Wordless(ish) Weekend #20 - Fashion in Japan Part 1

I'm going to add a couple of captions, just to explain some things, since it's a special Japan post!

In case you wondered what shopping in Harajuku is like: (I hate crowds - it took a lot of determination to force myself down that street - would I go back? No. But it was interesting... sort of.)

FYI, Japanese girls (I presume) are obsessed with cake. Many clothing store displays include a special (completely unrelated to the store - I think) cake section...

 This is in Koenji, and there was no way I was ignoring that cat sign! Up to the 2nd floor it is.

The sales girls were adorable - one was excited to tell me she'd been to Perth, Australia - nothing against Perth, but I wonder why someone would go there, and only there, when they visit here. Seems an odd choice... Entering Spank was like stepping into a my little pony plush house. Mostly vintage, all pastel, and bizarrely, a whole section of 80's - 90's pyjamas from America. I bought an I ❤ Spank badge. I felt like an awkward gargantuan thing in there. I guess I was...

The owner/designer of Egothic in Shibuya. She's also a musician. There were lots of fun things in her store, including her own designs using Kimono fabrics and draping.

This shopkeeper in Koenji was a DUDE. He even abandoned his shop and RAN through the streets looking for Japanese band shirts for us. And then he played us some bass.

 I'll leave you with this couple from Harajuku,  check out the teddy bear on her butt!! And the blood spatters on his coat. Kind of a naughty and nice thing going on there I think.

Kitty
xo

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Guest Post: Life, Beauty, Music with lindsey duffin

Hi there! Today I'm really pleased to introduce Lindsey, who blogs over at lindsey duffin. Lindsey is super sweet and is a musician and prolific sewer, amongst other things. Check out her guest post below, I won't ruin her introductory post by spilling too many beans. Please take a second to pop over to her blog and say hello! ~Kitty xo

Hello everyone, I am so happy to write to all of you Kitty & Buck readers! My name is Lindsey and I am a nineteen year old blogger from Texas. I wanted to share with you why I started blogging and what it means to me!

I remember going to a small town school that was filled with "clicks". There were some students who felt out of place, and I was one of them. I remember the "read aloud" assignments in class and how I would use different voices for characters, and apparently, that was sooo lame. The cool thing to do in school was slack off, not be creative, and conform to all those around you. From an early age I would get frustrated that all my friends wanted to do when we hung out was get on Myspace or watch movies, when all I wanted to do was create something.

Now, supporting myself as a full time musician, I have bright days all to myself. (I play late night gigs, so my work hours are usually from 10pm - 2am.) With all this time I get to channel my creativeness and go crazy.

In my LIFE I enjoy sewing, any DIY projects, writing music, learning about graphic design, hairstyling, painting, anything outdoors, organizing, cooking, and of course, blogging.

A skirt, scarf and dress I made!

Homeade shirt and skirt

What I find BEAUTIFUL are people. I love when people want something and work towards goals. I love when people come together to be good to others who have seen tragedy. I find the 1950s beautiful. Polka dots, bright colors, fluffy hair, modesty, it's all pretty!

MUSIC is very special to me and has been my whole life. I love writing songs, playing in front of people, and just creating unique pieces. I play the fiddle, mandolin and I also sing. I started a YouTube channel to share with everyone (including my fiddle students) my love for music and my wide range in style! I only have one video up for now, and have lots more to come ;)

Playing a gig in Dallas!

I started this blog to hopefully inspire those who don't know what their passions in life are, and those who may get bored too often. To those of you who ever felt out of place in your life, I'm right there with you! It's okay though, I believe that finding out what you love and enjoy in life is important. Since I have figured those out in my own life, I want to be able to share those things with you through my blog amidst Life, Beauty, and Music. (:

Follow me here!--

YouTube

Instagram

Pinterest

Bloglovin'

Found #57

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of catching up with an old friend who I've not seen in a long time. She has been living in London, and before that, Italy, so its been awhile. Aletheia Casey is one of (the!?) most talented photographers I know. She's passionate about social and environmental issues, and  really focussed on sharing truths rather than sensation. I hope in the not-too-distant future you'll be hearing a lot more about her work, and not just from me. This image is from her series "Water Pollution in Iran: Unreported Issues" (please check out the series, it's a side of Iran that is rarely, if ever, shown) Thanks to our meeting, I found out that the legendary James Nachtwey is doing a talk in Sydney, so we are all heading along, to listen to a photographic legend in a few weeks time!

via: Aletheia Casey

Next up is another photograher, I'm feeling all photo-happy this week. (Who am I kidding? I'm always photo-happy!) Look at these amazing images captured by Dillon Marsh. Taken in the Kalahari, they document the Sociable Weaver Birds appropriation of telephone poles, creating wonderful organic shapes draping over the simple structures. Nature, huh?

via: Dillon Marsh

I think I may be turning into a regular Imelda Marcos. I've had my beady eyes on these pretty ladies for, oh, at least 6 months now. I keep 'stumbling' across them online, I'm almost ready to take it as a sign. Once I've replenished my bank account after Japan... maybe.

via: ModCloth

This is the time of year when it starts to become apparent that the seasons are changing. I'm heading into winter, and the majority of my lovely blog readers, summer. So I'm looking at cosy winter garments, and I just don't care. I'm gonna share. This cape is so delightful. I got a little cranky wearing a cape all the time in Japan, but it was the only 'coat' I brought along and it was freeeezing! It's just kind of impossible to wear a cape and use your arms at the same time, I was restricted to moving only from the elbows, or mid forearm down. And it was raining. How do you operate an umbrella in those conditions? Anyway. Enough about MY problems. How about this one? Plenty of arm movement freedom AND a hood AND enormous fluffy pom-poms. A girl couldn't ask for much more. Oh, except that it be designed and hand made in Australia. Thank you, Pretty Parcel. Be warned, there's more awesome where this came from.

via: Pretty Parcel

Big rings. I love 'em. I don't have any DOUBLE big rings yet, though... After checking out Pamela Love, I may have found the perfect double deal. I love the contrast of the spikes with the hand-drawn aesthetic of the carvings in the metal. And I really can't go past a nice turquoise.

via: Pamela Love

via: Design Love Fest I love a good DIY that doesn't take too much effort, because let's face it, if it takes a long time, it ain't gonna happen (for me). This DIY Control Your Cords on Design Love Fest is perfect! I have this problem with cables too. With all of the computers, music gear, camera gear and hard drives, it's generally a tangle of cables that makes me cringe when I poke my head under the desk. This is such a simple idea to pretty up your cables, with Washi tape! And if you enter my Japan Omiyage giveaway, you might just win and have some suplies to get started with right away!

I wish I could tell you what's happening this weekend, but I'd be lying. I have no idea. Hopefully some more catching up with friends, getting ahead on some blog planning, design and perhaps even a nanna nap with the fuzzballs. Before I let you go, imagine this. Yesterday, we were having a little backyard picnic, the kitties were lounging around and a really confused rainbow lorikeet flew into our clothesline pole, concussed itself and tumbled onto the grass. You should've seen the ladies. It was like every Christmas came at once! "A bird! Just there on the grass? I will eat it." Luckily, even in it's dazed state that bird sensed imminent doom and removed itself from the situation, stat. Cats. This is why they only go outside supervised. They cannot be trusted. Though, credit where it's due, for the first time ever, Nico brought us a present about a month ago, but it was a lizard, and it was drool-y but well and truly alive. She's not too much of a vicious killer. Unless you're vulnerable to cuddles.

Kitty
xo

Japan Omiyage Giveaway - Souvenirs for you!

Since I was in Japan, and there was an abundance of amazing, cute things that I just don't run into every day, I very quickly learned some key Japanese phrases to describe my feelings. Take a lesson:

Ehhhh!! (Sounds like "air" without the 'r' sound on the end)
Used to exclaim surprise, if you tone up, it's good surprise, of you end lower, bad surprise.

Heehhhhh! (Same as above, but with an 'h' at the start)
An exclamation used when something is particularly interesting, rather than surprising.

Kawaii!! (I'm sure you're familiar, but in case you're not, it's pronounced "ka-why" sometimes extending the 'y' sound into infinity and to an upwards pitch that Mariah Carey would be envious of)
It means "Cute".

Sagoii (Sounds like sa-goy)
This one is when you want to say "wow" or "cool" or "rad". I mean, I used it for all of those expressions, and the kind-hearted Japanese smiled at me, so they tolerated my appalling vocabulary.

Omiyage (oh-mee-ya-ge)
Is usually used for candy boxes and food souvenirs, but can be used for general souvenirs too, so when people looked at my bulging suitcase, I had to explain it contained "omiyage".

There. Now you have some Japanese language skills. All of the items I'm about to show you made me say at least one of those words when I saw them. And I thought to myself, I should buy some omiyage for my wonderful blog readers! So I cobbled together this awesome prize pack that I'm going to send to one lucky Kitty & Buck reader.

Here's a list of the delicious contents:
1. Apple Sunglasses from Shibuya, Tokyo
2. Hello Kitty limited edition artist designed scarf from Shibuya, Tokyo
3. Ombre Frill cotton socks in pink from Tabio socks, my new favourite sock shop, Harajuku, Tokyo
4. Cotton and Peephole lace Polka Dot socks from Tabio socks, Harajuku, Tokyo
5. Popin Deer animal cover for your headphone socket on your phone, iPod etc. from Shinjuku, Tokyo
6. Keiki (CAKE) Eraser set from Miyajima
7. Jelly Lens Macro lens accessory for your phone, digital camera etc. from Shibuya, Tokyo
8. Toadstool Pen from Shibuya, Tokyo
9. Three rolls of MT Washi tape from Shibuya, Tokyo
10. Lucky Dip cat phone charm from a vending machine from Shinjuku, Tokyo
11. Artist Felt Brooch - Raccoon playing a Drum, made by "Konatsu" if my Japanese reading works from Shinjuku, Tokyo
12. Tube of Breath Palette in Tsugaru Apple flavour (it's toothpaste!) from Shibuya, Tokyo
13. Blythe 2013 Schedule Book from Shinjuku, Tokyo
14. Cute Hedgehog wearing a top hat button from Shibuya, Tokyo
15. 6-pack of Juice Gel pens in Pastel colours :D from Shinjuku, Tokyo
16. Washi Tape stickers with neko theme (kitty stickers) from Kyoto
17. Pop Culture Stickers, Illustrated by Yumi Moriwaki, from Shinjuku, Tokyo
18. Mezzo Piano stinkin' cute band-aids (not sure if they are sterile though...) from Kyoto
19. I ❤ Tokyo sticker from Shinjuku, Tokyo

All you have to do to enter is follow my blog on Bloglovin'! Easy peasy. I added some bonus entries too, in case you really, really want this awesome pile of stuff. Open to everyone on this fine planet. I can't remember how much it's all worth, but it's around $100 - a pretty decent haul, and I wouldn't mind if I won it!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Shop Emerging Thoughts with an Exclusive Discount Code

Emerging Thoughts is one of my favourite online boutiques with a focus on selling independent and emerging designers. They stock some of my favourite new designers, such as the darling apparel of Dear Creatures and the beautiful handmade jewellery from Sea of Bees, amongst many others.

Today, I have a super special discount code so that you can shop the entire store with 20% off! That's right, if you head over to their site and enter the code "SHELL" at the checkout, you'll get a sweet discount :) How do you like that? I've taken the liberty of selecting some of my favourites, just in case you needed a helping hand with the selection process. If you'd like to take up the offer, be quick, it only lasts until midnight on the 25th April!

Above is some Dear Creatures goodness, the peter pan collar prettiness of the Aviation Dress, as well as the tasty peach and mint combo of the Brighton Dress, which also happens to be on sale already, so you can snag a bonus discount on the sale price! Another bargain is the perfect-for-a-picnic color-blocked Scooter dress, also on sale, take a further 20% off with the special code. Pssht. It's "SHELL" in case you forgot.

There are some adorable new items in store too, this Telephone Print Dress, for one. (Officially the Cafe Zoe Dress by Family Affairs). And the Pinkie Promise Handmade Necklace!! I must have one.

Filigree Handpiece // Mounted Deer Necklace by Sea of Bees // Cat Tattoos! // Polka Dot Bag by Hansel From Basel // Picnic Shoes in Yellow // Dany Crown

From the "Sale" section we have this cute wavy stripe number by Dusen Dusen, the Maryann Tee Dress. It looks fit for a stroll along the Seine, don't you think? And how about the flowing Antonia dress from Darling? The beaded collar is so pretty.

Feel free to share the discount code with anyone who may enjoy awesome independent designer gear at 20% off! And remember, the offer ends on April 25th at midnight, so get in quick! Just enter "SHELL" at the checkout for your discount.

Kitty
xo

What I Wore - In Japan. A Kitsune Meets a Cat in a Dark Alley

I wish I had more time to shoot outfit pictures in Japan. Or perhaps that I felt more like taking them. It was actually really cold over there, so most of the time, I was wearing everything. At once. We shot these pictures on our last day in Tokyo though, and it was starting to warm up, and the sun finally peeked out and said hello.

This series of tiny laneways was directly behind our hotel in Shinjuku, and is called Golden Gai. It's one of the areas of Tokyo that was spared during the WWII bombing campaign and boasts an older and more ramshackle architectural style than the glass skyscrapers people think of when they imagine Tokyo. It's basically a network of around 200 small bars now, most of which can only seat 6 or so patrons. Each bar has it's theme, and you could wander around all night finding a place that suits your fancy.

There were so many fascinating nooks and crannies to explore, and C took full advantage of the awesome wiring and architecture shots available! We also met the resident cat, Shiro-Neko. Well, I'm not sure what it's name was, but we dubbed it Shiro-Neko, which means "White Cat". Shiro-Neko was quite aloof but grew to trust us, and on this last day, plopped right in front of C as he was trying to shoot and demanded a belly rub. Now. We both know better than to argue with a cat who needs a belly rub.

I should also tell you about this dress! I had it made right before I left by the talented Isabel Knowles. How adorable is the fox print?! The dress is made from organic cotton by the lady herself, right there in her studio in Devon. I asked for mine a little longer than the standard, so I can wear it without tights. Isabel took my measurements and, voila, a custom made dress, just for me. I feel pretty special :)

I'm wearing a lot of jewellery because we are catching a flight and I'd rather wear it than have it lost in a suitcase somewhere. I adore this skeleton hair clip from Harajuku, and it works equally well clipped onto a shirt. The girl took it out of the bag when I bought it though, so I don't remember the name of the shop. It's next to the Mexican Restaurant off the main alleyway by the station if you're in the neighbourhood ;)

I hope you enjoyed my first outfit post from Japan, I have just one more, but plenty of other photos to share too, including other people's outfits!

Fox (Kitsune in Japanese) Dress // Isabel Knowles

Tights // We Love Colors (Microfiber Solid Color in Aqua)

Shoes // Irregular Choice (gift)

Skeleton Hair Clip // Somewhere in Harajuku, Japan

Fox Ring // Sea of Bees via Emerging Thoughts

Cathedral Ring (one of three) similar available though // Metal Couture Jewelry

Octopus Ring // Octopus Me

Wooden Bead Bracelet // Souvenir from Yakushima (it smells like the island - Cedar flavor)

Apple Wristlet // Gift (old)

Relaxing Rabbit Necklace // Online here

(I feel like a complete jerk, I have the business card of the guy who made this rabbit necklace, but do you think I can find it anywhere?? I will have a more thorough look when it's not midnight and let you know. It looks like you can purchase online through a third party website, but I will update with his direct details once I find them.)

Kitty
xo