There’s no shortage of style ideas in the Internet but finding inspiration that hits closer to home is a tricky matter. If you’re looking for style tips on locally available fashion, the personal style diaries of these seven Filipino girls will help you step out of your comfort zone, inform you about current trends, and even teach you a thing or two about snagging great deals at ukay-ukay.

Denise Katipunera (Denise)

Denise claims that there is nothing original about her, but a quick look at her photos is enough to disprove this statement. This wardrobe blogger has the prettiest ukay dresses around and can get away with wearing layers and scarves in our tropical climate. Aside from her perfectly-composed outfit photos, her sunny personality and positive attitude towards life makes her blog a delight to read.

Fashionista Fortune Cookie (Lloyda)

A girl like Lloyda is difficult to miss. Her outfits are playful yet polished, fashion-forward but not contrived. Every single outfit she wears leaves not only a lasting imprint of her style, but also a refreshing playfulness so rarely found in adults. It’s no wonder that she snagged one of Preview Magazine’s Best Dressed Awards this year, a spot in a style book, and numerous snaps at Style Bible. Her blog is a real inspiration for anyone who’s not quite ready to ditch their quirky duds for more “grown-up” attire.

Chic in the Tropics (Eden)

Black is often the safe, go-to color for those who are afraid to experiment with their wardrobe, but Eden brings back the edge and excitement to black clothing once more. This young disc jockey can be found partying in the streets of Cebu wearing statement pieces, trendy neutrals, and gravity-defying heels. Check out her blog for some real rocker-chick fashion and for ideas on new ways to wear black.

The Capricious Club (Bestie)

“Capricious” – an old-fashioned word for fanciful, whimsy, or erratic – is truly the perfect adjective to describe Bestie’s sense of style. There’s nothing predictable about her; on some days you’ll find her frolicking in a field in a maxidress like the hippies of old, on other days she waxes nostalgia in frilly blouses and bows. Follow her blog for ideas on how to translate vintage-inspired fashion and current trends into real life.

Death by Platforms (Kookie)

Most girls would pair lace and florals with girly accessories, but not Kookie of Death by Platforms – she wears her frilly dresses with layered black necklaces and lots of attitude. And of course, black platform heels! Her sense of style is a unique blend between classic femininity and gothic romanticism. If you’re adventurous enough to make unlikely pairings, check out Kookie’s blog for more photos of her edgy fashion sense.

A Plus B in the Sea (A and B)

We all want to stay abreast of current trends, but what if you’re on a limited student budget? Meet A and B, two spirited girls who can show you how to look good without spending a lot. They’ve got a useful guide on navigating Manila’s thrift stores, not to mention an abundance of dreamy photos that will make you want to frolic in the nearest field in lovely floral dresses.

Drowning Equilibriums (Aisa)

It’s easy to see why Chictopia Style Icon Aisa keeps getting featured on other fashion blogs – she can mix and match items from different eras with such effortlessness and grace. Although her preference for vintage-inspired fashion clearly shows, every new photo she posts is always exciting and inspired. She’s giving away tons of goodies from local online retailers soon, so if there has ever been a good time to follow her, it’s now!

Source: Seven stylish Filipina bloggers

Rossana Ladaga Llenado is a successful Filipina entrepreneur. She is the brains and force behind one of the country’s most successful review and learning centers, AHEAD Tutorial and Review Center.

Looking at Rossana now, you would not believe she hails from very simple beginnings. Her own father did not finish formal schooling, making it all the more ironic that she has become one of the country’s top proponents for quality education. However, it is precisely because of her humble beginnings that have made Rossana value education and hard work all the more.

It is a miracle in itself that she was able to obtain a college education form UP Los Banos given her poor background. Her family was so poor, she couldn’t afford to buy her own textbooks, so she spent her time in the library studying.

A product of the public school system in the Laguna area, it was only through the financial aid and the help of an uncle that Rossana was able to get a Degree at UP Los Banos. Early on, she knew that to get ahead, she had to take matters into her own hands. She supplemented her allowance and helped her parents out by selling whatever she could. From mangoes, to polvoron, rubber bands and toys, Rossana did what she could to survive. She scheduled her classes so that it left her ample time to take on odd jobs. On top of her busy school and work schedule, she still had to do her share of household chores such as laundry and cleaning to help her parents. She also remained well rounded by joining several extra curricular activities and even playing for her college soccer team.

After graduation, Rossana worked in different fields, including real estate. In her twenties, she got married and later became a mother. It was a tough balancing act being a working mom, wife and so she decided to start her own business so she could stay at home to raise her two children back then.

In 1995, she started AHEAD with only P5000. She tutored students from her rented living room apartment in Pasig and only had her other friends who were Magna and Summa cum Laude graduates as other tutors. Rossana set her business apart from other review centers by focusing on preparing the students for the UPCAT. She later expanded to focused exam based reviews for the Ateneo Entrance Exam, as well as the De La Salle Entrance Exam.

The high passing and acceptance rate of her review center graduates made her a widely popular choice for senior students seeking the competitive edge. Three years after founding the review center, she put up Ahead Books and Things, with the publication of the industry’s first UPCAT review book. Within five years, AHEAD was established as the country’s premiere tutorial and review center. She also established AHEAD Professional Network.

Only in her early forties, Rossana has already achieved more that most people twice her age. It is a remarkable feat and a testament to this lady’s tenacity that she has overcome the odds to become one of the most successful businesswomen in the country today, all the while raising four children.

Rossana’s achievements have been met with several awards and accolades, including the Gold Quill for Marketing from the International Association of Business Communicators; Agora for Outstanding Achievement in Entrepreneurship from the Philippine Marketing Association; Aurelio Periquet Jr. Leadership Award; Ilaw ng Karunungn award from Philam Life; and the “Outstanding Educational Administrator” by the Consumers Union of the Philippines. She has also been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine and Mom Magazine, and is constantly being invited as a guest speaker to provide inspiration for the next generation.

One of the things that makes Rossana’s success story unique, is that instead of looking outside the country for opportunities for success, she turned inward and sought how she could help her country and herself. Instead of migrating, she found a need in the country, met it and raised the standards of expectation. She revolutionized the way tutorial centers are viewed, by making it a necessary supplemental aspect in a child’s education rather than where only lazy and underachievers go to. She raised the quality and standardized review centers.

This Renaissance woman is a shinning example of how far the competitive human spirit and unwavering focus and determination can take someone from the bottom rungs of socio economic poverty, to the very pinnacle of success. Even at the top, Rossana still wants to do more. She is currently taking up her Masters Degree in Educational Administration in Ateneo. She is also working on establishing a foundation to provide training to school principals. She is constantly thinking of businesses and projects that will benefit the Filipino community.

Without a doubt, success will meet this lady, whatever dreams she sets for herself.

During the Spanish Colonial Era, settlers from the peninsula were mixed with the indigenous inhabitants of the Philippine Islands, giving a mixture between Spanish, Malay and Chinese people. From that union it came up beautiful women who were recognized throughout the Asian continent by their clothing and Western customs. They were called The Spanish Ladies-Señoritas.

Only in San Francisco — and my heart skips a beat whenever I hear about a social cause a San Francisco Bay Area resident is advocating for. Take Edna Flores and her “bike for a cause” commitment every year, for example. Edna is one young Filipina American professional whose athletic activities always take my breath away. I met her a few years ago at a Filipina Women’s Network event so we promised to stay in touch. Whenever I received her email every year about her fundraising causes, it somehow stuck, you know. Just like they say in advertising, “top-of-mind.”

This time, I asked Edna who authored her fundraising letter. In my work as a messaging specialist, I understand the value of my emotional response to the spoken and written word. This time, what caught my attention was the subject of the email: RED DRESS.

Edna replied, “I totally wrote this letter as a fundraising appeal for AIDS/LifeCycle. I give you permission to reprint it.”

Let’s learn a thing or two from this remarkable Filipina woman of substance.

From: Edna Flores
Date: Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 11:35 PM
Subject: Red dress
To: Lorna Dietz

Dear Lorna,

Fifty two more days from now, I will be taking off with my fiance Rich and thousands of other friends on a seven day, 575 mile journey towards Los Angeles from San Francisco. We will be using our strength and legpower to get there. Along the way, we will encounter communities who may have minimal services for fighting the AIDS pandemic. We will make lifetime friends with those whom we just met. We will be a community of cyclists making a stand against HIV and AIDS.

Some of you may or may not know that I made a little bet with Rich at the beginning of the year. I told him that if I raised $5,000, he would have to wear a red dress on Red Dress Day. Some of you may wonder and scratch your heads in thinking, “What is Red Dress Day?” and “Why would Edna want to make Rich wear a red dress?”

Red Dress Day occurs on Day 5 of AIDS/ LifeCycle. People either wear red as Rich has done in the past or wear a red dress. I think the original intent was Dress in Red Day but it has turned into Red Dress Day. A lot of people go out of their way in finding a sexy or pretty or sometimes frumpy red dress to wear as they pedal their way down California. If one were to take an aerial photograph, it would look like a long AIDS ribbon winding down the state. Usually the straight men would not even think of wearing a red dress their first year of riding. By the second year, they are in on the fun of wearing a red dress. For the past two rides, Rich has been reluctant to wear a red dress but he is willing to do it if I am to make my fundraising goal.

I am a little under $1,000 of making the minimum $3,000 I need to particpate in this ride. Please consider giving whatever amount you can. No donation is too small or too large. Feel free to pass this along to your friends and loved ones as well. I promise to have a photograph of Rich in his red dress (which I already have in my hot little hands) to show for my fundraising efforts.

Thank you so much in helping me support the San Francisco AIDS Foundation in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Your generosity gives critical help to those who need it in preventing the spread of HIV and those who are affected by HIV and AIDS.

All you need to do to help me out is to click on the link below and give what you can.

Again, thank you.
Click here to visit my personal page.

If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:
http://www.tofighthiv.org/site/TR/AIDSLIFECYCLE9/AIDSLifeCycleCenter?px=1168574&pg=personal&fr_id=1210&et=pUXnjR3U11z6kezkqtOs9g..&s_tafId=21160

If you no longer wish to receive email messages sent from your friends on behalf of this organization, please click here or paste this URL into your browser: http://www.tofighthiv.org/site/TellFriendOpt?action=optout&toe=233a77653886a6701bda817bc2a6a89a1ccd4c50a5c00593