Tokyo – My Favorite Places

One of my best friends will be in Tokyo soon. I’m jealous and anxiously awaiting all the details of her adventure. I’ve been thinking about Tokyo a lot lately. Perhaps my friend’s trip prompted my pensive daydreaming about the capital’s city streets, or maybe I’m just long overdue for a vacation? Either way my daydreaming has led me to write this post – to share with my friend and with the world, my favorite places to visit in Tokyo.

I should preface, this list is in no particular order, this list is rather a mind full of musings on one of my favorite places in the world.

1. Tokyu Hands 

The department store of all department stores. My favorite locations in Tokyo are the Shinjuku and Shibuya locations. My favourite areas of the store:

– The beauty section – local makeup brands like CanMake (love their gloss).

– Bath products: Yes I do want 100 options for my bath salts.

– Stationary: Because I love stationary and someday want to write a real letter… You know like I did back in the 80’s

– The Toy Floor

2. Kinokuniya Bookstore. 

My favorite location again is in Shinjuku. I love this store. I love books, but I really love Japanese Magazines. There are magazines for all sorts of things – like the best coffee houses in Tokyo… or  Nail Art. I could look at pictures of Nail Art forever.

3. Rounge Nail Salon.

I got my nails done here on my honeymoon and loved them. I highly recommend them. The location that I went to is in Shinjuku. Note that you should ask your hotel to make your reservation as all the nailists mainly speak Japanese. You could also use this handy reference from Universal-Doll for common phrases/ etiquette when getting your nails done in Japan. 

4. Shibuya Crossing – Getting Starbucks at the crossing and watching the world go by. Note – if you get a matcha latte in Japan… It tastes much better as they add more Matcha.

This article in TIME can give you the skinny.

5. Shibuya 109 – I love this mall. Love it. I’ve been able to get some select items years ahead of the trends in Canada, particularly accessories. Tip – Start at the top and work your way down… I find the best stores have been near the top. On the very top floor is a makeup store and HUGE selection of circle lenses. OMG you must get some of these – they are insanely fun. Look closely and you will find a waiver you must sign (all in Japanese) but there is a cheat sheet for us non speakers. NOTE: If you have a prescription pick out 3-5 different lenses you want and bring them to the cash – prescription lenses sell out more quickly so you might not get your first choice but if you’ll brought a few backups you like they should be able to find you your second or third choice.  Shibuya 109 is also a mecca for eyelashes at the same store… the sheer selection is daunting.

6. Japanese baked goods. Especially ones with adzuki beans and or matcha flavoured.

7. Sushi. My favourite places include:

– Genki Sushi: http://www.genkisushi.co.jp

– Heiroku Sushi in Omotesando https://www.heiroku.jp

8. Fast foodish – Japanese Curry from CoCo Curry.

9. Gyoza from this lovely restaurant. 

Get ready to Queue though – although the wait is worth it! Ohh and get the cucumber salad… I dream of that salad.

10. Tempura from here.

11. Fancy Dinner out – Gonpatchi.

Also known as the inspiration for that famous scene in Kill Bill where Uma Thurman battles the crazy 88 – and on a personal note where my hubby and I celebrated our engagement together.

12. Watami. A popular Izakaya. Ask for non smoking.

13. Fav. Clothing store. The Sheltter, Tokyu Plaza Omotesando Harajuku. 

Hope you enjoy some of the same places I do next time you travel to Japan.

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Pink Hearts at Christmas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Mom and me. We shared matching scarves and meandered the streets of the city eliciting odd looks and the occasional “aww I love your scarves”. 

We shared Christmas together this year. Miss you!

The Vintage clothing sale – Take 2 (2013)

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of shopping with a friend at the Ottawa Vintage Clothing sale. As usual the sale did not disappoint.

Plenty of jewelry, scarves and other assorted bits and bobs. I found a lovely italian silk pocket square for my man as well as a new pair of cufflinks.

For me I found a lovely gold collar. I’ve been longing for a chunky gold necklace since spotting this look on Lilly Allan and Lana Del Ray.

I also nabbed this scarf clip – I’m not exactly sure how to use it yet but from what I can tell I’ll have no trouble finding good tutorials like this one.

I found a New Tail

Me wearing a fox trimmed poncho. My new Black Fox tail in the upper right image.

Last Saturday I was in Toronto. I love Toronto. I spent my Saturday morning in Toronto catching up with friends and their lovely baby at the Easy Restaurant in Little Italy. It was a delicious breakfast, if you happen to be in Little Italy in Toronto you must stop here. I had the Breakfast burrito. I’m drooling thinking about it.

After breakfast, full of burrito fuel, I headed to the Queen and Spadina area. It was cold outside as I walked. I sought a small reprieve from the cold. Spying a fur in a shop window, I darted into Alex Furs on Spadina. When I stepped inside I was greeted by a friendly “hello”. It was clear this business was a family affair with 3 generations sitting and standing near the cash register. Family spending time together watching rugby between customers. I was welcomed and politely left to peruse the supple furs. I couldn’t help it, I tried on some as well.

Nick, the store’s manager, helped me try on a few furs. Mostly fox fur. I love fox fur. The picture below is one of myself wearing a fox trimmed poncho made of cashmere. So warm and so beautifully made. Nick was quick to point out that they help their clients with custom designs and understand the desire for their clientele to have something unique.

While I was in the store an existing client came in to pick up their jacket (a lady in her 20’s who had taken a vintage find to Alex Furs for cleaning and some gentle repairs). It was clear to me in watching  the team at Alex Furs take care of this younger client that their customers are family. The service they provided was warm and friendly, the type of real customer service that you don’t see often anymore. I got the sense that if I bought something from Alex Furs that I would be remembered and that I would actually share in something. Share in a passion for fine clothing, clothing that if taken care of will last a lifetime, garments created with care and purpose.

Once the younger customer left, happily carrying a revived vintage fur, I chatted with Nick about fur and their business. Alex Furs has quite the legacy, manufacturing fur garments and accessories since 1969. Located in the Fur district on Spadina Avenue they specialize in custom design, repairs, recycling cleaning and cold storage of furs. They love their work and it shows. It was hard not to nab a new fox collar for my wool coat. Instead I snagged a black fox tail for my purse.

But… I have plans ohhh yes I have plans for a custom cashmere jacket. Something suitable for a dress in the winter with a fox trimmed hood. Think Little Red Ridding hood with an edge.

 

Why I won’t ever miss the Ottawa Vintage Show again!

Last Saturday I attended the Ottawa Vintage Show held this year at the Ottawa Convention center. I scoured the halls of with hundreds of other fashionable men and women hoping to find a new treasured item in amongst the stalls.

Take a look at the new additions to my wardrobe:

My new fox fur headband. I named him Oscar.


Bling Bling. I’m planning on wearing these puppies for New Year’s. I think they will look divine when paired elegantly with Champagne.

New silk scarves. The Top one is a Museum of Modern Art scarf. The bottom one is an Yves St. Laurent scarf.

The event was so fun. It was hard not to snatch up everything that caught my fancy. I was almost tempted to buy this….

A Mink jacket. Wearing it felt like being in a Ton-ton – or I guess what I would imagine that was like for Luke.

I will not miss the Ottawa vintage show next year!

Marcelle Bénédicte Photoshoot – Spring/Summer 2013

I recently had the pleasure of doing the hair and make-up on a photo-shoot for the Marcelle Bénédicte line.

The experience was lovely. The talent in front and behind the camera was stunning and a real treat to be a part of.

For the Spring/Summer 2013 collection, Émilie Parisé, the designer behind the label, was inspired by time spent in Paris and Taïzé.

Here are some beautiful pics from the shoot – don’t they make you crave spring!

 

Clothing from: the Marcelle Bénédicte Spring/Summer 2013 line (these pieces will be part of fashion event ‘Passport to Paris’on April 27th, 2013 )

Photos by: Greg Amponsah

Jewelry by: Mary Eng

Hair and Make-up: Me 

Only a couple more months on winter until we can sport beautiful designs like these again!

Hope your looking forward to spring as much as I am 🙂

K

Eye have an Addiction Starting

My eyes spied these online and I fell in love.

Ahhh what’s a girl to do? Cutler and Gross glasses could be a huge addiction eeep. I love how their styles suit any personality. And the colors are so vibrant. Unfortunately I just bought glasses so this purchase would be completely frivolous, but I can still daydream about them.

images from: 1. Cutler and Gross promo image on eyegoodies.com and 2. Cutler and Gross website.

Evil eye

I wore my grey princess Mimi eyes recently. I added a third eye. This beautiful piece my bf picked out for me. The eye changes color ever so slightly depending on what I am wearing and the angle of light traveling through it.

I meant to do a follow-up post eons ago about my circle lens purchase, but I just never got around to it. So here are some extra pics up close of the contacts when I first received them. I was really impressed with the contacts but I think I’ll try ordering from another supplier next time. If you recall I ordered from “pinky paradise” great shop but the surprise 37.00 customs charge on a 100.00 order was a little too pricey for me. Ultimately I might still go with pinky paradise again due to their great service and superior selection but if I can somehow avoid that customs charge that would be even better.

Slouchy sweater

Jeans: Gap | Sweater and necklace: H&M | Shoes: Minelli

I finally found a comfy slouchy sweater at H&M. It was harder to find one than I thought. I saw them all over the web but I wasn’t keen about spending 80+ dollars for something that is so reliant on fit. I knew that if the weight was too thick I’d look a bit plump, or I wouldn’t get the drape I was looking for. But Voila I finally found my slouchy sweater at H&M for just 19.98 woot!

This outfit reminds me of my Grams. It’s the shoes mostly. The shoes make my 6.5 size feet look even smaller (similar to my Grammie’s size 5 feet). I think the style is very classically french, basic, effortless, uncomplicated in the design.

Bon Soir mes amies.
K

Wine and Raine

I’ve been dying to have an occasion to wear this dress. This weekend was that occasion.

Dress = Susy Shier, Jacket = Urban Behaviour, Necklace = vintage, Sandals = Sam Edelman, Bag = Longchamp

We took the opportunity to get away this weekend to Niagara-on-the-Lake. Just a short getaway, to drink wine, eat delicious food and listen to amazing music. We got tickets to dinner and a concert at the Jackson-Triggs Winery. The weather was beautiful and the wine did a great job of cooling the summer heat.

Dinner was in the Jackson-Triggs wine cellar. It was a delicious dinner, 5 courses which were all expertly paired with Jackson-Triggs wines. Dinner guests were seated at trestle or round tables with about 8-12 people per table, so we got the opportunity to meet some great people while enjoying our dinner.

After dinner we headed out to the Amphitheater that is on the property where we got to listen to Raine Maida play. I loved the experience, the venue was amazing, really intimate, it accommodates somewhere around 200 people so everyone had great seats. This is a trip I’d love to take again. It was just so magical – Wine, Music and Moonlight.

(Side-note: I love this dress but it was a lot of work. I sewed loose crochet knots for a 1/2 an hour before I even wore it once and when I took it off last night I spotted two more places that will need a quick fix before I wear this again.)