The soft ripples, the fluid movements, the froth-capped waves, the lacy salt patterns on the sand…nothing has inspired me recently as much as the beach. From its changing watercolor hues, to the scattering of glistening pebbles on its shores, the beach calms our minds, soothes our souls, and encourages us to dream.
Who says strength is only reflected in toughness and rigidity? Today’s femininity finds strength in refinement, brandishes its confidence with grace, and wears its unabashed prettiness with a touch of subtle subversion.
Refashioned-lace lilac gown, refashioned-lace lilac & gray cocktail dress: Tippi Ocampo/ Model: Katja Rodriquez/ Make-up & hair: Maws Francisco-Diaz & Eryn/ Photos: Ito Ocampo
Romanticism isn’t dead, it’s cynicism that’s the illusion. Modernity isn’t all about hard-lines and rough edges. Modernity embraces feminism & idealism, and celebrates the rise of a new, post-apocalyptic, romanticism.
Dove gray/lilac jersey & lace beaded gown: Tippi Ocampo/ Model: Katja Rodriquez/ Make-up & hair: Maws Francisco-Diaz & Eryn/ Photos: Ito Ocampo
It’s March and it’s officially the start of summer in the Philippines. Although Ito and I have unofficially made February our month for kicking off beach season–first, because celebrating Valentine’s is much more fun in the beach, second, because the weather in February is perfect (sunny but not scorching), and third, because any excuse is the perfect excuse to run off to any one of our 7,100 white, sandy islands. Our beach-hopping began last month, and our plans are set for this month and the next as well…can’t wait! I absolutely love summer 
Sharing some of my Instagram snaps (http://instagram.com/tippiocampo) from our first beach trip this year, as we ready ourselves for the heat, slather on the sunblock, and welcome my favorite season with wide open arms…
Heaven is warm water, blue skies, a cool breeze & sand beneath my toes
Reflections–tabletop and horizon scene
Absolutely loved this arrangement of summer blooms mixed with rice “puso”
Favorite seaside meal of charcoal grilled prawns, crisp fries and fresh salad
Happy to meet up with good friends, Mayee & Brian, with their adorable boys, Julian & Logan
Green touch–a lovely gift in support of revitalizing our forest & marine ecosystems
Road testing my new bag charm with summer weaves & easy, casual fashion
Last Saturday was the annual ‘pilgrimage’ to Art in the Park, the once-a-year gathering to appreciate art, do a little shopping, meet friends, people-watch, and enjoy some food, drinks and live music under the canopy of trees at Salcedo Park. Still, by far, my favorite place to hunt for arty treasures and one-of-a-kind finds, last Saturday’s Art in the Park was full of friends and familiar faces rushing about, brown-paper-wrapped-packages tucked under their arms.
Meeting with friends at the park and finding ourselves comfortably positioned near the mojito bar and food stalls early on, however, kept me from any serious browsing (although there were so many witty and eye-catching pieces on display!). I particularly loved the installation and large-scale sculptural pieces, although I was pretty sure there wouldn’t be enough room for them in our home, so I just enjoyed them in the park, LOL! But then again, there’s always next year…
Sharing some photos from last Saturday
Whimsical wooden sculptural piece
Live music and popular tunes
Paintings propped on the ground
Running into some of my favorite people…
…and my favorite UP institution! 
Crazy, graphic, surprising art everywhere
I wanted this “sampaguita” piece for our garden!
Black & white lightbox photographs
Loved this drippy, recycled-plastic lamp
The bamboo bike is always such an eye-catching conversation piece
Creating our own installation art from beer cans and plastic mojito glasses 
Yesterday, March 14, was the opening day of Manila FAME, and since Ito and I had some free time in the afternoon, we decided to drop by. It’s always incredibly inspiring to see other designers’ visions come to life, whether they be in fashion or other disciplines like furniture or industrial design, as well as to see the level of skill and refined craftsmanship of the Filipino artisan.
With the impact of technology and the green movement worldwide, many of this year’s exhibits played with the use of up-cycled materials, or re-engineered organic materials into new designs and forms. The variety of local materials used, combined with the myriad of designs, really exposed the wealth of resources in our country which we are finally learning to truly appreciate. I loved how many of the pieces on show embraced traditional Philippine crafts, but upgraded them with a new lightness and modernity which gave them a very cross-cultural, global appeal.
Another thing I found exciting was the introduction to the expo of the city’s ‘creative hotspots’–those small, quirky, independent and fiercely imaginative areas around Manila where many artists and creative people meet and sell their products. Bringing these arty, handcrafted treasure troves to the attention of international buyers is a great idea, and I’m looking forward to the days when these types of creative hubs will mushroom and go more ‘mainstream’. Ahhh, to dream
Some photos from yesterday…
(Photos by Ito Ocampo)
*Manila FAME is ongoing from March 14-17 at the SMX Convention Center
Whether it’s inspiration–or love–that we seek, we often feel the need to look far and wide, oftentimes missing what’s right next to us. Ito’s and my first real visit to the National Museum in Manila showed us just how much we had missed so close to home, and how much we gained in appreciation for our sometimes-checkered history, our culturally diverse crafts and our creatively rich art heritage.
Other than the exhibits, the building itself (along with the surrounding areas of Manila like Intramuros and Rizal Park) are beautiful, but often overlooked, ‘living museums’ of our colonial past with a tapestry of design and architectural details that is truly inspiring My only wish is that we could properly preserve (and clean up!) these invaluable sites for more people to appreciate.
Photos by Ito Ocampo
Yesterday was the culmination of a couple of months’ hard work for the Friends for Cultural Concerns of the Philippines as they presented their “Fashion With a Vision 2″, a fundraising event directed & choreographed by Raymond Villanueva for the scholarship projects of the FCCP, at the Manila Polo Club. Lulu (Tan Gan), Patrice (Diaz) & myself presented modern Filipiniana inspired pieces which were modeled by a beautiful mix of ladies (and a few gents), including some of the members from the FCCP themselves.
While backstage was predictably very busy, here are a few shots that I managed to snap in the midst of the fashion ‘chaos’…
Beautiful models, Jodilly, Emerald & Sirene, wearing my Filipiniana lace gowns (with accessories by Chantal)
The lovely Justine in a lace & jersey modern Filipiniana gown
Gorgeous Maria Claras, Jennifer, Emerald & Jodilly, in sparkly & lacey Filipiniana Tippi Ocampo gowns
FCCP member & family friend, sultry Yoli Ayson, modeled a slinky Tippi Ocampo figure-hugging gown
FCCP member, flirty Dolly Borlongan strikes a pose in a softly gathered gown w/ lace appliques (& pañuelo)
FCCP member, lovely Marivel Carandang stands tall in a ruffled, silk & ikat-printed cocktail ensemble
Ready to dazzle on the catwalk–some of my fabulous FCCP models backstage wearing Tippi Ocampo (and sparkling accessories by Chantal)
Sumptious merienda and dessert buffet ready to be served after the show
The FCCP is comprised of Nene Leonor (president), Rose Marie Lazaro (vice-president & project director), Karen Macasaet & Tessie Rodrigo (chairpersons), Chloe Periquet, Lulu Castañeda, Letty Hahn, Thelma Gana, Rosita Lesaca, Glecy Mojares & Grace Tiongco (co-chairs).
Whimsical, trivial, fickle, fleeting…fashion is seen by most pragmatists as an ‘unimportant’ part of life, unnecessary to the business of living. But fashion, and the need to dream and express oneself, has survived through the centuries–through famines and wars and economic meltdowns–and remains glamorously entrenched & fabulously turned-out in our present times. From the etheric realms of the imagination to the grounded pavements of the street, fashion will continue to do the job of tickling our collective fancies and reminding us about the importance of expressing our desires and living our dreams.
Cheers to the mode la vie!
Fashion icon in the streets–Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly graces the walls of a back alley
Fabulous in fuschia–a dose of fashion brightens anyone’s day
Can you imagine how dull a life would be without fashion?
Irregular Choice–a fun, crazy, whimsical pair of shoes that adds a happy skip to my step!
It has been years since I’ve been to a theme park, so it was a lot of fun when my mom, John, Ito and I were kids for a day and visited Universal Studios. The park was smaller and the lines much shorter than Universal Studios in LA, so it was easier to enjoy the attractions and get on the rides. Our favorites were the “Transformers” 4D ride and the “Revenge of the Mummy” roller coaster which really had us screaming! Although I must admit, one of my personal highlights was unexpectedly running into two of my childhood loves, Ernie & Bert, LOL!
We were also lucky enough to catch the hit show “Jersey Boys” at the Marina Bay Sands. A musical about the true story of popular 6o’s singer, Frankie Valli, and his band, The Four Seasons, Ito and I never realized how many of their songs we knew from movie soundtracks until we saw the show. And while my mom grew up listening to the Beatles more than Frankie Valli and his band, days after the play ended, she was still singing their songs. Even my brother found the musical unexpectedly enjoyable, despite the fact that his musical tastes run along the lines of heavy metal bands like Van Halen and Metallica
Letting our hair down and being kids for a day
Being ‘recruited’ for the Tranformers defense squad
Luckily my mom enjoys the thrill rides as much as we do!
Surprise meeting with my childhood loves (such a fan of their striped pullovers!)
Catching the show “Jersey Boys” with the Manila boys
Great story, memorable tunes, 6o’s fashion–what’s not to love?
Front & center…any closer and we would have been onstage, LOL!
Still humming the tunes well into dinner
Clip from “Jersey Boys”
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