Beach Party Wear

This weekend I went to a beach party that goes from day to night and onwards into the next morning. Personally, I've never been to a huge beach bash before (I can't even remember the last time I stepped foot on a beach), so I was actually really excited to go. I imagined it to be similar to the beach party scene in Princess Diaries, minus the public humiliation bit of course. As the date approached, I was increasingly thinking about one question- what does one wear to a beach party? Beach wear? But its a party.....supposedly like a nightclub moved to a beach.....how does one recouncil the two?
Some thoughts. As I didn't plan on getting myself wet or anything, the first thing that popped to mind was a pretty summer dress in bright colors like these two from Free People shown here. Just imagine what a pretty beach pic these dresses would make! And the thin material and relatively cheap price is perfect for the beach, as you wouldn't have to constantly think about ruining it.
Ultimately though I ended up wearing cropped jeans as the practical side of me pops up, with the fear that skirts may be blown by the wind and it could get messy. You always want to wear pants when things get messy. Of course, shorts work too, but I was also scared of mosquitos too since it was night- I know I think too much! (Both from Forever 21)

Topwise, I suggest a pretty floral top that would also make a pretty picture (left: UO, right: Forver 21).
And if you're worried about a tan line (as I'd be if I'd went in the afternoon), tubes are a great option like these two from Forever 21 (left) and UO(right). I especially love the white tube, because its so simple but elegant and fun.
Then came shoes. These are the times when sandals/flip flops become your best friend, as heels will sink in and are impractical and sneakers are too hot. Remember to get super cheap ones, as you wouldn't want to ruin your fancy pair on the rough sandy shores of a beach (above from UO). I bought a pair of flip flops for less than $3 especially for the occasion!
Then came a bag to put all your stuff in. At that moment, I wished I had my white Le Sportsac huge tote with me. But alas it is in Chicago. But really, just stuff everything (mat, sunscreen, food, water, shades, umbrella etc) into a big beach bag like the one above from UO. And just in case you want to head over to the bar for a while and don't want to bring everything with you, consider bringining a small clutch like this one also from UO to put your valuables in. Leaving valuables anywhere is not a good idea. Plus, it'll look more chic then holding your wallet around.

And lastly, don't forget to bring a cardigan. It CAN get cold at night on a beach- think OC beach parties with everyone putting on college sweat shirts and cardis. And that is my whole thought process prepping for this beach party. I know, I think too much. LOL. Hope everyone has a fun weekend as well!

Image Source: Urban Outfitters and Forever 21

This Weekend In Tokyo

Each weekend there are a handful of glorious events that we often wish we could make it to. So to celebrate we have decided to dedicate a blog post each week to the events we think are worth going to in this light filled city!

Some mainstream, some personal and some underground we hope to let you in on a few Tokyo event tips both here and on the TOKYOMADE blog. Will also include lots of links so that even if you are not in Tokyo or you can't get along to these hot spots, you can still egt a glimpse of what they might be like.
Enjoy!

We are off to Hoop Class at the TOKYO HOOPstore. Wish us luck!




In Tokyo this weekend or just wishing that you were? Here are a few tips for this weekend's yummiest events...

Tonight is the annual Azabu Juban Festival, the narrow streets will be filled with Yukata clad sweeties, smokey street stalls and flapping paper fans. If the street squish is not your thing be sure to head to the top of Roppongi Hills for a more glamorous affair. The Mado Lounge is hosting a Yukata Party. Hosted by Raymond Rhinestones with a live performance by Soundaholic, Yukata styling and exhibit by HIROCOLEDGE (stunning Japanese Yukatat). Doors Open 21:00

Not as high in the sky but certainly a rockin', lively event is The Ghetto Tokyo's 1st Birthday Party (which we will be heading to!) Celebrate the love hotel turned skate park/ cafe/ gallery / independent design shop!

Bla Bla Hospital have begun to sell their intriguing range of fashion remedies in the Kera Shop Marui. Go check them out! And of course their healthy range is already showing HERE at TOKYOMADE.

Not to be missed, and trust us most of Tokyo will be there, the 51st annual Awa Odori Festival held in Koenji. Check HERE for an amazing English site about the colorful spectacular. Launched in 1981 with 15 groups dancing, this year the high spirited parade will feature 26 different dance groups.

Weekend wishes to you all!
Love from Tokyo.

The DvF Wrap Dress

Everyone knows about the Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress. Everyone who loves fashion anyway. It is the legendary dress that is perfect for all occasions, from work to shopping to dinner to a night out. I have always coveted one, but thought that they were a bit too old for my age and out of my price range. Besides, what makes it so different from say, wrap dresses one finds at Top Shop, that is at least half the price? Well, the other day passing by the DvF store, I finally experienced the magic of the DvF wrap dress. The fit is truly amazing and staring at oneself in the store mirror, one just feels wonderful. Very chic, put-together, smart yet feminine and sexy. I don't know what I was thinking when I thought it old. Maybe it is a taste acquired when you step into the twenties and above age bracket....

Anyway, previously I've tried on a few wrap dresses before at Top Shop hoping to find something similar, but alas, because I have a small chest, they never fitted well. The V was always too loose and so it hung in a most unattractive manner- but not with the DvF dress, it fits perfectly. I haven't figured out why- the cutting? the jersey material?- but Diane is definitely doing something right and deserves to be the queen of the wrap dress!

Image Source: Diane von Furstenberg

Fish out of Water

Finally the shoes that I ordered from Irregular Choice arrived today! Woohoo, cept they are way too pretty to wear! There was a slight mix up with the order but they got it all sorted out quickly and without fuss.
Yes, the green colored heels have a sectioned toe just like Japanese tabi socks. These pretties are called Fish out of Water. The pink animal print sandals are Dirrrty and the black flats are Lea Roma.

I love them all but I spied a new pair of beauties today...I really must have THEM! Oh and how about THESE stunners?!

Mum and I went Tokyo shoe shopping yesterday and the Autumn look has quickly crept onto the shelves. Big. Bold. Ankle boots. *SIGH*

What is a Tenugui?

Not to be confused with it's older sister the furoshiki a tenugui is often referred to as a Japanese hand towel. But we are making a stand, taking it to the streets and shouting it from the rooftops... "A tenugui is so much more than a tea towel!!"

The tenugui is a versatile symbol of Japanese style. Often worn around the head in anime or manga and also used as a head piece by Kendo enthusiasts, the tengui can transform the most dull fashion ensemble into a street fighting fiasco.

While the tenugui does a mighty fine job of mopping up spills and drying freshly washed hands it's underlying ability to add a splash of Japanese style to your kitchen or bathroom cannot go unnoticed. The tenugui is a decorative piece of art repetitively hand printed. Upon entering a tenugui shop, yes there are whole shops dedicated to these trusty pieces of cotton, you will be stunned and amazed at the range of colors and prints on display both contemporary and modern.

Looking for the ultimate Japanese souvenir or needing to add some style to your space? The tenugui has it all. In fact we have major plans to hang our favorite tenugui in our very own apartment this weekend, don't let me forget to take some pics to show you how it is done! The tenugui is so much more than your Grandma's tea towel hanging in the rumpus room!

Check out the latest tees and tenugui by Ichigo Seijin.

Shiseido Maquillage Neo Climax Lip

A year ago, I've decided to abstain from buying any lip-related makeup products because I hardly ever apply anything other than lip balm on my lips -lipstick always seems too mature to me and lip gloss never seems to stays put for more than 15 minutes. (Anyone else feels the same?) But while I was waiting for the makeup lady at a Shiseido shop to try on eyeshadow on my mum, I got bored and looked at the new products. I very quickly noticed Shiseido's younger line, Maquillage's ad. I absolutely love this look, especially as a night look. Doesn't the model look so sophisticated, cool and pretty?

The product that really caught my eye was the new 'Neo Climax Lip', which is described by the saleslady as an in-between of lipstick and lipgloss. She suggested I try on the colour that the model had on. I did that and loved it! Like the ad suggested, it wasn't overly sparkly, and gave a cool, glossy finish to my lips. Unlike the lip glosses (too sheer) or lipsticks (too strong) that I own, this product actually gave my lips a perfect amount of colour.

You know how you get to an age where you feel like you're in-between for everything? Too young for certain things and too old for others? I want some lip colour that will stay on but I'm not ready for lipstick yet. So basically, I consider this a more sophisticated-looking version of lipgloss. On the Maquillage site, there's this image which shows how you apply this product (-which is simply how you apply all other similar lip products.) So do check out the Neo Climax Lip when you pass by a Shiseido counter next time!

Image credit: http://www.shiseido.co.jp/mq/index.htm

Drawing Workshop

Buberry Scarves FW06-07

Burberry seems to be getting that we're all a bit over the classic plaid scarf. One can only have so many plaid scarves in multiples colors after all. And who wants to risk clashing with everyone other person on the street anyway? This season, they've come up with some pretty ingenious scarves.
So much so in fact, that I've made this sparkly Burberry scarf my first FW06-07 purchase. I figured it wouldn't go on sale anyway, and I was right, it was the last one in the store. The thing I love most about it is that when worn, it doesn't immediately shout Burberry because of the underlying criss cross pattern. Then there is the subtle but still very visible silver threads embedded all over the scarf, making it oh-so-pretty and sparkly! (I'm not sure if you can see it here, but its there!) A trendy twist to an otherwise classic scarf. And of course, the fact that it is black and white makes it very sharp and easy to match with everything. The only thing I find lacking with this scarf is that it is not 100% cashmere and therefore not as soft and warm as I'd like. But I guess in this case, its style before warmth!
Another clever design is this abstract check scarf (right), which I also quite like. Especially the color, which is also very versatile. And then there is this chunky scarf. I've always wanted one of these. Actually I think I have one that my friend knitted for me. Except they're sooo big and chunky I never know how to wear them properly, without fearing that I'd choke myself when I leave half of it stuck to the bus door and it moves...I know, I have an overactive imagination. But maybe I'll find inspiration this season and figure it out.
Then there are these very simple plain scarves with the Burberry signature casually scrawled across. As logo branded as the concept is though, I actually quite like this signature. It looks very casual and pretty. Like someone just absentmindedly scribbled their signature on the scarf. Plus, the rest of the scarf is plain and as fun as the prints are, at the end of the day, it is always the plain ones that I wear most. For this design, I think white or grey is best. Although if you want to be very feminine they also have a pretty purple- though not online but in the shops.

But anyways, the scarf designs in Burberry this season are definitely worth checking out- so go before they run out!

Image Source: Net a Porter and Burberry

FW07 Ads: Back To Classics

For fashionholics, one of the funnest thing about flipping through Sept. issues of magazines are the new FW07 ads. As we all know, magazine ads usually focus on marketing products from the seasonal collection, especially the 'it' bags. All the products come from one collection and have a common theme. But interestingly this season, Prada and Louis Vuitton, both huge bag sellers, have dedicated one or two campaign images to their classic bags.

Maybe because the creative directors behind the ads did a really good job, or maybe it's because the bags are just so classic -not matter what, these classic bags fit in surprisingly well with the seasonal clothes. I mean, look at this Prada ad, even with the artistic and somewhat weird clothes Prada has this season, the bags still seem to belong there. The puffed up messenger bags totally fit in with Prada's intelligent, artsy image.

As for the Louis Vuitton ad, the classic monogrammed bag fits in really well with the whole posh, well-dressed, high-maintanence woman image. (For once, I'll refrain from ranting about how much I dislike celebs posing in high fashion ads. Sigh...) Even after looking at this uber-glam ad, I still don't feel the urge to buy this monogrammed bag, although to be fair, I'm not a fan of obviously-monogrammed bags. Oops, now I'm ranting about monogrammed bags.

Anyhow, classic bags seem to be getting a push from large brands this season. Are the execs hoping more people would fish out money for their classic bags, or is this a nod to the late 80's/ early 90's trend? No matter what, at least you know if you buy these classic bags, they won't be particularly 'out' next season!

Image credits: http://www.prada.com/, FashionSpot

Flash Content

Seeing if I can add flash driven content to Heavy Iron Blog. If it works, click the double arrows to make the painting shrink back to the original size.

Groovey. It worked. Don't click on the HOME button Ren.

You can also right click on a painting and select zoom in

Avril Lavigne Concert 2007

Yesterday HG and I went to the Avril Lavigne concert in Hong Kong. We were both very excited because we've been listening to her since Complicated back in high school and we really like her music. Even though her new CD doesn't quite measure up to her last and at first I did not even like it, the catchiness of the tunes eventually grew on me after a few replays. Its just the kind of music that makes one want to jump up and down. The point is, I was very excited to hear her live! After Gwen, Avril is definitely the second on my list of must see concerts!
The stage setting was very Avril, with a pink skull printed curtain background thing, neon pink mikes and well pink everything.
She opened with a bang with Girlfriend. Dressed in a black tank, pink plaid mini and those doc marten looking boots (whatever you call them), she was every part Avril. She even had dances to match her songs, which I thought was very cute, though some of the moves were actually very high schoolish- but then again I guess it was appropriate since it was a pretty teeny bopper crowd. What I found most impressive about her though was her voice, which I thought was amazing- she was literally screaming with a high clear voice that never cracked.
Other random thoughts: Her eye make-up was very very dark. She really knew how to move the crowd, jumping around very hyped looking cute and everything (like a little girl). According to my cousin who met her backstage, she's actually really really short. And over all it was just a great performance and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Though admittedly, it didn't quite hyped me up as much as the Gwen concert, but then, Gwen is a tough act to follow. And they're really both playing at very different crowds.

Next Stop- Spice Girls!

Ps. Sorry my pictures are so blurry, I really need to get a better camera.

This time last year

With mum hanging with us here in Tokyo for the month of August we have been going through old photos. We realised that this time last year we were in a totally different space, soaking ourselves in Mediterranean rays, floating around the islands and sampling all the Greek mojitos we could get our hands on.

Put another dime in the jukebox baby

Karaoke in Shibuya. All the classics from ABBA to Joan Jett, The Village People to Olivia. A superb introduction to the national past time for my Mama.


Can you guess which song we were singing?