Monday

japan: muji (part two)

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

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

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.

Tuesday

a good egg

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

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

Monday

spring 2009 milan fashion week

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

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

red carpet @ 60th annual emmy awards

i wasn't planning on posting my favorite gowns from the emmy red carpet but throwing up these pictures will hopefully stop me from looking at more pictures online. so here goes ...

my top two were from the cast of desperate housewives, marcia cross and eva longoria marcia wore a gown from the fall 2008 couture collection of elie saab and eva wore a short dress fresh off the runway from marchesa's spring 2009 show

reem acra provided another couple great gowns felicity huffman (also on desperate housewives) wore a gown similar to one from the spring 2008 show olivia wilde also wore a metallic gown, straight from the spring 2008 show

black can be boring, but the details on these dresses stood out sandra oh wore oscar de la renta resort 2009 debra messing wore monique lhullier spring 2009 and jean smart wore what looked like monique lhullier but i could be wrong

mariska hargitay wore a variation on a carolina herrera resort 2009 gown

pictures from: style, us magazine, style, elle: reem acra and gettyimages.com

spring 2009 new york fashion week: tailored & other details

likely a little preview into fall 2009 with some tailored/fitted pieces by: Alexandre Herchcovitch, Cynthia Rowley, Chado Ralph Rucci, Rag & Bone and Rock & Republic x 2

and a few random details: strappy heels at Erin Fetherston, striped sweater at Lela Rose, patterned sweater at Rachel Comey, and tie-front blouses at Tuleh

pictures from: style and elle

spring 2009 new york fashion week: purple & metallics

happy to see purple for yet another season at: Dennis Basso, Diane von Furstenberg, Erin Fetherston, J. Mendel, Milly, Nicole Miller, Rebecca Taylor, Ruffian, Tracy Reese and Vivenne Tam

also welcomed the appearance of subtle metallics for: Carolina Herrera, Lela Rose, Malandrino x 2, Marchesa, Monique Lhuillier and Peter Som

pictures from: style and elle

spring 2009 new york fashion week: floral & ombre

pretty floral (and a couple other bold patterns) dresses by: Cynthia Steffe x 4, Lela Rose, Naeem Khan x 2, and Nicole Miller

ombre (and gradients) also appeared on the runways for: ADAM, Erin Fetherston, Hervé Léger by Max Azria and Lela Rose

pictures from: style and elle

spring 2009 new york fashion week: gowns & dresses

outstanding flowy gowns by: Carlos Miele, Dennis Basso, Elie Tahari x 3, J. Mendel, Jason Wu, Naeem Khan and Oscar de la Renta

and other fun but simple dresses by: Abaeté, ADAM, Cynthia Steffe x 3, DKNY, Elie Tahari, J. Mendel, Jason Wu and Lela Rose

pictures from: style

Tuesday

splish splash ... moved back into my bath!

over the long weekend, we finally finished up a month-and-a-half-long project/remodel that was only supposed to take a couple weeks. but that's how it goes. and i'm quite excited about it. except now i have to find my next project (to design and supervise ... i don't do the actual grunt work).

B E F O R E
hollywood vanity lights, overflowing medicine cabinet, a window that extended into the shower, finicky tub drain, missing shower soap dish, and blue tile everywhere

D E S I G N
i tend to get pretty detailed and specific with my visions, and i wanted to make sure our bathroom guy could see my vision ... so i put together a little diorama which he thought was neat and helpful

D E M O L I T I O N
the whole bathroom was stripped down to the studs and bare floorboards, even the old old hexagon floor tiles were uncovered

A F T E R
slight deviations from the diorama but i think it came out with the same feel. the wall color, tilework and toiletries shelf inside the shower are my favorites.
(note: in the picture, it looks like the window extends all the way across the shower, but that's just a reflection. the window was shortened to be completely outside the shower.)
so construction-wise, it's all done. i just have to figure out how to best organize the alcove next to the sink.