Taking Gifting to the Next Level

As if the carols playing and decors shimmering in the malls don’t make it obvious enough, it’s already Christmas season!!! You know us Filipinos: we just might have the longest Christmas season in the whole world, starting as early as the arrival of the Ber months. Now, we’re only less than two months away from Christmas day! Can you believe it???

(CLOSED) Live the Dream at APOLLO Music Festival (GIVEAWAY)

It may be sweater weather already, but it doesn't mean that you can't experience the carefree feeling of summer all over again! And what better way is there to bring back the summer feels than, say, going to a music festival?

Praise the music god(s) because two university organization giants have teamed up to bring you music, booze, food, and party all in one day! This coming November 14, 2014 (that's a week from now!), take on the experience as the University of the Philippines Junior Marketing Association (UP JMA) and the De La Salle University Business Management Society (DLSU BMS) bring you the first ever inter-university Music Festival, APOLLO: Live the Dream at the Globe Circuit Events Ground in Circuit Makati.

The lineup lists the bands Sponge Cola, The Ransom Collective, She's Only Sixteen, and The Cohens. Beats to dance to through the night will then be played by DJ Lucio Pua, DJ Marc Marasigan, and DJ Ace Ramos. Aside from that, expect good food, free-flowing drinks, and an awesome lights show!

UP JMA and DLSU BMS also partnered with Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, Inc. (FILSCAP) for this event. Together, they crafted APOLLO to become not just an incredible night for the people, but also a platform for young and emerging artists.

Once again, APOLLO: Live the Dream will be happening on November 14, from 4PM onwards, at the Globe Circuit Events Ground in Circuit Makati. For more details, see their poster and/or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

I would love to go to APOLLO (it would be my first music fest if ever)! Unfortunately, I can't, and I'm pretty bummed about it. Here's what I would have worn there though, just to give you guys an idea. People usually dress up in hipster outfits for music festivals, and nothing screams "hipster" more than the shirt-around-the-waist trend. Well, that, after florals and fringes at least (which I both don't have, sadly). 

T-shirt dresses have got to be my new favorite thing! (I got this one from my first visit to H&M's first branch here in the Philippines.) They are so comfy, which is why I thought it would be perfect to wear one to a music festival! Boots are also a good footwear of choice to complete the whole look. (I know there's still quite a touch of grunge in my outfit though, can't help it haha!) Oh, and don't forget to bring sunnies! Not only are they stylish, they are also handy in shielding your eyes from the sun.

T-shirt dress: H&M

Denim polo: Cotton On

Cut-out boots: Topshop

Necklace, v-midi rings, & earrings: Forever 21

Plain midi rings: Infinitine

Tattoo choker: Fudge Rock

Bracelet: Rastaclat

So there's some outfit inspiration for you! Have you gotten your tickets to APOLLO yet?

If you haven't, you came to the right place! In my absence, I am giving four (4) lucky people the chance to experience APOLLO!

Yes, I'm hosting a giveaway! You can join in two (2) easy ways:

1. Follow @_erikarosales (that's me!) and @APOLLOmusicfest on Instagram. and regram my Style & Sundry x APOLLO post with #STYLEANDSUNDRYxAPOLLO #APOLLOMusicFestival. Don't forget to tag me and the person you want to go with to the event as well!
2. For those who don't have any Instagram, you also have a chance! Just like APOLLO Music Festival on Facebook, share this post (make sure it's public, and tag your friend!) and leave a comment below containing the following details:

FB Name

Email address

There will be two (2) winners (one here, and one from Instagram) of two (2) tickets each. You can do both and/or share as many times as you want-- more entries, more chances of winning! I will be choosing the winners at random. (However, I'll make sure that a person only wins once.) Winners will be announced on the evening of Wednesday, November 12.

Good luck everyone! I wish I could say "see you there", but I can't so I'll just simply say, have a blast! (I'm sure you will, even without me saying so!)

EDIT (11/12/14):

Congratulations to the 2 winners:

Jasmine Gines from Facebook &

@joooooooooohnoh from Instagram!

Please email me at e.rsls@yahoo.com by tomorrow, 12NN to find out how you can get your tickets. (Failure to contact me by then will invalidate your win)

To everyone else who joined the giveaway, thank you so much!

x Erika Rosales

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Comfort Meets Class

It's no secret how my style is as random as a jar of M&M's (who knows where I got that simile). I guess that comes with the fact that I am not afraid to try out other things when it comes to fashion.

It is to that attitude of mine do I credit my win in Stores Specialists, Inc. (SSI)'s #SSILifestyle contest on Instagram. Around a month ago, SSI held an OOTD contest. The rules were simple: wear at least three (3) items from their family of brands, tag them, and use the hashtag. In case you didn't know, SSI is a branch of the Rustan's Group of Companies, and is the one to thank for bringing to our country brands such as Aeropostale, Bershka, Lacoste, Lush, Zara, etc.

With the price being a P5,000 gift card which can be spent on any of their brands, I had to jump at the chance. This was my winning entry:

(click photo to view on Instagram)

Ms. Sarah Meier, one of the local fashion industry's greats, served as the judge. She included a testimony with her decision, which totally floored me. Here were the words of Ms. Meier, grabbed from SSI's Facebook page:

“I've always believed that the true essence of being stylish is the ability to wear clothes, and not let them wear you. There is nothing more chic to me than an individual that can put on the simplest of pieces, and look like a star. Ekaa's monochromatic outfit had equal parts class, comfort, and timelessness. I wouldn't think twice about plopping her in a Business Class seat to fly to any fashion capital in the world, because she'd fit right in. Effortless and well-executed, Erika also does what any fashion baby does best - put together an ensemble from brands with different price points to create a look that adds up to, well, looking like you're worth a million bucks. As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to wear something just like this tomorrow. “ 

I'll have you know that this outfit was not put together on a whim. It was well-thought of, perhaps as much as how badly I wanted to win the contest. In line with that, I would like to share some tips that you might find helpful in joining an OOTD contest:

Tip #1: Know the host and/or the judge(s)

You have to know their style, their vibe, and everything in between. In SSI's case, it's evident how trendy and high-class they are; so of course, it is important to dress up accordingly. I also admit that I may have stalked Ms. Meier's Instagram page to have a feel of her personal style. From what I gathered, she was more of the laidback type, so I worked around that, too. Let's be honest, a judge's own preferences will have a huge bearing on his/her decision.

Tip #2: Be different

Naturally, there will be other contestants. Given that, it is important that you stand out. There were nearly a hundred entries in the #SSILifestyle contest. A lot were minimalist, while some were more on the edgy side. I could dress up like that too, but I did not. I decided to try something new and dabble a bit on androgyny with cropped suit pants. Actually, I was choosing between wearing a skirt for a preppier look, and the slightly-boyish one. I went with the latter because I figured being girly and preppy was a bit too typical, and therefore won't make me stand out as much.

Tip #3: Be technical.

By this, I mean-- followthe rules. This quite speaks for itself. For this contest, the rule was to wear 3 items from 3 different SSI brands. Tagging was also necessary. You wouldn't want your entry to be void just because you didn't follow all the rules, right? Also related to this tip is knowing the criteria for judging. Lastly, you must pay good attention to your photo itself. Make sure that it's taken in good quality in a presentable venue and edited just as well. For the editing, you might want to consider the vibe of the host and/or judge again, too; that way, you can tell if you should go for cutesy stickers or slightly-hipster filters.

I followed these pointers myself, so I can guarantee that these are tried and tested *winks*. Now, here are other photos of my outfit.

As you can see, I'm wearing a middle part. What do you think? 

Sweater: Zara*
Buttondown (worn underneath): Cotton On

Cropped trousers: Uniqlo
Flats: Lower East Side (Payless ShoeSource)*
Bag: Prada*

Those marked with an asterisk (*) are the qualifying brands. I actually just borrowed the beautiful bag and incredibly comfortable shoes from my mother! I have other SSI brand items, but these pieces just matched perfectly with the rest of my outfit. The Zara sweater I'm wearing here has got to be my favorite; I love how slouchy it is! Also, I'm planning to buy more of these cropped trousers from Uniqlo haha.

I just can't wait to get my hands on my P5,000 gift card! I'm planning on buying a stunning pair of Zara shoes (it's been a long-time wish of mine!) with it. As for the remaining amount, we'll see!

x Erika Rosales

PS: I'm on break from school now; so here's to regular updates! Also, I just finished revamping my blog's layout (the buttons below are one of the new additions!). Any thoughts? :)

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