When I was younger, I’ve had the opportunity to be part of a bridal entourage three times. The first dress I wore–sometime in the mid to late nineties–was a poufy cream dress. I barely remember the details but I do remember feeling swathed in heavy starched fabric. My second bridesmaid gig was at my eldest brother’s wedding. The dress was a lemon yellow English rose-inspired number: big skirt and brimmed hat worn with white tights and shoes. At that time, it seemed fun to wear but looking back, it now seems fairly costume-y. Next, was at my 2nd eldest brother’s wedding. It was a wine ball gown and corset, which I found uncomfortable because the big day coincided with the first day of my period. Apparently, bloating and a hearty buffet don’t mix.

What was common to most if not all of the weddings I’ve participated in as well as a large number of celebrations I’ve seen in magazines is bridesmaid dresses are usually matched up. When I was younger, I used to think that this should be the norm but as I got older and became more experimental with fashion, I realized that bridal wear for the entourage shouldn’t follow the cookie-cutter aesthetic.

At Carrie's wedding in Sex and the City, her bridesmaids wore elegant frocks in different colors. The unifying motif were ruffles at the hem, straps or down the middle.

I will finally get a chance to try this approach for my own wedding, which will take place on December 18, 2011. Although I am still a year and 4 months away (as my “The Knot” account reminded me the last time I checked my email), my friends and I have started experimenting with a potential bridesmaid look following my color scheme of lemon yellow, apple green and tangerine.

My maid of honor and best friend, Cha, helped me pick out some initial dresses in various cuts, textures and silhouettes: one shoulder, spaghetti strapped, electric-pleated. You see, our plan is to buy dresses off the rack and I find that this seems much more fun because we get to try a ready-made frock on the spot. Even my own bridal gown will be a recycled white dress that I once wore to another wedding. The truth is,  more often than not, you will find a dress that will fit you well even if it’s not custom measured. Let me stress that this is most of the time and I do know that there are girls who always require a dress to be custom made to fit their unique curves.  For store-bought pieces at the very least, slight alterations may be required.

These are some of the looks we chose and put together; as well as some tips for shopping off-the-rack for bridesmaids dresses:

1. Decide on a color palette and style pegs. Since, I want to showcase different dress styles, I decided that the uniting factor fr my entourage’s look would be the color. I’ve always liked the happy combination of citrus colors so I thought of combinations like mint/lavender/yellow, red/lime green/acid yellow, and yellow/apple green/orange.

Maid of honor, Cha, holds up two bridesmaid dress options: a tangerine maxi dress and a pleated mini dress with floral embroidery.

I decided on the last color scheme. I find that it’s easier when you don’t overthink the colors and to do that all you have to do is list about the shades, textures and silhouettes that naturally appeal to you. 

Based on our chosen color scheme, we chose various sheaths in metallic lime, peach, a deeper salmon and a muted green.

As for the style, I know that some brides would still prefer a unified look for her friends and yes, there are other ways to do this such as maintaining one color and having different cuts, having one silhouette in different colors, etc.To get started, I recommend looking photos from runway collections instead of wedding magazines–yes, consider the regular collections, aside from purely bridal sets–and observe the running theme, noting key looks, textures and colors and use this as inspiration for entourage ideas. 

In my opinion, the runway provides better inspiration than bridal magazines, for entourage fashion. Look at pictures of designers whose styles you like, such as Rodarte (above), which is a personal favorite of mine for its deconstructed yet ethereal qualities and use of color, such as the orange, gold and taupe shown here.

2. Pick a store that you have a good relationship with. The sales ladies will be happy to help you pick out dresses and inform you of upcoming arrivals. Just let them know your color palette as well as your budget per item (take note that budget should be dictated by the party who is footing the bill for attire). Secondly, they will be less likely to be annoyed by having a large group of girls in their dressing room, trying out gown after gown. Hence, inform the store manager beforehand that you will be have a fitting. 

My friends help each other get dressed during our initial fitting.

Next, visit the store with your maid of honor, mom or fiancee (if he’s the rare type who enjoys shopping with you) and pick out initial dress candidates. This will help you save on time by having everything ready when your friends fit these pieces.

3. Find out which styles flatter and which sizes fit your bridesmaids. Your friends have different body types, skin tones and heights. Respect that. Allow them to try all the dresses you’ve chosen, see how it looks on them (take lots of pictures) and take note of their sizes. 

Cha tries on a retro-style a-line dress with tie at back. It reminded us of Jenny (Carey Mulligan) from "An Education."

Pink is not part of our palette, but my friends couldn't help but try this sweet shimmery number.

If someone isn’t happy with an outfit, don’t force it. Ask them what cuts they prefer. There will be more appropriate styles in coming seasons.  That said, it’s best to start early when dress shopping. You may also begin purchasing one by one. The best part is a great dress can also serve as a token for your bridesmaid, which she can wear again for later occasions. 

There's no such thing as one size fits all. I don't believe in treating bridesmaid dresses as uniforms because every girl's body type is different and that should be respected.

4. Break the bridal fashion rules. Yes, it’s okay to pair that ruffled dusty rose strapless with the taupe pleated gown, or even a pink and green floral print with a fuchsia solid. 

When paired together, my friends and I loved that despite the different textures, cuts and colors, our initial outfit choices looked great together as though it were straight out of a runway--just the way we like it.

5. Finally, have fun! Preparing the dresses for your bridal entourage shouldn’t be a chore. My friends and I definitely enjoyed trying on the dresses and it got us excited about how we would actually look, walking down the aisle. After all, amidst the stresses that come with wedding planning, some things–like fashion–should remain absolute fun. 

When there is the luxury of time to prepare (for one my engagement is 3 years long, although we're now down to a year and 4 months) shopping for bridesmaid dresses can be less of a hassle and more fun!

 Read more about my ideas and thoughts on planning a wedding and getting married, at my other blog, By the Book Wedding (http://bythebookwedding.wordpress.com)

Donning menswear-inspired pieces with a sexy edge.

Glance talks to makeup artist, Mich Lim, 27 and asks her about her personal style and beauty must-haves! 

 As a make-up artist, what’s your daily work uniform?

 Flats!! (ballet flats & sandals)  paired mini dresses or dressy top & shorts.

Girlie and grungy: Mich pairs classic white Doc Martens with patterned tights, a frilly skirt and cropped sweater.

What are your must-have make-up items?

My basic daily look would be: tinted moisturizer  set with loose powder, cheek stain,  eye liner, eyelash curler, mascara,  eyebrow pencil, lipgloss!

Mich adds a pop of color to her all-black ensemble with acid yellow flats.

What are your favorite fashion pieces?

Is makeup considered a fashion piece? I believe the look is never complete without the right makeup & hair.

If not,  Shoes! Retail Therapy= shoe shopping! I love heels as much as the next girl! tho as I’ve gotten older my tolerance for it have really declined.. I’m slowing leaning towards comfort over style these days.

Paring an oversized graphic tee with a tailored jacket.

When you’re not working, what do you like to wear?

Dresses, skirts with heels

Favorite shops / designers / clothing and make-up brands?

Im quite happy with Topshop and Zara items, occasionally paired with interesting vintage pieces.

MAC with their always-changing edgy collection never fails to make my heart skip a beat when I pass their window! Guerlain terracotta line for endlessly- bronzed summer.

There's something 60s mod about this all-white ensemble.

For more information of Mich Lim’s makeup services, visit her website at www.michlim.net.

Mich also has an online store that features one-of-a-kind vintage pieces, Killer Queen Fashion, which resulted from her and her friends’ love of ukay-shopping and doing self-produced fashion shoots–truly DIY!

Mich's online store, Killer Queen Fashion (killerqueenfashion.multiply.com) is a reflection of her vintage-inspired style.

While doing my usual red-soled daydreaming on net-a-porter.com, one of my favorite virtual window shopping destinations, I stumbled upon the hottest Barbie doll ever! Clad in a safari suit with gold chains, the red-haired 11.5 inch tall doll stood fabulously in suede fringe over-the-knee boots in hot pink. In addition to the boots, she came with three extra pairs of Christian Louboutin shoes: pink strappy platforms, gold slinky heels and purple mary janes designed like one of the designer’s earliest styles.

Toys for the Big Girls: Nothing beats getting four pairs of Christian Louboutin heels plus a Barbie for $150.

The Christian Louboutin for Barbie series was first released on net-a-porter in December 2009 with a catsuit-clad doll that sold out faster than you can run in your 4-inch platforms.

The first Barbie Doll created in collaboration with Christian Louboutin sold out immediately on its first day on net-a-porter.com

They retail for $150 each and for the price of four pairs of shoes plus a Barbie doll (I guess we girls never outgrow them) cost way less than a single pair. In fact I even did a computation of how much the e mini versions (that come packaged with the catsuit Barbie) if we were to purchase their actual-sized, bank-breaking counterparts:

$5026 for the full-sized counterparts! One pair is pretty steep to begin. And at the $150 price point, deep-pocketed fashionistas can splurge on both sets and even throw in the latest addition to the collection: the newly-revealed Anemone Barbie, a fabulous red-carpet inspired doll in a metallic green and purple ensemble. Now any girl can get that Hollywood luxe look for less, even if it’s in smaller-than-real life proportions.

Anemone Barbie is a fiery redhead in a metallic green and purple evening gown.

Take two: A halter silhouette gives this batik-print dress (right) a modern edge.

At the root of it all, shopping bags have become a part of  Pinoy utilitarian style because of the following reasons:

1. We like to maximize our minimal resources.

They held our freshly-purchased items once, so why not use them again to hold other stuff? Nevermind if the neon pink bag clashes awfully with the orange shift since technically, we don’t treat paper bag bags as an accessory.

2. It is a symptom of our Third World practicality.

Again, and this is connected with #1, why buy a separate bag when we can use one of the many shopping bags we’ve accumulated over the months? Once a bag gets used to death, we simply toss it away and bring out a new disposable bag.

High and Low: try carrying a shopping bag in a color that will complement your purse or outfit.

On the other hand, bags have been given more artful and even haute couture appeal by both graphic and fashion designers. I first saw the Chanel Shopping bag purse (from the Spring 2009 collection) at a fashion show and wondered whether this was inspired by the utilitarian practicality of re-using shopping bags or if it is the luxe fashion world’s way of making something “cheap” look classy. Then again there’s nothing cheap about carrying an actual Chanel shopping bag holding your latest 2.55 lambskin purse-chase.

This Chanel "shopping bag" is anything but disposable until the next season's "It" bag comes along.

In recent years, the green movement spurred a trend in reusable, recyclable shopping bags, a viable alternative to the disposable plastic bags, which take long stretches of time to decompose and is mistaken by turtles for jellyfish. Designer Anya Hindmarch even made waves with her very popular “I’m Not a Plastic Bag” unbleached cotton totes which retailed for £5 and was sold out within a few hours of its  first day on the shelves, and like every other designer label item, was copied by the counterfeit market. 

The famous "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" tote by Anya Hindmarch.

However, what interests me more are these cleverly-designed bags, which I first saw in the book of Advertising blogosphere. Yes, apart from TV commercials and print ads, even packaging can now get accolades from the industry. Now these are the type of shopping bags I don’t mind using again and again!

This shopping bag is hot stuff.

This bag marries quirk with practicality.