halfwhiteboy

In the world of fragrances from fast fashion brands, Zara seems to be getting all the love—and for good reason. For one, I personally love Rich / Warm / Addictive from their Tobacco Collection , and I know many more swear by their multitude of offerings. Now how does rival H&M fare in this league? I tried all 5 fragrances from the Swedish brand's The Essences range , 1 of 3 groups of fragrances in a larger collection of 25. All 5 are available in EDP and perfume oil formats, and were created by Oliver Pescheux, the same nose behind Paco Rabanne 1 Million , Herod by Parfums de Marly , Tempo by Diptyque , and many more.

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.

My mind is on some beach right now and I thought of looking up some swim shorts. It frustrates me that in spite of all those rumors before, Swedish retail giant H&M still hasn't opened up a store here in the Philippines. It's frustrating for me because their new 2013 swim shorts are just so nice, cut short the way I like it. And of course, with prices that start at just $ 9.95, they're fairly affordable. This one's my favorite, even if it wouldn't be flattering on my pudgy body. Also available in black. ($17.95)

It's really frustrating that we still don't have H&M in the Philippines despite several rumors before (at least Uniqlo's opening in June). And seeing their new swimwear collection only makes me pine for the Swedish brand even more. I especially love the swim shorts here. They're of the perfect length for me although they also have longer ones like board shorts. If H&M were open here right now, I'd instantly break my promise not to buy any beach-related items this summer. The shorts are short enough for me, and the tank top is just awesome.

I don't know if it's just me but it seems that there's much less noise about H&M's latest designer collaboration with Marni than its last one with Versace. It's gonna be out in select H&M stores starting on March 8. So what do they look like? Here's a sampling of their campaign and a couple more from their lookbook. I love the shirts, even if the two above are plain. There's just something about the colors that I like here. Unfortunately the men's pieces are more restrained than the ladies's. There's much less prints here, which I was expecting a lot of given that it's Marni. Now here are a few from their lookbook:

February 2 will see pieces from David Beckham's Bodywear collaboration with H&M finally hit stores. It's already long been announced last year and the wait is almost over. Beckham, of course, is modeling his own creations. It's a given. After all, he did model for Armani underwear with wife Victoria for a time.