Hey guys!
I created a new Tumblr for my kimono stuff! ^__^
You can find it here:
http://kimono-daisuki.tumblr.com/
I find Tumblr to be more user-friendly for short posts, so while I will keep this blog for longer posts, I'll most likely stick to using Tumblr for simple posts, eg. outfits, coordination ideas, stuff I want, stuff I like, stuff I just got, etc.
To start with, I've just made my first post on my 2013 additions to my yukata collection!
As and when I find time (I am actually pretty busy at work at the moment), I will go through my old posts on this blog and start re-posting some of them onto Tumblr.
This is exciting! It's rekindling my love for kimono, which has admittedly dropped over the past few years ^^;
Take care~!
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
Video: How to Put on a Nagoya Obi (Japanese)
A friend of mine was telling me about this really good Youtube clip of a woman explaining how to put on a Nagoya obi in 10 minutes - including a really detailed explanation of all the steps.
I've only just watched it and thought it was worth sharing!
Unfortunately, it's all in Japanese, which isn't really helpful for understanding her tips if you don't know the language, but I think just watching the movements is enough to help with many usual problems people have when putting on an obi!
I really like that the clip has two points of view, which gives much more perspective of what goes on "behind the scenes", so to speak, when putting on an obi.
I think my absolute favourite thing about the clip is that she doesn't do every step absolutely perfectly like in the magazines (for example, the top of the otaiko looks a little crooked in some angles, etc), yet the obi still looks straight and perfect once she's done!
Ta~
I've only just watched it and thought it was worth sharing!
Unfortunately, it's all in Japanese, which isn't really helpful for understanding her tips if you don't know the language, but I think just watching the movements is enough to help with many usual problems people have when putting on an obi!
I really like that the clip has two points of view, which gives much more perspective of what goes on "behind the scenes", so to speak, when putting on an obi.
I think my absolute favourite thing about the clip is that she doesn't do every step absolutely perfectly like in the magazines (for example, the top of the otaiko looks a little crooked in some angles, etc), yet the obi still looks straight and perfect once she's done!
Ta~
Tuesday, 24 April 2012
Event Aftermath: Kimono Meet @ Tenshi no Cafe
A friend and I have been talking about having a kimono meet for quite a while, and we finally nailed down a date for it! So on Saturday, we met with a couple of other kimono-enthusiast friends at Tenshi no Cafe, our local maid cafe and chatted for a few hours over lunch ^_^
(Hm, the choice of venue - we had originally wanted to go to Tokyo Street at Pavilion, but 21st April was the date where our new King would meet his subjects downtown, so we changed venue to avoid traffic. We voted for the maid cafe instead - my main reason is that I'd never been there before and was crazy curious about it XD;;;)
Here's what I decided to wear for the meet-up:
I felt like wearing spring colours, so I chose to wear my (relatively) new polyester hitoe iromuji. The obi I'd chosen is one of Ichiroya's reproduction Taisho pieces. It had just arrived two days before the meet-up and I was so excited I just had to wear it straightaway!
My sister insisted on pairing this obiage with this kimono, so I matched my juban sleeves and zori to the bright pink. I think the outfit looks kinda cute with the bright pops of colour here and there, though they're kind of invisible in the photos XD;;;; The light green obijime was chosen to balance the outfit a little - I think a darker green would've made it look too heavy, while pink made the whole ensemble seem rather bland.
The toes on my tabi also have bright pink flowers and green leaves embroidered on them, though I didn't take a picture.
I tried a new hairstyle today! It was kind of a cheat's hairstyle haha - I just twisted my hair into a bun, then secured it with a hairtie, then tied one of those scrunchies made of fake hair over the top. Voila! Instant fluffy bun XD;;; I think I ought to get a second scrunchie so I can make twin buns for lolita hahaha.
I'm sooo out of practice - for some reason, my obi is really lopsided at the back, and I completely misjudged the amount I needed for the otaiko, which made it difficult to deal with. My ohashori also kept wanting to flip upwards :/ But other than that I'm actually pretty happy with how my kitsuke turned out hahaha. I mean, I think it's not bad considering the last time I wore full kimono was in September last year!
Here's a group picture of the 4 of us:
On the leftmost, RH was wearing this really cool-looking outfit made up of mostly whites and blues. Even her zori were white (and looked sooooo gorgeous <3)~
On the second from the right, JL is wearing a furisode I sold to her weeks ago. That shade of blue looks absolutely gorgeous on her - especially when paired with those hakama! Very striking outfit, and suits her very well.
On the rightmost, L is wearing a super sweet yukata set! Though the obi is pre-tied, I love the way she and JL tied the obijime at the back - really kicks the outfit up a notch. (And yes, I would absolutely steal that yukata if I have the chance XD) It was also her first time dressing herself in yukata, and I think she did very well!
It's really too bad that we didn't manage to get individual outfit shots for all of us, but we were enjoying ourselves too much XD;;; It's a very interesting experience to dine at a maid cafe - stranger still when one of your waitresses is an old friend from primary school!
It was really fun to just get dressed up, have a meal together and chatter non stop XD I wish I didn't have to go early, but my parents decided they wanted to go to church that evening, so I had to rush home haha.
Hey guys: It was really fun! Let's do this again sometime soon~
Omake:
Very funny story that morning: while I was dressing, I opened a cupboard door to get a datejime out - and my cupboard door (which is actually a full length mirror) fell on me! XD;;;; My dad says it's shoddy workmanship and poor quality glue used on the mirror... I'm just glad the mirror didn't break on me!
(Hm, the choice of venue - we had originally wanted to go to Tokyo Street at Pavilion, but 21st April was the date where our new King would meet his subjects downtown, so we changed venue to avoid traffic. We voted for the maid cafe instead - my main reason is that I'd never been there before and was crazy curious about it XD;;;)
Here's what I decided to wear for the meet-up:
I felt like wearing spring colours, so I chose to wear my (relatively) new polyester hitoe iromuji. The obi I'd chosen is one of Ichiroya's reproduction Taisho pieces. It had just arrived two days before the meet-up and I was so excited I just had to wear it straightaway!
My sister insisted on pairing this obiage with this kimono, so I matched my juban sleeves and zori to the bright pink. I think the outfit looks kinda cute with the bright pops of colour here and there, though they're kind of invisible in the photos XD;;;; The light green obijime was chosen to balance the outfit a little - I think a darker green would've made it look too heavy, while pink made the whole ensemble seem rather bland.
The toes on my tabi also have bright pink flowers and green leaves embroidered on them, though I didn't take a picture.
I tried a new hairstyle today! It was kind of a cheat's hairstyle haha - I just twisted my hair into a bun, then secured it with a hairtie, then tied one of those scrunchies made of fake hair over the top. Voila! Instant fluffy bun XD;;; I think I ought to get a second scrunchie so I can make twin buns for lolita hahaha.
I'm sooo out of practice - for some reason, my obi is really lopsided at the back, and I completely misjudged the amount I needed for the otaiko, which made it difficult to deal with. My ohashori also kept wanting to flip upwards :/ But other than that I'm actually pretty happy with how my kitsuke turned out hahaha. I mean, I think it's not bad considering the last time I wore full kimono was in September last year!
Here's a group picture of the 4 of us:
On the leftmost, RH was wearing this really cool-looking outfit made up of mostly whites and blues. Even her zori were white (and looked sooooo gorgeous <3)~
On the second from the right, JL is wearing a furisode I sold to her weeks ago. That shade of blue looks absolutely gorgeous on her - especially when paired with those hakama! Very striking outfit, and suits her very well.
On the rightmost, L is wearing a super sweet yukata set! Though the obi is pre-tied, I love the way she and JL tied the obijime at the back - really kicks the outfit up a notch. (And yes, I would absolutely steal that yukata if I have the chance XD) It was also her first time dressing herself in yukata, and I think she did very well!
It's really too bad that we didn't manage to get individual outfit shots for all of us, but we were enjoying ourselves too much XD;;; It's a very interesting experience to dine at a maid cafe - stranger still when one of your waitresses is an old friend from primary school!
It was really fun to just get dressed up, have a meal together and chatter non stop XD I wish I didn't have to go early, but my parents decided they wanted to go to church that evening, so I had to rush home haha.
Hey guys: It was really fun! Let's do this again sometime soon~
Omake:
Very funny story that morning: while I was dressing, I opened a cupboard door to get a datejime out - and my cupboard door (which is actually a full length mirror) fell on me! XD;;;; My dad says it's shoddy workmanship and poor quality glue used on the mirror... I'm just glad the mirror didn't break on me!
Sunday, 15 April 2012
Event Aftermath: Girls Day Out! Yukata Dress-Up Session
It's been a really long time since I last posted! ^^;;;;
This post is rather late compared to my post on the IG forums as I was having some trouble logging in through Internet Explorer.... I'm not sure why it didn't occur to me to use Firefox till today XD;;
Anyway! Here goes :)
My godsisters and I have been planning a Yukata Day for the past few years, and we've only recently managed to book a date for it! The hubbies were sent to do some car-shopping and general bro-bonding XD; We think they had fun - we didn't hear anything from them the whole day!
The girls met up at my house in the morning for a dressing, hair and make-up session, before we all piled into a couple of cars and headed to Pavilion (a downtown mall) for lunch and light shopping. It was really fun, cramming all 6 of us into my tiny room, with everyone doing each other's hair and make-up, and choosing accessories for each other! XD
I'm afraid I was rather sloppy with dressing them - too many of us in one place, and I've been really out of practice with dressing others!! I even forgot how to tie alot of musubi, which got me pretty upset ^^;;; I need to practice more!
Group pic before we left the house (because my mum wanted a photo of us on Facebook already XD;;):
We had intentionally decided that everyone should wear a different colour, and the effect is quite pretty! Except for my sister (the second one from the left), they are all wearing yukata sets that I'd given to them as Christmas gifts years ago :) My mum also joined in the fun by accessorizing them once they were dressed and did their hair and make-up!
I did try to convince them that yukata would look much nicer with an up-do hairstyle, but they were more comfortable with leaving their hair down, so I let them do what they liked XD;
We had lunch at Kampachi, because Olivia can't eat much pork, so we couldn't eat at a few places in Tokyo Street. Good thing we decided to eat here too - Kampachi has a better menu selection, so everyone could eat what they wanted, rather than being confined to a restaurant's specialty! (Tokyo Street's restaurants are rather specialized - there's a ramen place, a tempura don place, a shabu shabu place, a tonkatsu place... Kampachi has a bit of everything!)
After lunch, we walked around for a bit of shopping!
Part of the reason we'd decided on Pavilion: Muji's opening day in Malaysia! There are only these two pics outside of Muji because the rest of us pretty much ran in the moment we saw the store, and went mad XD;
Some random snaps while we were shopping. You can see just how sloppy I was with the obi musubi :/ I tied the obi a little too loose for some of them, and the bows were a little too floppy! I wanted to tie more intricate stuff, but somehow my fingers wouldn't cooperate with my mind, so I had to stick to the more basic musubi ^_^;;
Group pics outside Shu Uemura!
As we were rushing to get home in time for a dinner party at my house tonight, we didn't shop very much and headed straight home after buying a few items at Shu Uemura. We wanted to go to MAC too, but there wasn't enough time... We were all inspired to buy make-up and facial stuff after the long discussion about make-up that morning hahaha :)
But we did make sure we had the time for some individual outfit snaps :)
Stella was our main photographer for the day, since she was experimenting with her new camera :) My sister and I chose this yukata for her because she loves animals, and bright and cheerful colours suit her really well!
Sandra is always so sweet and lady-like, so my sister and I gave her a soft and delicate yukata set that suits her personality. Uh, she does have an ohashori, but I'd accidentally tied her obi a little too loosely, so it kept slipping down and hiding her ohashori ^^;;; You can still see a tiny bit of it in this photo!
I couldn't decide on a colour for Olivia, so I asked her outright about the colour that she liked, and she chose purple. I picked this one because it's something that I personally would wear - and she really liked it too! :) I wish I'd thought of lending her one of my yukata obijime, because that would look really good with this obi and yukata set.
The reason why I'd given everyone a yukata was because I'd bugged Carolyn into buying one when Jusco was having their first Yukata Fair two years ago, and when everyone found out, they wanted one as well! This yukata that she's wearing is her second one, which I'd given her for Christmas. It's a little somber, but she doesn't like very bright colours, and I knew she'd appreciate the intricate designs of the patterns :)
My sister's coordinate was a last-minute thing, because I'd forgotten to show her our wardrobe options till the morning of this event. She felt like wearing something monochrome-ish, so she chose this yukata. Since she'd mentioned "monochrome" specifically, I knew immediately that this obi would be the best choice for this outfit, rather than a hot pink or purple one.
I really love this yukata and obi combination! It's very difficult to capture in photos, but this obi is one of the higher quality ones that can also be worn with kimono, with a woven latticework pattern on the plain black side. I feel it really made her outfit stand out. She noticed that there were some purples in the yukata, so she matched them with our newest handbag, and coordinated her accessories around that. She's also wearing black and white geta and a black and white bead flower hairband to complete the look. I think her coordinate was probably my favourite!
And finally - my outfit! ^_^
My outfit was mostly chosen by the godsisters! After my sister had picked out her yukata, we eliminated the ones that were too similar in colour to everyone else's yukata, and they picked out the one they thought looked the nicest. I really really like this yukata, because it's false shibori, has a pattern of grapes, and is in a really gorgeous colour. Unfortunately, I've never worn it before because I'd always had problems coordinating the yukata properly. After going through all my hanhaba obi and even some of my nagoya obi, I got a little frustrated and just threw on a plain white yukata obi.
While dressing myself, I suddenly remembered that I have a few yukata obijime in my collection and decided to break them out - and immediately liked the effect of this bright blue obijime against my outfit! Makes for a really lovely contrast, and adds colour to an otherwise bland outfit :) I coordinated all my accessories around this bit of blue. I really like this ensemble now!
(And by the way, I also really like this photo because Stella somehow managed to make me look thin :P)
It was a really fun day - we are already discussing our next girls day out, though it might possibly be a lolita day next (HAHAHA not XD;;;). It was also fun in the evening when the hubbies came home for the dinner party :)
Thanks for reading! Any C&C on coordinates are much welcome!
This post is rather late compared to my post on the IG forums as I was having some trouble logging in through Internet Explorer.... I'm not sure why it didn't occur to me to use Firefox till today XD;;
Anyway! Here goes :)
My godsisters and I have been planning a Yukata Day for the past few years, and we've only recently managed to book a date for it! The hubbies were sent to do some car-shopping and general bro-bonding XD; We think they had fun - we didn't hear anything from them the whole day!
The girls met up at my house in the morning for a dressing, hair and make-up session, before we all piled into a couple of cars and headed to Pavilion (a downtown mall) for lunch and light shopping. It was really fun, cramming all 6 of us into my tiny room, with everyone doing each other's hair and make-up, and choosing accessories for each other! XD
I'm afraid I was rather sloppy with dressing them - too many of us in one place, and I've been really out of practice with dressing others!! I even forgot how to tie alot of musubi, which got me pretty upset ^^;;; I need to practice more!
Group pic before we left the house (because my mum wanted a photo of us on Facebook already XD;;):
We had intentionally decided that everyone should wear a different colour, and the effect is quite pretty! Except for my sister (the second one from the left), they are all wearing yukata sets that I'd given to them as Christmas gifts years ago :) My mum also joined in the fun by accessorizing them once they were dressed and did their hair and make-up!
I did try to convince them that yukata would look much nicer with an up-do hairstyle, but they were more comfortable with leaving their hair down, so I let them do what they liked XD;
We had lunch at Kampachi, because Olivia can't eat much pork, so we couldn't eat at a few places in Tokyo Street. Good thing we decided to eat here too - Kampachi has a better menu selection, so everyone could eat what they wanted, rather than being confined to a restaurant's specialty! (Tokyo Street's restaurants are rather specialized - there's a ramen place, a tempura don place, a shabu shabu place, a tonkatsu place... Kampachi has a bit of everything!)
After lunch, we walked around for a bit of shopping!
Part of the reason we'd decided on Pavilion: Muji's opening day in Malaysia! There are only these two pics outside of Muji because the rest of us pretty much ran in the moment we saw the store, and went mad XD;
Some random snaps while we were shopping. You can see just how sloppy I was with the obi musubi :/ I tied the obi a little too loose for some of them, and the bows were a little too floppy! I wanted to tie more intricate stuff, but somehow my fingers wouldn't cooperate with my mind, so I had to stick to the more basic musubi ^_^;;
Group pics outside Shu Uemura!
As we were rushing to get home in time for a dinner party at my house tonight, we didn't shop very much and headed straight home after buying a few items at Shu Uemura. We wanted to go to MAC too, but there wasn't enough time... We were all inspired to buy make-up and facial stuff after the long discussion about make-up that morning hahaha :)
But we did make sure we had the time for some individual outfit snaps :)
Stella was our main photographer for the day, since she was experimenting with her new camera :) My sister and I chose this yukata for her because she loves animals, and bright and cheerful colours suit her really well!
Sandra is always so sweet and lady-like, so my sister and I gave her a soft and delicate yukata set that suits her personality. Uh, she does have an ohashori, but I'd accidentally tied her obi a little too loosely, so it kept slipping down and hiding her ohashori ^^;;; You can still see a tiny bit of it in this photo!
I couldn't decide on a colour for Olivia, so I asked her outright about the colour that she liked, and she chose purple. I picked this one because it's something that I personally would wear - and she really liked it too! :) I wish I'd thought of lending her one of my yukata obijime, because that would look really good with this obi and yukata set.
The reason why I'd given everyone a yukata was because I'd bugged Carolyn into buying one when Jusco was having their first Yukata Fair two years ago, and when everyone found out, they wanted one as well! This yukata that she's wearing is her second one, which I'd given her for Christmas. It's a little somber, but she doesn't like very bright colours, and I knew she'd appreciate the intricate designs of the patterns :)
My sister's coordinate was a last-minute thing, because I'd forgotten to show her our wardrobe options till the morning of this event. She felt like wearing something monochrome-ish, so she chose this yukata. Since she'd mentioned "monochrome" specifically, I knew immediately that this obi would be the best choice for this outfit, rather than a hot pink or purple one.
I really love this yukata and obi combination! It's very difficult to capture in photos, but this obi is one of the higher quality ones that can also be worn with kimono, with a woven latticework pattern on the plain black side. I feel it really made her outfit stand out. She noticed that there were some purples in the yukata, so she matched them with our newest handbag, and coordinated her accessories around that. She's also wearing black and white geta and a black and white bead flower hairband to complete the look. I think her coordinate was probably my favourite!
And finally - my outfit! ^_^
My outfit was mostly chosen by the godsisters! After my sister had picked out her yukata, we eliminated the ones that were too similar in colour to everyone else's yukata, and they picked out the one they thought looked the nicest. I really really like this yukata, because it's false shibori, has a pattern of grapes, and is in a really gorgeous colour. Unfortunately, I've never worn it before because I'd always had problems coordinating the yukata properly. After going through all my hanhaba obi and even some of my nagoya obi, I got a little frustrated and just threw on a plain white yukata obi.
While dressing myself, I suddenly remembered that I have a few yukata obijime in my collection and decided to break them out - and immediately liked the effect of this bright blue obijime against my outfit! Makes for a really lovely contrast, and adds colour to an otherwise bland outfit :) I coordinated all my accessories around this bit of blue. I really like this ensemble now!
(And by the way, I also really like this photo because Stella somehow managed to make me look thin :P)
It was a really fun day - we are already discussing our next girls day out, though it might possibly be a lolita day next (HAHAHA not XD;;;). It was also fun in the evening when the hubbies came home for the dinner party :)
Thanks for reading! Any C&C on coordinates are much welcome!
Monday, 23 January 2012
Happy Chinese New Year 2012!
Hiya!
Just wanted to wish all my readers, especially those who are also celebrating this holiday:
I had honestly meant to do a eCard for Christmas and New Year's, but time got away from me in the end ^^;;;
Happy Holidays to those of you who are lucky enough to get public holidays :)
Just wanted to wish all my readers, especially those who are also celebrating this holiday:
I had honestly meant to do a eCard for Christmas and New Year's, but time got away from me in the end ^^;;;
Happy Holidays to those of you who are lucky enough to get public holidays :)
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Belated Happy New Year
Ah, I hadn't realised that nearly three months have passed since I last posted!! I had meant to put up a New Year's greeting post, but I guess I'd completely forgotten ^^;;;
So....
The year of the Dragon (that's me!) will also be starting in less than a week's time according to the Chinese calendar, so a very Happy and Prosperous New Year to all of you celebrating CNY as well :)
Not many updates on life outside of this. The only real highlight was that I'd spent Christmas and New Year's with my family at my brother's flat in Cambridge.
Our excuse was that we needed to decorate the flat - we just wanted to go shopping :P But I didn't buy that many clothes this time around! Instead, I splurged on household stuff hahaha. Now my brother has a Hello Kitty mixing bowl in his flat and a miniature rolling pin for no reason XD;
I've also been keeping up the hunt for a houmongi or tsukesage that's appropriate for my age, has a design that I like, can actually fit me, and is in my spending range :/ Unfortunately, nearly all those that I've come across meet all requirements except the last hahaha. So I've turned to expanding certain parts of my lolita wardrobe instead XD;;; It's going to be a pretty fun year in terms of clothes!
Toodles guys :) Once I clean up my room in time for CNY, I should have enough space to dress fully in kimono again!
So....
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
The year of the Dragon (that's me!) will also be starting in less than a week's time according to the Chinese calendar, so a very Happy and Prosperous New Year to all of you celebrating CNY as well :)
Not many updates on life outside of this. The only real highlight was that I'd spent Christmas and New Year's with my family at my brother's flat in Cambridge.
Our excuse was that we needed to decorate the flat - we just wanted to go shopping :P But I didn't buy that many clothes this time around! Instead, I splurged on household stuff hahaha. Now my brother has a Hello Kitty mixing bowl in his flat and a miniature rolling pin for no reason XD;
I've also been keeping up the hunt for a houmongi or tsukesage that's appropriate for my age, has a design that I like, can actually fit me, and is in my spending range :/ Unfortunately, nearly all those that I've come across meet all requirements except the last hahaha. So I've turned to expanding certain parts of my lolita wardrobe instead XD;;; It's going to be a pretty fun year in terms of clothes!
Toodles guys :) Once I clean up my room in time for CNY, I should have enough space to dress fully in kimono again!
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Outfit Snap: Birthday Kitsuke! 2011
My dad had made plans to take my sister, her fiancee and me to a nice Japanese restaurant for my birthday dinner today! (My mum is in Singapore for work)
It was a bit of a last-minute decision, but I decided to throw on a yukata. It was really fun! I had only 15 minutes from arriving home (and deciding I wanted to wear yukata) to leaving the house - and I had to coordinate something and wear it in that time!
In the end, I took out my new yukata from the Jusco Yukata Fair. This one was one of the more expensive ones, and you can tell the difference in the way the yukata falls! For some reason, it was much easier to put on, and mistakes were easier to adjust/fix. The fabric is a little stiff, but I think it just needs a few rounds of washing.
I didn't have much time to coordinate, so I chose this matching lilac obi as a fail-safe option. Pairing the yukat with a white obi just looked a little too dull for me today, and dark purple looked too strong against this yukata, as did light pink. I can probably pull together a better coordinate with those colours if I had the time to carefully choose my accessories, but as it is, I'm pretty happy with my decision :)
(Besides, everything matched with this week's manicure! XD /bimbo-moment)
Story: I hadn't even decided on which obi I wanted to wear when I was getting dressed! I just tossed on the yukata and held up different obi to my waist to see the effects hahaha.
Yukata, geta and fan were from the Jusco Yukata Fair. Bag was bought from The Curve I think. Obi bought online.
Btw, I know that yukata is waay to informal to wear to such a nice restaurant, but I didn't have time to dress in a TPO-appropriate outfit >< As it is, I hadn't even slapped on any make up lol!
Sorry for the awful pic, but I'm tired and it's way past my usual bedtime ^^;;
Goodnight, everyone! For those who celebrate, Happy Halloween!
It was a bit of a last-minute decision, but I decided to throw on a yukata. It was really fun! I had only 15 minutes from arriving home (and deciding I wanted to wear yukata) to leaving the house - and I had to coordinate something and wear it in that time!
In the end, I took out my new yukata from the Jusco Yukata Fair. This one was one of the more expensive ones, and you can tell the difference in the way the yukata falls! For some reason, it was much easier to put on, and mistakes were easier to adjust/fix. The fabric is a little stiff, but I think it just needs a few rounds of washing.
I didn't have much time to coordinate, so I chose this matching lilac obi as a fail-safe option. Pairing the yukat with a white obi just looked a little too dull for me today, and dark purple looked too strong against this yukata, as did light pink. I can probably pull together a better coordinate with those colours if I had the time to carefully choose my accessories, but as it is, I'm pretty happy with my decision :)
(Besides, everything matched with this week's manicure! XD /bimbo-moment)
Story: I hadn't even decided on which obi I wanted to wear when I was getting dressed! I just tossed on the yukata and held up different obi to my waist to see the effects hahaha.
Yukata, geta and fan were from the Jusco Yukata Fair. Bag was bought from The Curve I think. Obi bought online.
Btw, I know that yukata is waay to informal to wear to such a nice restaurant, but I didn't have time to dress in a TPO-appropriate outfit >< As it is, I hadn't even slapped on any make up lol!
Sorry for the awful pic, but I'm tired and it's way past my usual bedtime ^^;;
Goodnight, everyone! For those who celebrate, Happy Halloween!
Friday, 30 September 2011
Kimono Challenge Tag!
I've noticed some of my kimono friends doing a "Kimono Challenge Tag", and it looked really fun to do! So I thought I'd give it a go :) At the very least, it'll give me something to post about haha.
Here's the list of all challenge questions:
1. How did you discover and got into kimono?
2. Your dearest kimono item(s).
3. Your most used kimono item(s) (not counting jubans, datejimes etc.).
4. Your least used kimono item(s).
5. Your favourite coordination(s) so far.
6. What do you like and don't like about kimono.
7. Kimono confessions. Did you know that...
8. Your dream kitsuke items (or at least items you really really want but can't get for whatever reason).
9. Your biggest kimono fears.
10. Your biggest kimono inspiration.
11. Your kimono collection.
12. The evolution of your kitsuke.
13. Your special kimono memory.
I'll probably post them at the rate of once a week, more often if I feel particularly inspired to write.
I guess you guys know what you can look forward to seeing on my blog soon then! :)
Here's the list of all challenge questions:
1. How did you discover and got into kimono?
2. Your dearest kimono item(s).
3. Your most used kimono item(s) (not counting jubans, datejimes etc.).
4. Your least used kimono item(s).
5. Your favourite coordination(s) so far.
6. What do you like and don't like about kimono.
7. Kimono confessions. Did you know that...
8. Your dream kitsuke items (or at least items you really really want but can't get for whatever reason).
9. Your biggest kimono fears.
10. Your biggest kimono inspiration.
11. Your kimono collection.
12. The evolution of your kitsuke.
13. Your special kimono memory.
I'll probably post them at the rate of once a week, more often if I feel particularly inspired to write.
I guess you guys know what you can look forward to seeing on my blog soon then! :)
Thursday, 29 September 2011
Back~!
Hiya!
It may not actually seem like it, but I've actually been away for a few weeks - been travelling in UK and Portugal for our annual holiday :) I had a really great time, and I think I fell in love with Portugal haha. Really charming place, and with great food!
I apologize for the late replies to all the comments (which I dearly thank you for, by the way! <3) but I had almost no internet access for those few weeks. My blog posts only continued by virtue of "Scheduled Posting"... So I'd actually pre-written nearly everything and posted them two days before leaving ^^;;;
Anyway, when I was in London, I managed to attend the Kimono de Jack UK! Really nice catching up with Hong and April, and meeting new members :) I didn't take any pictures, but I'll probably steal some from April and post about the event ^^;;
Till next time!
It may not actually seem like it, but I've actually been away for a few weeks - been travelling in UK and Portugal for our annual holiday :) I had a really great time, and I think I fell in love with Portugal haha. Really charming place, and with great food!
I apologize for the late replies to all the comments (which I dearly thank you for, by the way! <3) but I had almost no internet access for those few weeks. My blog posts only continued by virtue of "Scheduled Posting"... So I'd actually pre-written nearly everything and posted them two days before leaving ^^;;;
Anyway, when I was in London, I managed to attend the Kimono de Jack UK! Really nice catching up with Hong and April, and meeting new members :) I didn't take any pictures, but I'll probably steal some from April and post about the event ^^;;
Till next time!
Saturday, 24 September 2011
Video: Kimono & Obi Dressing in 5 Minutes
I'm getting a little bored of the closet features and book scans already hahaha.
I found this video years ago, and was just amazed at how fast this woman can dress a mannequin in kimono and obi - and so neatly too! I've been aspiring to be able to dress as quickly and neatly :)
My favourite part about this video is that the woman demonstrates a particular obi musubi that I've found particularly difficult - tsunodashi musubi. It's a very casual musubi that should only be worn with komon (I think of it as one step down from otaiko but one step up from hanhaba) but I really like how it looks with vintage kimono and obi.
Enjoy! :)
I found this video years ago, and was just amazed at how fast this woman can dress a mannequin in kimono and obi - and so neatly too! I've been aspiring to be able to dress as quickly and neatly :)
My favourite part about this video is that the woman demonstrates a particular obi musubi that I've found particularly difficult - tsunodashi musubi. It's a very casual musubi that should only be worn with komon (I think of it as one step down from otaiko but one step up from hanhaba) but I really like how it looks with vintage kimono and obi.
Enjoy! :)
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Kimono Know-How: Furisode Musubi, pg 44-45 from Furisode Daisuki! 2006 - 2007
Following last week's post on three-section himo with elastic bands, today's post is on two of the pages in Furisode Daisuki! 2006 - 2007 that features obi musubi for furisode using them. (Pages 44 to 45, to be exact)
These pages are featuring variations of the popular tateya musubi. My favourite musubi is the one on the top left, with the orange furisode and teal obi!
(Click here for a larger image!)
Source:
振袖大好き！２００６－２００７
Furisode Daisuki! 2006-2007
I Love Furisode! 2006-2007
ISBN4-418-05141-4
These pages are featuring variations of the popular tateya musubi. My favourite musubi is the one on the top left, with the orange furisode and teal obi!
(Click here for a larger image!)
Source:
振袖大好き！２００６－２００７
Furisode Daisuki! 2006-2007
I Love Furisode! 2006-2007
ISBN4-418-05141-4
Friday, 16 September 2011
Closet Feature: Pink & Teal Summer Wool Kimono
Before I'd ever even known that summer wool kimono existed, I spotted this beauty on RyuJapan's wool kimono sale.
I just had to have it immediately! It's on the small side for me, and I definitely can't fit it now, but it's still really pretty and gorgeous :)
As you can tell by the post's name, the kimono is made of a light summerweight semi-transparent wool. The base colour is actually a very pale pink, with a latticework pattern in darker pink. In the above photo, it isn't noticeable, but there is a circular pattern in teal/light green/whatever shade my eyes feel like seeing. You can faintly see that detail in the photo below:
I've only ever worn this kimono once, because it's a little too warm for comfort in Malaysia, but I've coordinated three outfits with it. My favourite outfit is the one I ended up wearing:
Haha, this post almost feels like I'm recycling photos from my old posts ^^;; But going through all my photos to find something to write about really brings back a sense of nostalgia :)
I just had to have it immediately! It's on the small side for me, and I definitely can't fit it now, but it's still really pretty and gorgeous :)
As you can tell by the post's name, the kimono is made of a light summerweight semi-transparent wool. The base colour is actually a very pale pink, with a latticework pattern in darker pink. In the above photo, it isn't noticeable, but there is a circular pattern in teal/light green/whatever shade my eyes feel like seeing. You can faintly see that detail in the photo below:
I've only ever worn this kimono once, because it's a little too warm for comfort in Malaysia, but I've coordinated three outfits with it. My favourite outfit is the one I ended up wearing:
Haha, this post almost feels like I'm recycling photos from my old posts ^^;; But going through all my photos to find something to write about really brings back a sense of nostalgia :)
Tuesday, 13 September 2011
About Kimono: Accessories - Three-Section Himo with Elastic Bands
Today, I thought I'd feature a useful accessory rather than one of the pretties in my closet.
This item is a koshihimo - with additional elastic bands added over a short part of the middle section of the himo.
This special himo is most used when tying fancier obi musubi, especially for furisode. By tying just one himo securely, you can secure three different sections of your bow by using the elastic bands. Very useful item indeed!
I find it most useful when tying furisode musubi onto myself. As I need to tie only one himo tightly at my back, I don't waste as much time struggling with all my himo and can concentrate more on the actual musubi.
I have a few magazine scans of this himo being used - I'll have to post them sometime :)
This item is a koshihimo - with additional elastic bands added over a short part of the middle section of the himo.
This special himo is most used when tying fancier obi musubi, especially for furisode. By tying just one himo securely, you can secure three different sections of your bow by using the elastic bands. Very useful item indeed!
I find it most useful when tying furisode musubi onto myself. As I need to tie only one himo tightly at my back, I don't waste as much time struggling with all my himo and can concentrate more on the actual musubi.
I have a few magazine scans of this himo being used - I'll have to post them sometime :)
Friday, 9 September 2011
Closet Feature: Pink & White/Black Hanhaba Obi
I've been trying to keep up with my recent streak of posts, but unfortunately I don't have much of an interesting life to blog about. I've been using my free time to clean my room or experiment with cooking, so I haven't really been concentrating much on practicing my kitsuke much ^^;;
Soooo...... I'm afraid that for a while at least, you guys will have to put up with some frequent posts on closet features and book/magazine scans! ^^;
Today's post is on one of my absolute favourite obi of all time! It's a polyester hanhaba obi that's pink on one side, and black-and-white on the other.
The pink side has a woven pattern of interlocking latticework, while the other side has a white base and a pattern of vines, flowers and butterflies worked into it in black.
I'd bought this obi from a YJA seller on a whim over three years ago, but never wore it because it looked too modern for my collection then - or so I thought. Slowly, I began to find things that actually matched pretty well with the obi, and before I knew it, it became one of my most frequently used obi!
Here are a few pics of my favourite coordinates with this obi:
This obi is one of my favourites for pairing with navy blue yukata :D But it also matches really well with just about any shade of blue, and looks incredibly sweet against white.
(My favourite side is the pink side ^^;; I think I've only ever used the white side once hahaha)
Soooo...... I'm afraid that for a while at least, you guys will have to put up with some frequent posts on closet features and book/magazine scans! ^^;
Today's post is on one of my absolute favourite obi of all time! It's a polyester hanhaba obi that's pink on one side, and black-and-white on the other.
The pink side has a woven pattern of interlocking latticework, while the other side has a white base and a pattern of vines, flowers and butterflies worked into it in black.
I'd bought this obi from a YJA seller on a whim over three years ago, but never wore it because it looked too modern for my collection then - or so I thought. Slowly, I began to find things that actually matched pretty well with the obi, and before I knew it, it became one of my most frequently used obi!
Here are a few pics of my favourite coordinates with this obi:
This obi is one of my favourites for pairing with navy blue yukata :D But it also matches really well with just about any shade of blue, and looks incredibly sweet against white.
(My favourite side is the pink side ^^;; I think I've only ever used the white side once hahaha)
Sunday, 4 September 2011
Video: How To Dress Yukata & Kimono Part 2
Hmmmm..... It seems that after posting part 1 of Ichiroya's YouTube video on how to dress in yukata, I'd completely forgotten about posting part 2! How embarrassing!! =^__^="""
Anyway, here is part 2 to Ichiroya's instructions on wearing yukata:
(Best part: the video is in easy-to-understand English!)
(Click here for my post on part 1)
As mentioned in my part 1 post, Ichiroya's video is one of the best I've seen, with clear and easy instructions at a decent pace. I love that they show many small but important things, such as a complete list of items needed to wear kimono, padding and the proper kimono silhouette, and important tips to keep in mind when wearing kimono.
Absolutely great video for beginners :)
Anyway, here is part 2 to Ichiroya's instructions on wearing yukata:
(Best part: the video is in easy-to-understand English!)
(Click here for my post on part 1)
As mentioned in my part 1 post, Ichiroya's video is one of the best I've seen, with clear and easy instructions at a decent pace. I love that they show many small but important things, such as a complete list of items needed to wear kimono, padding and the proper kimono silhouette, and important tips to keep in mind when wearing kimono.
Absolutely great video for beginners :)
Friday, 2 September 2011
Closet Feature: Kokon Tozai Antique Furisode Remake Bag - Lilac
Today's feature is another type of bag from Kokon Tozai in Singapore.
Front:
Back:
It's made of yuzen-dyed silk in a lovely waves and fan motif. Absolutely in love with the pink and lilac colour scheme. I kind of like the quirky fact that the fabric has the dyer's stamp on the corner of the bag - somehow it brings back a sense of nostalgia.
The bag can't fit too many things and is a little difficult to carry if it gets too heavy, but I still try to use it when I can because it's so gorgeous!
Here's a picture of the bag being used, although it's not the best coordinate I've come up with for it, nor the best picture, but these are the only pictures I could find ^^;;
Back:
It's made of yuzen-dyed silk in a lovely waves and fan motif. Absolutely in love with the pink and lilac colour scheme. I kind of like the quirky fact that the fabric has the dyer's stamp on the corner of the bag - somehow it brings back a sense of nostalgia.
The bag can't fit too many things and is a little difficult to carry if it gets too heavy, but I still try to use it when I can because it's so gorgeous!
Here's a picture of the bag being used, although it's not the best coordinate I've come up with for it, nor the best picture, but these are the only pictures I could find ^^;;
Tuesday, 30 August 2011
Kimono Know-How: Fancy Obijime Ties from Furisode Daisuki! 2006 - 2007
Following Saturday's kimono know-how post, I figured it'd be nice to match the fancy obiage knots with some fancy obijime knots.
So here is the page from the same magazine on tying obijime for furisode.
(Click here for a larger image!)
Source:
振袖大好き！２００６－２００７
Furisode Daisuki! 2006-2007
I Love Furisode! 2006-2007
ISBN4-418-05141-4
On a separate note, Selamat Hari Raya to all my Muslim readers! For my Malaysian and Indonesian non-Muslim readers, Happy Holidays! :) I'm certainly looking forward to this long break haha!
Ta~
So here is the page from the same magazine on tying obijime for furisode.
(Click here for a larger image!)
Source:
振袖大好き！２００６－２００７
Furisode Daisuki! 2006-2007
I Love Furisode! 2006-2007
ISBN4-418-05141-4
On a separate note, Selamat Hari Raya to all my Muslim readers! For my Malaysian and Indonesian non-Muslim readers, Happy Holidays! :) I'm certainly looking forward to this long break haha!
Ta~
Saturday, 27 August 2011
Kimono Know-How: Fancy Obiage Ties from Furisode Daisuki! 2006 - 2007
Just thought I'd share a picture of one of my older furisode magazines on how to tie your obiage in nice fancy ways.
(Click here for a larger image!)
Source:
振袖大好き！２００６－２００７
Furisode Daisuki! 2006-2007
I Love Furisode! 2006-2007
ISBN4-418-05141-4
(Click here for a larger image!)
Source:
振袖大好き！２００６－２００７
Furisode Daisuki! 2006-2007
I Love Furisode! 2006-2007
ISBN4-418-05141-4
Thursday, 25 August 2011
Closet Feature: Kokon Tozai Antique Furisode Remake Bag - Mustard
Feeling a little antsy tonight because my coordinate for the September Kimono de Jack London isn't going too well, so I thought I'd distract myself by digging through my Flickr for some old photos to post about.
Imagine my surprise when I realised that I hadn't posted anything at all about Kokon Tozai!
Kokon Tozai is a Japanese brand of clothing, bags and other accessories made of kimono fabric. While a majority of their items are made using their own kimono fabric designs, they do have a small selection of items made of antique kimono fabrics.
My sister and I first bumped into an outlet of this store in Singapore about 5 years ago. We were wandering around the mall that's connected to the hotel we always stay in, and stumbled across this awesome place selling bags, shoes, purses, and all sorts of accessories that were made of old kimono. We couldn't help ourselves - we just had to get something ^^;
(Note: Normally, I'd be horrified at the thought of using such beautiful kimono in that way, but they actually had a brochure that said that they were careful to make these out of unuseable kimono only.)
Their offered items include: hairclips, hair pins, phone charms, purses, wallets, phone holders, bags, card holders, glasses cases, hairties, shoes, T-shirts, scarves, shawls, soft toys, bracelets, rings.... Alot of lovely things to look at! ^_^
Today's featured bag is a gorgeous mustard yellow, with purple ume (plum) blossoms and a teal section that seems to be depicting wisteria, from what little I can see.
Front:
Back:
If you'd like to get something similar for yourself, I'm outlining their contact details below:
Website:
http://www.kokontozai.com.sg/
Stores:
KOKON TOZAI
(City Link Branch)
One Raffles Link
#B1-16 City Link Mall
Singapore
Tel: (65) 6835 9927
Opening Hours: 10.30am - 9.30pm
KYOTO ARTS BOUTIQUE
(Millenia Walk Branch)
9 Raffles Boulevard
#01-52 Millenia Walk
Singapore
Tel: (65) 6338 7417
Opening Hours: 11am - 8pm
On a separate note, the last time I bought something from them, they were also stocking some really nice good-quality silk obiage :) I bought a lovely brown one and a seafoam green one from them.
Imagine my surprise when I realised that I hadn't posted anything at all about Kokon Tozai!
Kokon Tozai is a Japanese brand of clothing, bags and other accessories made of kimono fabric. While a majority of their items are made using their own kimono fabric designs, they do have a small selection of items made of antique kimono fabrics.
My sister and I first bumped into an outlet of this store in Singapore about 5 years ago. We were wandering around the mall that's connected to the hotel we always stay in, and stumbled across this awesome place selling bags, shoes, purses, and all sorts of accessories that were made of old kimono. We couldn't help ourselves - we just had to get something ^^;
(Note: Normally, I'd be horrified at the thought of using such beautiful kimono in that way, but they actually had a brochure that said that they were careful to make these out of unuseable kimono only.)
Their offered items include: hairclips, hair pins, phone charms, purses, wallets, phone holders, bags, card holders, glasses cases, hairties, shoes, T-shirts, scarves, shawls, soft toys, bracelets, rings.... Alot of lovely things to look at! ^_^
Today's featured bag is a gorgeous mustard yellow, with purple ume (plum) blossoms and a teal section that seems to be depicting wisteria, from what little I can see.
Back:
If you'd like to get something similar for yourself, I'm outlining their contact details below:
Website:
http://www.kokontozai.com.sg/
Stores:
KOKON TOZAI
(City Link Branch)
One Raffles Link
#B1-16 City Link Mall
Singapore
Tel: (65) 6835 9927
Opening Hours: 10.30am - 9.30pm
KYOTO ARTS BOUTIQUE
(Millenia Walk Branch)
9 Raffles Boulevard
#01-52 Millenia Walk
Singapore
Tel: (65) 6338 7417
Opening Hours: 11am - 8pm
On a separate note, the last time I bought something from them, they were also stocking some really nice good-quality silk obiage :) I bought a lovely brown one and a seafoam green one from them.
Sunday, 21 August 2011
Outfit Snap: Sweet Roses Yukata
After conversing about kimono with a few people for the past few days, I've been feeling particularly inspired to wear kimono.
I only had an hour of free time to dress up today, so I couldn't do a full-blown kitsuke with my new obi and juban, but I did coordinate something with one of my new yukata from the Jusco Yukata Fair.
The obi I chose is really similar to the one that came with this set, but I decided to use this obi instead because it's a softer, less obnoxious shade of purple. Also, it has a matching theme of roses! I think this obi gives the yukata a softer, more mature sort of feminine feel, as opposed to a bright, young coordinate using hot pink as its main colour. (Besides, the obi in the set is a pre-tied obi! ^^;;; I'm.... not fond of pre-tied obi at all haha.)
I also happen to have a pair of geta that are the perfect combi of purple and pink, and a new pink uchiwa. To accent a little more of the pink, I wore dainty pink flower earrings and tossed some soft pink flowers on my hear. I used a basket bag with white accents because a pink or purple bag would be a little too much colour in the outfit.
On a really random note, I actually chose this yukata because of yesterday's pedicure - my toes match the yukata! ^^;;
Ta~
I only had an hour of free time to dress up today, so I couldn't do a full-blown kitsuke with my new obi and juban, but I did coordinate something with one of my new yukata from the Jusco Yukata Fair.
The obi I chose is really similar to the one that came with this set, but I decided to use this obi instead because it's a softer, less obnoxious shade of purple. Also, it has a matching theme of roses! I think this obi gives the yukata a softer, more mature sort of feminine feel, as opposed to a bright, young coordinate using hot pink as its main colour. (Besides, the obi in the set is a pre-tied obi! ^^;;; I'm.... not fond of pre-tied obi at all haha.)
I also happen to have a pair of geta that are the perfect combi of purple and pink, and a new pink uchiwa. To accent a little more of the pink, I wore dainty pink flower earrings and tossed some soft pink flowers on my hear. I used a basket bag with white accents because a pink or purple bag would be a little too much colour in the outfit.
On a really random note, I actually chose this yukata because of yesterday's pedicure - my toes match the yukata! ^^;;
Ta~
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