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 :)

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 :)

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)

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 ^^;;

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.

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 :)



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

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!

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.

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.

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.

Just cause it's cute XD

The geta collection.

They're actually brighter in real life.

A lilac-coloured obijime.


Uchiwa!!

My weakness~~

Some furoshiki.

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 ^^)

Closet Feature: Red Yukata & Black Obi

So.... I've finally decided to get rid of this red yukata ^^; I've worn it a few times, so while it's clean and stain-free, it's not in the best condition... But the material is softer now, compared to when I first received it!

I tossed this plain black obi with the yukata (the reverse side of the obi is bright red) because I got it with one of the yukata sets I bought for a godsister and there was no way I was going to let one of my godsisters wear such an ugly thing ^^;;;

I kind of think that if the obi was folded a little in the front to show off a bit of red, it'd look pretty nice with this yukata :)

Closet Feature: Black Yukata & Hot Pink Obi

I was taking pics of some yukata I'm selling to a friend of a friend, and thought I'd share the pics here one at a time.

Here is the first of the 8 outfits I've put together:


(Please don't mind the low quality photo - I had to use my phone's camera as my mum is holding my camera hostage at the moment ^^;)

Both the yukata and obi are brand new.

I'm not really looking for critique on coordination - I paired the yukata and obi based on what matched best together from the pile I wanted to get rid of.

I just kind of wondered how much you'd pay for a set like this? I'm selling this to her at cost price because she's a friend's friend, but I was kind of curious to know how much most people (especially Malaysians!) would be willing to pay for this sort of thing.

Good night!

Closet Feature: New Red Sakura Furisode

New Red Furisode, originally uploaded by shira.C.

A while ago, I was trying on a juban to show a friend and I thought it'd also be nice to show her how the juban would look under the furisode, so I tossed on one of the new furisode that I got at Yamatoku's furisode festival last year.

I really love this red one! I've been looking for a red furisode for a long time, but most that I see just aren't too my taste. This one was perfect in every way, from the shade of red to the pattern and the colour scheme and most importantly - the size XD;

I'm not dressed in a full outfit because I have yet to stumble across the perfect obi for this furisode. I saw something that was nearly close to perfect, but the colour scheme of the obi wasn't 100% perfect, so I let it go. I'm still waiting and biding my time, though... XD

(If you're only here for the kimono and not personal updates, you might want to leave here ^^;)

It's been a crazy few weeks at work~ My company was organising a conference and it's finally over!! *phew* My team was working 18 hour days for 2 weeks, including weekends - and before that we were working 14 hour days for a month haha. Some of the others didn't get any sleep at all... (I made sure I got some sleep - I'm a complete grouch if I don't get enough sleep XD;)

..... And now, there is another conference coming up on Tuesday, and yet another one in the US in less than a month's time. Not really looking forward to it! XD;;

This year's schedule is looking pretty busy... but I'm still hopeful for more kimono outings with friends XD; I'm hoping this year will be a more active year with kimono and blogging for me!

I'm just re-starting my Tips & Tricks (T&T) post on kimono fit that I promised in my last T&T post, but it's taking abit of time because I keep deleting and re-drafting it haha. It's turning out to be more annoying that I thought! I'll most likely have to split it into three parts - one for measuring kimono to see if it fits you, one on how to wear kimono that are too small for you and one on how to wear kimono that are too big for you (not that I have much experience in that area!!). Hopefully it'll be out before June at this rate XP;;

Bye, and a solemn Good Friday to you all.

(Omg just realised that I'm posting a red kimono on Good Friday ^^;;; I guess it matches the vestments for today's Mass?)

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!

Event Aftermath: Stuff from Japan Charity Bazaar

Just a quick post about stuff I got at that Japan Charity Fiesta and Bazaar 2009 thingum.

1) Pretty box! Cheap too - only RM20.


2) New yukata!!! I'm not sure what it's made of (I think it feels like a cotton/poly mix) but the weave is a lovely ro.


3) Cute tiny notebook that sits in my bag all the time now:


4) A really cute kinchaku made of Malaysian batik cloths!


5) Another very cute kinchaku.


^_____^ I'm happy!

Back from Singapore! (again)

It's been a while since I actually came home, but I'm baaaack! I was in Singapore last week for 3 days for a business trip ^_^

Singapore was exhausting. It was a little hard to deal with, especially since so many clients had joined us, and it was my first time actually pitching in a hopefully useful hand on a trip like this, but we pulled through just fine ^_^

We had gone to Singapore on Sunday morning to make preparations for the two-day trip, and I managed to find a little bit of time to sneak off and do a little shopping. I brought a few of us to my favourite lingerie shop, and after I'd paid for my stuff, I left them to run upstairs and check out L'escalier, a shop that sells Japanese items, and occasionally some kimono and kimono accessories. I've bought a fukuro obi and a few obijime from this shop before, and I must say, the quality is excellent!

Anyway, this time around, since I hadn't even visited the store during my September Singapore trip, I picked out three obijime. It's a small picture and doesn't do my lovely obijime any justice, but here they are!!


There is a blue and purple one, a pink and purple one and an orange and white one with multicoloured stripes! So cute!! I paid SGD69 for all three of these. A little pricey, but given that they look and feel brand-new and I didn't have shipping to pay for, it was worth it! ^_^

I'd also bought myself a nice gradiated lilac obiage at the Kokon Tozai outlet in the airport (which I'd finally found!) but I was lazy to take pics ^^;; Maybe next time?

Back from Singapore!

I'm baaack! It was a lovely, relaxing holiday. We shopped all weekend and I spent soooooo much money it isn't even funny! >_<"" Anyway, I'm abit tired and lazy to really post much, so it's going to be in point form, again. This post is mainly for pics. I would post alot more, but it's taken me 2 bloody hours to upload 5 tiny resized pics, and I'm so fed up with the internet here that I can't be bothered to post more. I miss Singapore already. 1) About a month ago, my camera died on me right smack in the middle of a working trip, so my mum got me a new camera. Say hi!

2) On my last trip to Singapore two months ago, I had a day off, so I spent the whole afternoon wandering around Singapore and looking for all the yukata shops I'd seen on SGCafe.net. It was fun! In terms of kimono, I bought a lovely blue hanhaba obi with matching thin obijime, and a reddish sort of obijime.




3) This trip to Singapore, we were given prime rooms with a "great view" in Swissotel! I don't think Singapore is all that pretty in the morning, but at night, when everything is plunged into darkness and the city comes alive with bright lights and music, the view is breathtaking. Singapore is also currently preparing for their F1 Night Race, so the spotlights are all up and everything. On Saturday night, they had a test run of the spotlights, and we could see it from our rooms! Here's a wee picture:


4) I spent soooo much money this weekend. Srsly. Three months' salary wouldn't cover it. Akihabara Japan Products should love me. Here are my spoils! :D

I bought a lined kimono, a yukata, a kasane-eri, a hanhaba obi, a basket bag, one pair of women's geta, one pair of really cute skull men's geta, one tsuke eri, and (not shown in this pic) two obiage. Feel my happiness!!! XD XD XD

I'm very tempted to wear the yukata for this Saturday's TAF event, but I'm not sure... Pink doesn't seem to be much of a night-time colour to me. I think I might finally wear that hanabi yukata ensemble I was meant to wear to Bon Odori all those months ago. Or maybe I should wear that false rose shibori yukata I bought for my sister...? Decisions, decisions!

That's all for now! Toodles! XD

Closet Feature: RyuJapan Sales Loot

I've been feeling guilty since I haven't updated about kimono at all in a long long time (except when whining about how much I've wanted to buy/wear/etc kimono). I still haven't been able to wear kimono so far (boooooo) but as a small consolation, I shopped a little yesterday!

RyuJapan had his summer sales last week, and yesterday was the last day. There was this one obi I've been drooling over for the past year or so. Three of Ryu's sales have passed and this obi still hadn't been sold. Yesterday, I really couldn't resist anymore and I got it at 60% off! XD Yay bargain!

Here's my new little beauty:


I also saw this cute hanhaba obi being sold for $6USD, so I bought it for fun :P


Ahhhh, I'm happy with what I bought! XD

Things to post about later:
1) Singapore trip
2) Genting trip
3) Johor trip
4) New camera
5) New kimono books
6) New kimono stuff

Closet Feature: "Milky Way" obi

"Milky Way" obi, originally uploaded by shira.C.

I was feeling guilty again about not having posted pics in ages, so I dug up this old pic. I don't think I've posted it yet, but please do tell me if I have already!

I believe this obi is a hemp obi, judging from its texture and comparing it to April's hemp obi. The seller had called the motif "milky way" and it took me forever to realise that it referred to an old Japanese legend about the deity Orihime and her lover the cow herder. It's quite a nice story, and is the basis of the Tanabata (Star) festival on the 7th of July. You can read the whole story on Wikipedia :D

In this picture (I had quite a messy kitsuke in the front, so I didn't post the whole thing :P) I'm wearing it with a shiozawa-style synthetic kimono. I've also paired it with black obiage and obijime for accessories, although I think a red or yellow obiage would be nice too.

Outfit Snap: Mofuku Remake Set Kitsuke

Okay, it's a little later than I had expected to post it, but it's here! :D



I bought this mofuku remake set for many reasons: I wanted a mofuku remake to see how others did it, I wanted an "Alice in Wonderland" themed obi, I wanted a keyboard obi (it's the other side of this homemade tsuke obi), etc etc. There was a really cute han-eri that came with this set, but at that time, I wasn't very good at sewing on han-eri quickly, so I didn't do it.

Look at how wonderfully wide the obi is! The otaiko looks huge and makes me look and feel smaller :D


Then, because the set was so plain, I decided to use it as a nice template to try on some of my then-new haori and michiyuki which had arrived unexpectedly as a part of a cheap lot of kimono stuff I'd bought.

Here's a lovely blue-gray one. If I'm not mistaken, I'm selling it in my shop now.


My very first michiyuki!!! This is the michiyuki that made me fall in love with the look of michiyuki :D It's also the one where I found a pocket in the folds, and realised that all my michiyuki had pockets. It's such a gorgeous shade of pink and the material is luscious!


You don't see it here, but this michiyuki is actually all-shibori. The base of the cloth is mustard yellow, as you can see, with the normal white shibori ring. However, in the center of the ring, there is a dot of this lovely shade of eggplant purple. It's so pretty I couldn't help but keep the michiyuki! :D


The set with a lovely purple haori. It's probably my favourite haori out of the lot, but the material is very fragile at the back, so I daren't wear it out :/ Still, it looks so good in photos, doesn't it? :D


There you have it, my one-day-in-January's kitsuke! :D

On a smaller note, I finally had a flat-viewing today, but it was for someone else who had responded to my ad today (not the one I've been talking about). Sadly, the person only wanted a short lease, and it was too much trouble for such a short period of time, so I still don't have someone to take over :/ I also had another person respond to the ad, but they were also asking for a 2 month lease. I'm still waiting for that first person to finally come over for the flat-viewing.

That said, my packing is going well! I managed to pack 6 more boxes today. I honestly would've been able to do more, but I started chatting with an old friend online and kinda lost track of time :P I also got distracted by this TV program about viruses and bioterrorism. OH and Yan's boxes finally went away today! She left behind her mattress and her clothes rack... I'm considering taking home the clothes rack. It'd be nice to have one in my room :D

*coughs* Anywaaaaay... I've packed just about all my clothes, including all my kimono (except for yukata and what I'm wearing this Saturday). I've set aside the few clothes I'm bringing home on the plane with me, but I haven't actually tried putting them in my suitcase yet, so I don't know if it'll all fit. I've also sorted out the stuff I'm going to sell or give to Oxfam.

I did pack my shoes today - I'm absolutely horrified! I know I had alot of shoes, looking at that shoe rack of mine, but honestly! One whole boxful??? :/ Add that to the shoes I already have at home..... What a nightmare!

I still have yet to pack my brother's clothes and all the small stuff. I think I'll do it tomorrow and on Sunday once I'm done buying my shampoo and my mum's lipstick. On Monday night and Tuesday, I'll just pack the kitchen stuff that's left and the stuff I haven't sold. I'll also go through all drawers in the kitchen, bathroom, living room and my own room to make sure nothing's left behind.. And maybe I'll be able to get the movers to take all my boxes on Wednesday instead of Thursday! :D

Speaking of movers, I still don't know if I ought to take insurance :/ I don't think I will, though, because it'll cost 5% of whatever I value my stuff at, and it's gonna be expensive. I'm also thinking of paying using my debit card, simply because paying by any non-UK card would incur a 3% processing fee. Yes yes, I'm a scrooge when it comes to certain things!

Blegh I'm tired. I've been moving around heavy boxes the whole day. I'm gonna go to bed now. G'night! :D