Ode to My Fashion

Today I had lunch with the spouse group of my husband's company. The group meets very often to do various activities all paid by the company. Ain't it wonderful? Anyway, since it was going to be a good day, I decided to dress up a little. Well, I did not dress fancy, but a bit less casual than I usually do. I call this look Ladies who lunch with style. Here is what I wore: Printed scarf (gift from 10 years ago) Suede jacket (bought in Japan years ago) New york company shirt (Ross) Hanes long tee (Walmart) Green cargo pants (Shimamura) Mia Brown suede boots (bought in Australia 6 years ago) Colorful necklace (Joa ) The lunch was nice. And once again I ate a lot. I like having women around. We are all from different places and it is always a learning experience when we meet. I cannot wait for the next activity. I love these cargo pants. They are wide enough and they have a belt. I had this jacket for years but I never once worn it in Houston. I am happy that

I finally got the trench coat I was looking for. I bought it at H&M a few weeks ago. It was on sale for Y3000. It is not like the trench coat I was looking for because it has a hood. And originally I wanted it in military green but they did not have my size. However, I am glad with my purchase. I have been wearing the thing ever since particularly when the temperature would drop below the 20 degrees. I tried to recreate the Domani fashion shoot without success. I need a professional photographer or at least some tripod because it is a pain trying to take pics of myself with my camera. Anyway, here are the pics Black turban H&M trench coat Zara white shirt Steve and Barry's jeans Betsey Johnson pumps                                   I bought these shoes to sell but they are so pretty I am keeping them for myself                                                                     Here is the mustard version

Since I am person who lacks style and elegance ( I think that you have to be born with it), I often get tips on how to dress by looking at people around me, magazines or celebrities on TV. In my other blog: odetofashion.blogspot.com I already started something called Celebrity Style stealer where I mimicked celebrity style. But in this one, I would like to add Friend (or street) style stealer. Recently I met a woman at my son's school. I will call her M. M. is a very simple beauty with no fuss no muss. And she always has the same style that I absolutely adore. She always wear a plain t-shirt, with cargo pants and pumps or sandals. Sometimes, she adds a pretty necklace. Her cargo pants are all ankle length and vary from green to beige and black. Recently with Fall dropping on us, I imagined that she would have to change her style a bit. Instead, she just added a blue trench coat or a black leather jacket to her style and be done with it. I always wanted to ask her why she was dres

Uchida Kyoko: Celeb (former TV announcer) I have a secret to share with you: I have a love-hate relationship with Fall. In all the years I have lived in Japan, a country with four seasons, Fall was the only season I could not understand. One thing I could not cope with was the change of temperatures. It can be chilly in the morning, but very hot by lunch time, and then chilly again at the end of the day. It is impossible to know what to wear with such sudden changes. And to add insult to injury, I often catch a cold because my body is not used to shift. However, I am always looking forward to Fall because of one thing and one thing only: Fall Fashion. I love wearing cardigans over long sleeve tees. I am also in awe at Fall/ Winter accessories such as the muffler, the wool hats, the leather gloves, the suede boots. Moreover, I think that a coat adds class and style to any lady. For these reasons, I am so eager for Fall to start. Yet there was something that puts my anticipation in

So Fall has finally arrived with a bang. One day, it was 35 degrees, and the next it was 20. The sun disappeared and down came the rain. Ironically it started to get cooler on the 1st day of Fall, August 23rd. Anyway since Fall has finally decided to show up, I am getting my Fall/ Winter clothes out of their suitcases and trying to clean and put away my Summer clothes. I am so excited because I will get to layer my clothes. As much as I love Summer, it is way too hot to know what to wear. You want to be modest without being too covered, which is just an impossible task with the heat. But during Fall and Winter, you can wear as many clothes as you want (without looking like a hoarder I mean). I also have to add that Fall/Winter clothes are much more tailored than summer clothes. Just think how handsome one can look with a wool coat on or a trench coat. To celebrate the arrival of Fall, I took on a new task I want to call Fall Coordination . I am going to put out all my warm clothes, co

Revamping my shoes: Corsage style I was watching Japanese national TV: NHK the other day and came across a very interesting program: Kurashi no Patona ( The partner of the living). It is a weekly program during which some expert on sewing or knitting showcases how to make pretty things. That day, some lady was showing how to revamp shoes (or any other fashion accessories) by making corsages. She made it seem rather easy and quick. Her work was so beautiful, it inspired me to do the same. However since I am on the lazy side, I decided that instead of making corsages from scratch, I would just buy them and stick them to my shoes. And that is what I did today. I was going to the Daiso in Isezaki Mall (they call it a mall, but it is rather a Shotengai). I saw several cute corsages and bought like 5 of them. I wanted more but had to limit myself. How many corsages a girl really need? Not that many! My corsages (each a 105Y or $1.30) Two Japanese design, two polka dots and one ma

It has been so hot lately that I have not put any effort into "dressing up". I usually wear a jean and a shirt or a tube dress to walk (and get on the bus) around Naka Ku. But I wanted to change a bit today. So on my way to city hall (to get my resident card) and China Town I decided to add a few accessories to my outfit.  This is what I wore: Outfit of the day Red lace tank- Factory 2 U White top - Ross Calvin Klein Jeans- Ross White scarf with red roses- bought years ago in Japan for nothing Dollhouse Lomo Sandals- Ross Hand of Fatimah necklace- bought at home Japanese design corsage- Daiso Isezakicho Silver ring- bought in Vivre Yokohama years ago Red roses scarf Dollhouse Lomo sandals Hand of Fatimah necklace and Japanese design corsage My favorite ring You ask me what is special about today's outfit (because I wear the same variation everyday, particularly this top) and I would tell you that it is the accessories. I love the scarf for its si

In the US, you have the mall; but in Japan you have the Shotengai. (They also have malls) Shotengai are little commercial district where they sell everything from fresh produce to clothes. It is not necessarily a market because it is usually little shops along one street. Shotengai can be found almost in every populated district. And they tend to senior citizens or housewives. That is why the prices are competitive and the fashion a little suspicious. However like all bargain places, you need to dig a little to find a jewel. The reason why enjoy Shotengai so much is because you can find pretty much anything you may need. Moreover the prices are affordable. Sometimes, you can even bargain with the shop owner. On top of that, all the shops are in the same area and tiny, so it is fun to take a stroll there. It is not overwhelming like big malls  or department stores where you walk miles, take the elevators to find a specific store. My first experience with the Shotengai happened in O

I decided to do a daily look post today. There is nothing special about today. I just went out to buy Yakisoba (fried noodles) for lunch at the Lawson 100 store around the corner. Yet, the reason why I decided to do a daily look post is that I bought new shoes. In an earlier post, I talked about Barbie shoes. I stated that I would never get the plastic high heels. Instead, I would get a flat and comfortable one at a reasonable price. I was not really looking for one but I was lucky enough to find it.  Yesterday, I went shopping at a different supermarket a little far from my flat. I was surprised to discover that on the second floor of the supermarket, they had a fashion section. I went inside and saw that the prices were really cheap. I did not intend to buy anything until I saw some red peep toe rubber flats. I tried them on and they fit perfectly. I was about to purchase them when I saw the same pair but in beige. I already have patent red peep toe shoes so I went for the beige sho

Barbie Pink Shoes Since I have been back in Japan, I have been so busy that I didn't have time to window shop (plus I am temporarily living in a not so hip part of town). However my daily trips to the supermarket and family restaurants made me notice something interesting/ strange I would like to call Barbie shoes. I think every girl my age or younger living in rich or somehow developing countries knows what a Barbie doll is.I used to dream of owning one after I saw my cousins who came back from the US having a box full of them plus accessories/ I finally owned several of them including one of my favorite: a black Barbie. Anyway, remember the Barbie rubber shoes? They used to be in rubber and in pink color? Well, I saw the exact same thing one some Japanese woman's feet just a few days ago. Now Barbie shoes are different from your usual rubber shoes or jelly sandals. They have heels and the pair I saw was bright pink. I wanted to learn more about the shoes. Therefore, I we

photo stolen from http://tokyo.metblogs.com/?s=ferris+whee+1+ It has been too long. I spent 4 years away from this marvelous place where I met the greatest people, had the most fun in my adult life: Japan. Now, I am back; and not exactly where I used to live but in a better place: Yokohama. Yokohama is such a beautiful place with the sea near by, many parks, shopping malls. There are also many foreigners so the lifestyle is not necessarily Japanese. I used to go to Yokohama to visit my best friend who lived and worked there. On weekends, I would also go for a stroll with the hubby. I have been back fairly 3 days and I am already in a mood for shopping. I went to one of my favorite place: World Porters to happily realized that things have not changed much. However, a walk around the neighborhood helped me see that they were new additions. I was happy to discover that international shops I so wanted to check but could not in the US were now present in Yokohama. I am thinking about H&