The Heteroheroine

The world unravelled to a spectrum through the eyes and lens of Kristine Garduque

[heteroheroine]

And While We Were Here

Sometimes you just need to let go of all your reservations and put on that dress you’ve been saving in the back of your closet.

There are a number of clothes that I proudly own but never seem to wear. Some of them just intimidate me. Is it too tight around my waist? Do the sleeves make me look too skinny? Am I pretty enough to pull this off?

 This dress arrived late summer and, deep breath, I remember thinking it was one of the most beautiful piece of clothing that I will ever have the privilege to own and so I tucked the fragile little thing ever so gingerly in that little corner of my closet amongst my other flimsy frocks making a mental note to save it for adequately important circumstances…and by that I meant, are any of my friends getting married soon?

As I’ve guessed we’re still all too busy teetering on the edge of the precipice and figuring out life so weeks passed and the dress hung ignored. And this is when I thought, it’s such a strange mentality we have. How we always tend to linger and wait for greater opportunities to move us to do greater things—perhaps because if we do so, during completely mundane situations, our efforts would baffle the people around us. Why waste such a special looking dress in an ordinary day? Or perhaps this is just an excuse and I’m just really lazy. Anyway I finally took the dress out. I wasn’t going to meet anyone or going to be presented as someone. I wasn’t going anywhere new. It was just too long a wait, I thought. (And I mean, what if the zombies come for me tomorrow?) Dear me, I may be watching too many sci-fi.

Nonetheless it was liberating. And with everything that’s been going on lately, I think…exhale… it was exactly what I have saved up for.

Dress c/o Sheinside

Photos by Bernesse

[heteroheroine]

Eleanor

Looking at photos from last summer coaxes up imaginary tongues of fire that make damp evenings cosy and bearable. It helps when you have a pot of jasmine tea within an arm’s reach too.

Sheinside Blue Criss Cross Backless Dress

Tonight I am trying to put up a fight against my heavy eyelids. It is definitely not helping that I am writing this in bed but on drizzly days like this I am suddenly much heavier and it would take some vigorous intervention to get me up on my feet and shuffle to a more rousing corner, i.e. the kitchen. I simply cannot afford such willpower right now especially knowing that we ran out of nutella this morning.

  But then why do I even bother? I think I am already in a state of almost unconsciousness; I have conjured up a dream just going through these photographs and remembering the warmer days back in May... when I can childishly twirl in open-back dresses, spend long hours on the porch with equally languid souls, and lie parallel to the sky when the night has fallen, humming tunes and just serenely tracing stars that would otherwise be invisible at this time of the year.

[heteroheroine]

Prelude

Finally woke up from my hibernation...

I'm back with a cleaner and bigger approach!

And if I thought codes were tough, writing is still tougher. It's been four months since I last published something on here but I wasn’t really inactive with my pen—though not exactly prolific with it either. During my blogging absence I have genuinely patronized and developed a relationship with Tumblr’s less exacting counterpart which is Instagram, and if you have been following me, you must have seen me fleeting to and fro the city and the provinces, engaging in both food and sartorial pursuits. And in these moments I make sure I carry around scraps of unadulterated paper (or in 21st century reality, my phone, whenever it decides to stick with me during the day) for my thoughts to bleed into. So I write even when I’m away; for the past few months I have kept these drafts that I never finish or even when I do, never quite seem accomplished enough to be published. Sometimes my taste in reading morphs into this insecurity that makes it difficult for me to write. But I like that it affects how I filter the content of my blog. I don’t remember mentioning it but I am actually a bit meticulous when it comes to the quality of my posts—either I post something good or I don’t post at all.

But all that aside now. The new site is officially shaking your virtual hand. How do you like it so far? Do let me know by leaving comments! I can’t wait to share with you the whole set of outfit photos I have shot recently and my visit to Palawan. There’s going to be a lot and it’s going to be a storm. Are you ready? Here we go…

  Love always,

Kristine

[heteroheroine]

Hello everyone! I am happy to announce that the blog revamp which has been underway for months, will be finished soon. I should be able to finalise everything and put up new posts this week! Hope you're all as excited as I am!

[heteroheroine]

Arabella

I haven't posted on here for a while.

[heteroheroine]

Arabella

I always love clothes that you can move in, and breathe in, most importantly…

…especially lately that I’ve been up on my toes and getting my life cup brimming with new experiences. Last Saturday I finally got to do a shoot with Don of Happyfingers which will let you see me in a different light— ‘different’ doesn’t really cover it but I’m nonetheless eager to show you the photos.

Romwe hat | 6ks blouse | 6ks lace shorts | Fossil watch | Cache Cache purse | Oasap boots

I’m still trapped in a daze and I’m not so sure I would like to get out of its grasp. It’s like inception; my mind is captive to this idea that I have to constantly move because there is so much life out there to be lived and so many regrets waiting in the depths to swallow me if I choose otherwise. I don’t know if this happens when one gets older or if it’s just the heat getting into me but I’m trying to navigate through it and so far enjoying myself. Yesterday, after having successfully recuperated from a rather grownup quest which involved margaritas and softcore casino rolling, I booked flight to Korea. These recent swing of events certainly surprise me, but I’d like to keep going. Somebody better not give me “the kick” anytime soon.

[heteroheroine]

Postcards from Baler

My brief wanderlust fix in photos.

I just have to share these photos I took when I was in Baler earlier this month with my friends Eugene and Bianca. If you have been following me on Instagram you’ve probably already chanced upon this storm of photos. The clean air and winding road, the beautiful beach, the beckoning waves and cool water, the salty air and summer heat, the food and the friendly locals, the proximity of each breath-taking destination and the seemingly endless stretch of serenity…Baler has cast onto me a spell which hovered as I traveled back to the city and, like my favourite fragrance, left a sillage of memories that I would trace back in a heartbeat.

**All photos taken using an iPhone 5S

[heteroheroine]

Suburbia

Sheinside denim hoodie | Levi's jeans | Romwe sunglasses | Cache Cache purse | Forever21 heels

Although not quite technically as seen here but you get the drift. This pair of Levi’s has been with me through all sorts of phases: my teeny bopper years in highschool where it frequently rendezvoused with the classic plain white tee for the regular Friday C.A.T. classes which was more community service than fundamental military training (but boy, they made us do push-ups), my belated coming-of-age days in the uni where it was paired with all sorts of basics and what I deemed borderline stylish on rare and well-embraced opportunities, and finally now to my tightrope days, balancing career versus my love for this blog, with the coziest denim hoodie, sneaky crop and DIY ripped- knees for a nostalgic 90’s approach.

My choice of bottoms still rests on shorts but I thought I’ll just put a proper end to the dispute on whether or not I wear jeans, so here you go! Glad to finally kickstart my blog catch-up. I may have caught a virus though since I’ve been sneezing and sniffing for a good eight hours but if the water therapy does me well I should be able to indulge you all with some photos of my quick trip to Baler.  How are you all doing?

[heteroheroine]

Comet's Trail

There are so many photos I haven’t finished working on yet starting from my visit to Pinto Art Museum but I wanted to start with an outfit post featuring a gypsy look inspired by Coachella. If you have been following me on instagram you probably already spotted this gorgeous printed kimono in a handful of posts. I love that it doubles up as a scarf (as seen here) and I was honestly so fond of this ensemble that I wore it on my second day in Baler.

Summer is in full swing for me. I’ve been to gorgeous places and have had such an amazing time with great company. It’s still a far stretch before the rainy days and I’d say I’m pretty hell bent on going on another trip! How’s your summer so far?

Sunnies c/o Oasap

Earrings c/o Oasap

Lace top c/o Sheinside

Kimono from Forever21 (used as scarf)

Accessories from Forever21 and St. Francis Square

Thrifted vintage satchel

Ankle boots c/o Oasap

[heteroheroine]

14Four Cafe

Saturday spent with adoring hearts in a little cafe of pretty mismatched furniture and neat calligraphy, tucked under a gathering of trees and a liberal amount of daylight.

14four cafe was just like how I imagined: meek and exquisite. I've long wanted to pay a visit considering it's just across my friend Jamie's house. Finally after months of abrupt cancellations, we were able to secure a reservation. We reached the place a couple of hours after noon and it wasn't long before we were cramming our recent musings into brunch—it’s not very often that I get to catch up with my highschool friends so we used up all the hours and took more photos than we could.

That day the sun’s smile reached its ears; I knew it would take a few months to see my girls again. But I won’t have to fret— I can always coax up the memories, like the sweetness of my forgotten six ‘o clock coffee.

[heteroheroine]

The Old Treehouse

Being an only child and having boy cousins as playmates got me my share of rowdy outdoor mischief that often resulted into mud-spattered hems, scraped palms and purple knees. Even so, I wouldn’t want my childhood any other way.

Paper and Scissors lace top and shorts | Vintage satchel | Forever21 rings | Bangood boots

And, I would presume, as any other normal group of silly kids, we owned a tree-house which when we were nine, as I recall, was referred to as “the base camp.”  I decided to revisit the memory with Bernesse last week and climbed up another treehouse— built by the same silly group of kids but this time stood in the yard of our humble home in Antipolo. It was one of those idyllic days when the wind was careful and the sun was curious enough to peek through the trees. If my memory could be trusted, twelve years ago I was wearing a crown made of leaves and was losing to a game of snakes and ladders. Now the leaves wrap my shoulders and there wasn’t a piece to move. But apart from that I’d like to think that not much has changed— there was still that genuine state of bliss that ruffled my hair when I ran through the fields and stayed warm on my cheeks when we trudged home, our pockets full of comical anecdotes, come nightfall.

[heteroheroine]

Doubt Thou Stars Are Fire

Happy first of February!

Sheinside dress | Zara heels

I’ve been saving these photos for posting this month because it has such a romantic feel to it. I’ve seen this dress on various people from all over the intertweb and it has been my second blogosphere-influenced purchase since the white Zara skort. I initially got this in black, care of Oasap, but it was the blue one that really captured my heart more so I had to have it.

Anyway it’s been an excellent year so far. I spent the Chinese New Year with my friend Christine, wandering, admiring the city that most people usually opt to get away from on a holiday, chasing after a nonexistent rabbit, and stopping for some ramen and cupcakes. For the first time in a long time I felt genuinely excited. And it was the simplest however no less endearing kind of excitement that kept me on my toes. For once there weren’t any dying people—you must realise how morbid my work environment is. We literally walked around for an hour but even so I was happy to catch my breath, consume time with random chitchat, and absorb the nightly glamour of high-rise buildings against the fading indigo sky.

Photos by Bernesse

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[heteroheroine]

About A Boy

A few minutes of shooting with Bernesse before we took off for some coffee. These days I can’t get by without consuming a hot beverage, and layering.

Forever21 tee and flannel shirt | Vintage satchel | Bangood ankle boots

Twenty one degrees from where I am and it continues to drop. Plus, zero chance of rain for the next few days— I was feeling remarkably positive in my happy suit: boy clothes underneath layers of fuzz (sometimes leather) and ankle boots—until the moment that some barista told me that they no longer have toffee nut syrup for my favourite caffeinated concoction. The barista was cute but I mean, d’aww barnacles.

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[heteroheroine]

Never Not Remember

First outfit post for 2014 which I don't entirely recommend because really, who can wear solely chiffon in cold, cold January?

Sheinside Floral Blouse | Bangood boots

In reality I wore this with my white blazer which provided an excellent contrast and brought out the print more. It's a bit too early for florals, I know, but I couldn't resist donning a vibrant wrap and relying on it to give myself a lift. Friday night is giving me feelings. I've managed to find consolation in my big red cardigan but it doesn't seem quite enough. My neighbour is throwing a party and the fairy lights, singing and booze are all beckoning. But my hair is still damp and my movie list has fastened me to my seat. To be more specific: Leonardo DiCaprio. Perhaps Wall Street can wait though. Tonight I will surround myself with happy faces, clink with a few glasses, dance to some old songs on the rented jukebox, laugh with some old mates and forget, just once, that the world, as amazing as it could be now, is distant and shivering.

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[heteroheroine]

New Year's Eve Portraits

Some portraits shot by Bernesse before the twilight dissolved into the anticipated last night of 2013. I had fun wearing this threefloor dress from Oasap during New Year's Eve dinner and had assumed quite a girly disposition. I suppose it's the lace. And I should mention that it stirred up fascinating conversations over dessert. A friend pointed out that it would be the perfect revenge dress which I quickly looked up since I wasn't sure I caught what she meant and found myself amidst photos of Princess Diana in a black number taken after the Prince of Wales admitted adultery. I'd rather think of it as a dress I'd wear if I were in Milan sans controversial confessions and surreptitious intents. It's a strange yet powerful way to put it, dressing for retribution. I've never tried it and hopefully never will. Ah, that's enough claptrap for me. How's 2014 for you so far?

[heteroheroine]

2013 In Restrospect

It's a wrap for 2013! Here are my favourite looks from this year. It's been a challenging one for me, chasing after a career in the medical field but it was worth it. And I cannot be thankful enough for your overwhelming support and for everything that has happened to me because of this blog, really. Every year just keeps getting better and I hope it stays that way. Happy New Year everyone!

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it.” —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Love always,

Kristine

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2014 First Big Sale! Over 1000 winter styles!

Up to 70% off! Opportunity knocks once! No restock once sold out!

Large amount of Spring new styles are coming soon!

Time: 12/31/2013~1/6/2014

Go!> http://www.romwe.com

[heteroheroine]

Matilde

This is me in a parallel universe where it never rains and I wander around the city in the morning, sit in a cafe reading with macarons on the side at noon time, and dine al fresco in the evening when the air hangs heavy with poetry and the lights beguile weary eyes and even inspire those with heavy hearts. In other words, Paris.

Oasap top | Forever 21 skirt | Martofchina heels

In my hand is a novel by Allison Pearson which I have bought impulsively during one of my many unthought-of trips to the book sale. On its first page though, a sonnet by Pablo Neruda is scribbled. It begins with a name, Matilde. And the rest goes:

so I wait for you like a lonely house  till you will see me again and live in me.  Till then my windows ache.

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