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MADE | Transitional Piece

March 1, 2016 By Chie

Winter is my least favorite season. Not only do I hate being cold, but also fashion wise, I get sick of multiple layers. Usually I end up wearing jeans and a Uniqlo sweater. So boring! But…..I had a chance to get to Nippori last weekend and that gave me some sewjo to make myself something fun to wear. After going through piles of knits on the second floor of Tomato fabric store, I ended up with this beige knit. It is medium to thick knit made out of 80% of rayon. The rest of the fabric content is a mixture of polyester and polyurethane, so the knit does not go too stretchy after some washes. The wrong side of the fabric is flannelized to keep it warm and it feels good against the skin.The pattern was from a store bought dress I had. I did not do anything special except for lengthening the sleeves. I sewed the front neckline with an elastic so that the neckline would not get stretched. The whole thing is serged and the hem was done by hand. This way the hem sewing line is invisible. Sewing was simple and in total it took less than two hours to make.

It fits pretty well, though I could do without some creases in the back. But, at the same time, I did not want the dress to be skin tight like one of those f21 dresses that college kids wear to clubs…
When Kiko saw me wearing the dress, she said “mommy, new dress?! But it is too small for you!”. In her mind a “dress” needs to be long and fluffy like some kind of Disney princess. I’m planning on wearing with cardigan, long boots (from Zara) and plaid scarf for now. Once the weather warms up, I want to pair it with white sneakers and leather jacket.

Last but not least, my favorite online shop, Shopbop is running a spring sale from 3/1-3/5. Check out here.

自分用に新しいワンピースを作りました。

日暮里トマトのニット館で買った裏起毛加工のニットです。
ベージュは地味かなーと迷ったのですが、着回しを考えて、決定しました。
今はロング丈のカーディガン、ロングブーツと合わせて、春先には真っ白いスニーカーとレザージャケットで着る予定。

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Bridal Photoshoot with Tuli

February 26, 2016 By Chie

I teamed up with jewelry designer, Megan of Tuli for a recent bridal shoot. Megan is an American, who lives in Japan. She was in Uganda as a journalist for a while, and developed a relationship with local ladies and trained them to make beads out of paper. I enjoy working with brands with strong mission statement. Check out more about her story and jewelry here. We shot with this dress and this dress.

Besides Megan, we had French, Filipino, and Peruvian girls who gathered as make up artists, hair stylists, and a model to contribute to this shoot. It’s fun to meet with people from different countries who happen to find their way to Tokyo.

Usually I leave Kiko when I do photoshoot, but I could not find the childcare on that particular day. So, we biked to Hamarikyu park in Tsukiji together. I was surprised how much Kiko was into this whole photoshoot experience; she was talking to all the girls, helping the stylist, taking many photos (some of the below photos were taken by her and edited by me), and just overall having a great time. She was so proud of herself for being a “big help” and I was, too! Although it was still cold, you could see pretty flowers started to bloom. Behind the scenes of the shoot with Kiko helping the stylist. We are wearing the matching coat I made (Blog posts on mine and Kiko’s) 浜離宮庭園で撮影をしました。
ウガンダで手作りされたビーズからなるジュエリーブランド、Tuliと協力してブライダル撮影をしました。

撮影協力者はみんな女性！
そしてアメリカ人、フランス人、フィリピン人、ペルー人、日本人とみんな違った国籍で面白かったです。

普段は１人で行く撮影ですが、今回のみは娘も参加。
スタイリングを手伝ったり、写真を撮ったりなど、彼女なりに参加していて、成長したなーとしみじみしちゃいました。

写真が出来上がるのが楽しみ！

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Kuala Lumpur Photo Diary

February 16, 2016 By Chie

Following my last post about the National Textile Museum in Kuala Lumpur, here are the rest of the photos from my trip. It was a short three day trip, but it was the perfect length to get a sense of the city. Had I stayed longer, I would have explored the outskirts, maybe a place like Malacca. We found an airbnb place in towntown for $50 per night. The location was fantastic; walking distant to all the shopping malls and restaurants in Bukit Bingtang. As much as I enjoy staying in a hotel, airbnb helps me stay slim since I can prepare my own food without the temptation of breakfast buffet. The place was great and came with pool and gym. We intended to use the gym everyday but never did. But, we walked a lot! Hopefully that counts.

There is something mind renewing about a trip like this even if it was short. We walked aimlessly for hours on end. When do you have a chance to walk around for the sake of walking around in your daily life? I am too busy getting from A to B when I’m in Tokyo. The thought of going for a walk does not even occur to me. So mindlessly walking around, talking, stopping for coffee cleared my mind and by the end of the trip, I was ready to dive into the regular work again. We went right before the Chinese New Year. Bright red decorations were everywhere.

Coconut ice cream! Love how easy it is to get all kinds of cheap fruit there. That’s something Japan is lacking….the country famous for $100 melons. Found some Japanese books in the condo’s laundry room. The eclectic architecture was stunning. Unique tiles in the mosque (above) and on the street (below). Sephora is in KL, but still not in Tokyo.