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!

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! :)

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!

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! :)

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

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)

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 :)

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 ^^;;

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~

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

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.

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~

Event Announcement: Tokyo Street Pavilion is open!

Uhh... this is really a late announcement, considering that I got to know about it on the morning of the opening ceremony ^^;;;

Anyway!! Tokyo Street opened on the morning of Friday, 29th July 2011.

I went to check it out today at lunch! (long story on how that happened) It was not bad :) The Hokkaido Ramen place had a long queue, so we ate at Tokyo Don, which had pretty good tori katsu don. We also bought some pretty good mochi from Mochi Sweets.

While taking a brief look through the place, I noticed that there is a shop that's selling proper kimono items! Granted, I think they're overpriced, but the geta quality are at least better than alot I've seen. Also, considering that the shop is in Pavilion and has to pay their insane rental rates... Well, I kind of understand the prices ^^;

There are alot of nice places, including this nice-looking tea place and a few shops with really nice Japanese pottery and crockery, but I didn't explore much as I was short on time.

For those who are interested in checking it out, Tokyo Street is at Level 6, Pavilion Mall, Kuala Lumpur. That's right on Jalan Raja Chulan and Jalan Bukit Bintang, folks :) Across the street from JW Marriotts and Starhill Gallery.

On a separate note, I received by 20kg sea mail parcel yesterday!! It had my lot of 20 obi in it, as well as 2 new obi and a whole bunch of undies and accessories!! I'm way too excited about them! I'll probably wear a kimono with my new obi and one of my new hanjuban sets (purple!!) when going out with a friend this weekend ^___^

Take care and good night!

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!



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


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.

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 ^^)

Event Announcement: Jusco Yukata Fair 2011 - Till Sunday, 17th July

Heya!

Jusco is having another yukata fair this year! It's abit of a late announcement, especially considering that they've been here since 4th July, but I'd only just found out a couple of days ago and finally had time to check it out today.

As before, the fair is at Jusco Mid Valley. Easiest way to get there is to enter through the Center Court entrance on the ground floor and just walk straight. Can't miss it!

The Fair will be here till Sunday, 17th July :)

I've already spent a fortune there on overpriced things, but anything to keep this fair alive and going! I'm hoping they'll have another one next year ^_^

I'll be posting about my loot next! Ta~

Outfit Snap: My Brother & His Girlfriend - Friday Night Dress-Up!

My brother asked if I could help him with his yukata ensemble for this year's Bon Odori, so I took out one of the new ones I'd gotten for him at last year's Yukata Fair at Jusco (it has stripes and bats on it!) and paired it with his black pre-tied hakata obi and the skeleton-themed geta I bought for him two years ago.

We had a test-run of his outfit after coming home from dinner earlier tonight!

After seeing him dressed up and flipping through a couple of my yukata magazines, his girlfriend also asked to get dressed up :D I showed her my whole collection and let her pick one yukata (well, she was torn between this one and another, so she let my brother choose) and a matching obi.

I put her in a pair of navy blue geta and tucked a dark blue fan into her obi to match the navy blue dragonflies on the yukata. I also tossed in the bag and the hair accessory to make the outfit look more complete.

This is the end result!



One of the magazines they were flipping through had a feature on couples' yukata and how to match them with themes, so their outfits are also somewhat matched together! Both yukata are light-coloured and have some sort of stripes on them while their obi also have some form of stripes ^^

Aren't they so cute together?? :D

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 :)

Outfit Snap: Navy Blue Yukata & Seafoam Green Obi

After working on my blog for a while and surrounding myself with kimono for practically the whole weekend, I had the urge to either buy more kimono or have a dress-up session to distract myself from shopping.

So..... I had a dress-up session! ^_^

I wanted to just throw on something easy, but I had a very specific obi in mind to wear today, so I grabbed both the obi and another yukata that was just lying around.

Here is the result! ^_^

(Please don't mind that the photos are really low quality! My mum is holding my camera for her business trips so I had to make-do with my phone)



I'm carrying the umbrella because.... Well ^^; It matched the colour scheme and it was just there. It's actually an RM5 bit of nonsense that I bought from Daisou just because it was cheap and cute.



I really like that both the yukata and obi have a rose theme :) I also kind of like that the pearls on the obi are a little similar to the false shibori dots on the yukata.



Today's obi musubi was chosen because I was actually experimenting with wearing yukata without any padding and I needed something large that will hide the lower back area of my yukata. I did have to stuff a whole towel underneath the obi to keep the musubi perky, but a few clever folds and some manipulation of how the obi falls and you'd never notice :)

On wearing yukata without padding: I have to say that it does do wonders for managing the heat! I can see now why people say that yukata are cooling to wear. I had to tie my yukata a little looser than usual so that the himo don't cut into my body, but it just makes for a more comfortable kitsuke.

I have to keep practicing this to improve my kitsuke without padding! XD

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!

Blog Layout (again!)

Haha, seems like I went overboard with the restructuring... I had honestly only meant to edit the side bar a little, but then I started exploring a little more when I was bored and next thing you know, I was adding all sorts of things to my blog ^^;

The pages at the top are still incomplete (I still have to add one for Kimono Knowledge and another for Know-How) but at least the template is there for me to start off with. I'm also looking into changing the font for my pages... That one will take longer in coming because it's quite far down my priority list.

For now, I'm just happy with cleaning up my sidebar and adding a signature and a LinkWithin widget :) I've also added a new Contact Me form that's pretty easy to use, but I've left the link to the old one just in case it fails or something.

Of course, now my blog takes pretty long to upload so I may end up removing LinkWithin and leaving my Pages font as it is.

Let me know of any complaints? ^_^

Edited to add: Okay, so it was getting a little too slow so I removed the Search bar and LinkWithin. The signature does make it slower, but I really like it... :/

Blog Restructuring

My T&T post on kimono fit is moving on really slowly (can’t tell you how many times I’ve rewritten the thing only to delete it all and start over again ^^;) so I thought I’d just move on and post about something else instead.

I got bored over the weekend and did up a table of post ideas – and I have to say that I have a lot of ideas on what to post, and no idea on where to start! So I figured reorganizing everything so that my blog is more structured would be a great place to begin with, and it’ll certainly help me see what areas I ought to work on first.

As such, I’m now in the middle of reorganizing my blog – adding new tags, editing titles, etc. I’m also updating my sidebar to reflect some of the changes.... Although I'll have to continually update my Tips & Tricks series and the upcoming Kimono Knowledge series as I write and post them, which will eventually happen (in like maybe ten years or so, at the rate I’m going XD;)

Anyway! I’m looking forward to having a more organized blog XD; Maybe it’ll inspire me to write more or something as well haha.

Ta~!

Event Announcement: 35th Bon Odori in Shah Alam, Malaysia

Just another quick post.

The Embassy of Japan in Malaysia announced the official date for the 35th Bon Odori in Shah Alam, Malaysia yesterday:

Date : Saturday, 16th July 2011

Time : 5pm - 9.15pm

Venue : Kompleks Sukan Negara (Former Panasonic Sports Complex)

Free shuttle bus : from KTM Shah Alam Station (Section 19) to Kompleks Sukan Negara and vice versa from 4pm to 11pm

Programme:
5pm - Gates open
7pm - Opening
9.15pm - Closing Address

Here's a link to the announcement page on the Embassy's website:
http://www.my.emb-japan.go.jp/English/JIS/culturalevents/bon11/070611.html

And a link to the leaflet for the 35th Bon Odori in Malaysia:
http://www.my.emb-japan.go.jp/English/JIS/culturalevents/bon11/35thbonodori_new.pdf

I most likely will not be going for this year's Bon Odori - last year was crowded enough, thanks very much! I'll probably still dress up that night though, just for the fun of it :)

Goodnight!

Event Announcement: Tokyo Street opening in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur (July 2011)

This is a little bit of a late post, considering that this was actually officially announced two weeks ago, but Pavilion Kuala Lumpur will be opening Tokyo Street in July 2011!

According to various news sources and the Pavilion KL website, this street, located on the 6th floor of Pavilion, is inspired by Asakusa, Ginza and Shibuya and will host a variety of shops offering Japanese F&B, retail, beauty products and more.

So far, I have spotted a mochi shop, a proper green tea shop, an ice cream shop, a really nice cafe, a Daiso.... well, alot of things that I'm looking forward to, really!

If you would like to see more, the official Pavilion KL webpage for Tokyo Street is here:
http://www.pavilion-kl.com/content/precint.php?precint=tokyo_street

*squees in excitement* July can't come any faster!

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!



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:


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?

New Layout~

I've done abit more tweaking with my blog layout!

I couldn't really be bothered figuring out how to get my background to fit perfectly for all screen resolutions and web browsers, so I decided to scrap the idea and keep a plain white background, but change the header to suit the new theme.

I've also changed the fonts for my post titles, dates and side bar titles. Unfortunately, it's made my blog a little slow to upload, so even if it does look rather nice, I think I'll keep it a few weeks as a test and see how it goes. If I still don't like how slow it is, I might scrap it and see what else I can do with my layout.

I've tested the new layout on IE, Firefox and Safari on iPhone... It looks fine on IE and Firefox, but the new font for my post titles, dates and side bar titles don't show up on iPhone... Got to check up on how to fix that.

Any opinions on the layout so far?

Outfit Snap: Yellow Polyester Komon

I went out for lunch with a friend today and we had both decided that it would be a dress-up day! Neither of us could seem to decide on what theme we wanted (kimono or loli), so eventually we just agreed to wearing whatever we felt like ^^

I was feeling pretty determined to wear kimono because I've recently received a bunch of new pretties. I'd also bought myself a nice new bag from Coach when I was in the US (was there for over a week for work, but naturally, we had one Saturday at a factory outlet XD), so I really wanted to use it! Unfortunately, the bag was teal - a colour that I generally find difficult to wear in kimono. I do have a hakata obi that is only just a shade darker than my bag, but add in the bag's accessory (strawberry coin purse), and that is one hell of a colour combo I had to find and match in my kimono closet!

Eventually, I couldn't get the right combination for either colour, theme or weather, so I changed the accessory from the cute coral strawberry coin purse attachment to a grapefruit one (colour scheme: yellow and pink). I'd only decided to change my outfit this morning, so I was scrambling to get an outfit put together in time.

(Luckily, I woke up at 4am and couldn't get back to sleep, so I had like 7 hours to prepare XD;;;)

Eventually, I came up with this!

I'm wearing a yellow polyester hitoe komon with stripes, pink roses and some sort of leaf (a new komon I'd bought from Shinei during one of their sales sometime last year). To introduce teal somewhere in the outfit to match the bag, I paired the kimono with a teal summerweave hakata obi.

I chose a pink ro obiage and yellow summerweave obijime to balance out the colours a little because the obi looks kind of like a sudden break in the outfit - too striking! I hope the yellow obijime softens the harsh contrast...

I tried to add in a little more teal with my earrings and wanted to wear teal zori, but I don't have any blue or green zori in anywhere near the right shade.... So instead I wore a pair that matched the kimono! I'm also wearing tabi with matching flowers embroidered on the toes ^_^

Today's kitsuke was pretty easy because the kimono is made of a very crisp almost chirimen-like polyester that holds its grip really well. I was also using a two-piece juban with chikara-nuno to hold the collar in place - and my collars didn't move at all today! XD

I also used an obi aid (I think this one is called kairyou makura?) and it was really easy to create an almost-perfect otaiko with it really quickly! I'm always amazed everytime I use this obi aid. All of my obi miraculously fit, and there's no need for me to struggle with putting on the obi at all XD;;;

What do you guys think of this coordinate? The colour combo is a bit disconnected compared to my usual matching preferences, but I kind of like how yellow & teal look together. Any suggestions on how to improve this coordinate? So far, all I can think of is wearing teal zori and adding a teal hair accessory... Maybe something with the han'eri?

Oh btw, we forgot to take pics of ourselves at the restaurant... We did get alot of stares and some comments though XD;;;; My friend was dressed in loli with the cutest hat! Loved her coordinate today!

Random note: My sister chose the location for the photos because the flowers in our kitchen match my kimono XD;;;;

Ivory & Purple Cheongsam

Ivory & Purple Cheongsam, originally uploaded by shira.C.

Dug up some old photos from Chinese New Year and just thought I'd post this ^^

I didn't actually wear this cheongsam out - the upper half was a little too tight for comfort haha. I really love this though - so sweet! It's a plain ivory cheongsam with a patterned lace overlay.

On a separate note - just got back from New York and San Francisco! Weather there was.... unexpectedly cold for this time of the year XD Lucky thing I could bear it! My poor mum was freezing half the time though.

... And shopping was great XD;

New Layout!

Hiya~

As you may have noticed, I've decided to change my blog layout a little!

I was actually pretty happy with the old layout, but the IG forums has now adopted a new feature that flashes banners of members' blogs, and I was quite interested in joining, so I created a banner!

After looking at it, I figured I ought to change my blog layout to reflect the new banner, so I've started with the most basic part: the background and colour theme. I wasn't quite sure about the red font at first, but I think it turned out rather well.

What do you think of the background image? Computer illiterate as I am, it took ages for me to get the size of the image right, and the girl in the exact place I wanted her to be... XD;;

The next part is to change the header so that it's in the same font my banner is in. I may create a new avatar for my profile as well.... Hmmm I wonder if I can change the font for all the headers.....

Well, I guess the next week will be spent slowly figuring this out XD;

Take care, and hope you like the background and colour scheme! I can't wait to finish my blog layout!

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?)

Outfit Snap: Pink Plaid Kofurisode

This afternoon, I was working on something that was starting to give me an awful headache by 5.30pm, so I decided to stop, rest and take some time to myself.

And.... here's the result XD

I've been feeling particularly inspired to wear kimono for the past few months but never found the time, so I thought I ought to take the chance now when I have the house and a few hours all to myself.

I've been eyeing up a couple of Kitsuke Challenges on the IG forums, namely the Stripes challenge and the Stop Buying, Start Wearing challenge. This kimono just happened to fit both! I've been feeling particularly girly lately, so the pink colour scheme was perfect.

I actually had a couple of other outfits for this kofurisode that used a white obi and purple or yellow accessories, but I felt they were a little bland today, so instead I whipped up another outfit that felt bright and girly enough for today. I chose this dark purple hakata obi that Hong gave me a long time ago because, well, it's hakata XD I paired them with pink accessories because I wanted a really girly outfit, and the original yellow I wanted to wear didn't seem so attractive to me after a while.

The loose side-braid was for a more feminine feeling (that, and I was lazy to do a bun), complete with purple accessory at the end of the braid, and I'm wearing matching grape-shaped purple earrings. The bag was a free gift that just happened to match the colour scheme.

I'm always told that kofurisode shouldn't be worn with otaiko musubi (something that I do way too often), but this kofurisode's pattern is so informal that it seems weird to me to wear even a bunko musubi with it!

It's been sooooo long since I last wore kimono! (Well, kimono outside of yukata at any rate hahaha). I think it's been about 10 months since the last time I tried to tie an otaiko on myself! That would kind of explain why my back is so ugly today... :P (=no back pictures! :P)

Today's kitsuke is not as neat as my usual standards, but I suppose for not having dressed in 10 months, it'll have to do XD; Still, I'm happy with the way it turned out, even if it did take much longer than usual :)

P/S: I've been meaning to post something about the Japan earthquake, but at first, I didn't know how to put my thoughts into words, then came that incredibly embarrassing ordeal with Berita Mingguan and the PM's wife.... well, I really had no idea what to say then! I can only offer my sincerest apologies to all who were offended :/ Please believe me when say that no one I know agreed with either of them, and we were all mortally embarrassed to be called Malaysian when we found out as well.

Japan, we're all praying for you! :)