halfwhiteboy

Recently I featured 5 local indie brands on Instagram where you can score swim shorts this summer. Now your OOTD wouldn't be complete without a nice summer-themed shirt , right? I know you can go shirtless on the beach and all but you can't be a total showoff all the time, now would you? So here are 9 local indie brands on Instagram where you can get a new batch of buttoned shirts for summer . Because we also need to cover up sometimes.

Nothing more screams summer than a trip to the beach. White sand, black sand, gray sand, pink sand, or brown sand beach , it doesn't matter. But are you ready with your OOTDs? You'll need a new set of beachwear , right? I'm thinking tropical print shirts , tank tops, some linen pieces, and of course, swim shorts . While they're everywhere to be found, Instagram can be a source of some great finds, too. Here's but a few local brands on Instagram where you can get your next set of swim shorts.

I know it's cliché but where else is it best to wear florals but to the beach? For weekend getaways and other short vacations, sneak in a collared floral shirt or two into your bag to break the monotony of your t-shirt and tank top-dominated wardrobe.

It sure is great to wake up to mornings like this, sun shining brightly through huge glass windows, with unimpeded views of the vast blue sea. But this isn't some secluded private villa atop a cliff in an exotic remote island where you can simply look out of the window in your birthday suit. I mean, sure you can, but I choose to wear clothes.

Admiring the Bojo River in Aloguinsan, Cebu. I don't know what's with me lately but on our recent trip to some towns in Southern Cebu, I made a conscious effort to wear buttoned shirts--both short and long-sleeved--with my swim shorts. Normally I would have simply worn a t-shirt or a tank top with them. When we did the Bojo River Cruise in Aloguinsan , for instance, I paired my orange patterned swim shorts with an old blue long-sleeved shirt. Much like the blue and white tropical print shirt I wore to the beach at Ronda , it's a shirt I used to wear to work. The color's a bit faded now, so I had no qualms about it getting wet with seawater.

Cliché as it is, tropical prints are so summer that they're meant for the beach. In fact it's a shame that it's only now that I've worn this shirt to one. Buttoned shirts have always been city wear for me, like this time when I paired this tropical print shirt with white pants while strolling around The Henry Hotel Manila and felt like a haciendero . I even wore it to the office with light blue seersucker-like pants for an all-blue ensemble . From afar it looks just white or a very light blue but up close you'll see the fine stripes, which makes it safe to pair with a loud printed top. Come to think of it, save for the shoes, it's the exact same pairing I'm sporting on the beach right here. But office or beach, what's the difference?

Wearing prints with a different set of prints can be tricky, which is why it's best to pair them with something in a plain and solid color. But then what's left to enjoy of summer when the majority of beach and swimwear come in prints of all colors and patterns? For one, you can choose a bright-colored top with printed swim shorts so both pieces stand out without clashing. Go for neon if you may. Conversely, if your top is quite busy, tone it down with something solid but in a color that still stands out, like I did before with an Aztec print tank top and plain green swim shorts .

Long sleeves? In the heat of summer? And on the beach at that? Why not? Whether your intention is to cover yourself up because you simply abhor the sun (but ironically want to be on the beach) or because you just want to for whatever it's worth, the key is to wear a shirt in a breathable, lightweight fabric. In my case I picked linen, which is as summer as it can get. You can also opt for something sheer if you want. Leave your flannels and all those heavy fabrics at home.

I've been down for a week and have just been discharged from the hospital yesterday. Bummer, I know, but life goes on. As I'm psyching myself up for my return to work tomorrow, I'm trying to have nothing but good vibes. I'm even thinking of when I can make another trip to the beach while it's still summer (*wink wink*).

Perfect framing, right? No, not me. The cat! Found it yet? I thought I only get photo-bombed by cats at home. But of course they're all alike, so even on vacation, there's always some furball who wants to get in the frame. I should've known better.

First trip to the beach this year and my happiness cannot be contained. What to wear may be a perennial concern but instead of buying more new stuff, I rummaged through my closet to see what I can find. So, good boy!

Because I brought almost nothing but tank tops for our little summer trip, what else would I wear to an island-hopping adventure but a tank top! I think I scored enough additional cash as a pedicab driver to afford such a trip.

A day after hitting the beach with a neon tee , we opted for our hotel's small rooftop pool this time. I wore one of my recent Speedo purchases (where I really had to restrain myself because I was loving the pieces at their store). It's part of their vintage-inspired line that evoke styles from the bygone era of the 60s and 70s if I'm not mistaken.

So last week there was this marketing contraption of an event called #laboracay2014 where of course everyone was expected on the tiny island of Boracay. The mere thought of beach and party-goers coming in in hordes is enough to drive me away. I've long graduated from that stuff and I can no longer stand such a crowd. Signs of ageing, if you may.

With summer starting to heat up this part of the globe, all I can think of is the beach. Well, and what to wear to the beach. I've been searching for new stuff at a safe distance--that is from my computer--and found a few good swim shorts from Philippine brands . I also started checking out some foreign brands that have stores here and now I'm excited even more. Here are a few of the pieces I found: Zara I've always loved this Spanish brand and it did not disappoint in the swimwear department with checks, tie prints, and paisley. Though still limited for now, the pieces are perfectly short, allowing the wearer to show some thigh for a sexier look. At Php 1,595, I think it's a pretty good deal already. Checked swimming shorts, Zara.

Cold spell now over and temperatures are slowly rising. The advent of summer is at hand! And whenever I hear summer, there's only one thing that comes to my mind--the beach. I still have no concrete plans whatsoever but I took to Facebook to check what some of our local brands have in store for the season, particularly where swim shorts are concerned. Unfortunately, not all of them have photos of their collections but I found bits and pieces from their posts on the social media site. So far I'm liking what I see and I'm sharing these with you (although now I have to beat everyone to their stores). Penshoppe The flagship brand of Golden ABC posted a photo of a bunch of swim shorts, all of which come in different striped designs. There's no photo of them worn by anyone but by the looks of it, the length sits just fine with me. I want my swim shorts short, so I'm glad these ones aren't droopy.

After a very relaxing Balinese massage at our villa, we checked out Jimbaran Beach where people troop to catch the sunset while enjoying fresh seafood along the sandy shoreline. We did just that and had a great time. I wore these teal shorts that I paired with a multicolored stripe tee, which were perfect for the beach in my opinion. And yes, I did load up the color factor since my sunnies were bright yellow. However, I must argue that this outfit isn't really loud at all.

My Bibe and I took to the beach over the weekend just to unwind for my birthday. We went to Laiya in San Juan, Batangas, to the exact same spot we've been to almost seven years ago, only now it's a different resort. It was overcast for the most part although there were few brief moments of sun. At least it didn't really rain. Being at the beach, I was clad in shorts the whole time, mostly brightly-colored ones. On the three-hour drive going there (that stretched to four because of a pit stop), I wore an electric blue number that I paired with a printed gray tee to balance out the loudness.

Last year I posted about Portuguese brand Impetus and its 2012 Beachwear Collection, which I liked a lot. So I looked up what they have in store this year and was a tad underwhelmed. Last year's collection was just wow while this year had me thinking about boxer shorts. Maybe it's just me but a lot of their pieces this year look like boxers to me more than swim shorts. To be fair, I still love that they're cut short, way above the knee. This one I kinda like although it may resemble gym shorts if you really look at it.

We just came home from a quick holiday in Misibis Bay in the Bicol region. There were lots of things to do at the resort but then I also just wanted to sleep. That said, our two-night stay just wasn't enough. Oh well, here's a quick outfit post from our trip. Day 1 I was so brown for our flight. Yes, the brown-and-white striped espadrilles literally matched my brown printed tee and khaki shorts but I picked it because I didn't want to bring any other footwear. I wanted something that would go along with just about anything I put on. What I intended to wear on our trip going there would have to be the same shoes I will wear going home.