halfwhiteboy

Nothing much going on here actually. Just a mock turtleneck , a plaid blazer, dark blue cropped pants , purple socks, and black lace-ups. Top it all off with a lot of attitude and of course, have fun!☺

From afar it doesn't look like I'm wearing plaid pants . That the patterns come in dark shades lend it a certain level of subtlety. This is a good way for those who want to try wearing patterned pants but aren't quite comfortable yet with color. It also makes finding the right top to go with it fairly easy. While I went the safe route here with a black pullover, I once wore the same plaid pants with a boldly patterned oversize sweater . The understated colors of the pants made it really easy.

Looking deceptively spiffy, aren't we? I've always been doing this: I show up to work in a pullover and some pants . It's as plain and casual as it can get but you can argue that it's comfy and non-restrictive. Besides, it's still pretty much office-appropriate.

I love plaid , which is obvious since I own plaid shirts, plaid pants, and plaid blazers . I think it's because the pattern alone already speaks volumes, more so if it's a full-on suit or some other matching clothing set. This affords you ease in putting an outfit together because you only need to find something in a plain and solid color that matches or complements your plaid piece.

It's peculiar enough that summer hasn't seem to arrive just yet. Holy Week has come and gone and it's been the "coldest" that I've experienced so far. Cold here, of course, is relative because we're a tropical country. Not that I'm complaining (because who wants to be dripping in sweat all the time?) but by this time of year we should already be suffering from temperatures of 30+ degrees. But no. Thankfully.

Yes, it's another plaid shirt , something I'm easily drawn to. This one comes in a woven fabric , however. I like that it's a tad thick and for some reason it gives me the cowboy feels. Quite surprisingly, too, this one's a small (I'm usually a medium). I think it's the American sizing.

Flannel shirts have a special place during the colder months. They're warm and comfy, and their usually plaid patterns allow for versatility in terms of putting together an outfit.

Invading Andy's room (of Toy Story). Red and green, ugly Christmas sweaters   (which I find cute actually)--now let's add plaid into the mix of holiday outfits, shall we?

A plaid, or checkered shirt  is always fun to wear. It hardly ever needs any styling because it already is your outfit's statement piece (although of course you can always insist on styling it). Oftentimes I simply pair one with the right pants and I'm good to go.

Summoning the power of the elements? I'm supposed to be a kid of the 80s but I don't know why I relate more to the 90s , be it TV, movies, or music. I wasn't much of a fashion follower then but I, too, have worn all sorts of loose clothing like everyone else that, looking back, makes me cringe. Ironically, however, my outfit here is just so 90s.

Photo by AP. Oh, THAT shirt. Checkered, plaid, or whatever it is that you call it, has been observed as a favorite of new Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, so much so that it's been dubbed by some as the " Duterte shirt ." It's also often unfairly called your dad's or granfather's shirt, dismissed outright as something totally unfashionable. However, we can always put a fresh spin to this much-maligned checkered shirt. Of course having the right fit already addresses much of the problem while styling takes care of the rest. I went through some of my look book posts from the last 5 years and hopefully offer some inspiration on how to wear your "Duterte shirt" with pride. Wear it with jogger-style pants . Given the fact that joggers and pants patterned after joggers are everywhere right now, I'm sure there's something out there that can complement your checkered shirt perfectly. Here I experimented with a red and olive combo witho...

Doing Duterte's fist sign that was a hallmark of his campaign. Call this my tribute of sorts to our new president, Rodrigo R. Duterte , who was officially sworn into office today at exactly 12 noon in accordance with the Constitution. I may not agree with him on a lot of things but, like it or not, he is our president. I'm only hoping that God or the powers that be guide him as he leads the country toward realizing that genuine change he has promised during his campaign. Much has been said about Duterte's fashion sense, or lack thereof. He definitely is no Trudeau in terms of style and he couldn't care less about how he looks. He is often seen wearing slightly baggy pants and of course, his trademark short-sleeved checkered shirt , which I'm totally embracing today. Yeah, you can call it plaid or whatever but in this part of the world, it's also fondly called the " Duterte shirt " by some.

Another long overdue post but I felt like pushing through with it still because I'm personally just loving the burst of color in my outfit here. This was taken in the heat of our Halloween preparations where we were decking up our office space with a Shark Tale Halloween theme . I was spray-painting some newspaper here that would be made into corals.

Forgive me for the corny title; I was suddenly thinking of pad thai . Anyway, after ogling over some really nice neckties and bow ties yesterday, I promised I would wear a tie today. Now that I've made good with that promise, I hope I could sustain this thing and not slip back into my uniform of pullovers, which I often refer to as " tamad (lazy) outfits."

My birth month's almost over but I'm glad to have some "new old clothes." They're basically old clothes I've set aside to be given away because they don't fit me anymore. However, as I was sorting a pile yesterday, I discovered some of them fit me again--much to my delight, of course, that I had to reconsider giving away all of them. I kept a few, including the pants I'm wearing today. It was like having a bunch of new clothes, only they're really old ones.

When people at the office first saw me this morning, they were all wondering why I looked so "formal" on a Friday (in our office culture, a long-sleeved shirt is already considered formal). These were the people who only saw half of me and were so easily deceived. Well, their sense of wonderment instantly vanished when they saw the full getup.

Last few days of August. After those periods of persistent rain, it was nice to see the sun come out and lord over the skies throughout the day. So I felt like going for blooms. But to avoid going matchy-matchy with shades of brown, I incorporated some color. The belt is a pinkish hue while the socks are reddish, just enough to stand up against the onslaught of brown (and khaki) all over.

Pink and brown is a tried-and-tested combination, so my pink shirt goes perfectly well with brown pants. But a shirt with french cuffs and plaid shoes?

I'm not normally comfortable straying too far from the usual color combinations out there. In the case of my outfit today, I would have gone with either blue, black or gray pants with this plaid jacket, as I have several times over. Or if I'm to anchor everything else on the brownish-olive pants, then this jacket would immediately be out. I'd probably have something in brown or black with it.

After watching Chris Mann rock a plaid tie in the blind auditions of The Voice ( see here ), I remember having one myself and thought of wearing it. It's been weeks now and finally, I'm wearing it today. Because the tie, being plaid, is already prominent, I kept everything else simple and solid with a plain white shirt and gray pants. I also went for a slightly relaxed look by keeping my shirt's collar unbuttoned, adjusting the tie in the process because I didn't want it to extend way below my belt line.