Name: Pauline Intia (Pauu)
Age: 19
Occupation: N/A (Nursing Student)

1. What Age did you start being so fond to fashion?
18

2. Do you follow a certain trend?
I prefer having my own style but most of the time, I really do check out fashion blogs for new trends and inspirations.

3. What are your standards on buying clothes?
First, if the price is right and within the range of my budget. Best ones matter if you can “purchase” it or not. Second, if it’s not the clothes that every girl in the metro owns because I want unique pieces. Third, if the material used for the clothing and its quality is worth my money. Last, if the clothing not only “looks good” but also “looks good on me”. And with that, I’ll give time to try it on, walk, sit, bend and ask questions such as “Do I move with it easily? Are the seams pulling? Do zippers, buttons, etc. all function properly?” If all are met, nothing beats the feeling of having good buys!

4. Is brand name important on the dress or clothes you wear?
Not at all because whenever shopping vibes call, especially if I’m on a budget and I’m not sure what style and colors I like, a good department store, boutiques and bazaars are less overwhelming and more helpful for me - shopping isn’t just about purchasing the branded ones, but about trying different things on and figuring out what works best. Though I really do take advantage of “SALE” periods of branded clothes.

5. What can you say about the latest fashion trend in the Philippines?
The lastest fashion trend in the Philippines are highly influenced by fashion bloggers. They blog about fashion, clothing and accessories and also include runway trends, celebrity fashion and street style from all over the metro and the world. They introduce new designer’s collection worldwide and they also popularize shops and boutiques where you can purchase such. Filipinos can have a quick view of fashion from all over the world because of social networking websites such as Lookbook and Chictopia and a lot more which means that it’s an interactive form of communication than traditional glossy magazines, reviews of collections and runway shows. I believe that the latest fashion trend came from the styles from couple of years ago but since diversity matters, they’re products of revised and modernized styles. Vintage and classy styles are never outdated.

6. What do you look for a semi formal dress?
For me, those are dresses wherein I won’t look too old but mature enough to look elegant. I want dresses that are simple, with not much of designs such as sequins and unnecessary stitches or prints. Simple dresses make it easy for me to make it look edgy by wearing avant-garde accessories and shoes. 

7. Do you consider yourself “Fashionista”?
Fashionistas are followers of the fashion industry, they design/style and not just promote but create the latest trend. I really do love dressing up and taking photos of my outfits and post them on my blog and I’ve been having feedbacks from readers and they label me as that. Well whatever that may be, fashion for me is about ourselves and how we develop our own style.

8. What is your next fashion forward move? 
SHOP & WEAR & BLOG! I would take notes on the looks I like from fashion blogs and online magazines and when it’s time to shop, I would reconstruct the looks piece by piece and eliminate pieces that wouldn’t work for me. I will definitely figure out what to spend and what to save on.

9. Any advice you want to share to those people wanting to be involved in fashion?
Take it easy and slowly step out of your comfort zone, experiment, explore and discover. 

10. Are you willing to buy a modern/ in style semi formal dress worth P 1,500-P 5,000?
If I want to be the best and become the center of attention, I would definitely grab dresses worth of that or even more. There are events that are once in a lifetime especially all eyes will be on me, it would definitely be awesome to show what I paid for. BUT, yes there’s a but- Practically speaking, since I don’t work for my own allowance yet, attending to an event with that dress (though dresses worth 2k and below is okay, but no way to 5k) would be really off the hook. There are several places where I can purchase my semi formal dress cheaply without sacrificing quality and style. In fact, some of these are designer dresses, and are actually of a higher quality than other substantially more expensive items found in the average fashion store. I can look for discount stores for items on sale and even style my own dress and make it possible. I believe that I can look stunning and in style without even spending way too much. It’s not only seen in the dress though, I still have accessories and shoes to bring it all up –and it’s all in the way how I would wear and carry it around.