Shoes

With the summer sun beating down on us, boots are hardly the ideal footwear of choice for our 7,107 islands. But I'll have you know that these bespoke boots from Divanity Wear only cost Php1,850 a pair! Still interested? I thought you would be:p

I tried to play the whole heels and stilettos game, but at the end of the day, my knees and feet wouldn't let me and would always insist on flats or rubber shoes. Always.

The dream is to slip my feet into a pair of French Soles or Repettos (click here for the past review) and see if they're really worth the big bucks, not including plane fare because they're not available locally. But for now, these two will have to do.

Chuck Bass for K-Swiss!

I go inside an ukay-ukay and I am overwhelmed with the countless racks of used clothing, shoes, bags and other hand-me-downs from our first world neighbors. And to think I'm not even talking about the ukay-ukay buildings in Baguio, Cubao or Aurora Boulevard, just the two stall ukay-ukay near my mom's clinic in Sucat.

But some people are simply talented when it comes to thrifted items and come up with fabulous outfits, complete with bags and shoes! Clearly, I do not have the golden touch. But thankfully, Lauren Lin and Judy Chua of Store of Lore have the required savvy (even going as far as scouring thrift shops in Australia, US and UK for one of a kind items), thus putting together unique outfits for us not as talented or not as willing to brave the dust for the treasure hunt.

Etsy is the antithesis to all things mass-produced and celebrity endorsed. It features handmade creations and is a veritable treasure trove of all sorts of cute and unique items.

I checked out some of the Philippine based sellers in Etsy and these three stood out for me:

Step Sisters shoes is the brainchild of Xenia "Lulu" Saldivar and when I saw the collection at the Four Seasons Bazaar in Bellevue, I was floored with how yummy the designs were! And apparently I wasn't the only one impressed with Step Sisters because there was a crowd around the booth eagerly snapping up the pairs.