Lifestyle

SUMMER is an invitation to relax – and a tempting time to dress down. Whether you are packing up to hit the beach or just sashaying to work, you can now let go of the tight ensembles and go for looser silhouettes that are perfect for the balmy season.

Fashion expert Christine Benet, who is also the Chairperson of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB)’s Fashion Design and Merchandising (FDM) Program, revealed this season’s key items based on giant trend forecast website World Global Style Network (WGSN).

“This summer, everything will be shorter in length – both tops and bottoms and for both men and women,” Benet spilled. This, according to the fashion guru, is given considering the humid weather in the Philippines. “It demands for us to wear more cotton and free-breathing fabrics and styles.”

Cropped top continues to reign both in the runway and in the racks but, this year, thoughtful construction brings to it a wider wearability, making the cut ideal for activewear, swimwear, and even evening looks paired with a matching bottom. “As compared from last year’s top which was more above the waist, this year’s would be a little higher and nearer to the empire cut or under the bustline – more of a midriff length,” Benet expounded.

For texture, play around the structure of your shortened cropped shirts with ruching features. Pull-cord details do not just make for a decorative approach to ‘90s basics but also allow the wearer to go for varying levels of crop. Meanwhile, twisted knot-front midriffs, especially crisp-white or checked ones, go for a more laid-back daywear.

Summer 2019 transforms boring florals into boisterous tropics. Resort shirts with vibrant prints and patterns continue to be the staple across markets, this time, with eye-catching surface updates.

Men’s wardrobe likewise joins in the high-summer-graphics trend with clashing bright tropicals that explore classic nature as motif but embraces odd hue shifts, color gradient filters, and popping florals recolored on dark grounds for a dash of surrealism.

For a super casual vibe, boxy shorts that fall right above the knees are in. Reminiscent of the ‘90s street style, basketball culture, and the West Coast of the USA, this preppy pair features waistbands and subtle side entry pockets for comfort and style.For those who are more into mix and matching hues, the color of the year still stands as the mood for the season. “It is the most appropriate color because Living Coral in itself is very earthy in the sense that it is an organic color of nature,” Benet explained.

by Robbie Pangilinan

Marija Debelic has traveled the world since 2009 as a professional dancer and model. She has been to Slovenia, Serbia, Macedonia, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, France, USA, United Arab Emirates, Macau, China, and Thailand. But now, she has chosen to settle in a place more than 10,000 kilometers away from her home in Croatia.

“I feel so at home here in the Philippines. I love the tropical weather, I love that it’s always summer. My best friends are here, my work is here, and my life is here,” says Marija, who has also been everywhere in the country – from Ilocos Norte, Pagudpud to Davao in Mindanao.

The dancer, model, host and actress has been in Manila for almost five years now. What she calls home here in the Philippines is a studio apartment that she says fits her lifestyle.

“Basically everything is in one place/one room. It’s pretty much like NYC lifestyle, which is perfect for me. I love my bedroom which is at the same time my work room because I love sleeping and working,” shares the lead actress in the movie “Boy Tokwa.”

Marija admits that her life here is very different from what she was used to in Croatia, where she lived in a spacious three-bedroom house.

“In Croatia, we don’t have maids. Here, there are so many cleaners, helpers, yayas, ates. I am used to doing household chores in Croatia, so here when I don’t have time, I get a cleaner or a helper but the funny thing is, I always end up helping them clean and they are usually shocked,” laughs the cum laude in Economics and Business Management graduate.

“Honestly, I love cleaning. I find it relaxing and it’s kind of a meditation for me. Usually I put music on and clean everything by myself from my bed to the bathroom,” she adds.

Marija says she is both a homebody and not a homebody.

“I enjoy everything at home – working, relaxing, reading books, hanging out with my friends and playing the piano. There are days when I choose to stay at home and I literally just rest and even have food delivered to me. This is usually when I’m tired and exhausted. But when I’m on work mode, I am everywhere. Besides work, I go to the pool, the gym, eat outside, hang out with my friends in bars or watch movies,” says Marija, who also starred in the TV drama “Be My Lady” and in the films “Art of Ligaw” and “Beauty and the Bestie.” She released her first single “Syanel” with Brazilian actress-model Daiana Menezes, and has done over 20 TV commercials. She is doing three movies this year.

Catch Marija via Facebook: Marija Debelic, or be one of her thousands of followers on Instagram:@marijadebelic. She’s also on Spotify: Marija Debelic.

I’VE lived the last three decades of my life with memories of terror. These were the days when I was a freshman student at UP Law and had to contend with Haydee Yorac as my professor in what was then called Persons and Family Relations.

The weather is warm and the sun shines bright in the metro. Two premier hotels in the south invites summer revelers to take a break and enjoy all the great things this season.  

Summer in the city

Crimson Hotel Filinvest City in Alabang has different staycation deals that suit different kinds of Summer in the City preferences.  

NEW YORK (AP) — The mothers of the two accusers in HBO’s “Leaving Neverland” said they were lulled by Michael Jackson’s forlorn demeanor and fairytale world when they allowed him to take their boys into his bed.

The Embassy of Israel and the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts stage Common Ground: A Ceramic Art Collaboration of Israel and the Philippines on March 23-29.

Happening at UP Diliman CFA, Common Ground features the medium of clay to bind relationships and establish cultural ties between Israel and the Philippines.