Dear Ms.Leyn,

Hi! It’s my first time to see your site and after I’ve read some of your blog entries, I think you just got a new fan. Hehe. No doubt, you’re really good. No wonder many people like you and your webpage. You’re page is really interesting and it has certain informations that could really help us in our daily lives, not just a typical fashion-blog.

I emailed you because I love your page and your fashion taste. I came to ask you some questions Ms.Leyn. I’ve read your 2 blog entries about prom and I still have some questions in my mind, if you don’t mind me asking. Hehe. I’m 15 yrs. old and currently a senior HS student. I’m 5′6 tall, quite chubby and has fair skin complexion. Our prom will be on February. Last year’s prom theme was a ‘masquerade ball’. We’re not really allowed to wear short dresses for prom because we’re in a Catholic school, so I wore a long gown last year. But on this year’s prom, we’re already allowed to wear cocktail dresses maybe because of the recession thingy, or for us and our parents to save money and be more practical. They do have a point, don’t they? So here’s my question. Can you suggest some stores/boutiques with pretty and affordable cocktail dresses for prom? My budget will range from 2,000php – 4,000php. I’m not really a girly type of person and I personally don’t like pink and florals. Some people say I’m boy-ish and I got no problems with that. But despite those things, I love fashion. I love Gossip Girl and I also love wearing dresses and heels. But not those pink and floral stuffs. Hehe. So on our prom, I like to wear something simple but elegant. Or maybe something glam with a little bit of drama.. I have a dress in my mind and I really love it. I hope you can still remember the yellow dress that Serena wore from Season 1 on Handmaiden’s Tale. Do you think it’s appropriate to wear something like that for prom? And can you give me more suggestions on what to wear and where to have my hair/makeup done for my last prom?

I’ll be waiting for your response, Ms.Leyn.
God bless and more power!

-ShimMinHyo

Dear ShimMinHyo,

Hey thanks for taking time to browse my site. I really wanted to maintain a serious fashion blog before but I can’t get rid of my kengkoy side so my blog ended up like this. Haha. Anyway, I hope I can help you with my suggestions but I won’t admit that I know all the stores in the metro so pardon me if I can only give a few.

One thing we usually fear is that someone might be in the same dress we’re wearing on the prom night. That’d be a total disaster. Ang dyahe diba. So I think you should be looking on stores that aren’t “too mainstream” and check for boutiques that sell dresses with only few stocks per piece. As much as possible, don’t buy in common stores UNLESS you’re planning to alter or re-construct the dress. But of course, that takes effort, time and additional budget for extra work.

Anyhow, here are my picks:

Serendra Shops

• Shops in Serendra like Peppered Cherry, Souk and Backstage sells unique dresses with price starting from 1,500 pesos. There are other stores but I forgot the names. Yun nga lang, these are smalls boutiques so your choices are limited unlike when you shop in malls.

The Ramp Crossings

• This shopping street has different brands like BYSI, French Kitty, Salsa Trend, Ilaya Couture, Dressing Room, Lucca etc. Crossings department store is located inside Trinoma and Shangrila Mall.

Rustan’s

• Some people get intimidated going inside Rustan’s but there are affordable clothes available here. Check out stalls like Culte Femme, Sinequanone and stores by local designers naming Luna by Jojie Lloren. There are also mid-class brands for shoes like Substance and Lady Rustan’s, a pair can cost you from 900-2500 pesos.

Basically, I’m recommending stores where people rarely shop. I bet you’ve already gone through these stores but this time you need to be patient in looking the dresses one-by-one. There are also good designers in town but the idea might cost you expensive.

The yellow gown Serena wore from GG Season 1 is a good choice, I commend you for that. You can copy the Yellow-Black combination. You’ll look like a beauty queen because the gown is appropriate with your curvy figure and tall height. That dress is a Valentino but a keen eye when shopping won’t give you a hard time looking for a gown with the same style.

And regarding hair and make-up, honestly I cannot cite the best places because I no longer hand over my styling with public salons. One thing more, I’m not sure where you reside so it also depends on your location para hassle-free. I heard good remarks about Piandre so check their reservations and packages (quite expensive though). Menage Salon sucks at styling (price starting at 1000 pesos), I tried there once at nagmukha akong butterfly with Goldilocks curls. But partly it was my fault because I entrusted everything to the stylist. Before someone do your hair and make-up, you should have already planned what prom look you’d like to achieve so they won’t just experiment on you. Concentrate on your eyes because natural shades are the latest trend for cheeks and lips (peach, bronze and pale pink).

You know what, 2k-4k budget is not bad na. I remember my first prom, I wore a 900 pesos worth of gown. Hahaha. But as I’ve mentioned before, that was a decade ago. Lol. Anyway, I hope you find one like Serena’s. Really pretty pretty choice. ;P

Love Lots,

Leyn