"All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible."
- T.E. Lawrence
It's another dark summer night where people go to clubs/ bars to party or to hang out with friends. I'm not like those people, no. I'm not your usual party person where I drink all night and dance to EDM and go club-hopping. I usually wander during those hours, huning for some fresh meat.... nah just kidding haha! But yeah, I love doing some late night strolls with my friends, sometimes my sibs around our village, or sometimes we grab some late night midnight snack in Mercato or our favorite Fil-Mexican resto in Pasig, Silantro.
During summer season, the only time I can wear jackets and an all black outfit is usually during night time because it's too damn hot in the day. A lot of people find wearing black fancy, or sophisticated or sometimes dark and mysterious. For me, black is a basic necessity in anyone's wardrobe and it can be worn anytime anyday. Black usually brings out sophistication and class to a person's style, but add some accent colors because people might think you're a grim reaper or part of a cult.
Since it's pretty breezy these past few summer nights, I decided to wear my black coat (that I got from Korea) over my plain black shirt from Topman. I matched my all black tops with my favorite black Hat (also from Korea). I then paired it with my dark navy Jeans from JAG USA to give some texture and color transition from black to a dark navy.
To add a hint of color and character, I wore my Gold watch together with my Canary Yellow leather Loafers I got from Milanos at SM Department Store. If you love affordable and unique shoes you should check them out, they have a really cool and fresh selection of shoes and loafers there. If you're an online shopper, I saw a big collection of men's shoes at ZALORA that you should definitley check out as well.
I wasn't usually attracted to (literal) animal-print/ pattern shirts because they often reminded me of my ridiculous childhood outfits. My mom would often let me wear snoopy-printed shirts or cute tigers, or even those animals/monsters from kids' tv shows like Sesame Street. Sometimes I also don't like wearing animal inspired shirts because it makes me feel like a zookeeper or animal lover. Haha.
Now you know why I don't like animals on my shirt. However, when I saw this bear-print button down shirt from Flying Dutchman, It totally changed my perception of such fashon. It looked really stylish and manly and would look great when worn with my hat collection. So I decided to try it on and it was a perfect fit, now I can't wait for a new animal print shirt from FD.
I paired my button-down shirt with my black hat from Korea. (P.S. It was terribly hot when we took this photo. lol) I figured that since the shirt already has bold graphic pattern, I'd go for plain monochromatic ensembles.
I wore my gold watch from Valentino as an accent piece. Then I toned it down with plain black skinny jeans from Forever 21.
Then, I got this awesome leather mandals from Milanos at SM Department Store. It's so chic and trendy, and it's also very comfortable in the feet. It will also go well with any of your summer outfits because of it's color and style.
Travelling has always been my favorite summer activity because it's the only time I can spend the whole 2 months of vacation with my family and friends, and yeah school's out so there's that. haha.
My family and I decided to go on a roadtrip to Ilocos Norte, since I haven't been to Vigan it's the perfet time to visit knowing that they're all in for new summer activities ans festivals. Ilocos Norte is a coastal province so different colors of sand can be found here — the blackest of black in Laoag, the brown sands in Currimao, the white sands in Pagudpud. Some parts in Pagudpud are also lined with a rocky shore.
We went from Vigan to Laoag to Paoay where you can see the Sandunes, St. Augustine's Church, Spanish heritage village, Bangui windmills, etc.
So, enough of this infos and I present to you my photo diary of my experience in Ilocos Norte.
ALL IMAGES ARE TAKEN BY & PROPERTY OF PJ ALMERA. MISTERPATRICKJAMES.BLOGSPOT.COM
Summer, once again, is bringing back the intense heat that we've all mised, or not. There are so many things we can do this Summer Break to avoid idleness and boredom and one of those is to travel. No matter where we go, how far it is, whom we're with, a journey will always be a new experience for all of us.
To some people, traveling with friends/ family is a stress reliever, it is where they are comfortable at, surrounded by love ones. However, there are also some people who love to take on journeys alone. It is a way to self-discovery and exploration, and it is how they get to relax and chill. As a traveller, I've always traveled alongside my family and friends but there is still a part of me that wanted to disconnect from all of them. Maybe it's the self-discovery thing or probably I just want to be alone and independent.
No matter where I go, I always try to put on comfortable clothes where I can move, run, play, and do lots of activities. I usually wear shorts when going out but due to the heat and insect-bites traum i've had before, I decided to go wear joggers. Joggers are really comfortable piece of bottoms that you can use in almost any activities, well probably except for swimming. It's light, and stretchable so you dont need to worry about moving freely.
A good pair of sneaks is also an essential for that long adventurous walk. Here I'm wearing my Nike Running shoes. and paired it off with my classic Ray-ban Wayfarers and my Sony Alpha digi camera.
Always remember that life is an adventure, always be prepare for whatever journey awaits you everyday. Peace Out!
Summer has knocked on our door and is inviting all of us to have fun, be bold, and be free. In my first post for the relaunch of my blog, I am showcasing different people with different size, different color, different, race, and different personality. It is time for us to appreciate our own uniqueness and be bold with our own personal style.
In this editorial, I have shot real people to portray themselves in a very cool fun summer-y vibe showing off their personalities and unique style assisted by me and my fellow stylists and make-up artists.
Color can make a statement, it can also bring out your inner most personalities and good vibes. Have fun this summer and remember to be happy, be colorful, be free.
PJ ALMERA is a 23 year-old designer from Manila, Philippines with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree in De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. PJ is an all around Creative Director, Interior Stylist and Photographer who wants to influence young artists and design enthusiast to be the best version of themselves. A very down-to-earth, funny, and friendly person willing to do anything in the name of creativity.
