Affecting, audacious, captivating of fantastical flourishes

Some scans from Japanese magazines...
just can't wait for Spring to arrive right now while looking at these pictures.
the hairstyles are to-die-for. (if only i could actually still copy some of them) -fui

dolce & gabbana skirt and belt

karl lagerfeld the genius.

the taste's still dancin' in my mouth

I was invited to the Japan Fashion Week in Soho by my hairstylist, Takeo. It was held in a newly renovated loft on Mercer Street, and the event was part of New York Fashion Week as Designer Preview in New York. The music by Alex from Tokyo was awesome, and I thought the spotlight showcasing each brands on the hardbrick walls were a nice finishing touch to the whole cool downtown vibe. The most ogle-worthy though, were the Japanese-designed clothes specially flown in for the show. The models walked out of the arched passage ways in threes in the beautiful clothes for all to drool.

aptform

Designer: Michail Gkinis

Chaolu Lab

Designer: Satoshi Hiramoto

Mikio Sakabe

Designer: Mikio Sakabe

Naoshi Sawayanagi

Designer: Naoshi Sawayanagi

The Dress & Co.

Designer: Hideaki Sakaguchi

tinydinosaur

Designer: Naomi Yamamoto

Yu

Designer: Yu Konishi

I also had the pleasure of meeting designer Yu Konishi of Yu (the one posing for a photo on the left) who is based in Sydney currently. The concept of "Personal Timeless Perfection" for his line is can be admired through his feminine cuts and elegant details, that are never too stuffy, but done just right for a modern, sensual appeal. Konishi is really approachable and friendly, willing to give you the time of his day to answer any questions you have for him. -fui

"I want to be fashion"

Video from New York Magazine
i love anna dello russo. and nippon vogue. and she's the Japanese Vogue fashion director.
her outfits/street snapshots are always amazing, and she's (fashion-)crazy in such an awesome way. -fui

literally, be blown away

Tokyo

till 19th Jan 2010

revisiting 2 years

outside 10 corso como comme des garcon in aoyama. wearing batwing-sleeved top and acid-dyed jeans topshop. sandals givenchy. backpack prada. japanese silk hair tie on wrist.

building the castles in our skies

I'm wearing checked shirt uniqlo. black silk skirt vintage. nanette lepore for keds. bag prada. (at studio ghibli)

Our favorite people

  

(photos from tokyodandy.com, wwd, jamoollife.jp)

Alexander Wang was in Tokyo to work on a special 12-item cosmetics series for Shiseido’s Maquillage  line that includes lip gloss, lipstick and eye shadow. The collection was launched in Japan and several other Asian countries on July 21st.

living only for the moment

We went to Hakone for a day tour around the mountains and it is just so wonderful to be there in summer. I just have to share some of the photos with you.

View from Mt Fuji:

We took a boat ride on Lake Ashi which is a crater lake of Mt. Hakone. It was so amazing with the sunlight, the light, cool breeze, the blue-green peaceful waters, the luscious greenery. I realized at that point that it's so good to take a break from everything and just immerse oneself in nature and enjoy it. At this point, I am going to let the photos tell their stories. P.S. The maximum size of the photos are available if you click on them. 

That's Mt Komatakage with the cute little house at the top. 

We took an aerial lift to the top of Mt Komagatake which is 1357m (4452 ft) above sea level. View of Mt Komatakage's peak:

And that's Mei and I with the little house we were so curious about.

Believe

Sanrio Puroland opened in 1990 in Tokyo's Tama New Town. Mei and I went there to revisit our childhood memories, of the cutest cartoon characters that we had on our bags, lunchboxes, keychains, and more as children - prove of Japan's amazing ability to merchandise everything and anything at full blast. Obviously we had a kawaii-attack in there, but it was really nostalgic too. 

Hello Kitty & Hello Daniel

Mei wears: dress from a blogshop. slippers cotton on. bag tocco

My favorite Sanrio characters are Bad Badtz and Little Twin Stars. Bad Badtz is swelling up with tears here as he gets spanked: 

Badtz-Maru is a penguin. His birthday is April 1st. He is one of the few Sanrio characters that is marketed to both males and females. In Japanese "badtz" (batsu) is a term for "X", the cross signifying a wrong answer. "Maru" means circle or "O", and signifies a correct answer. Thus, his name figuratively means "wrong-correct," and is frequently represented by "XO". Badtz-Maru has many different facial expressions and poses, but a common expression is of pulling one eye down and sticking out his tongue, a gesture equivalent to blowing a raspberry. (wiki)

Little Twin Stars is a pair of characters. The little brother is called Kiki, and the elder sister is called Lala. Kiki has blue hair, while Lala has pink hair (sometimes, Kiki's hair is brown, while Lala's hair is blonde). They were introduced in 1975 and enjoyed popularity in the early 1980s. (wikipedia)

I'm wearing: dress gap. cardigan club monaco. shoes nanette lepore for keds. bag alexander wang. 

sunsets are beautiful. 

-fui

Tokyo Imperial Palace

We went to visit the Tokyo Imperial Palace and the famous Meganebashi (Eyeglass bridge). The large plaza in front of the palace, paved with small, grey stones is a beautiful large space contrasting the city view of contemporary Tokyo. The light breeze makes the leaves sway gently, and the whole scene is picturesque and so peaceful, beautiful even when you consider that you're actually in the heart of Tokyo experiencing such a scenery. -fui

I wear: tee dkny. skirt moussy. tights silence + noise in urban outfitters. bag alexander wang. bracelet murua. 

Meganebashi 

Entrance of the Imperial Palace