Showing posts with label accessories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label accessories. Show all posts

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;;):


Girls Day Out! Yukata in Pavilion :)

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!)

Girls Day Out! Yukata in Pavilion :)

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;
Girls Day Out! Yukata in Pavilion :)

Girls Day Out! Yukata in Pavilion :)

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 ^_^;;

Girls Day Out! Yukata in Pavilion :)

Girls Day Out! Yukata in Pavilion :)

Girls Day Out! Yukata in Pavilion :)


Group pics outside Shu Uemura!
Girls Day Out! Yukata in Pavilion :)

Girls Day Out! Yukata in Pavilion :)

Girls Day Out! Yukata in Pavilion :)


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!

Girls Day Out! Yukata in Pavilion :)


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!

Girls Day Out! Yukata in Pavilion :)


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.

Girls Day Out! Yukata in Pavilion :)


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 :)

Girls Day Out! Yukata in Pavilion :)


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.

Girls Day Out! Yukata in Pavilion :)


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! ^_^

Girls Day Out! Yukata in Pavilion :)


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!


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.

Three-section himo with elastic bands


This item is a koshihimo - with additional elastic bands added over a short part of the middle section of the himo.

Three-section himo with elastic bands


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, 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:
Pink And Purple Kimono Remake Bag

Back:
Pink And Purple Kimono Remake Bag


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 ^^;;
Dinner @ Sagano

Dinner @ Sagano



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.

Magazine: Furisode Daisuki 2006-2007
(Click here for a larger image!)

Source:
Magazine: Furisode Daisuki 2006-2007
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.

Magazine: Furisode Daisuki 2006-2007
(Click here for a larger image!)

Source:
Magazine: Furisode Daisuki 2006-2007
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:
Mustard Yellow Kimono Remake Bag

Back:
Mustard Yellow Kimono Remake Bag


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.


Monday, 18 July 2011

Outfit Snap: Periwinkle Rose Yukata

Was feeling a little antsy tonight and had lots of time to spare, so I decided to dress up in one of my new yukata!

Periwinkle Rose Yukata

A bit of a close-up on the yukata's design:
Periwinkle Rose Yukata


I'd been dreaming about pairing this yukata and this obi together since I first saw this yukata, and it does go surprisingly well together! I was aiming for a more "cool" look rather than sweet & flowery, which is why I used a pair of black geta rather than blue or purple or pink. I guess I was also kind of hoping to pull in the dark colours from my hair, watch, fan and camera together ^^;

The fan is a little cutesy for this outfit, but it was the only one I had that matched colour-wise.

Nowadays, I always feel that an outfit is too plain if there isn't some form of decoration at the obi, even if it's just a fan tucked into it, so I stuffed by everyday pearl necklace into it for a little something. I reflected the pearl theme with a pearl ring.

The yukata, geta and fan were all bought at this year's Jusco Yukata Fair :)

I'm.... not entirely happy with today's kitsuke, but considering that it took me about 20mins from deciding I wanted to wear yukata to fully dressing in it, accessories and all, it's actually pretty okay XD;

Any C&C on this coordination would be really appreciated! ^_^ What other obi do you see this yukata with? There are so many possibilities that I have no idea what to wear next with it haha.


Sunday, 17 July 2011

Event Aftermath: Jusco Yukata Fair 2011 - Take 2!

I went back to the fair this morning to pick up a few more accessories - after all, with the price I'm paying, it would only barely cover shipping for these items most of the time! So it's really worth buying them now :)

Jusco Yukata Fair 2011 - My Loot!


(Psst: I also bought another yukata for my brother and another sweet-looking yukata for myself ^^;)


Friday, 15 July 2011

Event Aftermath: Jusco Yukata Fair 2011

As promised, here is the post on my loot from the Jusco Yukata Fair this year!

First off, the yukata!
Jusco Yukata Fair 2011 - My Loot!
I seem to be in a pale colours mood this year ^^ There were way more black yukata than anything else at the Fair, but I just didn't like any of them.

The obi that came with the yukata.
Jusco Yukata Fair 2011 - My Loot!
This year has much nicer pre-tied obi that last year! I guess that accounts for the RM10 increase in price.

One more yukata for my brother.
Jusco Yukata Fair 2011 - My Loot!
This yukata really called to me because I love Ichimatsu check prints, and this one was in a really gorgeous shade of dark brown. I know my brother never lets me dress him up most of the time, but I couldn't resist ^^;

A kid's yukata.
Jusco Yukata Fair 2011 - My Loot!
Just cause it's cute XD

The geta collection.
Jusco Yukata Fair 2011 - My Loot!
They're actually brighter in real life.

A lilac-coloured obijime.
Jusco Yukata Fair 2011 - My Loot!

Uchiwa!!
Jusco Yukata Fair 2011 - My Loot!
My weakness~~

Some furoshiki.
Jusco Yukata Fair 2011 - My Loot!
One of the furoshiki came with a DVD on furoshiki!


On the Fair itself:

This year, the obi that were paired with the yukata were much much nicer than the ones last year! Not everything was slapped together with a red&yellow obi - this time, care and consideration were actually taken when matching the obi and the yukata. As you can see in the pictures above, the quality of the obi were also much better this time.

There were still some sets that were sold with the same ugly obi as last year's, but there were only two racks of those (priced at RM129 per set of yukata & obi). A majority of the yukata sets on display were priced at RM139, but there was a good selection of patterns. Most of the yukata were dark-coloured (black, dark purple) but there were a few sweet ones (light purple, pale blue).

(I kind of feel like I recognise some of the patterns - they are definitely similar to some branded yukata that were really popular a few years ago. One of those that I bought kinda looks like one I've been drooling over in a magazine from 2008! XD;)

A small section of higher range yukata was also present (half a rack of these, I think?) but the colours and patterns were just so pretty compared to the others! These ones were priced at RM299 for just one yukata.

The men's yukata section was also much better this year! There were more patterns to choose from and I had a really tough time choosing one for my brother. There were two other striped ones that I really liked, but I had to limit myself to just one yukata ^^;

For women's obi, Jusco brought in a better selection of higher-range pre-tied obi and quite a nice range of hanhaba obi. I thought they were rather overpriced, but maybe I was biased because I already had many of those colours in my closet ^^; The standalone pre-tied obi were about RM139 and the hanhaba obi were RM189.

The best part about this year's fair is that they started selling kitsuke items! So far, they only have himo (RM29 for a set of two) and datejime (RM59 each), but I'm hoping that next year or the year after, they'll start expanding to obi-ita and yukata slips or something ^_^

There was a smaller selection of fans to choose from this year (or maybe it's just that I got there late) but the ones that were left were pretty high quality :) They also had the same obijime, kanzashi, bag, parasols and obi-kazari for sale. The sheer number of geta was shocking! They stocked more kids' geta this round - I'm sooooo tempted by this incredibly cute pair of geta with light blue gingham check and sunflowers!

I feel like going back there to browse, just for the heck of it :)

If anyone's free and has cash to spare, why not drop by and keep the yukata fair alive for next year? XD

(P/S: There is also a Yukata Fair at Jusco Queensbay Mall in Penang, also ending this Sunday, 17th July ^^)


Sunday, 5 June 2011

Coordination Comments: Yellow Snowflake Komon & Purple Obi

For the past few months, I've been complaining to a friend that I haven't been blogging much because I never seem to find time to dress up in kimono. She suggested that since I have so many pieces that I don't have the chance to wear, why don't I just post pics and comments on coordinates instead?

Well today, I'm finally listening to her advice! I tend to prefer not to post coordinates before I wear them as I like to wear something completely new each time I dress up in kimono, but well... desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess XD;

Here is today's coordinate!

Yellow Komon & Purple Obi Coordinate


As you can see, I'm still on my yellow phase XD

This here is another yellow hitoe komon that I got from Shinei's sales sometime last year. I know, I know, I already had one yellow hitoe komon.... But yellow is such a cute colour, and I couldn't resist the snowflakes!

One thing I love about hitoe is that it can be worn with either summer or spring/autumn/winter accessories, depending on the look you are going for. Since I wore summer accessories last week, I thought I'd go for a warmer look for this coordinate.

I wanted to give myself a bit of a challenge today and pair this kimono with a more striking obi. Usually I would just follow a colour scheme that would match the tone of the kimono - in this case, it would be dusty pink, browns and white. However, I just couldn't shake the idea of wearing purple and yellow together, so I brought out my favourite purple obi.

Close-up of the colours:
Yellow Komon & Purple Obi Coordinate


I matched it with a pale green obijime to give it a bit more of a refreshing feel, and a green han'eri with embroidered pink flowers to bring out more of the green and highlight a little of the pink.

I was at a bit of a loss when it came to the obiage, but my friend had given me this yellow obiage that was perfect - if I fold it correctly, it would have little squares of purple, green and pink showing!

The obiage does seem to blend into the kimono abit, but I wanted both the kimono and the obi to be the main focus of the outfit. A pink obiage (or even a coral one to match the flower in the obi) would've been one too many colours in this outfit and would've made the obi and its accessories the main focus, with the kimono just fading behind as a background to the striking combination.

I forgot to add tabi and zori to the picture, but I think I'd probably have worn white tabi (maybe I can embroider some to have green leaves or something?) and yellow zori. If I had green or purple zori, I'd definitely wear them though!

I'm pretty happy with the formality of this outfit. It's something that I'd probably wear out for lunch at a nice restaurant in a mall, or something that I'd go to watch a movie or musical or concert... Maybe even a house party if I'm brave enough! It's exactly the sort of places and events I'd wear kimono to, which means this outfit is perfectly wearable for me :)

How do you like this outfit? What would you change about it if the kimono and obi had to stay the same?


Thursday, 15 July 2010

Event Aftermath: Jusco Yukata Fair 2010 - My Finds!

As promised, here is my post about the stuff I bought at the Jusco yukata fair!

1)Pale blue stripes and spots yukata. I found this pattern quite adorable, and I don't have any pale blue yukata.

I'm not entirely sure what sort of obi I'd like to wear this with, but I think the one in this photo makes for a rather refreshing combination. I'm not too fond of the idea of wearing such a plain yukata obi with this yukata, but the colours are really spot-on for my taste...


2) Brown with bunnies yukata. I was really happy to have found this! I haven't any brown kimono or yukata or even obi, so this was a very nice surprise. Plus, the saleswomen told me that they have only one yukata of this pattern, and they all remembered me for buying it ^^;;

I found this one obi that seems to be a great colour match for the yukata. It contrasts the darkness so well, and at the same time, the roses match the bunnies quite perfectly. I think it lends a rather cute appeal to a yukata that is otherwise slightly too old for me. Any ideas on other colour combinations? I think I might try a pale yellow or something.


3) Yet another navy blue roses and false shibori yukata! I love that sort of combination. The roses here look really elegant, I feel.

For this photo, I paired this yukata with a plain white obi so that I can show off my new obijime :)


4) Navy blue and gold yukata obijime. I bought this because the colour is quite hard to get right on screen, so it's more difficult to find the correct shade when shopping online.

I didn't really know how to tie the obijime properly, so I just fudged it ^^;; I think it turned out looking rather well!


5) All the obi that came with the yukata! (and one extra from my godsis, who also hated the obi)

I'm still not sure about what I'm going to do with all these... I think I might keep them to lend out to people who want to wear yukata, but can't tie an obi. However, if you want one, I'd be willing to trade! Just send me a message or leave a comment XD


6) One of the three pairs of geta I bought.

At RM20, these were really worth it. Even my godsis Carolyn, whom I dragged along and convinced to buy lots of stuff at the fair, bought a couple of pairs and said they were really comfy for everyday wear!


7) Navy blue uchiwa fan.

I'm of the opinion that you can never have too many fans! XD The fact that this fan matches my new navy blue yukata doesn't hurt either :P


8) Pearl obi kazari.

I've always wanted one, so I thought I'd just buy one to see. I ended up buying another one when this one worked so well ^^;


9) Kimono stickers!

These weren't actually from the Jusco yukata fair. However, I did bump into them at Art Friend, Gardens when my godsis and I went to the fair. I couldn't resist such cuteness!! I can't wait to start using them the next time I send a card or a letter to my kimono friends :)


These actually weren't all the items I bought - I also have parasols, more geta, more obi kazari, a child's yukata set, and a couple of items for my brother..... But I got lazy to post all of them :P

Bon Odori is this weekend (zomg forgot to post about it!) so I might wear one of my new pretties there ^_^ If my brother goes with me, he'll be wearing one of the yukata I bought for him yay! I can't wait 8D

Hope you enjoyed seeing what I purchased XD I certainly had a good time shopping haha!

Toodles and goodnight!