Vanquish the status quo and bask in our true Filipino identity. After 113 years, Philippine Independence Day is celebrated quite traditionally—in a Katipunero costume marching to the beat of a vintage brass band in the park. Blogger Knox Balbastro (musamanila.blogspot.com) found her quaint niche in this pivotal day in our history.

“I was experimenting with the idea of creating a fashion blog solely dedicated to modern Filipiniana fashions. But I realized how logistically difficult that would be. The main problem being I don’t have enough Filipiniana clothes to modernize,” says Balbastro.

“While I’m slowly building up my wardrobe, my goal is just to wear something Filipino made or designed every single day. Just a little way for me to support our Filipino designers and retailers.”

The result? Lovely photographs and blog entries on ingenious ways to proudly wear Pinoy fashion and mix and match them with modern day staples.

“Independence in fashion is important because real style should be a reflection of who you are,” says Balbastro. “I love being a Filipino and I hope it shows.”