Outfit Challenge: Hanabi yukata - "Pop" style

Hanabi yukata - "Pop" style, originally uploaded by shira.C.

SO sorry it's late!! But I went out with Mel today, and we ended up spending the whole day together :D That will come in the next post.

Anyway, this is the very last hanabi yukata ensemble I created that day! I call it the "pop" style because it is very modern.

It all started with me wanting to use the hot pink obi. I matched it with one of my bags, and thought the hot pink looked really modern. I also used my modern geta that you've been seeing in some of the previous ensembles :D

I didn't know what to accessorize it with to make it fit with the modern theme, but I found a silver hairband I've had for a while and put it on. It's a little hard to see, but I'm also wearing a nice bracelet and my favourite ring with a rose motif.

So! Which one was your favourite? :D Which one should I wear to Bon Odori this year?

Outfit Challenge: Hanabi yukata -"Refreshing" taste

Hanabi yukata - "Refreshing" taste, originally uploaded by shira.C.

Today's yukata ensemble was aimed for getting the "refreshing" look. I've always thought pale green was a very refreshing springtime colour, and navy and green look so cute together!

Like with the "cute" taste ensemble with a light pink obi, I flipped over part of the obi so that it didn't look like a solid block of colour interrupting the pattern. The bag just happened to be absolutely perfect with it :D

You can't see it very well, but the geta are my mustard yellow geta. If I'd thought of it at the time, I would've worn my pale yellow one instead :)

Well, one more outfit to go!

Outfit Challenge: Hanabi yukata - "To the beach" style

Hanabi yukata - "To the beach" style, originally uploaded by shira.C.

Lol I nearly forgot to post today's yukata style :P

Today, the look is a little weird - I really wanted to wear my hat, but the only look I could think of was a beach-y style, so I paired it with my sandals and a nice beachy looking bag.

For the obi, the hakata obi was the only one that looked okay colour-wise, but I think the pattern is a little too traditional for such a modern look. I think maybe I'll use my pale yellow obi next time for the beachy look? But what about the hakata obi? What accessories to use then?

Decisions, decisions...

Btw, I've always had a big big big crush of Dr. Spencer Reid since I first watched Criminal Minds ages ago, but I've recently acquired Criminal Minds Season 3 and *__* my obsession is shooting through the roof.

On the other hand, watching Criminal Minds has also made me paranoid to the point where I'm barely able to go to my own kitchen without keeping an eye on all windows and doors lol.

My overactive imagination *sighs* A blessing and a curse :P

Outfit Challenge: Hanabi yukata - "Cute" taste

Hanabi yukata - "Cute" taste, originally uploaded by shira.C.

When I first bought this obi, I didn't think it would match anything I owned, simply because it looked too modern. Then I noticed the amount of pink in this yukata and thought "why not?"

I'm really glad I did, because it turned out looking so cute! However, one blank stretch of pink against the busy yukata looked to be too much of a shock, so I folded up the bottom side of the obi to show off the other side of it, which is white with a really gorgeous pattern of flowers, leaves and butterflies in black. It creates a break in the solid colour that gives a nice effect, I think.

For the bag, I chose a periwinkle blue kinchaku that I got for free in one of my YJA purchases. I thought it looked cute because it had pink stripes to match the obi, and the blue brought out other pale colours in the yukata.

I wore my modern pair of geta because the obi itself looks modern, and traditional geta looked rather odd with it.

Although I like all of the ensembles I created with this yukata, I must admit that I think this one is one of my absolute favourites :D

Outfit Challenge: Hanabi yukata - "Classic" taste: yellow

Hanabi yukata - "Classic" taste: yellow, originally uploaded by shira.C.

Navy and this shade of yellow are another classic colour combination for yukata. I also happened to have a nice summery looking bag that matched the yellow obi (cost only RM120 for this bag and another one - that's only £20 for both at time of purchase!), so I used it :D I switched from traditional geta to my more modern ones because the traditional geta looked a little off with such a modern bag.

Also, you can't see it because I edited my ugly ugly face out, but I accessorized with my glasses. I wanted to with modernizing it a little, because the bag and geta alone looked a little too modern for the navy and yellow combination and wearing the glasses seemed to take the edge off the oddness for a bit hehe. It also had a little to do with looking like the "girl next door" ^^;;;

Outfit Challenge: Hanabi yukata - "Classic" taste: red

Hanabi yukata - "Classic" taste: red, originally uploaded by shira.C.

Yesterday's hanabi yukata ensemble was the last of the "kimono style" ones.

Today's ensemble is purely yukata style, in "classic" taste. The combination of navy and red has been very popular and very common for many years (or so I've deduced from what yukata magazines tell me), resulting in a very "classic" look for yukata. I didn't add any major accessories, and used a kinchaku and proper geta to achieve that "classic" and "traditional" feel for the look.

I've never really liked red and blue together, unless it's on flags, but for some reason, navy and red just go together really really well :D

Outfit Challenge: Hanabi yukata - "Kimono" style "Classic" taste

Hanabi yukata - "Kimono" style "Classic" taste, originally uploaded by shira.C.

Once again, today's ensemble is the same ensemble as the previous two, with different obiage and obijime for a different look.

This time, I used yellow for a more "refreshing" look in a more "classic" style. But it blends in a little too much to the obi for my liking.

Btw, I just got back from the London MCM Expo! It was fun :) I'll have to post pictures sometime soon hehe. Tomorrow, tomorrow, lol :P

Outfit Challenge: Hanabi yukata - "Kimono" style "Sweet" taste

Hanabi yukata - "Kimono" style "Sweet" taste, originally uploaded by shira.C.

Today's ensemble is the same ensemble as yesterday, but with a different obiage and obijime for a different look.

While yesterday's dark maroon obiage and obijime was used for a more mature look, in today's outfit, I chose sweet pink accessories to make the outfit lighter, younger and cuter. Also, the pink accessories were supposed to bring out the pinks in the yukata, but they were too pale to really do anything! Hahaha.

Perhaps I should have chosen a darker pink instead?

Outfit Challenge: Hanabi Yukata: "Kimono" Style "Otona" Taste

Hanabi yukata - "Kimono" style "Otona" taste, originally uploaded by shira.C.

Lately, I've been inspired by one of my yukata magazines to create as many ensembles as I can using one yukata, each outfit differing on style, taste, TPO, etc. Today, I took out my hanabi (fireworks) yukata and had a two hour dressing session for this personal challenge!

I managed to come up with nine outfits today, although I will admit that I could probably think of even more outfits if I bothered to look harder. Sooooo.... I'm going to post one ensemble a day till I've shown off all the ensembles I've created! :)

I am planning to wear this yukata for Bon Odori this year (it takes place in July every year in Malaysia) but I can't decide which outfit to wear :P I like all of them! So, once all the ensembles have been posted, you guys help me decide!

For today's ensemble, I'm wearing the yukata kimono-style. The obi is a plain white hakata weave nagoya obi, tied otaiko style, and with maroon ro (summer weave) obiage and obijime. I put on a kantan eri (easy collar that gives the illusion of a juban even if I'm not wearing one) and tabi to complete the kimono look.

I call this "Otona" or "adult/mature" taste, because I think the dark maroon colour and the dark navy colour look so mature together!

I think this is more of a daytime outfit. It's so dark that it would look striking in the daylight, rather than blending in with the night. I think this one is something I would wear to go shopping or to an informal lunch or something :)

What do you think?

Crazy Ideas: Oiran Style Kitsuke Fun!

Today, Hong and I went to the Charlton Depot to get a parcel of mine that got caught up in taxes. We were actually supposed to meet in Shadwell at 10am, but I kind of overslept (was ill the night before... No, it wasn't the courgette thing :P) so we ended up meeting at nearly 12 ^^;;;

Anyway, we went to the depot, collected my parcel, went to Misato for lunch (we shared some salmon sashimi and I had tonkatsu rice! Yummm), stopped by Claire's for hair accessories and popped by Cinnabon for some delicious cinnamon buns, and finally came home.

When Hong came over on Saturday, she'd brought me this magazine that was posted in the IG forums (click here to see!). This style of dressing always reminded me of Komagata Yumi from the anime Rurouni Kenshin (click here for a nice but slightly indecent picture), who is someone I've always wanted to cosplay, so I was willing to try it out.

So Hong first had a bit of fun trying to style my hair in a nihongami hairstyle (traditional Japanese hairstyle). Of course, we couldn't really figure out what to do from the really sparse instructions in the book, so we just fudged it around till it kinda looked alright from the front.

The hair was really a horror to do, especially since my hair is really fine and smooth and very slippery ^^;; We also didn't use any gels or hairsprays because I'd just washed my hair a few hours before, and really really didn't want to have to wash it again! So...... Now you know why it looks really messy and kinda funky :P

Oh, the reason why it looks so full is because we used stuffing in it to give it volume :P

Once my hair was "done", I took off the hadajuban and kimono bra I was wearing, and instead put on a susoyoke and used my new sarashi to bind my chest and the towel I was using as padding. Dressing in the yukata in oiran style is actually really easy! A little more fiddly than usual, and I really recommend a datejime on top of your himo to keep everything from moving around, but other than that, it's really as easy as usual :)

I chose to wear my tsumori chisato "designer" yukata that I got at the end-of-summer sales last year for cheap (about 90% discount!) and an obi that looked relatively well with it. I didn't have a heko obi, so we fudged the look with a child's heko obi that I got in a pile of remake fabrics. The coordination isn't the best, but I think it's relatively decent :)

So... Finally! Pictures!!!

An upclose..

I had broken a pair of geta just before the Tokyo City Promotion, but we thought it'd look cute if we pretended they just broke :P

In this one, we added an umbrella, and I'm supposed to be reaching down to grab the thingy

Hong really likes this one! She calls it the "come hither" one XD

And this one is the "bitch" one! XD

I kinda like how this one turned out, although it's a little risque

Hong's candid shot turned out looking not-so-candid! :P

The end!

^_^ How did you like it? I must say, it was really fun doing all of this! Hahaha. I may be tempted to wear yukata in that manner again :P But maybe only in the May MCM Expo.... Maybe :P

Please C&C!

Outfit Snap: Red, Black, White Challenge: Take 3

Red, Black, White Challenge: Take 3, originally uploaded by shira.C.

Yesterday, I decided to wear kimono simply because I haven't worn one in three weeks (three weeks!) and was absolutely dying to.

I had originally wanted to respond to the IG forums' "Yipes! Stripes!" Challenge, but I couldn't come up with a nice ensemble with the kimono I'd wanted to wear. Instead, I took out another old synthetic kimono, and wore that instead! It's vaguely stripe-ish, but not enough to enter the challenge.

The colour scheme was a no-brainer. I didn't even have to think about it! Red, black and white seems just so ordinary to put together now. The best thing about this ensemble is that, except for the fact that the kimono is awase, it's really season-neutral! Even the juban is season-neutral :D

Speaking of the juban, the one I wore is one of my new juban from a lot of 16 I'd bought ages ago. This one is an all-over print of false white kanako shibori on red. Isn't it cute??? :D :D :D

I'm thinking that the next time I wear this kimono, I'll wear a blue obi or something, to pick up on the very faint and pale colours of the kimono's pattern. What do you think?

Outfit Snap: IG Red-Black-White Challenge

Well, despite being late for over a week, here are pictures of me participating in the IG Red-Black-White Challenge!

The front...

The back...
With that cape I bought from Japan all those years ago. I never wore it till January when I discovered what a cute kimono accessory it made!
Sorry for the bad picture, but in here you can see that it's black and white stripes rather than grey!

The kimono is a black and white striped polyester kimono I bought quite a while ago. Very warm. The obi is a very cheap nagoya obi I bought from a UK seller on eBay. It has white maple leaves and butterflies on it! So cute!!

To tie in the gold bits, I used a yellow obijime and a gold and silver obijime. Yes, TWO obijime! Mel and I saw it in one of the kimono magazines I have and we decided to try it. I picked a white obiage to give it a lighter, cooler and more "uplifting" feel and also to tie in the white han-eri, white tabi and white maple leaves.

Unfortunately, the obi is a bit short for me, which is why it looks kinda ugly on me. Maybe I should sell it to Hong? Or trade it with something? I've already sold one of my black furisode to her because I can't fit it (it's too short) and it's perfect for her. It's black, lush, the right length and size, and has gorgeous embroidery on it. I'll have to wait till she gets cash, though, hehe. Then after that, I'll have to see if she still wants it *sigh*

Ling: There, tell the parents that I'm selling off my kimono rather than buying more.