Hi Leyn!

Kumusta? I’m 23 years old at bago lang ako sa pagtuturo. Isa akong propesora sa isang catholic university sa may u-belt at mga 3rd and 4th year college ang aking mga eschudents. Ang aking problem ay ganito: medyo nahihirapan akong magpaka-itsurang propesor sa school (ilang beses na din kase na hinahanapan ako ng registration form ng mga guards kase napapagkamalan akong estudyante). Sa college namin hindi naman masyadong strict sa dress code lalo na meron kaming laboratory subjects na kelangan talaga eh cowboy ako kase medyo pisikal magturo ng lab. Gusto ko kase maging mukhang teacher naman kahit papano, pero ayoko naman magmukhang thunder at uber pormal. At the same time, ayaw ko din naman maging hippie hippie, na tipong pupunta lang sa gimikan. Kadalasan din, pakiramdam ko sobrang casual ng suot ko as compared sa mga ibang kasama ko sa faculty.

Ano bang magandang style kaya ang babagay sa isang batang guro katulad ko? Pati na rin sana ideas sa shoes. Ang liit ko lang kase kaya gusto ko sana mag-heels sa school kaso parusa naman sa binti sa haba ng klase. Gusto ko sana magmukhang fashionable, respectable at friendly all at the same time. Hehe.

So there. Thanks Leyn!

xoxo,

Teacher Z

Dear Teacher Z,

I’m fine, thanks for asking. :> It’s good to know that you want to improve your everyday wear at school. No offense meant but you’re right, some professors tend to look conservative, old school and very formal – parang thunders (matanda) nga kumbaga. And with your age, you need to go with the hype of trendy fashion so you’d feel good about yourself.

Start upgrading your under construction wardrobe with the following styles:

Collar Shirt Dress

Plain dresses are fine but if you want to wear something smart-casual (na hindi mukhang pupunta lang sa gimikan) then collar shirt dresses can be an option.

High-waist Slacks

The style can make you look sophisticated with any kind of top- 3/4 blouse, long-sleeves, polo shirt. Tuck in your top and add simple accessories and tadaaa, mukha ka nang kagalang-galang.

Wide Skirt

For a young professor like you, I’d recommend something that’s up-to-date and youthful. Try wearing wide skirts to achieve an hour glass body shape.

With shoes naman, gayahin mo nalang yung ginagawa ng mga taga-bangko (lol), magbaon ka nalang ng mid heels shoes then change them flats when you need to relax your feet or when you’re commuting. Closed shoes looks more formal and appropriate. Stick to basic colors so you can match them with different clothes in your closet.

Good luck… with your students! Lol.

Love Lots,

Leyn

hi leyn. i’ve been keeping a pair of vintage brogues and since it’s considered “in” nowadays, can i ask for suggestions on what kind of outfits would go well with brogues? thanks so much and more power to your blog!

veebee

Dear veebee,

I have to assume you’re a girl so I can answer this correctly…

Brogues (pronounced as browgs) are classic low-heeled shoes that usually have decorative perforations or holes on its leather surface. You’re right, brogues are really in trend now, and if you’re a flats person who’s allergic to girly shoes, brogues can be your friendly pair that can replace your sneakers. The key is to counterbalance the boyish feel of brogues. Aside from the shorts and t-shirt outfit, you can wear brogues with other styles like the following:

Jersey Dress
Particularly minimal styled jerseys, plain colored or printed mini dresses are good with brogues. Remember that not all dresses look good with these classic shoes so you have to be careful when choosing the right dress.

Playsuits
Playsuits are just the ‘more stylish’ version of shorts + tank top. Perfect fashion for this summer or if you simply want to go out for a weekend date with friends.

Cigarette Pants
Wear cropped or cigarette pants for your bottom to show off those brogues.

And here are some Hollywood celebrities’ lookbook for fashion inspiration:

Hope that helps!

Love Lots,

Leyn

Hi Ms. Leyn,

I want to start a fashion blog. pero ayoko magmukhang trying hard. haha. Can you give me some tips on how to start it?

Thanks

MM

Dear MM,

Hi, you are the third person to ask me this kind of question. So I guess I need to write something about it.

One thing I learned in blogging is that if you want your blog to be interesting, don’t talk too much about yourself. Almost every online person is a celebrity wannabe who publishes everything on the internet and we have enough of that. If you really want to start a fashion blog, then focus on writing fashion-related posts. Yes you can relate your entries with your daily experiences but make sure you still share your ideas instead of collecting stalkers.

For example, a personal blogger will just post pictures and write about the latest bag she bought while a fashion blogger reviews the bag – mentions the price, where she got it and what outfit should go with that particular bag.

Second, make sure that you really are into fashion. Assess yourself if you dress fashionably on occasions and if you’re familiar with even the basic fashion terms. Your blog will definitely sound trying hard if you’re just one of those fashion victims who copy-pastes entries from other fashion sites.

At first, I thought fashion blogging would be expensive but it actually depends on how you manage your content. Luckily, sosyalera.net doesn’t even spend a fortune just to look for things to blog because I have a different approach. But IMO, a typical fashion blogger should include the following on his/her blog to have sensible contents:

• Review products (beauty products or fashion items and write details about your personal experience with the product).
• Share your opinion about the latest fashion trends which requires a bit of research and reading.
• Attend product launchings and fashion related events and blog about it (so you have to be constantly interacting with other active fashion bloggers to be updated with events).
• Lookbook!

Basically, invest on the contents of your blog instead of worrying if people are reading it or not. And lastly, ‘wag ningas cogon sa blogging.

Aight?

Love Lots,

Leyn