Patrik Ervell

Patrik Ervell is, for me, one of the best new menswear designers around. He combines subdued palettes with mildly quirky proportions and excellent styling. The clip above is the featured animation on his website's landing page, which I think is breathtaking.

Staring at the page nonstop, I couldn't help wishing I were the guy there, wearing all those wonderful clothes.

My Summer in Shoes

Three pairs are unassuming. One said Pop!


Pure simplicity from Zara


The impossible to keep clean: Camel suede boots from 5CM


A bit of levity in the intense, serious election season: pink suede loafers from Kartel


Full circle: Pure simplicity from Zara

The New Old Reliable

Azuthai Restaurant in Pasay Road is barely two years old, but it already feels like an old reliable. The taste level and service--both excellent--had been largely invariable on each of my visits there. They say a good dining experience makes you want to do two things at once: to replicate it exactly and to share it immediately with people who are dear to you. I'm happy I got to do both recently with my friends Kate, whom I was with when I first tried the place; and GP, a good friend who has not been there.

Azuthai is a worthy addition to the family of restaurants that includes Milky Way (Filipino), Tsukiji (Japanese), Cirkulo (Spanish) , each of which is distinguished in its cuisine and is housed in the same building.

Come to think of it, the mayor, if he knows his food, should accord that building the privileges of a major landmark.


Shrimp Cake


Glass Noodle Salad


Duck Curry



Kale with Crispy Pork


Phad Thai


My excellent dinner companions

Consumerism, I Missed You

So this is what I was up to the past few months, volunteering for the Aquino presidential campaign. I didn't know it would take up so much of my life! But it's all worth it when you feel like you're fighting for your country's soul. It's so sweet when your candidate wins.

Now that it's over, I'm personally putting all talks of politics on hold. It's time to lighten up once again. Consumerism, I missed you! Music, art, books and clothes--you have my attention back.

Kings of Laidback

Thanks to upstart concert promoter Intercept! and indie label Kindassault, I had the pleasure of watching one of my favorite acts, the Kings of Convenience perform live last week. The guys were charming and funny, and most of all, they sounded terrific. Very close, in fact, to their recordings.

I went with only two important requests in my head, and while "Cayman Islands" came after just a few songs, I would go home not having heard "Homesick." But what do you know? They reserved that for the very last song of their encore. Thank you, guys.

Anyway, now that the two above entities are in existence, I kind of want to start a petition for them to bring in Phoenix. One can always dream.

UJ T-000

I have three more pairs of them skinny fit tapered T-000 jeans from Uniqlo, but I still don't think I have enough. I do really need more.

Bespoken Wonderful

If you don't know the label Bespoken yet, now is a great time to do so. Their A/W 2010 collection--which I'm completely posting below--is my favorite of the show season so far. The clothes have a perfect balance of nonchalance and thoughtful polish.

Meanwhile, here is what The New York Times's Eric Wilson, who celebrates the brand's price point here, tells us about the label's pedigree:

Bespoken was started by a group of young cool kids that includes the brothers Paulo and Carlos Gonçalves and the brothers Liam, James and Sam Fayed (whose family owns Harrods, Turnbull & Asser and the Hôtel Ritz in Paris, where they first showed their line in June, and lots of other fancy things). The Fayed brothers apprenticed with the English shirtmaker as teenagers, giving them a taste for fashion and an inspiration for the name of their collection.





































All photos from GQ.com

Quiet Time

I think this is minimalism done exactly right. Simple and sleek, its surprise is only seen sideways.

Best Instant Coffee Ever

I never thought it possible, so when I was given this packet of Starbucks Via, which promised to "taste like a freshly brewed cup of Starbucks coffee," I was sceptical at the very least.



Two sachets later, I am pleased to announce that the Starbucks Via delivers. It is aromatic, flavorful and full-bodied: everything I want my coffee to be.

Thanks to my friend Lai for making me try it. Now I wonder when Manila will have this.

Contra

Filled with charming, delightful and quirky songs, Contra proves Vampire Weekend's debut album was no fluke. What a promising start for music this 2010.

Here is the wonderful music video of "Cousins," the first single from Contra.

Qualities

New year, new Moleskines. This year I went with the 3-pack of simple brown paperback notebooks, so that my notes will be more organized.



I stuck this on the first page of each notebook to remind me of the qualities I want to strive for. (I found the phrase years ago in an essay in Adam Gopnik's wonderful book, Paris to the Moon.)

Happy New Year, and I'm Off!

Friends, I'm sending you my warm New Year's greetings a bit early. In a few hours, I'll be heading to chilly Hong Kong to welcome 2010 while browsing my favorite shops, and hopefully scoring some good finds.

I still haven't really contemplated the past year yet, but I'm thankful I'm still around, and I have friends and family to celebrate and commiserate with, when things are good or bad.

Meanwhile, I look forward to 2010 with promises of hope and change. I wish us all more celebrations, less challenges, and because this space is called 'Life in Receipts,' I have to wish us all more memorable purchases and a beautiful year in style.

Cheers,
Morx

A Topman Blazer

Blue slim-fit Topman blazer with white piping detail. I got it last October with Christmas as pretext. An early present to self, I said. The truth is, RTW jackets never fit me, and this one did.



This is me feeling dandy-ish.

The Festive Feeling

'Tis the season for fun, frivolous purchases. Mine are



A hat



And a plaid (or is it madras?) bow tie.



And this is me with both


Shirt, Ted Baker. Pants, Uniqlo. Shoes, Generic Surplus. Hat and bow tie, Topman.

Worn with the shirt, the tie almost disappears. I liked the effect.



This outfit made me want to go to a party exactly like that in the video of "Dancing in the Moonlight" by Toploader. The song and the super fun video will always be favorites of mine.