, and they go as much as 50% off, you'd still most likely get the dress that you want. Even when the marked down dresses get marked down again, they almost never run out of stock. Abang abang lang.

We were only visiting Manila for a week and one of our goals is to get some bespoke suits and a…read morebarong for my husband. We were recommended to this tailor by a friend. The staff told us that it usually takes a month to a complete a suit as it is necessary to have 2 -3 fittings. But since we had only a week, they were hesitant to serve us. After a couple of calls on their end, they accepted to create 1 barong and 3 suits for us. The condition would be that they could make the barong and 1 suit for us and the other two would be ready in a month. They offered to send the last 2 suits to the USA (with an extra fee of course), but we opted for pickup by my relatives. Anyway, after choosing the colors and fabric for the suits, my husband got his measurements taken and we came back for the first fitting in 2 days. We came back for a second fitting in 4 days and were off with the two garments promised. There was a point where my husband was unsure of having the suits made here but he did like that the suits would be made with a lining as other tailors didn't put a lining in the suits! So this sealed the deal for him. The final product of the Barong was impressive for me. My husband likes more of a fitted look and they definitely delivered a good product that made my husband look really good. They have the traditional pineapple fabrics for you to choose from but they also have various color choices such as greens, blacks, pinks, etc. I did see an option for embroidery of your initials as well. The price point for each made suite was roughy 15,000 pesos. I don't know if this is a variable depending on the size of your body or if its a set price. In any case, we thought this was a good price for bespoke suits compared to what we would pay in the USA. The shop is located across the street from the backside of Greenbelt 3.

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.