MIKKI GALANG

October 27, 2015 In Style By Mikki Galang

#Row101PopUpHoliday

What do you get when a hip city spot suddenly sprouts the coolest homegrown fashion brands and celebrity-curated stalls? Last summer, I helped organize the first Row 101 event and due to the demand, Row101’s Holiday Fashion Pop-up brings on Christmas shopping early for those who love all things style and lifestyle. Taking cues from previous (and successful!) Row101 pop-up events, this Holiday installment is chockfull of fashion, beauty, food and lifestyle brands that will put shoppers in the festive mood, just in time for the season.

November 7 is a fine Saturday to do some serious shopping. Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street’s Top Shelf will be home to the #Row101PopUpHoliday, opening at 11 a.m. all the way to 10 p.m. It’s an event any stylephile would want to flock to: on the line up are a curated mix of cult fashion and beauty brands that have made their name around the stylish set and on social media. Among my favorite is Cool Girls Club which you can see above. These are the patches placed on the denim jacket (denim lover here!!) I wore when we were asked to pick our favorite brands in the bazaar.

Photos by Louie Parinas

Adding to the mix are celebrities and online personalities who will be selling their personal collections to fans and followers. Rounding up the crew are the city’s hottest food joints, setting up shop in the event to provide awesome grub and refreshments for guests to feast on while doing their rounds.

See you there, ladies!

October 1, 2015 In Style By Mikki Galang

Uniqlo Lemaire

Last month, I got to check out the latest collection by Uniqlo through an event/fashion at Megamall Fashion Hall: the collaboration with Lemaire that embody the Uniqlo LifeWear concept – simple made better – that is shared by both brands. Indeed, every item combines elegance with moderate relaxation and comfort, for modern and advanced wardrobe mainstays.

The much-anticipated collaboration showcases UNIQLO’s high quality materials at a perfect price. Sophisticated yet accessible, it offers a timeless color palette of greens, navies, whites, and reds. The men’s and women’s collections will be available in SM Megamall and SM Aura, two out of UNIQLO’s four large stores starting October 2 until the end of Fall Winter 2015.

UNIQLO offers its special collection only in its large stores in Metro Manila – SM Megamall, SM North Edsa, SM Aura and SM Mall of Asia. These branches have the widest and most complete selection of apparels for women, men, kids and babies. The stores carry limited-edition pieces from international brands and designer collaborations such as DISNEY Magic for All, Ines De La Fressange, and UNIQLO’s most recent partnership with French fashion designer Christophe Lemaire. View more photos below.

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I also got to check out the MAGIC FOR ALL 2015 Fall Winter collection offers a wide range of products from Ultra-Light Down, fleece, flannel shirts, and UTs, to plush toys, umbrellas, room slippers and more. The collection features Walt Disney’s beloved characters such as Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, as well as popular characters from Star Wars (!!!), Disney Pixar, Toy Story, Marvel’s Avengers and Frozen.

September 25, 2015 In Style By Mikki Galang

Happy 3rd Anniversary, Uniqlo!

During the launch of the ‘Northern UNIQLO Anniversary Sale’ in SM City Clark, UNIQLO unveiled their newest line of innovative denim jeans via a special sneak peek. Hitting UNIQLO stores very soon, UNIQLO’s new denim jeans perfectly mix aesthetic quality with advanced clothing technology Uniqlo is known for to give Pinoy consumers their best pair yet.

UNIQLO has been a brand that provides clothing with innovation and real value, engineered to improve everyday life year-round for women, men, kids and babies. Committed to creating clothing that focuses on the wearer, product offerings include Filipino’s everyday wear necessities such as premium Denim Jeans, Graphic T-shirts, Polo Shirts, Supima Cotton T-shirts and Innerwear. The product line-up will also include the brand’s unique and proprietary collections AIRism, HEATTECH, and Ultra-Light Down.

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I got to know more about the brand when they invited us to visit large big store in Pampanga. Alongside their Northern Sale (yey!), UNIQLO is offering four new denim jeans: Miracle Air Skinny Fit Jeans, Ultra Stretch Jeans, Smart Shape Jeans, and Stretch Selvedge Slim Fit Jeans which will be made available nationwide starting August 3.

Shuhei Yamada, UNIQLO Pampanga Area Manager

“By understanding the everyday need of our consumers, we are introducing UNIQLO’s high-quality denim jeans,” said Yamada. “We have opened a new page in the history of jeans as we partnered with the world’s best denim manufacturer, Kaihara, to elevate everyday movement.”

Soft and light – Miracle Air Skinny Fit Jeans is incredibly soft and is about 20% lighter than any regular jeans. UNIQLO uses a special yarn developed by Toray and Kaihara’s advanced technology. Miracle Air Skinny Fit Jeans is very flexible and has a two-way stretch functionality. It also features various hues and a more subtle texture in washed finished and ultra-slim silhouette.
Comfortable and stretchable – The Ultra Stretch Jeans is a super skinny fit denim jeans with a simple and unobstructed design. It uses an outstanding stretch material with over 50% stretch rate and has oversized rear pockets that create a minimizing effect at the back. The bottom opening of the Ultra Stretch Jeans is also wider, giving enough room for the ankle.
Beautifies and enhances – An advanced version of the regular fit straight jeans is the Smart Shape Jeans. It is made with a one-of-a-kind fabric that helps beautify and shape the mid-section for a slim and attractive waistline. Smart Shape Jeans also used special materials for the pockets and zipper that aims to make the belly flat.
Traditional Selvedge – A man’s jeans, the Stretch Selvedge Slim Fit Jeans is made of high-quality Kaihara denim materials that ensures comfort in tight and slim fit. It also has elaborated details; its button, rivet and stiches matches the color of the jeans which will surely go well with any casual or dress top.

I got to shop more jeans (Yey again for me) and I’ll share my thoughts about UNIQLO very soon in my next OOTD! View more photos of our shopping day below:

September 23, 2015 In Style By Mikki Galang

Striped Weather | Bazaar Season

September for me means the start of the existence of sweaters, boots knitted dresses and striped items that I like. But it’s the start of a very busy season of bazaar’s for me and my sister’s online shop, Mikka’s Closet. Below are some of the OOTD’s I took recently and list of fairs I will be participating into:

Bag: Bags by Giorgina; Dress: Mikka’s Closet; Boots: H&M

Socks from Happy Socks Philippines

Featured #blogger for the following bazaars this holiday and I hope to see you there! Save the dates!

Sept 18-20 – #BazaarForAllSeasons1; Elements Centris Tent
Sept 20 – #PassionflyBazaar by Karl Edward; Dusit Thani Hotel, Mayuree Ballroom
Oct 2 -4 – Super Sale Bazaar; Le Pavillon
Oct 17 – 18- #PassionflyBazaar by Karl Edward; Dusit Thani Hotel, Mayuree Ballroom
Nov 8 – #PassionflyBazaar by Karl Edward; Dusit Thani Hotel, Mayuree Ballroom
Nov 26-30 – #NoelBazaar2015; World Trade Center
Nov 27-29 – #BazaarForAllSeasons12; Elements Centris Tent
Dec 5 – #BLOGGERSUNITED10; World Trade Center
Dec 4-6 – #PassionflyBazaar by Karl Edward; Ronac Lifestyle Center, Mayuree Ballroom
Dec 12-13 – #PassionflyBazaar by Karl Edward; Ronac Lifestyle Center, Mayuree Ballroom
Dec 18-20 – #NoelBazaar2015; SMX Convention Center
Dec 20 – #PassionflyBazaar by Karl Edward; Dusit Thani Hotel, Mayuree Ballroom

August 1, 2015 In Style By Mikki Galang

Re-Jean

I wear jeans everyday. With all my daily commute and work, I prefer comfort and quality over style when it comes to choosing a denim pair. Last week, I was able to shop a lot more pairs from the Uniqlo anniversary, and their jeans, rebranded to an advanced version of the regular fit straight jeans, is one of my favorites.

So my OOTD today features this smart shape jeans with a one-of-a-kind fabric that helps beautify and shape the mid-section for a slim and attractive waistline. I partnered it with a see through top to make a sexier silhouette, despite how I’ve been carb-in myself for work and energy. See more photos below.

May 9, 2015 In Life, Style By Mikki Galang

Mikka’s Closet

I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs and importers. I remembered learning how to do inventory and marketing at a very early age when my mom built Mikka’s Closet which has became famous in the 90’s in different shops like Robinson’s, Shoppesville etc. I recall seeing cousin and fellow blogger Danika Rio who now manages Nava which was built during the same time too.

Giorgina Galang and Mikka Galang

Formerly, my mom sold custom-made bags, shoes and apparel. Ever since, she has been very fascinated with style and fashion (thus my kaartehan). She named the shop using my sister’s Nickname, and produced campaigns featuring celebrities like Ara Mina etc. But today’s retail landscape is very different and competitive and I wanted to help her revive her business with strong online pull. Rebranded also her logo, which the great Vince Canlapan did.

And we did! I invited her to co-sell her items in my bazaar spaces and ever since I have been seeing lots of fuchsia pink “Mikka” paper bags in those events, showing how in demand her items were. She sells stylish apparel (see the lace collection we’ve photographed in Boracay) and mostly, customized bags and shoes. Below are samples of what we’ve been selling and there will be more the next year through my shop, and our other different bazaars.

A new collection of sneakers and trendy shoes! Catch us at @passionflybazaar by #karledwardinternational this Saturday at Dusit Thani Hotel!

A photo posted by Mikka’s closet (@mikkascloset) on Sep 16, 2015 at 4:11am PDT

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#Repost by style blogger and celebrity stylist @paxieness Shoes will be available this weekend at @passionflybazaar at Ronac Lifestyle Center. See you! A photo posted by Mikka’s closet (@mikkascloset) on Dec 11, 2015 at 3:55am PST

For now, follow Mikka’s Closet on Instagram and Facebook to get updates on new releases and collections. and some pre-loved items too!

May 1, 2015 In Life, Style, Travel By Mikki Galang

Bed Peace @ Bolabog Beach

“Sail Out basically means being free. Go with the wind… you know.. like a sail boat. And I think that’s really important when it comes to peace… inner pece specially. You can’t help anyone else if you don’t have it together for yoursel.” – Jhene Aiko

When I was in Boracay, my good friend/cousin introduced me to Jhene Aiko and her albums which I love since then, because her lyrics and her “slow down movement” which she talks about in the below video, speaks so much about a lot of intangible things and her personality too. and she talked about peace in her Bed Peace single with THE Childish Gambino. I know that it doesn’t speak so much about what she said above, but since I heard her music and songs, i’ve really thought about the kind of peace that I wanted.

Sunset at Bolabog Beach, Boracay

Rightfully, I was really able to slow down during this trip. We all know Boracay to be a bit chaotic, crowded and noisy, but there’s this secret hotel and beach in the island that allowed me to think about a lot of things other than the bikini and outfit I’ll be wearing on a night out, or the waterproof makeup that I have to prepare.

Palassa Private Residences

A friend that I met in Boracay, Andy, allowed us to hang around outside his hotel room, where there were beds and pillows and all. i stayed there for quite a while, watched the sun rise which was an amazing view after a night of rave. My room at Manila is closed (I don’t have windows LOL) so this was such a great feeling.

I got that sense and thinking of what really matters to me, settling with that, but pushing for it despite the so many things and battles in my mind. I’ll sail for sure, but I need to have peace.

wearing Mikka’s Closet

April 26, 2015 In Style By Mikki Galang

Summer Lines

How’s the vacation so far, girls? Sharing a new OOTD I took during my Boracay trip last weekend. I decided to play with one of my favorite blue colors using my favorite CESA swimsuit design, the Anchorband Maillot .

I paired it with a blue hat that I purchased just around the area (Boracay actually has a lot of nice small stores whenever you ran out of accessories or stylish pieces!), a ripped denim high-waisted shorts (but it loosened because, ugh, I ate everything I wanted in that trip), and a cover up I got from Bazaar For All Seasons that has a maroon color that compliments the dark blue hue.

Others: Shades: Ray-Ban Flash Lens; Slippers: Havaianas Rose Gold Sandals

Photography: Shari Macainag & Meloy Macainag

April 26, 2015 In Style By Mikki Galang

True Wanderer

True to its free and daring spirit that thrives on adventures, iconic American denim brand Wrangler takes its signature denim wear to the Philippines’ wide, open roads as it launches the digital competition True Wanderer. An Asia-Pacific-wide competition, True Wanderer aims to create a community of adventurers by engaging Filipino riders and empowering them in their journeys. It celebrates the bold souls who always seek unlimited possibilities through new places and experiences. “Wrangler has always been about going off the beaten paths and conquering new grounds. True Wanderer is our way of communicating our brand’s core as we inspire riders to get out there and discover their free spirits on the open road,” says Wrangler Philippines President Daisy Go.

The contest is open to all Filipino riders who can make an entry in the form of previous biking photos with a story on why they should be chosen as a True Wanderer. 10 rider finalists will be picked out by a panel of bike experts and travel enthusiasts from the pool of entries. The finalists will then embark on a five-day journey in selected locales in the country while riding their bikes and wearing Wrangler’s key items. “With jeans that are purposely designed to enhance comfort and style for the open road, Wrangler is the perfect companion of every True Wanderer as he goes off on his explorations,” added Go.

The contest’s main venue will be the True Wanderer microsite (www.wranglertruewanderer.com), where followers of the competition can also take part in each contestant’s journey. The microsite will serve as a travel diary where each contestant’s experiences will be documented through a mix of words, photos, and videos.

One winner will be proclaimed at the end of the contest and will win a motorbike and Php 100,000 worth of Wrangler products. He will then become the Philippine representative to the Asia Pacific-wide competition, where he will go head to head with other True Wanderer winners from across Asia Pacific.

“True Wanderer is Wrangler’s way of further strengthening its identity as the denim brand that’s made for action and adventure. Now we dare riders to join the contest and brave the open roads. We invite them to uncover the most interesting spots in the country armed with their passion for novel encounters and unstoppable spirits,” concludes Go.

Source: Press Release

March 22, 2015 In Style By Mikki Galang

#MNLFashionFest

It’s been a while since I watched a fashion show or attended a fashion week but the Manila Fashion Festival was a different experience. I have a lot of friends who are studying or entering the fashion scene and I know the struggle of breaking into the industry. #MnlFashionFest by Art Personas have been addressing that and helping young and upcoming designers and seasoned ones as well to make their fashion stage their own.

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There were lots of talks (by Preview Magazine), shows including young designers and exhibits where creations can be bought. During the last day, I brought our balikbayan and my cousin, Ashley, from the US who’s also studying fashion design there to see our works and she really liked the uniqueness, creativity and boldness of most of the collections.

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Last Sunday, I watched the second to the last show of the Fashion Festival featuring designers Banggo Niu, Bea Samson, Esme Palaganas and Tony Evan. Art Personas CEO Ronnie Cruz mentioned in the introduction that the showcase of these young and upcoming designers is what the festival is all about.

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I knew Banggo (from SLIMS common friends) and I liked his work ever since he released his first collection. I am really attracted to his fresh and playful designs. I also liked Tony Evan’s collection which featured bold cut-outs and skin-tight designs.