Hello, my lovelies!
I had been so fortunate to stay in the Philippines for a few months this past summer, and I was inspired by the gorgeous prints and summer trends there! It’s quite amazing to see how fashion varies from all over the world, and I’m excited to share some of the styles I created from Asia. One of the clothing items I adored while traveling in the Philippines were dusters.
Dusters are loose, flowy dresses that are commonly worn around the house. I really love how dusters come in a variety of colors and bold print! The hot, tropical weather makes dusters more suitable (and preferable) for Filipinas to wear around the house than a shirt and a pair of pants. However, many locals frown upon ladies wearing dusters in public since it’s considered a “cheap” look. In fact, many connote dusters for housemaids since they wear them for their job. Despite the stigma for dusters, I bought a ton of them knowing that I would wear them when I returned back home.
I instantly loved this particular duster when I first saw it because of the U-shaped hemline. The lack of structure creates a “shift dress” look, and the floral print is so intricate that it even reminded me of the print dresses from Lilly Pulitzer. For an elevated look, I paired the duster with a statement necklace and gladiator sandals. It was refreshing to see how silver, metallic pieces complimented nicely with the black and beige colored print. Lastly, I decided to wear a messy crown braid for a bohemian style look.
I can not even begin to tell you how many compliments I got from this outfit. The first time I wore this look, I was quickly walking through Nordstrom to get into a mall parking lot. Three ladies came up to me and asked me where I bought the dress. I told them I bought it in Asia, but I probably should’ve mentioned that it was only worth 150 pesos ($3.22 USD) and that this dress makes people in the Philippines think you do housecleaning. But, I’ll keep that secret between you and me.
