Pretty In BLANC: Part II

some more inspirations for more of an everyday-look of BLANC...

 Some classy combo with white and off white from Sartorialist.

Simple but bold from Bu of Bu the right thing.

Crisp and fresh from Stand Up Comedy in Portland.

Flowy and light from Totokaelo.

I'd wear all of these not just for BLANC, but for, like, ever....

Collected Magazine

This new online lifestyle magazine, Collected, launched this May founded by Krista Schrock and Jessica Comingore.

I love all their well-curated hand picked items. Pretty much.... I just want everything on these pages.



Dream Closet

MUST check out this inspiring closet visit of Momoko Suzuki's space, wardrobe, and her stylish sensibility.
I first saw some pieces from her brand Black Crane at Mohawk General Store (my new fav shop in LA) and wished I had splurged on one of her beautiful Japanese dyed shirts. (below)...but mostly, I wish I can just have all her clothes..and everything she owns....



Margaret Howell S/S 2011 Collection

I Love this whole collection by Margaret Howell.

Even though its the Spring/Summer collection, most of the pieces can totally be worn all year round....or even year after year with such classic timeless look.

All her pieces are especially perfect for Seattle's spring/summer....
Ok...summer...any day now~

Via Sokokashiko


Fantastic Knits

've been MORE than obsessed with Annie Larson's knit brand, All Knitwear, for a long time now...and it's seriously amazing how she knits everything with a knitting machine. I totally get lost in time between looking at her blog with great photos of her space & process & her shop with all the fantastic wearables. Her sense of color & pattern and the way she puts it all together is simply beyond fantastic!
....and with Seattle's weather being so stupid cold & wet...I'm seriously considering getting these knitted sweater leggings! Just look how happy Annie is wearing that! I just love that photo. And of course THESE!: One of these adorable colorful hats wouldn't be too bad either....
It's all too good...


I Need...

Awesome button up shirt by Cosmic Wonder Light Source at Stand Up Comedy....
I REALLY need to go to SUC next time I'm in Portland!! That and Nationale....

That's SO Fair!

Check out these beautiful textile designs and wearables by Bhalo with a powerful fair trade mission to facilitate women in rural Bangladesh.

"Bhalo is a fair trade design label that aims to create desirable fashion whilst empowering disadvantaged people, especially women, allowing them to work their way out of poverty.

Our cotton is hand loomed and hand embroidered by women in rural Bangladesh, not only giving them much needed employment and training, but providing them with simple things that we take for granted - education/childcare for their children, basic health care, and most of all, dignity. We oppose human exploitation and feel everyone should be given the right to fair employment terms, and given a decent price for their work. Wouldn't you expect the same?"

You can read all their fascinating process, here! I would love to go there in person one day and learn all about their process! One of my dream is to travel from place to place and learn the regional crafts whether it be weaving, carving, dyeing, or casting....It'd be like the show "How it's made" but specifically for arts & crafts from around the world....wait....I think I should totally pitch that idea to Discovery Channel!!

Via Johnny&Stacie


Simple Delights

I made a new friend over the blogosphere recently...It all started when Chika forward me this link to ET AL., ETC. shop on Etsy thinking that it'd be something that I'd like. Interesting enough...she was right.
I was more than excited to see something as nice as Évita's work existing on Etsy....Besides the fact that her handmade clothes are well-made & adorable, she also seem to have a great sensibility to create simple, refined, and delightful clothes and objects.
Being able to keep things simple is harder than it sounds...it's a talent to be able to know how to pare down and know what the right element & design details to use that can make something feel well made and special. It's what I aspire to be...I'm still working on it...
Évita seems to have it down though!
Once I went to her Etsy shop, I couldn't stop looking at every single item if not once, but three times! It totally boggles my mind how she can make all these variety of garment from shirts, to knitwear, to sweaters, to dresses, to skirts, to bags...and even custom jeans!! Now... how many of you out there can say that you have sewn jeans let alone custom ones for other people?! I know there's no way in hell that I'd be able to sew a pair of pants that would look remotely as good or at all wearable...it'll probably end up with some weird puckering in the crotch area. :P
And of course..she also has these wonderful, well-packaged delightful object like this stamp set. I'm obsessed with stamps in general...and this one is no exception!Somehow along the way of purchasing some of her clothes. I ended up contacting her with few inquires and  I couldn't help but to ask her a ton of questions trying to grasp how she does it all.
I just think It's so interesting to learn about what creative people do and how they think. I especially like to hear stories about how they end up living where they are and doing what they do...

So what started as a simple shopping transaction turned into a long winded impromptu interview/conversation between two strangers....so much of it seems odd that things like that can happen, but at the same time so normal because it's so common to connect with people through the internet...weird how that works. But I love the internet for this reason.

Luckily, Évita wasn't weird-ed it out by my compulsive manner and was generous enough to take the time to answer all my questions. :)

Q: Are your clothes one of a kind and made from existing vintage clothes found in Japan?

Most, if not all, of the garments are one-offs/one-of-some-kind and they're made and patterned (from scratch) to new or vintage fabric. The vintage fabric comes "as fabric" and not from vintage clothes (vintage clothes have a life and time of their own so I don't really do the cutup & reconstruct). The garments are sometimes informed by vintage styles.
Q: Do you make things from scratch? I love to know a little bit more about your process!

All of the garments are made from scratch, from the fabric up or in whatever direction it wants to go. My process is straightforward, completely circumstantial and depends on the remnants I find and what sort of garments they’ll allow. I draft the patterns in order to minimize the waste produced, which explains a lot of the long sleeved garments even in the summertime and all the size small. I try to make clothes/basics, that, by dint of combination with clothes the buyer might have, work with a wardrobe. I stray away from making "statement pieces" or "handmade-looking" clothing and just try to produce garments that are well constructed and understated, defaults or whispers even.

Q: How long have you been living in Tokyo and been doing Et al etc? What brought you to Tokyo? I'm super intrigued since I love the idea of doing my own thing and be living in Japan!...yeah you're sort of living my dream right now....

ET AL., ETC., in general, has been around for 4 years. The plainclothes & whitespace has been around for almost 2 years – it started up after Beth (of ofmatter.etsy.com) introduced me to Etsy, after I re-discovered my amateurish ability to sew and pattern. I've been in Tokyo since mid-February.

I came to Japan as a total-tourist, on a travel grant, after having spent a few months in the Philippines. I chose to stay simply for the reasons that Tokyo is not where I was (nor is it the Philippines); Japan has a similar strain of post-war-Americanism that engulfed the Philippines but Japan managed to develop and maintain its own (culture) despite that; and I wanted to be in a place where I could have my quiet, my say and more importantly do. Every project I've wanted to do here, I've completed.

You should come to Tokyo with your pal and dream and do! Especially since the economy is so unreliable right now – it’s the perfect time.
Q:Where did you live before you moved to Tokyo?

I went to school in Providence, lived in NYC, worked in The Land of Enchantment (New Mexico), and left the States from SLC (where I was before moving to New England).

Q:Do you have a design/art background? specifics?

I went to RISD and studied A/architecture and got a bonus degree in Fine Arts; I also dabbled committedly at the school up the hill in Anthropology and French. As for specifics: RISD came with a lot of personalities, but was a rather conservative environment/monoculture that instills the belief and attitude that talent and individualism are real and that art is somehow divorced from cultural production and value systems. I was, however, fortunate to find teachers that helped me find a way out of that; those conversations and critiques are my background.

Q:what do you love the most about Tokyo, and what do you miss the most since living in there?

For a metropolis that ranks one up from NYC on the list of those most populous, Tokyo is amazingly quiet. Since I hadn’t left the States before my recent, now almost two year, bout of tourism, I like that I can see too much architecture here and see the (sort of) aftermath of postmodernism (built or otherwise) sufficiently working for a city.

I don’t miss the attitudes. I do miss my family a whole lot at times, a few friends that I was starting to get to know well, large windows that spanned the entire façade of a previous apartment, coffee cups that come in more than one size, and driving the Volvo240 wagon with ETALETC plates recklessly on my way to wherever.  Thanks for being so wonderfully open...


Guilty Pleasure Purchase(s)

I don't usually do that much shopping on Etsy...not sure if it's because I haven't seen that many good things or because I don't like to spend the time to search through millions of listings. Whatever reason it may be, I'd like to think that I got lucky and actually found some wonderful things. I got so lucky that I ended up splurging on a thing or two.... or three.... :P

I'm loving everything Évita of ET AL., ETC has to offer in her shop. (SUPER affordable, too!)
I especially couldn't say no to the geometric patterned dress, and the lightweight sheer sweatshirt...There's just no way that I can live through the summer without these. Absolutely not.
I'd buy majority of the things in her shop if I could...but I figure this is a good start.
I have a somewhat long & interesting story about my interaction with Évita from this transaction....she's absolutely fascinating and I wouldn't do justice if I don't devote a whole separate post about her! More to come later.
A pair of woven toe leather lace ups. Perhaps more appropriate for the fall....but what the hey! I've been searching for a pair of lace ups for awhile and seeing the texture of the weave and the rich reddish-brown leather...AND at an amazing price of $20? I'd be stupidly insane NOT to get it! (no offense to all the people who saw this and didn't get it....)
isn't she a beaut?
Found this at Copped and Sewed vintage.

I totally feel like a lottery winner to have found all these great things!!...except I didn't get millions of dollars...and in contrary, I had to spend money it....BUT that's beside the point. The point is the pure joy that I'll get when I wear them....it'll be freaking priceless!

Too Much Toast

Spent too much time on Toast.....and the result is....... me wanting all this but can't get any of it. Oddly, this pathetic process of me photoshoping this collage of all these things was somehow therapeutic and satisfying. Hurray.
1. Fine Suede Wrap Jacket 2. Shibori Print Tunic Dress 3. Denim Straight Leg Jean 4. Damini Scarf 5.
Wala Sandals 6. Benny Bag 7. Clustered Beads Necklace 8.Eva Belt

Happy Weekend. 

My Love Hate with Rain

I've been super happy with Seattle for the last 4 days because of the amazing sunny weather we've been getting over Christmas. But of course that didn't last very long. So it's back to reality with the rainy cloudy weather.
But despite my negative attitude towards the rain, I've been loving these adorable rain print series by La Casita De Wendy!
What a way to turn something so horrible (like the rain) into something so delightful!

I did a brief interview on the talented duo (Inés Aguilar & Iván Martínez) of La Casita De Wendy awhile back. You can read the post, here!


News Update at Chikabird

Tomorrow Chika and I are gonna leave for a long 10 day trip hitting up 2 major city in Cali for 2 shows in 2 weekends and it's gonna be 2 awesome!
This weekend, July 11th & 12th, we'll be in Los Angeles for the Renegade Craft Fair! Come see us and our new sweatshirts (read further down to see our new design), Patch Kits, wooden buttons, and Plant Pals(tm). These haven't made it to Etsy yet, so get 'em while they're hot! The following weekend, we'll be in lovely San Francisco for Renegade, July 17th & 18th.
We got lots of new stuff...but of course we didn't get around to take photos of other stuff like the plant pals, buttons, and patch kits.
But we're super excited about these new Chikabird bleached hoodies and track jackets! We got inspired by our friend, Dave, who used this process. Thanks Dave!!
I designed the stencil...we love tools....
Th process of bleach stenciling is SO simple, but the result looks more than just ordinary!! The possibility to play with layers, time, and ways to apply makes it super fun, since the results can look so different!
It's easy to do and the materials needed it is so minimal that you can literally do it in couple hours.
Here's a step-by-step instruction, so you can try it, too!
Step 1: Make a stencil with waterproof sheet. We used a medium weight Mylar here.
Step 2: Mix 50/50 bleach & water in a spray bottle.
Step 3: Spray back of Mylar with light adhesive spray to keep stencil secure.
Step 4: Use a the mist setting on spray bottle and try to spray evenly over the areas you want to cover. Dab any extra residue on the surface with a rag.
Step 5: Wait and watch the magic happen! You can see the color change immediately. It's so much fun to watch.
Step 6: Peel off stencil when you've achieved the result you want. The time can vary since you can play with something really subtle with less time, or let it sit longer with more contrast.
Step 7: Wash it in the washing machine in cold water right after. This is to set the bleach so it stops the bleaching process. Ta-da, you have yourself a awesme shirt!!

The best part about this process is that you can really play around with the bleaching time, layering, and even different texture. I like to overlap the stencil so it just adds another layer of visual interest.

Oh...and this was a little funny accident I had during the proess where there was a fold.... It's Hammer pants! Get it?.....it's a Hammer...and it looks like it's wearing pants??I think it's adorable...I actually might just make a print of JUST that.
Have a good weekend!

Ladies and Gentlemen Home: For the love of all things vintage, clever, designed, and/or delicious

One Dress for Every Day of the Year

Check it...remember the summer dress I wanted, and how I wanted to wear it everyday and everywhere? Well...someone is validating my idea with this concept of wearing one dress for 365 days, called the Uniform Project by Sheena Matheiken! It's a brilliant concept!
She wears the same dress (she has 7 of the same dress that is...) and find ways to reinvent the outfit everyday for an entire year! She started in May and it's been fascinating to see all the outfits she created.
Shenna got inspired by her childhood memory of wearing school uniforms and how everyone would always try to express themselves by accessorizing their body. So she collaborated with Eliza Starbuck to create an everyday "uniform" that was designed to be worn all year round.
The idea of wearing the same thing everyday can go a long way in changing our perception of fashion and the value of garment.
Clothes should last longer than one time wear, but why is there such a stigma behind wearing something twice in a row or too many times?
I've caught myself thinking before meeting up with someone "Did I wear this the last time I saw them??"
But why do we have those thoughts? Does it really matter whether the person wore the same thing twice...well...it matters to Jerry Seinfield...BUT...WHAT IS THE DEAL?! (In Jerry's voice)
This whole concept is very refreshing and inspiring to see. I mean, just look at all the variety and adorable outfits she's able to put together! Granted she still wears a lot of other shirts and garments with it...but the idea that one garment can be worn so many way is pretty fascinating!

I have about 10-15 pieces of garment that I always tend to grab and would mix and match them and layer them differently. This habit came about because of my own personal laziness of thinking about what to wear everyday....but maybe I SHOULD consider making it more of a fashion philosophy! I mean, why not? It does make more sense to have fewer but more versatile garments where they can be worn for different occasions, weather, and settings.

This could be a worth while challenge...and I think it would just be good to purge a little and re-evaluate the things I REALLY need.
If you're finding yourself wanting to do a little purging, too, make sure you donate it to the UNIFORM PROJECT!

Ladies and Gentlemen Home: For the love of all things vintage, clever, designed, and/or delicious

Getting READY READY!

I actually got some down time to do this entry half hour before the the Ctrl +Alt+Design show opens.
Okay, I made the piggy bank for suggested donations. This little piggy is gonna make BANK!!....I hope. I got a stack of Ladies & Gentlemen business cards, with our Alphabrass lamp silhouette! Check!
Not to be a girl or anything...well... But I am girl, so whatever.
I've picked out my outfit for the show opening! :D I'm gonna wear this AMAZING dress from La Casita De Wendy!! I did a trade with Ines for something from our vintage shop and I can't be happier!
They now have an online shop!!

Hope to see some of you around!

Ladies and Gentlemen Home: For the love of all things vintage, clever, designed, and/or delicious

Adding To The Summer List...

Was killing some time and somehow ended up in Anthropologie for a "quick" look. I saw this dress in the June catalog, and just thought I give it a try...ugh..big mistake...because now I can't stop thinking about it! I usually don't go for their dresses since I think they're a little too girly for me, but I think THIS dress is made for ME!!It has a asymmetrical draped piece on the front going from top left to bottom right. It's interesting, playful, comfortable, and super cute...most importantly, I look awesome in it! (I don't want to brag or anything...)
But I NEED this for the summer!
I can wear it over jeans...or with colorful tights...or just as a dress. I can wear it to the beach, to a bbq/picnic, to the movies, to the stores, to the library, to a cafe or a restaurant, even to work!(which is more like at home)...but,man! what a versatile dress, RIGHT? I can pretty much wear this EVERYDAY...that's how damn versatile this dress is!
Sigh.....I want to wear you....THIS bad!!

Ladies and Gentlemen Home: For the love of all things vintage, clever, designed, and/or delicious