THE LONG and short of fashion starts with knowing your body and understanding the silhouette that flatters you.

For Trickie Colayco-Lopa, sporting a casual look with a dash of something trendy provides a professional enough aura when she?s facing clients. It also allows her to effortlessly move from a business meeting to an art event.

Hence, her combination of shorts topped with a loose top and a dramatic throw, or shorts with a vintage-cut, cropped jacket accessorized with an unusual piece of jewelry, or an unexpected color in her shoes or bag, conveys confidence and creativity.

Colayco-Lopa lived for a year in London when her husband Randy took his fellowship in medicine. With her love of history, she attended a course on the History of Decorative Arts at the Victoria and Albert Museum, where her interest in art took wing.

With a group of friends, she now helps run the preteen clothing line Orange Juice. She also sits on the board of trustees of the Museum Foundation of the Philippines, raising funds and awareness for the National Museum and its network.

This year, she co-organized the 2nd Asean Textile Symposium, an international conference focused on preserving the indigenous textile traditions of Southeast Asia. One of her pet projects is Art in the Park. This annual event is an affordable art fair of paintings, prints, photos and sculptures at the Jaime Velasquez Park in Salcedo Village.

She attends an exhibit opening at least once a week and enjoys Manila?s visual arts scene.

Late in the evenings, she writes her blog on the Manila art scene, dedicated to her vocation to make art more visible (www.manilaartblogger.wordpress.com). It serves as a record of sorts for the goings-on in the art community.

Colayco-Lopa used to attend a Creative Writing Class with UP professor and writer Jing Hidalgo, and has written articles on art exhibits and artists like Ringo Bunoan.

She maintains quite a busy yet flexible work schedule that allows her time to exercise. Her routine starts early. She runs twice a week and works out with a personal trainer. But her weekends are always devoted to her family.

This is how she enjoys the balance in her life ? business mixed with inspiring art and a loving family.