More than one

hellohowdyhiya

ysl rings

Socks and rings - happiness

I love that girl

How great are these polaroids of Amy Poehler? Taken in 1998 for a tv sketch show on comedy central they really highlight how ahhhmazing she is. Hehe. The monobrow one, so good. You can read more about it at NY Mag.

Northwestern Passage

Like a lot of people, I love Twin Peaks, mainly because it is ahhhmmaaaazing. Naturally, I was pleased as punch when I found these never seen before images at Lifelounge. Shot by publicist Paula K Shimatsu, they were intended for press releases, but somehow never saw the light of day. Now they're going into a self published book called 'Northwestern Passage' which was what Twin Peaks was originally going to be named. Log lady is still my favourite. 

"One day my log will have something to say about this!"

Hehehe. 

My first ゆかた！

Yesterday I went out and bought my first yukata, a Japanese summer kimono. It's festival season at the moment so there will be plenty of opportunities to wear it. I'm not very good at putting it on at the moment (there's a few steps) so one of my Japanese friends kindly assisted. 

Last night was super balmy and my friends and I biked down to the river to have a picnic and watch fireworks. It was an amazing summer evening and great to see everyone so dressed up. I definitely felt like a bit of a lady wearing yukata!

How to be: a cute Japanese old lady

1. Colour coordination -team with that theme!  Leopard and mustard? Hell yes. Pastels are aok too.

2. A cute hat- perhaps it's a crafty paper hat you just made (above), a bucket hat, or a wide brimmed number for gardening in the sun

3. Embracing of eccentricities - Kookiness is encouraged. Whether it be a jazzy little dance when you're excited or a sporadic 360 twirl, eccentricities are a boon. My favourite Japanese old lady occasionally breaks out into a shuffly little dance while on the treadmill at my gym. It makes my day!

4. A mamachari - Travel around in style on a vintage bicycle. Be courteous on the roads and always walk your bike when crossing

5. A lovely smile - Be cheery and woo people with your killer style and dazzling smile

Paper Lust

Apartmento. Deliriously good interiors. You can buy it here

Girls on film. You can find it online here.

The Gentlewoman. Depending on where you live, you can buy it here or here and order back issues here.

I Love the design of Bad day magazine. All the info you need can be found right here.

Afterzine. Modestly priced, relatively new and an amazing line up of contributors. You can buy it here.

Atomica magazine. All online. All good.

Greenfinger

Above are images from my favourite ever issue of Ku:nel which came out last summer in Japan. I love the heavy incorporation of greenery into the home. When visiting Japanese homes, I have noticed there are a lot of pot plants. I have followed suit and kitted my apartment out with a lot of succulents and flowers. It makes everything so much more cheery. I particularly loved a section in the magazine (pictured above) on how to press flowers. My Dad and I used to press flowers together when I was younger so it brings back happy memories!

Mirrorball

It's all the same person!! School girls and teacher included! When I first stumbled across the works of Tomoko Sawada I was amazed. Her unending variance of looks made my mind boggle. The 400+ looks began with Sawada's self proclaimed inferiority complex and a fascination with how she could aesthetically transform through photography."As I looked at my pictures again and again, the gap between my real image and my image in a picture widened. In other words, my appearance could be changed easily, but my personality did not change." 

Her work emphasizes the emerging norms for woman in Japanese society which are diversifying further each day. Before I came to Japan I had two vague ideas in my mind; traditional demure kimono wearing women and crazy outlandish Harajuku girls. Sawada embraces all gender stereotypes- the giggling school girl, beauty pageant contestant, stern police woman or a hopeful young lady posing for omiai to name a few. In turning chameleon Sawada's variances can be found in subtle details like a facial expression, posture or a kg or rwo lost or gained. Then there are the more obvious transformations; a haircut, a costume and make up application.

So amazing. Two great articles on her can be found here and here.