seriously spiffy

changes ...

2010-12-29T18:00:00.000-08:00

not sure if i'm going to continue updating this blog, but i'll keep it up for reference at least. or maybe i'll keep it as my fashion notebook, who knows.

we'll see how things pan out in 2011 ...

pre-fall 2011: pringle of scotland

2010-12-01T14:30:00.000-08:00

yes, it's cuddle up in blanket time

picture from: style

let's pretend it's winter

2010-11-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

reminds me of walking to class back east ...

silence rug by norwegian design studio permafrost ...

soon...: hair

2010-11-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

seriously getting real bored and annoyed by long hair. my next haircut (likely after my cheeks de-chub some) ... and come to think of it, i think i had this cut back in high school ...

... from the neiman marcus christmas book ...

fall 2010: hair

2010-10-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

getting a little bored and annoyed by my long hair. not quite down to my elbows, but just about there. perhaps i'll play with a couple looks from the fall 2010 runway ...

... 3.1 phillip lim ... fendi ...

pictures from: style

spring 2011 paris fashion week: valentino

2010-10-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

it may be a little early to say, but i think i've found my favorite show of spring 2011 ... valentino

picture from and more at: style

spring 2011 paris fashion week: chanel

2010-10-05T14:15:00.000-07:00

ok, karl, why don't you just fill the stage with labrador puppies while you're at it ...

picture from: style and more here

spring 2011 milan fashion week: prada

2010-09-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

super fun bags from prada

pictures from: style

spring 2011 new york fashion week

2010-09-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

after sifting through 4,944 runway pics from new york fashion week (i didn't just randomly type in that number, i actually kept track, believe it!), i decided to share 12 looks, focusing on stuff i'd actually buy and add to my closet right now. eeks, that's a 0.2% yield.

i also definitely saw a bunch (not tons, but a good number) of pretty things, especially frothy, flowy, sparkly gowns, but figured i have no occasion to wear any of those and real fashion blogs cover the pretty stuff already, so anywho ...

first, some wearable dresses: alice + olivia ... ADAM ... lela rose ... ports 1961

and some fun tops: ADAM sweater ... lela rose cardi ... marc blouse ... tracy reese jacket

and a couple outstanding skirts: bibhu mohapatra ... DKNY

ok, i lied. one gown i'll pretend i have occasion to wear: donna karan

and this. i could wear this year-round: derek lam

pictures from: style

oh so pretty calligraphy

2010-08-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

the other day, my friend and i were talking about how our dads have really nice penmanship. and how they both know how to do calligraphy really well. we came to the conclusion that it was because it was actually a required course back in their day. not so for us when we were in school. i remember one summer though when i asked my dad to show me how to practice calligraphy. i'm pretty sure i still have those pens.

anyway, coincidentally, i saw this piece of mail just the other day. how pretty! i couldn't stop staring at it. it literally stood out from all the other mail. and it was actually featured on oh so beautiful paper and put together by lucky luxe. well, not this particular envelope, but the suite. these were done by holland wilson. really makes me want to pick up calligraphy again!

and another fun detail. the couple had the invitations hand cancelled with a rubber stamp that was a really close match to their custom stamp on the back of the envelope. cute!

fun find: more!

2010-07-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

i'm seriously hyperventilating over here from the cuteness ... forget the other miu miu flats. i want these. shoot. i need to go home now to double-check my size so i can order already. i'm so serious.

these are fun too, but still with the 4.5-inch heels! boo!

t-strap ... scalloped

fun find: should i gets?

2010-07-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

just spotted this pair of miu miu two-tone patent leather pumps on mrs lilien...

too bad the heels are 4.5 inches. effectively 4 inches with the hidden half-inch platform, but still too high for me. i'm so done with anything over 3.5 inches.

so perhaps these cute flats instead. they have my size!

looking forward to fall

2010-07-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

flipping through jcrew's fall lookbook ...

look 8 of 18: this coat looks super fun. super me.

and so i'm on the lookout!

adulterated cotton

2010-07-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

i have a fondness for sweaters, cardigans particularly. but it's been pretty difficult to find a fun one that also fits well. so i decided to check out places that i don't typically look at. like talbots.

so the other day i went to the local mall and tried on a sweater. and it was amazing! i don't know if i even own a cardigan that fits as well as the one i tried on. and then i checked the label. cotton/rayon blend. ugh. what's wrong with just plain cotton (or wool or silk)? why does rayon need to be thrown into the mix?

i was really looking for something 100% cotton or 100% wool. or i'd consider a little bit of lycra or spandex. so i stood in the dressing room for another minute or two, deciding whether i should ignore the rayon since the sweater had such a great fit. i couldn't do it though. instead i proceeded to check every single style of sweater in the shop. and they're all cotton blended with rayon or nylon. why? does it really make a difference with the feel and/or color? i don't know the answer.

so i ended up buying a 100% cotton sweater from jcrew. not as colorful or fun, but totally me.

gray and ruffles

2010-07-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

i really like the feel of this room. i don't know if it's necessarily the pink and gray combo, although it is nice. and it's meant to be a kid's room, but i'm seriously considering getting those gray ruffle shams.

that miu miu dress

2010-07-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

so fun to see at least a couple editorials with my favie dress from miu miu fall 2010.

pictures from: elle uk, c magazine, style

resort 2011: stella mccartney

2010-06-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

if i could pull it off (i.e., if i were at least 6 inches longer in the neck/torso area), i'd totally wear this

picture from: style

resort 2011: erin fetherston

2010-06-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

i'd like to add this to my regular rotation of party dresses

picture from: style

my treehouse: the chandelier

2010-06-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

i mulled over buying this nuevo bulle chandelier for at least a week since it was a little more than i wanted to spend. but i ended up getting it since i figured i would be able to bring it with me even to my next place.

so here it is installed. just the shell. took only 40 minutes to uninstall the ugly standard issue ceiling flush-mount fixture and install the pretty new chandelier.

then i had 187 of those little acrylic balls to attach to the frame.

another hour and a half or so later, all done! i considered getting a ceiling medallion to hide the paint circle, but realized it didn't bother me too much.

looking at it makes me smile =)

my treehouse: the slipcovers

2010-06-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

in my head, making the slipcovers was only supposed to have taken a few days. instead, i think it took me 2 or 3 weeks to finish it all. way more involved than i had expected, particularly since the pieces of fabric were so huge. but i'm really happy with how they came out. and i got to spend some quality time with the sewing machine, and practice some stitches.

those little slits at the bottom corners are where the side rails of the bed hook into the headboard.

the awesome cream tweed from britex. and the clean corners i was so proud of.

and the blind stitch at the bottom hem, a stitch that i tried for the very first time.

so happy with it!

my treehouse: bedroom

2010-06-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

didn't realize how different my bedroom looks until i looked back at the original pictures. so this is what it looked like when i first moved in. just a little too much of the dark details for such a small room.

so i made a slipcover for my headboard and footboard with cream tweed from britex fabrics. and installed my nuevo bulle chandelier.

and to soften the plantation shutters, installed some sheers i made with 100% silk with silver metallic polka dots from satin moon. and added another linen wing chair.

i love lying back on my bed and staring up at my chandelier, especially after a long day of working or running around the city.

my treehouse: the living room

2010-06-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

i think i'm finally more or less happy with how my living room looks. for now. even though i still don't have dining chairs, which i don't even want to get into (60+ back-and-forth emails, calls and texts and still nothing!).

so i started out with just my sofa and desk the first week i moved in.

since then, i added an ikea expedit bookcase along the same wall as the desk. to fit all my random books and boxes. all that stuff got put into the empty bookcase on the right.

then added a 42" round pedestal dining table against the wall opposite the backyard double doors. and had the living room like that for 2.5 months. until my restoration hardware french wing chairs arrived! at which i point, i had to pretty much swap everything in the living room except the desk.

very happy with the layout now.

fun birthday purchases

2010-06-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

made a couple fun purchases over my birthday weekend last week.

made my very first ever etsy purchase from decoylab: the kirie 01 clock. and it arrived exactly on time last monday!

and last saturday, went across the bridge to heath ceramic's open studio and sale, and picked up this cute little bud vase in a sample color, which i like to call starry night. and funny, i just noticed that my vase shows up on the right side of the heath blog post's picture. fun!

hello, summer!

2010-05-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

it's that time of year again! stern grove festival posters about to pop up all over our streets and busses.

the stern grove festival continues its tradition of getting super-talented artists to make their posters, etc.: this year's illustration was by yulia brodskaya, who takes quilling to a contemporary level. first noticed her when she did some book illustrations for neiman marcus.

large-size graphics from for print only

more cardigan shopping

2010-05-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

just came across this one too. cute, but i think i'll just wait for their 75% off sale =T

brunello cucinelli

seen at saks

cardigan shopping

2010-05-17T17:45:00.000-07:00

went shopping yesterday. and was on the lookout for a fun cardigan, as usual. found a couple but the sleeves are super long. maybe that's the look?

burberry brit ... see, even on the model the elbow patch falls below the elbow. oddly, the version i tried on had regular buttons, not hidden snaps.

tsesay ... imagine it without the ruffly pink dress, as seen here ... and again, the sleeves are bunched up around the elbows. much cuter than either picture shows. the gold stripes are actually a looser mesh knit.

pictures from burberry and tse sites

resort 2011: christian dior

2010-05-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

*gasp* ... looks who's back on the runway! i guess du juan only does shows in shanghai now

picture from: style

resort 2011: chanel

2010-05-12T17:30:00.000-07:00

hello ... i would so wear this sweater right now. every day.

picture from: style

a pretty book: ladurée sucré ... part 2

2010-05-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

wasn't really planning on such a long lag between these two posts, but kinda got distracted ...

so ... my favie pages ...

i like pistachios, but i REALLY like this plate

and this plate even more

and the brioche au sucre that i can't seem to find anywhere around here (boo!)

and some strawberry marshmallows. awesome photo styling.

a pretty book: ladurée sucré

2010-04-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

before seeing this book, i'd never heard of ladurée. that's probably because i'm not a fan of macarons (which is what i gather they are well known for). never have been. i'll still try them from time to time, but i'll almost always go for some other dessert if i have the option. anyway ...

this book! ladurée sucré is supposed to be a gift for a friend, and i was going to hold off on posting this until we gave it to her. but plans changed and i'm not sure when we'll see her next. so i've decided i've held off long enough.

and so ... here it is, one of prettiest books i've ever seen and it comes so nicely packaged on top of that. it comes in a box in laduree's signature mint green. inside, the book is wrapped with a layer of lavender tissue paper.

underneath, you find the book, in the same mint green, but this time in a pillowy velvety version, stamped with the gold logo.

then you lift the book out and see the gold edging all around the pages. this is all before you even open the book!

and finally ... you open it and see the pages fan out to reveal a rainbow of pastel images. i was so eager to flip through and study every single page.

i'll follow this with some of my favorite pages.

fun weekend find

2010-04-24T09:00:00.000-07:00

heeeeee!! look what i found last weekend. in my size! i wanted to wear them right away, but i had to hold off so i could get some rubber soles put on them first. you know, to prolong their useful life.

so guess what shoes i'll be rocking all this weekend =)

movie: eatrip

2010-04-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

excited for the weekend. finally get to catch up on some shows and netflix. but first! wanted to mention a movie i watched last wednesday: eatrip.

it's japanese. it has some farm life in there. some kids. some fun animations. and lots of good fresh food. great movie all around. we'll be all over it when the dvd comes out.

playing at new people in sf if you're around. and the trailer if you want to check it out first.

picture from: here

spotted on: amanda on ugly betty

2010-04-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

haven't really been following ugly betty this season, but just recently caught up. just watched the london episode last night and spotted a really cute coat on amanda (three-quarter sleeve grey striped peacoat with gold buttons). anyone know who makes it?

screencap from: abc

fall 2010 paris fashion week: the rest

2010-03-18T14:45:00.000-07:00

and other fun stuff from paris ...

super pretty gowns from elie saab

another couple pretty gowns from andrew gn and john galliano

fun feminine coats from christian dior and louis vuitton

a couple balenciaga looks my mom would like because she's awesome like that

and stella making simple look really cool

pictures from: style

the babies are coming ...

2010-03-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

squeee .... finally! babies movie is coming out mother's day weekend: may 7th.

pictures from: focus features

fall 2010 paris fashion week: miu miu

2010-03-11T12:15:00.000-08:00

can't get enough of the heavy fabrics and details at miu miu ...

pictures from: style

fall 2010 milan fashion week

2010-03-02T13:15:00.000-08:00

alberta ferretti ... bottega veneta ... luisa beccaria

maurizio pecoraro x 2 ... no. 21

gucci x 2 ... moschino

pictures from: style

fall 2010 london fashion week

2010-03-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

those brits are good at making fun classic coats ...

burberry x 3

burberry x 2 ... erdem

and a flowy dress just for fun ... kinder aggugini

pictures from: style

fall 2010 new york fashion week: gowns

2010-02-22T08:15:00.000-08:00

and now for the finale ...

more structured: lela rose ... victoria beckham ... doo.ri

light metallics: badgley mischka ... lela rose ... naeem khan ... oscar de la renta

dark & sparkly: oscar de la renta x 2 ... lela rose ... sophie theallet

belted: carolina herrera ... tadashi shoji

pictures from: style and elle

fall 2010 new york fashion week: cocktail dresses

2010-02-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

blues: costello tagliapietra ... j. mendel ... oscar de la renta

reds: j. mendel x 3

metallics: luca luca ... monique lhuillier ... naeem khan

beaded: narciso rodriguez ... isaac mizrahi ... lela rose

the look of separates: donna karan ... oscar de la renta ... sophie theallet

pictures from: style

fall 2010 new york fashion week: sweaters

2010-02-22T07:45:00.000-08:00

camel-colored heavy knits: boy by band of outsiders ... cynthia steffe ... derek lam

black & gray: mulberry ... richard chai ... shipley & halmos

pictures from: style

fall 2010 new york fashion week: coats

2010-02-22T07:30:00.000-08:00

first off, coats and jackets ...

fun coats: donna karan ... peter som ... tory burch

more tailored coats: mulberry ... tse ... reed krakoff

cropped: 3.1 phillip lim ... reed krakoff ... tommy hilfiger

pictures from: style

red carpet @ 67th golden globes

2010-01-19T13:30:00.000-08:00

my favies from the golden globes red carpet ... pretty consistent with most of my past red carpet picks: non-ballgown, light metallics (and some periwinkle thrown in)

anna kendrick in marchesa / anna paquin in stella mccartney

drew barrymore in atelier versace / felicity huffman in jenny packham

jenna fischer in halston / jennifer garner in versace

toni collette in elie saab / fergie in elie saab

pictures from: style, instyle and e! online

my treehouse!

2009-12-08T16:00:00.000-08:00

for a while there, i was doing so well with the regular postings ... and then ... i moved! saw the listing on a tuesday. studied the pictures so i knew what to expect. confirmed that i liked it that saturday. applied and gave my deposit check that same day. and told that it was mine on monday. less than one week from seeing the listing! crazy!

but i said i would need a couple weeks before moving in, so i would have time to pack up everything. i also went in a few days before my move-in day to sign my lease and take measurements.

so here's the floor plan i put together before moving in. more or less. i didn't have the sofa or rugs yet, but they were on order. and it really helped on moving day. i was able to tell the movers exactly where to put everything and haven't had to move a single big piece of furniture since moving day (except lifting the bed to slide the rug under it).

and here's a quick snapshot of the living room taken a week after moving in.

i'll probably be posting a lot of progression pictures since that's what's taking up most of my time these days.

fun weekend find

2009-12-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

over the weekend, bought my first skirt since july 2007. (yes, i keep ridiculously meticulous records of all my purchases.) 9-10 months from runway to purchase. very work appropriate.

dkny fall 2009 ready to wear

source

fall 2009: gowns

2009-10-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

i haven't had the occasion to wear a gown in years, but it doesn't mean i can't look

bottega veneta, lela rose x 2

jasmine di milo, malandrino, ports 1961

badgley mischka, j. mendel, lela rose, naeem khan

badgley mischka, etro, j. mendel

giorgio armani x 2, jason wu x 2

zac posen x 2

pictures from: style

fall 2009: cocktail dresses

2009-10-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

and time for cocktail dresses for holiday parties

akris, basso & brooke, luisa beccaria, peter som

gianfranco ferré, lela rose x 3

lela rose x 2, malandrino, miu miu

burberry, karen walker, luca luca, michael kors

erin fetherston, emanuel ungaro, naeem khan, matthew williamson

pictures from: style

fall 2009: office appropriate

2009-10-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

after a couple major rainstorms, i think it's finally officially autumn over here. so with that, here are my picks for fall/winter 2009.

mix of stripes and houndstooth: dkny x 4

more monochromatic looks: dkny x 2, michael kors, maxmara

prettier pieces: chris benz, collette dinnigan, luca luca, peter som

distinctive coats: adam, elie tahari, marc jacobs, ruffian

pictures from: style

spring 2010 paris fashion week

2009-10-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

andrew gn x 4

andrew gn x 3, christian dior

chanel x 4

elie saab, valentino x 3

givenchy x 2, requiem x 2

pictures from: style

spring 2010 milan fashion week

2009-10-12T16:45:00.000-07:00

aquilano.rimondi x 4

belt by d&g, luisa beccaria x 2

pictures from: style

spring 2010 london fashion week

2009-09-25T21:45:00.000-07:00

and london fashion week went by. just like that.

basso & brooke, binetti x 2

burberry prorsum x 3

erdem x 3

erdem, jasmine di milo, josh goot

matthew williamson x 2, pringle of scotland

pictures from: style and elle

spring 2010 new york fashion week: dresses & gowns

2009-09-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

and now for the pretty stuff ...

pale, muted, watercolor-y dresses with some metallics by: chris benz, christian siriano x 2

cynthia steffe, halston, j. mendel

halston, l'wren scott, peter som

marchesa, pink dress collection, zac posen

and some more colorful dresses by: dennis basso, prabal gurung, twinkle

carolina herrera, halston, malandrino

pictures from: style and elle

spring 2010 new york fashion week

2009-09-21T18:15:00.000-07:00

the bulk of ny fashion week was disappointing. out of 4000+ or 5000+ pictures, i found not even 30 fun looks. or maybe i'm just getting more critical.

i think the winner of the week was peter som, at least for me. really liked the colors and stripes. so i guess we'll start with peter som.

allude and geren ford had similar looks as well.

alexander berardi and chadwick bell had some work appropriate stuff

pictures from: style, elle and mb fashion week

how was your weekend?

2009-09-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

it was a baby-rific weekend! babysat my nephew on saturday and went to a baby shower on sunday.

at 14 weeks, he was a perfect baby. the right amount of cuteness. not too much crying. in fact, not enough crying. he poopied his diapers and didn't display any discomfort. didn't realize it until i took a big whiff. blech! changing my very first poopie diaper was definitely an experience.

sunday had dirty diapers too. but instead of stinkiness, the diapers had yumminess ... in the form of mystery melted chocolate bars. and a bunch of other fun shower games. i don't think i've eaten more food or laughed harder at a baby shower before. and this was definitely the first one with rum as game prizes.

no pictures this time ... unless i get requests to see poopie diapers!

more movies ...

2009-09-15T16:00:00.000-07:00

yep, also saw another movie over the weekend: the september issue

very entertaining. if you're expecting a deep look into anna wintour's life, you're going to be disappointed. you get some, but not much.

the real "star" of the documentary was creative director, grace coddington, who was even featured in a vogue.com interview

even though i'm not a vogue reader, i am familiar with her editorials. she's quite talented. and feisty!

how was your weekend?

2009-09-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

pretty good ... did some bike shopping. i think i'm going to pick that up because jogging's been pretty tough on my legs. biking should hopefully have a lot less impact.

restricted by my size and my budget, there seems to be a consensus as to which bike i should start with. too bad it isn't as pretty as i'd like. after pointing out bikes on the street, i've come to the conclusion that i prefer the more vintage steel frame bikes. you know, the kind that looks like the actual bike lane/route signs.

came across a perfect example in a random japanese bike magazine while we were browsing in kinokuniya ... riteway ... hellooooo, pretty bike!

too bad they don't make ones small enough for me though. neither does bianchi nor masi. but then again, those are slightly above my budget. bianchi's dolomiti is at $3300 and masi's speciale bikes at $1150+ ... vs riteway at $760.

we also tossed around the idea of finding a vintage bike frame and building it to a full modern bike. but that would be a long shot, considering most vintage bike frames are much too large. hmmm ... maybe we can find a vintage kid's bike frame? maybe one that's not too small?

and oh ... i would note that jeans are not the pantwear of choice for test-riding bikes. not comfortable!

what to do about lunch?

2009-09-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

so i've been pretty good about using my daisoware at work ... just about every day for breakfast and most days for lunch when i bring something from the market.

and it's been great. i tend to eat healthier/fresher now, like the market cherry tomatoes, cowgirl creamery fromage blanc and acme torpedo roll above. instead of, say, a turkey sandwich from a nearby deli or a burger or pizza or tacos with chips & salsa. or just feeling way full after lunch. portions are much more manageable now. and lunch has been way cheaper. it's a win all around ... or so i thought.

i went to the cafe across the street for some puree of butternut squash to supplement my leftover savory risotto today. and the guy there asked if i just got back from vacation or something. because he hadn't seen me around in a while. and i told him that i've just been bringing stuff from home lately. and he responded, yeah ... i lot of people are doing that now ...

oh man ... i know restaurants in general have been having a tough time. but fidi lunch spots? i hadn't even really thought about them. i don't want them all to start closing. my favorite breakfast spot already shut down a couple months ago. boo ... what to do?

how was your (labor day) weekend?

2009-09-09T16:30:00.000-07:00

very relaxing ... mostly just watched a bunch of dvds.

i love you, man was a really cute bromatic movie. in the same general vein as knocked up and forgetting sarah marshall (starring the same main guys).

duplicity with julia roberts and clive owen ... you can skip that one.

and coraline. super cute and creepy at the same time. you'll never think of buttons the same way again.

also started shopping for a road bike, so i can move away from all the impact stress on my legs from jogging. instead, i'll be putting myself at risk for falls. watch out!

too bad most off-the-rack road bikes are so sporty looking. why can't they make more simple ones like muji (as seen in tokyo) ...

will keep looking. i'll probably be making a purchase within the month.

lv: dreamy

2009-09-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

as a follow-up to yesterday's post ... not all was lost. i don't do much window shopping any more, nor much online shopping. i just get random urges to go shopping maybe once a quarter or so, usually when prompted by a catalog in the mail.

so even though i didn't end up keeping the sensuals, i did find another fun pair of shoes that day. and they were so perfect. when i tried them on, we all said, it looks like they already belong to me.

allow me to present ... the dreamy ...

not only do they fit perfectly, but it's like they were designed with me in mind. or perhaps they just made a hybrid of two other pairs i already have. the other two are obviously from seasons past, as evidenced by the wear. which makes finding the dreamy so timely! and! and! they already come with a rubber sole, so i don't even have to run over to the cobbler for that. so perfect!

lv: sensual

2009-09-02T17:45:00.000-07:00

so lv's autumn-winter 2009 shoe collection book came in the mail something like july 31. with some seriously sexy shoes on the cover. like i literally gasped when i saw the cover.

see what i mean? so exciting because they've been coming out with a bunch of junk recently. finally, they're back to including at least some more subtle pieces. so 2 days later, i found myself on the shoe mezzanine in maison union square. unfortunately, the smallest size they had in the store was a 6. much too big. but i did try them on just for the look and they looked great. so i ordered them in my size. it took a while, but they eventually got delivered in two and a half weeks.

but booo ... the front was pinchy. way too narrow. so i went back to the store, where they had a 5.5. but that was way too roomy, even with two inserts! my goldilocks feetsies wondered if lv made a size 5.25, but no such luck. so we tried stretching the vamp. but even after a few days of that, didn't feel much of or any difference at all.

so bottom line ... if you're a true size 5 with skinny toes, you're in luck! especially since i was told that that pair was the only size 5 in the system. so after pulling them out of the system for a whole month, they're back! or at least they were as of a week ago. who knows, someone may have already swooped in on them.

how was your weekend?

2009-09-01T16:30:00.000-07:00

we rode our bikes out to tiburon. i haven't really ridden a bike in a while (not since two years ago actually), so i'm pretty sore.

we took a little longer than the guide map said it would take. twice as long, in fact. but we had fun! we took a bunch of photo stops and took a quick break in downtown sausalito to fuel up with "energy bars" and even made a tiny detour to heath's factory store. and then a super late lunch at in & out. and then we eventually made it out to downtown tiburon where we did some post-ride stretching on the lawns and waited for the ferry to take us back home.

it was a totally fun-filled day (with a few grumpy moments cursing my ton-of-bricks rental bike), with the best part being that it was pretty unplanned. we initially had nothing planned for that day until, oddly enough, on saturday night, we both thought of bike riding. so that's what we did the next day. it definitely kicked my butt, but i may look into getting a bike, a light (and pretty) one.

to-do list: 2 down

2009-08-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

i'm an avid listkeeper. i keep lists of favorite restaurants. simple to-do lists throughout the day. meals i eat. daily expenses. data on gas/car mileage ...

and long-term to-do's. one (or two) off the list now. the other stuff is blanked out, but will be revealed as they get done.

nightly flossing ... it's an on-and-off habit. typically just "on" the month or so prior to a dental check-up and cleaning. but it'd be nice to keep it more regular. so far, so good. it's been about two weeks now. we'll check again end of september.

reusable kitchenware for office ... because the volume of paper plates, paper bowls, paper cups and plastic utensils i used to throw away in any given week was getting ridiculous. i'm still working on finding a good set of utensils. i do have a spoon i borrowed from home though. just need a knife and fork.

i initially considered getting a set from heath ceramics or mud australia, since i figured having pretty bowls and plates would encourage me to use them more. but the idea of spending $76 or $109 on one simple set of a bowl, a plate and a mug was kind of silly, especially since i would just be keeping them for use at work. what if someone were to steal them! so i settled on ikea or daiso. and since daiso is more convenient, daiso it was. $6.00 flat. not bad. not quite the same, but they definitely do the job. and i'm getting tons of use of them.

looking forward to checking more off the list.

how was your weekend?

2009-08-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

(it must have been pretty eventful, because it's wednesday and i still remember it!) it was really nice ... it was my dad's birthday on friday, so we all went out for dinner saturday night. the whole family. including my brother's 10-week old. he was actually really good so it was nice.

have you heard of el paseo in mill valley? i feel like not too many people have, but it's definitely worth checking out. it's a french restaurant run by a japanese couple. it's super cute. very romantic. but it doesn't have to be. it's good for family and group dinners too.

we also went to see inglourious basterds. i didn't know anything about the movie except it had brad pitt and diane kruger and was about killing nazis. i don't think i even knew it was a quentin tarantino movie. but once i saw his opening credit, i said uh oh! i better finish my lunch.

this is turning out to be a summer of good movies. 4.5 great movies. the brothers bloom. up. 500 days of summer. julie & julia. inglourious basterds. do i need to say which movie was only half good?

Q & A: uggs

2009-08-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

Q: is it possible to make uggs ... uglier?
A:
(source)

how was your weekend?

2009-08-17T12:30:00.001-07:00

great ... i hung out with mcdreamy and jay leno and seinfeld. not really. but i did see them. i went down to monterey for a historic car race (monterey historic) in monterey and they were there to race. or at least patrick dempsey and seinfeld were, i think. i don't think jay did.

my favorite cars were from the 20s to early 50s.

what ever happened to using leather straps on car hoods? i'm going to bring it back, one car at a time.

(enlarge!)

how was your weekend?

2009-08-11T12:45:00.000-07:00

it was good ... didn't do anything special. just enjoyed the sun yesterday (sunday). i actually had a (another!) baby shower in noe valley in the morning. and then we just walked around the mission after that. it was blazing out though, so we didn't stay out for too long.

fun rope-making at the curiosity shoppe on valencia (source)

we also saw julie & julia over the weekend. it was cute. the more i think about it though, i probably would have been fine with watching just the julia child parts. they could have built out her story more and it'd be a much better movie. meryl streep was really good. not that amy adams was bad. her character was really whiny though.

stills from the trailer

renegade craft fair: san francisco 2009

2009-07-28T17:00:00.000-07:00

checked out the renegade craft fair during its final hours last sunday. surprised to see it was still well attended so late in the day, but that's definitely good for all the artists who dedicated their weekend to it.

came away with a few fun finds/reacquaintances ...

dee & lala ... perfectly sweet and simple
(source)

dutch door press ... great colors and very distinct vintage dutch aesthetic
(source)

mehoi ... super cute designs in a more refined and practical format
(source)

molly m designs ... such natural and intricate designs, but what to do with no functional earholes??
(source)

twinkie chan ... the original too-cute crocheted food
(source)

colors of san francisco ... inviting colors and sweet illustrations
(source)

how was your weekend?

2009-07-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

fun ... we went up to marin to play bocce ... no, didn't win, but i did have a really good time. i'd never played it before so it took a while to get used to the court and the balls. but i couldn't stay out too long because it was so hot. i kept putting my sweater back on so i wouldn't get burned, but then i kept taking it off because it would get too hot. i ended up getting darker again. can't escape it. A was really good. he's apparently a natural.

and a bunch of the people in our group decided to wear all white. but i don't think bocce's one of those sports. i think it's more croquet that's like that, but i think they did it just for fun anyway. it was cute. no, i don't really have all white clothes.

how was your weekend?

2009-07-21T18:00:00.000-07:00

great ... i tried archery for the first time on saturday. i don't know if i was pulling on the bowstring right or not, because the tip of my ring finger is still kinda numb. or tingly, at least. and it's been a few days now.

but i did do pretty well. we started at something like 10 yards and moved to twenty. it was pretty fun. nobody was hit by an arrow, so i think it was a success.

similar to my targets, but imagine more arrows in the yellow ... maybe =P

how was your weekend?

2009-07-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

pretty nice actually ... did another barbeque with a bunch of friends on saturday out at lake merced. they roasted two whole pigs. i went early so we were all kinda gathered around the roasting area to stay warm because it was so cold and foggy. but it definitely warmed up closer to noon, and i just lounged on the grass for the rest of the day.

[and these were my favie treats/moments of the day.]

summer fruit pastries made especially for the early crew

crazy good fried chicken ... they disappeared as swiftly as they hit the serving tray

the pièce de résistance of the day ... 1 of 2 crispy-skinned piggies

paps swarming around the pig's unveiling

how was your weekend?

2009-07-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

really good/fun. we drove down to half moon bay for a barbeque. i remembered to put sunblock on my face, but totally forgot about my neck. it was overcast all day, but still really bright ...

[we have another all-day barbeque/pig roast fundraiser next weekend, so this time, i'll be prepared. either with a long-sleeve/high-neck shirt or at least sunblock all over. and sunglasses. and possibly a hat.

and about this pig roast thing ... it's a fundraiser this saturday (july 11 @ 12 noon) at lake merced to benefit the sf food bank. per person donation/access to all the good eats including 2 heritage pigs from clark summit farm, roasted on-site, is $30. and $2 raffle tickets for a bunch of really nice prizes. and for every $1 donated to the sf food bank, $9 of food is distributed to seniors and families and shelters! all are welcome.]

how was your weekend?

2009-06-29T09:00:00.000-07:00

it was ... ok. i got like a 24-hour flu or something. all day saturday i felt like crap. my body ached all over and i kept getting hot flashes. so i just tried to rest the whole day. then sunday i was a lot better. and now i just have residual coughing ... yep, pretty lucky. sounds like most people are getting it for a week or two ... fun how the flu bug was so considerate of my workweek.

not us, but pretty close to what our saturday looked like (source)

how was your weekend?

2009-06-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

if to one of the fatherly types around the office ... not too much. took my dad up to napa for brunch for father's day. it was nice. we didn't get to do much else though because there was tons of traffic, so it was kinda late once we were done ... there was one pretty long stretch of 80 that was just PACKED like a parking lot. we were delayed like 45 minutes. can you guess where everyone was going? ... we thought everyone was going up to see the nascar races at infineon. totally wrong. apparently, THE place to go for father's day is marine world.

the view from our table at brunch

or if to a non-fatherly type ... not too much. drove down to san jose to watch one of my friends in a women's hockey game. it was pretty fun. first time i'd watched a whole game. and they were pretty good ... no, they actually have a rule against checking ... and it's funny, the friend who was playing, i've never seen her in normal clothes. the first time i met her was at her wedding, so she was in a gown with her hair up and everything. and this was the first time since then, and she was in full hockey gear.

can you imagine, with all this action, we were the only ones in the bleachers

how was your weekend?

2009-06-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

this weekend, i have two options for a response.

one ... i became an aunt! my brother's wife just had a boy on saturday. he should be coming home next month, so i'm really excited. it should be interesting with a baby in the house ...

welcome to the world, alex!!!

two (if i don't feel like getting too personal) ... went up to napa for the day. there's a really cool new hotel up there. bardessono. we didn't stay there, just got drinks. but they were really nice and let us walk around. if you end up in the area, you should check it out, especially the pool. that was our favorite. we almost wanted to hide out and stay there the whole night.

(pictures from here)

[seriously, check this place out. the hotel's lobby with its vertical garden has been blogged and written about tons. it's definitely neat to see in person, but because i'd already seen tons of pictures, i wasn't wow'd. but the pool area was awesome. there were rows of cabanas lining the long, narrow pool. the lot of us piled into one of the larger cabanas and shared daydreamy what-if scenarios of spending an entire day lazing away, being fanned with palm fronds while sipping champagne. that is, until we had to hop out and jet to our dinner reservation.]

it's summer!

2009-06-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

it's different for everyone, that specific something that signals the beginning of summer. for me, it's the posters and banners for the stern grove festival

it will be the 72nd year of free summer concerts in stern grove. since stern grove is within walking distance for me, every year i say i'll go check out a concert. and every summer passes by so quickly with packed weekends. so i still have yet to go. we'll see if it changes this year.

this year's poster features illustrations by spanish clay illustrator irma gruenholz. you'll have to hit the streets to see it larger.

the style kinda reminds me of a clay version of jessica hirsch's work. check out her site. super fun stuff.

how was your weekend?

2009-06-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

i've never really been one for small talk. that, coupled with having pretty terrible memory (both long-term and short-term), i always find myself stumped on monday mornings when faced with the seemingly simple question, "how was your weekend?"

i typically answer with something like, "good!" and leave it at that. or when i'm feeling extra talkative, "pretty relaxing. only had a couple hours of work." neither response really encourages conversation, as you can imagine. instead, there's an awkward silence while my colleague waits for his coffee to finish brewing and i wait for the copier to cooperate.

so anyway, i've decided to come into the office prepared each monday morning with something interesting to share when i inevitably get asked "the question." (and trust me, i really do need to prepare, due to my aforementioned terrible memory.)

so this past weekend ... really nice. the war memorial was doing a simulcast of the opera tosca at at&t park, so i went to that. they were doing a live feed of the whole opera up on the huge hd screen. it was almost like we were there, except we were huddled up in our blankets, sitting on the grass way out on right field, eating hot dogs ... even my friend who was home for the weekend from des moines came out for it ... they just started doing it recently and not super often. you should check it out. i think the only other one this year is in september.

this was similar to our view, except we were on right field, not left. (source)

filled stadium ... more or less where we staked our area (source)

[it was superfun. we were there from 6 until around 11. and it would have been a perfect night with great weather, free entertainment and good friends, if it weren't for the jerk who kicked me in the arm. he was trying to show off his acrobatic deficiencies or something, and succeeded and essentially hammered his heel into my arm. and the jerk didn't even apologize, at least not until we prompted him to. and he was in his late-20s, early-30s, by the way. so he obviously should have known better. seriously, who acts like that??]

a weekend in chicago

2009-03-16T09:30:00.000-07:00

suitcase art installation in the james hotel lobby

spring arrangement from a new leaf

fish fresh out of the smoker at calumet fisheries

frank lloyd wright's robie house

cloud gate in millennium park

one of the 68 thorne miniature rooms at the art institute of chicago ... crazy!!

our seats at the violet hour (picture)

business card holder by delphine press, found at paper doll

lemongrass shooter at alinea (picture)

cards and goodies stuffed in card catalogs at greer chicago (picture)

curious construction banner in millennium park

champagne chairs tucked away among the 3 floors of a new leaf

portion of the el rail

a fun owl door along n wells st in old town chicago by edgar miller

pasolivo: part 2

2009-03-02T13:05:00.000-08:00

and i totally did just buy some pasolivo olive oil this weekend. just the classic one. bottled in dec 2007.

feltron annual report

2009-03-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

i kinda glanced at this a couple weeks ago on twig & thistle, but didn't really take a closer look until this weekend when we were talking about visual representations of qualitative/quantitative attributes (will make much more sense in a later post). anyway, immediately upon that conversation starter, we dove into the obsessive mind of nicholas feltron, or at least his websites.

feltron is a ny-based graphic designer who does all sorts of fun stuff like editorial layouts and logos and website design. he also started a side project in private beta called daytum that tracks any type of data imaginable, from something as simple as miles traveled over time (actual or in virtual games) to something as unique as, perhaps, how often a person sneezes including at how many decibels and whether it was covered by a tissue, a shirt sleeve or a bare hand. don't steal that idea! ok, you can.

anyway, one of two main attractions is his 4th volume of the feltron annual report, which is powered by the other main attraction, daytum. so clever of him.

it would be so neat to be able to make my own annual report, but it would probably take way too much of my time to track all the random stuff i can imagine including. it might make more sense and might be more meaningful to track a year, or a month, or whatever, for an actual reason ...

like tracking a baby's first year, which would be so neat for the kid to look at when they get older ... or for a couple's first year of marriage, which would be fun to look back on at each anniversary ... or a report to share with parents of a student's semester spent abroad ... or tracking progress of an intense weight-loss regimen ... or as a hygiene diary ("itchy today, not itchy today") ... or, well, that's enough examples for now

seriously, i track so much stuff in my life already, i can't believe i didn't think to develop daytum myself. although i guess i just never imagined that other people might be as obsessive.

pasolivo

2009-02-24T17:30:00.000-08:00

it's not too often that i respond so intensely to product packaging. but while browsing through the aisles at rainbow grocery over the weekend, i came across pasolivo olive oil. i had never heard of it, but was really drawn to the packaging. its simplicity, the font, the kraft paper, the glass.

and apparently, in 2005 and 2006, they won awards for their label and brand design, which was put together in 2001 by 300feetout. nice job! i guess i'm not the only one who likes their packaging. they even sell posters of their labels!

these bottles are a bit on the pricey side, but if i keep obsessing, i may just break down and have to buy one. then the challenge will be to decide whether to get the classic, the california blend, lemon, orange or tangerine.

japan: paper goods

2008-12-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

i should really put each of these following items in separate posts, but it's just so much quicker to dump everything all at once. so here goes. too bad i'm lacking motivation in make separate posts, because i really was trying to save the best for last. and japan's paper items were definitely my favorite. oh well.

papierium in ginza is two floors of paper mania. the ground floor is very much like paper source, down to the color collection and shape selection for cards and envelopes. the second floor is geared towards scrapbookers with shape punches, fun scissors, scrapbooking papers, stamps and more. reminded me a lot of scrapbook territory out in berkeley.

the only thing i picked up there was some brown flower tape by space-joy or o-check design graphics. very difficult to tell which, since the websites aren't very straightforward. i'm going with a joint effort.

another fun set of tape i came across was mt masking tape. it's basically masking tape made from washi-type paper that comes in 20 or so different colors, plus several seasonsal patterns. and you can also order custom logo tape. they're sold in single rolls, two-packs, and ten-packs and fun coordinating variety five-packs. i was about to buy the pastel ten-pack but thought more practically and ultimately went with the gold and silver combo two-pack.

and i know i'm not the only one enamored with this masking tape. because there are entire books (multiple) and blogs dedicated to the many uses of mt masking tape. and i've also come across a few japanese magazine articles featuring the tape.

the main stores that carried mt masking tape were loft, ito-ya and papierium. other fun stuff we found at ito-ya were animal d-clips by midori japan. those japanese folks are so innovative though, that the site no longer features the cow-shaped paper clips we picked up. found some pics online though.

source: bundoki

these shops also had tons of calendars. ito-ya even dedicated their 9th floor to all calendars. here's a quick look at the calendar section of shibuya loft's basement.

my favorite paper store though was winged wheel in the omotesando area. there's a huge column right by the front door where they display a portion of their cards.

and the perimeter of the store is made up of shelves holding various papers and cards, but mainly their "plainer" stuff.

and then there are two long display cases in the center of the shop where you can see their designs through the glass.

the extra special surprise is that below each display case is another three or so drawers that you can thumb through. they featured their entire lines of designs as well as example books for inspiration. so basically i studied all 48 drawers in addition to the shelves on the wall.

i left with a few choice cards and envelopes, the distribution of which will require careful decision.

postcards, with the pretty bag they came in in the middle.

little business card sized cards and envelopes

the cutest shop card ever. folded like an envelope, revealing the shop info inside.

and finally, i thought their bookstores were fun too. they print a good portion of their books in small handheld-sized versions so it's easier to read on train commutes. they also color code the books, although i'm not sure what the color system is. or if there even really is one.

but unfortunately, when you buy a book, they wrap it neatly with a bookcover. so much for the cute colors! and i noticed shops sold lots of bookcovers, so many folks just like to keep their reading materials private.

japan: faces stamp

2008-12-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

we saved the bulk of our shopping days for the last couple days of our trip. one of the fun things we came across was this faces stamp that was released about a year ago. and i think it may have won some awards or something.

it's basically a silicon cylinder with a face at the end. and the face is easily manipulated by squishing the tube however you want. i figure the main application for such a stamp would be for grading school papers. but the way the original face is cut out, it's easier to make funny/angry/sad faces than happy ones. i bet this would be a mean teacher's dream.

japan: 100% chocolate cafe

2008-11-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

i was enamored with the concept, design and drink & snack offerings at 100% chocolate cafe. they offer a different chocolate each day throughout the year, so in one year they'll make 365 different types of chocolate. they also keep in stock another set of 56 chocolates that you can buy whenever. i'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking. seriously, if i had the resources, i'd open up a shop like this over here.

japan: takazawa

2008-11-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

since it's a holiday week, i figured i would cover some food presentation we saw in japan. this first example was my overall favorite.

the chef's dream is to one day have his own farm. but until then, he'll continue to present his dream in a scaled-down version on the table. here, we have a sweet little glass milk bottle, topped with his dairy cap, tied with twine. and a farm fresh eggshell holding scrambled eggs with truffles.

the surprise though, is that it's not really milk in the bottle. instead, it's white corn soup. delicious, at that.

he also presented a cross section of his dream root vegetable garden. a bunch of vegetables including carrots, radishes and even potatoes were "growing" out of edible soil.

japan: 45 rpm

2008-11-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

and the other denim trifecta of shops we visited: 45 rpm in the minamiaoyama area.

the badou r in minamiaoyama is THE location to go to if you see only one 45 rpm store. it's tucked away off the main streets in a japanese-style house, so you have to switch your street shoes for comfy slippers once you step into the front foyer. you feel like you're browsing through a friend's huge closet because of the comfy factor as well as the super friendly staff.

the entrance from the street

the indigo-dyed paving stones leading up to the shop entrance

details of the exterior

full sliding glass doors to the patio

one of several "rooms", this one being the showroom for women's wear

the fitting room, with chestnut floors

source: life of seisho

the other badou r in the area, badour r ai is on a main street with a more urban feel

and the third one, the smallest of the three was 45 ai indigo, or maybe it was an umii908 store. not really sure. but all these brands are under the same 45 rpm family.

and this is a scarf that showed up in every location. as if it were asking for me to take it home.

there are a couple us locations of 45 rpm if you're interested. both are in manhattan.

japan: kapital (part two)

2008-11-18T10:15:00.000-08:00

and oh, how could i have forgotten?! at the kapital duffle shop, i spotted a few rolls of packing tape that had bandana designs on them. but the shop folks were milling about, so we couldn't snap any photos. then we saw the same tape at the legs shop and asked to take a picture. they said ok, as long as that was the only thing we took a picture of. so here it is!

kapital is known for their indigo dye, which they use for their denim as well as for making bandanas every season. so i thought it was pretty clever of them to make bandana packing tape.

i was so excited too when we bought a few pairs of jeans, because i thought they would use it to tape up our bag. but they didn't. so i wonder what they actually use the tape for?

japan: kapital

2008-11-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

among the various fabrics produced in japan, denim is high up there on the list, in terms of having a huge/fanatical following. and kapital is one of the finer denim makers around. i'm no denim expert, nor part of their cult following, but i do appreciate fun design when i see it.

so here's a quick look at their cluster of three shops just south of ebisu station in tokyo. fun "shop cards" and bikes and merchandising. since we ended up at kapital past sundown, our pictures didn't come out all that great. so i've supplemented with daytime pictures from their site.

first off, each location has a different shop card, printed on thick chipboard, about the size of a poker chip. on the back of each is a little map showing the location of the shop, printed on the raw chipboard. shown here, we visited the legs, ebisu and duffle shops.

ok, so let's go in order of the shop cards. first up, legs. this location focuses on carrying a ton of the styles of denim kapital makes. there are stacks and stacks of jeans all over the store. and every single stack is not just a stack of one style in different sizes, but rather a stack of all different styles. on top of that, there are shirts and jackets and socks and hats and scarves and bandanas hanging all over the place.

next is the ebisu store, with a whitewashed wood exterior studded with horseshoes and a plastic curtain as the front door. there's also a little teddy bear to great you at the door. and again, you'll see a bike outside. this one has two floors, more or less the same feel in terms of merchandising. but then again, there's no way to tell what's what since there doesn't seem to be any order in how stuff is stocked. but i guess they're trying to recreate the feeling of rummaging for vintage goods at a flea market. it's definitely not for everyone.

the third of the kapital trifecta: duffle. this one is set up like a house, in that all customers have to take off their shoes before entering the tiny door. and most of the floors are covered in tatami mats. the entrance is a converted garage made to look like, well i'm not sure what it's supposed to look like, but it kind of reminds me of the prop room i had back in high school. except this one had a cluster of birdcages as lighting fixtures. and the merchandising in this store was a little more organized that the other two shops, with goodies spread out among three floors.

japan: kyoto fabrics

2008-11-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

so before embarking on our adventures, i told my boyfriend something along the lines of "if you see something you want to buy, just buy it. because chances are, we won't have time to go back or find it somewhere else." well, too bad i didn't listen to my own words. we stumbled across a cute little (3 huge and packed floors!) fabric shop along shijodori in kyoto. i browsed through the stacks of fabric on the ground floor and decided i couldn't choose any fabrics until i had a project in mind. and decided i might circle back the next day if i had any good ideas.

and then i changed my mind and figured i could get the fabrics first and then choose the projects. unfortunately, i never got a chance to go back. ugh, my only major non-buyer's remorse for the whole trip.

nomura tailor has tons of fabrics, from japanese denim to french lace. ugh, i'm still kicking myself for not going back. anyway, here's a quick look at what the ground floor looks like. the 2nd and 3rd floors held the notions and ribbons.

source: flickr

and here are a bunch of additional pictures snagged from their site, a quick virtual shopping list, if you will.

japan: street "art"

2008-11-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

when i wasn't searching the ground for manholes, we came across some cute stuff on the streets. here are just a few on this lazy friday.

discarded soy sauce canisters

faded political ad?

toei bus stop sign in tokyo

japan: manhole covers

2008-11-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

after a quick google search (just the first page of results), i feel relieved that i'm not the only oddball who's excited by the pretty manhole covers found all over japan. there's a huge flickr pool and a bunch of dedicated websites.

the first time i actually took notice of them was back in 2004. my friends and i were walking back to our hotel after a few drinks, and i let out a loud, long gasp. they jumped and grabbed each other because they thought i'd seen a cockroach or something. but nope. it was just a painted manhole cover. one very much like the one at the bottom right of this little set.

the first one is at a fire engine zone at narita airport. the two cherry blossom ones are just from walking around tokyo. the wavy castle one is of osaka castle, as is the painted one below it. the bottom left is also of osaka found along dotonbori-dori. for a closeup, just click on the picture.

japan: truck furniture

2008-11-12T11:00:00.000-08:00

from kyoto, we made a day trip to osaka. and the only destination on my itinerary, other than osaka castle, was truck furniture. truck actually has two stores within a block of each other. the main truck building is a decently sized showroom for their furniture, with the pieces displayed in several room mock-ups. the other 3-story building, area 2, houses the warehouse, workshop and showroom.

each store welcomed us with rustic little wooden tent signs.

and area 2 even had a coordinating van sitting out in front.

there were at least a few signs around the store asking for no photos, which we heeded. so instead, here are a few fun items from their site. i figure they don't want photos taken since they sell their catalog/book which includes mostly pictures taken inside the store.

you'll notice that they have a rustic and 70s american rec room kind of feel. it doesn't show in the photos, but the store (especially area 2) was very cozy. they decorate seasonally, so they had prickly chestnuts sitting in bowls and framed leaves all over their walls. all the furniture, they make in-house. all the other stuff is just retail for them.

japan: iremonya design labo

2008-11-11T13:00:00.000-08:00

though i was quite effusive about muji, there are definitely some instances where having a little more personality in product design wouldn't hurt. an example ... if you're going to have filing boxes sitting out, which would you choose: a) the box on the left or b) the box on the right?

a ... or ... b?

i'm not saying there's a right answer here, but you can probably guess which i'd pick. the b options are from the child box line of iremonya design labo based in kyoto, designed by masaki tokuda who started at iremonya in 2000. in addition to storage, they also design less cutesy furniture, rugs, lighting and tableware. and they also design interiors. my favorite being this one.

definitely check out the iremonya site. there's enough english there to easily navigate it.

japan: muji (part three)

2008-11-10T10:49:00.000-08:00

and just one last fun thing from muji: season-your-own potato chips. such a smart idea. i don't know why it's not done here. or maybe i'll just start buying plain chips and seasoning them myself. or maybe even bake/fry some myself. who knows. anyway, you start with a bag of "plain" potato chips. and you choose from 8 seasoning packets. then you shake some seasoning into the bag, shake it around and eat. or you could even just buy the chips and pair them with your own salsa or guacamole or cheese or whatever.

since all the packaging was in japanese, we didn't know which flavor packets to choose initially. but fortunately, the newer shinjuku location had vials of each so we could smell them. we went with the curry flavor and citron pepper flavor. both were yummy, but i preferred the curry.

we still have some seasoning left over since we had only one bag of chips to flavor. so we'll use those on popcorn, maybe.

japan: muji (part two)

2008-11-10T08:30:00.000-08:00

muji yurakucho was our second muji destination. this store has 2.5 large floors of goodies to navigate. it doesn't look like much from the outside, but this is the muji with its own website and even a concept house inside on the first floor.

source: flickr

so the first floor greets you with the flower shop and a muji house. the house had little signs all over asking for no photos, so i didn't take any. but there are a few on the site as well as some on flickr.

the escalators take you up to the second floor, where you find in the center: muji to go (an edited selection of useful items for travel, work and gifts), some miscellaneous items, health & beauty care and stationery.

among the miscellaneous items was a little display for stamp-your-own canvas tote bags. depending on the size, you could get a custom-made piece of muji for only 50, 70 or 100 yen, which would probably cost you some of your pocket change with some leftover. you just buy the bag and stamp whatever you want on it. or you could even bring it home and iron on, patch on, paint on whatever you wish. if i had thought of something clever to stamp, they would have made the best souvenirs.

the rest of the second floor carried (counterclockwise from the front) muji labo, women's wear, children's/baby/maternity wear, men's wear, eyewear and food. this eyewear section displayed some frames on huge blocks of wood.

next to the eyewear section was the repairing studio, where they alter and repair clothing, whether from muji or not.

and next to the packaged food section was meal muji. there were baked goods and hot foods available.

and then the third floor: atelier muji, plants, kitchen & dining, storage, furniture, lighting, books, bedding and fabrics.

and yet another fun wall display, this one of wavy stacks of cardboard.

and lastly, on our way out, we stopped for a look at the muji bikes. so simple in design, which, if it's totally functional, is all you really need.

japan: muji

2008-11-10T08:15:00.000-08:00

first stop: muji. muji has locations all over japan, the rest of the asia and europe. but only one cluster of shops in the US, all in new york city. so i usually include at least a quick stop when i'm in nyc. but the stores in japan are on a totally different level.

oh, i suppose i should preface with a little intro. muji is kind of like how gap used to be (generic) but for products in all areas of your life. mujirushi translates loosely to "no logo, good products." so you'll mainly find useful items, minimalist in both design and packaging. so a lot of cotton, linen, kraft paper, whites, grays and natural tones.

poke around their japanese store site to get an idea of what they have (in japanese but there are enough pictures to help navigate). or go through their UK site for a different version, but in english.

and so, since there are so many locations all over japan itself, i had to strategically decide which locations to visit. i chose two flagship stores in tokyo: shinjuku and yurakucho.

we'd visited at least a couple muji locations while walking around, but our first real destination was muji shinjuku. actually, the original muji shinjuku is in the isamiya building on shinjuku-dori, with 4 floors of goods.

basement floor had men's wear, suits, shoes, bags, bikes and eyewear.

first floor had women's wear, shoes, children's wear and maternity wear.

second floor had stationery, health & beauty care, kitchen and diningware, housekeeping items, storage units and food.

third floor had living room items, bedding and bath, lighting and household appliances.

but the store directory indicated to us that there was yet another muji right around the block with another 4 floors to browse through. so we followed the little map and headed over. apparently, this location just recently opened back in july. google maps street view even shows the building under construction.

we entered on the first floor, which stocked men's wear (muji labo, yoga and general), bags and shoes. and just because the clothes are at a reasonable price level, doesn't mean the displays can't be high-end.

next, the mezzanine floor had a repeat of the other store: kitchen/dining ware, housekeeping items, storage units, household appliances, health and beauty, stationery and food (including single-serving wine and artfully displayed snacks).

then the basement had bedding and beds, living room stuff, cafe & meal muji (more fun displays including the huge wine glass chandelier) and their atelier section.

the atelier section is their exhibition area, where they display proposed projects. the day we were there, they had just put up (and for two weeks through nov 12) a display for muji-exclusive chairs designed by thonet.

then we went to the second/top floor where we found women's wear (muji labo, yoga and general). muji labo is muji's experimental clothing line, with higher quality materials and designs. we also saw more of their fun wall displays. this particular one was made out of stacked bolts of natural-colored fabrics.

japan: reasons to move there

2008-11-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

recently got back from a two-week trip in hong kong and japan (tokyo, kyoto and osaka). it was maybe my fifth or sixth time over there, but the first time we planned our own itinerary, rather than joining a tour with tight schedules. and just a day or two into the japanese portion of our itinerary, i was already considering moving there. but that wouldn't be a very rational decision. so instead, i'll just spend the next few weeks covering all the fun stuff i came across.

besides, i don't think i could deal with all the crowds. nor the heat in the underground stations and subway trains. nor having to learn a whole new language in my 20s. nor having to deal with finding the perfect place to live.

but i could definitely get used to the super punctual train system. and the vintage vibe. and the fresh seasonal foods. and the general hospitable nature of the population. and the fun fabrics. and the fun paper goods. and stumbling across gems in random neighborhoods. and the spiffy washlets. and the hot springs.

ok ... i need to stop before i catch myself buying a one-way ticket there. anywho ... here's a quick snapshot of fun things to come ...

if you like the general theme of using color and grids for organization, and vintage stuff, and tactile objects, and cute but not too cute stuff ... oh boy, japan would be a wonderland. definitely worth a trip. although maybe a month would have been more fun that just one and a half weeks.

a good egg

2008-10-07T15:09:00.000-07:00

chelsea of {frolic!} posted a random shoutout to jane of the speckled egg. and i figured a webfriend of chelsea's might be just as awesome as chelsea herself, or at least her blog. and score! i have a new blog to add to my reader.

two posts in particular caught my attention: giveaway: office of the tooth fairy and passing notes: huge love

the office of the tooth fairy post led me to the actual product's site ...

...which led me to notion farm, which led me to rubber design, a super creative design firm.
such attractive details: deep embossing, great color palettes and the slightly vintage feel in some

the passing notes post featured sketch ice cream, which is way up there on our list of favorite ice cream shops. and what a coinky-dink, we were just there over the weekend, just a little bit before they closed up shop early for the day, for their anniversary.
yum yum yum. i had a 50/50 with vanilla ice cream and coffee granita; he had a 50/50 with lime granita and apple sorbet.

anywho ... abbie of passing notes was behind the simple yet impressive design elements of the shop ... AND they also designed ruthie and eric's wedding (the owners). too cute. see, october 4. i guess they weren't fibbing about their anniversary and just trying to sneak out early for the day.

spring 2009 paris fashion week

2008-10-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

a handful or two of colorful dresses and some fun details in paris

brights: andrew gn, akris x 3, collette dinnigan

pastels: chanel, elie saab x 3

details: chanel, louis vuitton, miu miu, requiem

pictures from: style

spring 2009 milan fashion week

2008-09-29T09:01:00.000-07:00

tons of pretty dresses in milan ... if only i had a reason (or 25) to dress up next spring ...

blumarine (i think it's funny how isabeli fontana ends up looking like a little kid here)

derercuny x 2, giorgio armani x 3

giorgio armani, gucci x 3, luisa beccaria

luisa beccaria x 3, marni x 2

missoni x 2, moschino x 2, versace

pictures from: style

spring 2009 london fashion week

2008-09-22T16:21:00.000-07:00

fun colors and super-fun shoes from london ...

two bright dresses from Basso & Brooke ... a cute one from Erdem that reminds me of luisa beccaria fall 2008 ... a couple cute floaty dresses from Issa ... a hybrid of the basso & brooke and issa dresses from Josh Goot ... very pretty dress by Temperley London ... sweet heels from Luella that i really really want ... and a couple more casual/wearable options from Mulberry

pictures from: style