for the love of spring

It doesn't look like this yet.

Had the first semi-warm day of the year yesterday and I went hiking. You could see the happiness on everyone's faces on the trail. While it's still jacket weather for now, and the cherry blossoms have not appeared, I am jonesing for it bad. So here are some things I'm loving/wanting/needing/breathing that would easily make the transition into just-spring warmer weather.

some more achievable than others

1. Balenciaga MILKYWAY LIGNE PAPIER MESSENGER $995

2. ALDO LUZAR sandals $35

3. Lady Gray Large Gradient Necklace $ 204

4. Zara DOUBLE LAYER JACQUARD PATTERNED SCARF $30

5. Acne Skinny Distressed Jeans $135

6. Eryn Brinié Sweater $75

not rich enough to be a convert

Chloe is one of those lines that seems to be in love with my enemy, the high-waist. So, their clothing is usually more miss than hit for me. And I'm not usually one for animal prints. (Stay far far away.) So please excuse me while I eat my words:

Wow

Yowza

What's the appeal? I think it's that the prints are done in my favorite range of neutrals, which makes the prints less garish and gives my usual colors beautiful texture. And the cuts are just so... so... perfect! There really is no other word.

So am I headed out to add more snake skin to my wardrobe? Definitely not. This is one of those things I don't see successfully done often, and while my tastes may be expanding, my bank account isn't, so no real Chloe coat for me. But, I am definitely going to pay closer attention to this designer.

And, has Chloe changed my mind about high-waisted, fat momma, 1980's shorts that even make this model look like she's got a bit of a belly?

No.

(Thanks to Alix over at The Cherry Blossom Girl for sharing!)

low waist vs. high ethics

I love low-rise jeans. The early 2000s were a great time for jean buying. I hate the current trend toward high-waist everything. (Note: if you have a concave waist, and you think this looks cool, more power to you. Personally I can't wait to buy things that actually look good again.)

So, happy happy me when I found these Miss Sixty jeans, on sale for even cheaper than online at my recently discovered new shopping spot, Shinsegae. The coolest department store in the province is right here in my sleepy little town.

hooray

So I check the label when I get home, and they are made in Tunisia. Should I be, like, concerned? I admit, before the revolution, I didn't know much about the country, but it didn't seem like a good place to get a job where you are treated well.

One manufacturer that I feel good about buying from is American Apparel. I love that all their clothes are made from union-represented workers. However, they are also under this ridiculous delusion that everyone should wear shorts and pencil skirts up to their boobs. Sigh. I do have to say though, they make the best mesh bra you can get for the price.

Hear my call American Apparel! Make clothes for the rest of us! We want to buy from you too!

(Speaking of boobs, does anyone know where this comes from? Such classy classy nudity. I want it!) via

a few goodies

So... I should be working. But the boyfriend is writing a magazine article about the All Tomorrow's Parties show we attended in Tokyo, and if it gets accepted my photos will be published with it, which will change where and how I post them. So they've all been corrected and prettified, but I can't put them up yet. I've also gotten a huge head start on my work for next week, so I'm kind of in a holding pattern. I could be cleaning, but, yeah, no. So I've spent the morning out playing in blogland, and found treasure!

I've been searching for a good Korean street style site for a while. They have a way of complimenting their bodies' natural shapes that would never work on me, but is cool nonetheless. So, I was stoked to discover Sushi and Silk! She's just gotten started but she's already better at braving the cold weather than I would ever be. My favorite shot so far. It's a great example of the puffy jacket/awesome boots style that I see all the time here. It also shows the boisterous, friendly personality of Koreans once you get through their shy exterior. Good job!

Also, a beautiful alternative to the image glut on a lot of sites, Crying Feather. They have just a few well-composed shots that have such texture and mystery they make me want to throw out my whole portfolio and start again. Well, maybe not the whole thing. I think I'm just in those restless, last-throes-of-winter doldrums and these photos are squeezing out the final drops of winter melancholy.

Last but not least, I want this bad. However it's a custom, one-of-a-kind piece, and my sewing machine is back in the States. So, that ain't happening.

So now, clean, go hiking, clean, go hiking, ...laze about some more? Decisions.

P.S. - what I love and hate about fashion. What a gorgeous freaking dress! What a stupid freaking hat! A wedding or the set of Conan the Barbarian? Which BTW, I totally love. Again with the vacillation.

Orange pop

Yesterday, I commented on how I'm seeing this color (scroll down to picture 6) everywhere. It's lost somewhere between orange and red, but bright enough not to worry too much about its identity crisis. It's all things bright and garish, beautiful or painful depending on how it is used. It's the color that's literally on everyone's lips.

I have had a tricky relationship to orange my whole life. The color was verboten in my house growing up because of a stupid football rivalry. (Note: If a football rivalry brings value and joy to your life, good for you. I think they're stupid.) I was always attracted to its pop, and perhaps even a little to the controversy it stirs up at home. So now that I'm out on my own I've started adding it into my life, and now that it's the color of the moment there are a lot of ways it can be incorporated, which is good because I have one huge problem: my skin. I have a mix of Eastern European and Mediterranean heritage, so I have olive undertones, but I'm super pale, especially in winter, so big blocks of bright color tend to look terrible on me. The big, bold a-line coat on the trendy Japanese lady in my photo would probably make my face look like runny pistachio ice cream. So what's a girl to do? Accessorize!

My beloved laptop's happy sleeve, and a thermal vest that's perfect for adding warmth under a tight coat without the added bulk of a sweater.

A neckerchief is the perfect quick way to class up any rough outfit. (Plus the boyfriend totally has a thing for the flight attendant outfit so, everyone wins.)

An awesome-smelling candle from innisfree

While bright makeup is also usually a trap for me, this blush adds just the right amount of healthy color.

A detail from a sweater I picked up from a mall in Europe.

The gorgeous color is the perfect contrast to my favorite room freshener, lavender.

Will my fascination last? Maybe, maybe not. I am probably just appreciating the brightness it's bringing to the home stretch of the Korean winter. When spring rolls around, my preferences normally turn briefly to pastels, before looking forward to fall neutrals, but who knows? The hardest thing about spending a lot of money on clothes is not knowing how your tastes will change.

Fukuoka, Japan

A few shots from my recent trip to Fukuoka. My first experience with the city was during a layover last year. The airport is in the middle of downtown, which means you get a fantastic view of the coastal city cradled by mountains when landing. Unfortunately, this trip the weather was too hazy for good views of the surrounding landscape. It sounds shallow, but weather can really affect my opinion of a place. I definitely wouldn't have enjoyed Beijing as much if it had been hazy the whole time. Still, there was a lot worth seeing.

A swanky hotel called With the Style. We didn't have enough money to stay there, but we did enjoy a couple of drinks at the bar.

We are SO FUCKING SORRY!

I'm starting to see this road-cone orange everywhere. It's definitely the in color for spring, and I couldn't be happier. I may do a post devoted solely to it soon. (Update: I actually did. Yay follow through!)

Hakata ramen from a sidewalk stand, which made my vegetarian stomach a little ill, but the boyfriend loved it.

The impressive exterior and interior of the Kyushu Museum. Unfortunately, you were not allowed to take photos in the Van Gogh exhibit.

ACROS

Fox-made stew anyone?