Mixed Matched Media ✕ Tokyo Identity

One of the things I wish I was good at is art. Going to a museum is one of my favorite things to do and I think art history is fascinating, but I just can't put my thoughts and inspirations in a drawing or painting.

So I was really excited when the talented CC Wai of Mixed Matched Media offered to translate my concept and ideas into a drawing for my blog! If you haven't seen her blog, definitely go have a look. The Vivienne Westwood and Miu Miu are some of my favorites, I love how she captures each collection perfectly but still adds a touch of her own uniqueness.

美術館に行ったり、美術について学んだり、アートに触れるのは大好きだけど、どうしても自分では何も作り出せない。デッサンとか、粘土とか、最強に苦手です。

そんな私と正反対なCC Waiさんが私のコンセプトを元に絵を書いてくださる、と言ってくれました！CC Waiさんのブログはいつも素敵な絵や写真でいっぱい。特に好きなのは、コレクションからインスパイアされた絵。そのブランドの個性を再現しつつ、CC Waiさんの独特の絵に仕上がっています。

mintdesigns, maothu photos from Fashion Snap

It was hard for me to think of an idea, but I definitely knew I wanted the drawing to be set in Tokyo and for the girl to have a bob. This is a photo I sent to her for reference. I love how time seems to be passing slowly on this street, despite it being right in Tokyo. CC Wai suggested that she refer to some of my past posts for inspiration, and to my surprise, she drew two of my favorite pieces from the mintdesigns and matohu collection!

とりあえず描いて頂く絵は東京の設定、そして絵の中の女の子はボブがいいと思いました。でも久しぶりに絵のアイディアを考えようとすると、意外と難しい...CC Waiさんの提案で私が東京で好きな場所の写真を送ることに。写真は書いてある通り、夕方のキャットストリート。なんだかここに行くと落ち着き、そして色々な意味で思い出深い場所です。

絵の中の女の子は私がブログに載せたものを参考にするとのこと。mintdesignsとmatohuが好きと伝えたのですが、なんと私のお気に入りのルックを描いてくださって、本当に嬉しい！

Isn't it gorgeous? I think she captured the atmosphere of the street perfectly, and the vibrant colors are so beautiful. & I can't get over how stylish the threesome look. I love that all three of the girls have bobs, but how the color and styling fits their personality and outfit. Really cool to see my ideas, combined with CC Wai's, come to life.

A huge thank you to CC Wai for this amazing drawing and a wonderful experience!

これが私のアイディアをベースにCC Waiさんが描いてくださった絵。色の使い方や雰囲気の捉え方、全てにおいて本当に素敵な絵に仕上がっていますよね。女の子たちは全員ボブだけど、髪の色やスタイリングがコーディネートにぴったりで、３人とも個性的。mintdesignsのヘットピースを少し控えめにして、町でもつけられそうになっているところもツボです。

一緒にコンセプトを考えたりするのもすごく楽しかったです。CC Waiさん、本当にありがとうございます！

cotton

Photos found on mixi

Happy Friday everyone! I could not be more happy that the weekend is here and that my tests are finished!

This is Japanese model Rina Ohta for tsumori chisato SLEEP from a while back. Light cotton dresses, big beds, and a house by the beach...makes me wish it was summer already.

Have a wonderful weekend!

結構前のツモリチサトスリープより、太田莉菜さん。今の短い髪も好きだけど、長い髪も女の子っぽくて可愛い。

コットンのドレス、大きいベッド、海辺のお家。早く夏休みにならないかなぁ。

Ghibli Museum in Mitaka

A couple of months ago I went to Ghibli Museum for the first time. I've been meaning to go for the longest time and I finally did. I grew up watching Ghibli films and my friends and I still get totally excited whenever a new film comes out.

ずっと行こうと思っていたジブリ美術館。数ヶ月前やっと行ってきました！

As you can see, the museum is nestled away in the nature, helping create the Ghibli world...

自然の中にそっと潜む、隠れ家みたいな美術館。ジブリの雰囲気にぴったりです。

Photographs aren't allowed inside the museum (and it is so much better to see everything in person, you'll feel like you're in a Ghibli film) so I'm going to show some other parts...

館内では写真が禁止なので、それ以外のものを紹介...

...like the cafe!

...まずはカフェ！

The left is called omu-rice, basically, an omelette with rice inside. The right, a strawberry shortcake. Both very good, not to mention absolutely adorable! All of the food came with a little flag on top and the plates had Ghibli characters on them too. A fun fact: the omu-rice is shaped like a straw hat, like the one Mei wears in Totoro.

麦わらぼうしのオムライスとふぞろいイチゴのショートケーキ。ジブリの映画の中にでできそうな可愛さ。気付きましたか？オムライスがちゃんと麦わらぼうしになっているんです。麦わらぼうしはめいちゃんがかぶってましたね。

Inside the cafe

The courtyard

This is the guardian of the museum, the Robot Soldier on the Rooftop from Laputa Castle in the Sky. You might have recognized the Robot Soldier peering over the entire museum in the first photo.

ロボット兵はここの守り神。一番最初の写真にひっそりと佇んでいるロボット兵に気付きましたでしょうか。

For more information about exhibits and the museum itself, go here. I saw the Ponyo exhibition when I went and it was really interesting to see Hayao Miyazaki's actual sketches. There is also a small, very cute movie theater playing a short film that you can see only at the museum. And just a warning, don't forget to reserve your tickets in advance, they can't be purchased at the museum.

Do you have a favorite Ghibli film? I'd love to know. Mine are Spirited Away and Whisper of the Heart.

Ghibli Museum, Mitaka in Japan

1-1-83 Simorenjaku, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo

Hours: 10:00-18:00 (Closed Tuesdays)

三鷹の森ジブリ美術館

東京都三鷹市下連雀1−1−83（都立井の頭恩賜公園西園内）

開館時間：10:00−18:00（定休日：火曜日）

le cygne

Thank you everyone, for all the comments on the last post! I haven't had time to look at everyone's blogs and write comments because midterms are coming up soon...hopefully I can update with short posts like these. I do have one longer post coming up, but before that, this photo is of a swan choux (cream puff) from CHAYA. It looks so elegant and almost too pretty to eat but it's very very tasty.

Happy Wednesday, hope you're all having a wonderful week!

小さい頃から食べていて、思い出いっぱいの茶屋のスワンシュー。

可愛くて食べるのがもったいない！といつも思うけど美味しくて軽いからペロッと食べてしまう。

♥Miu Miu

I think everyone would love to own something from the Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2010 RTW Collection. But since Miu Miu costs waaay more than I can afford right now, I was thrilled to find this at Zara. I knew Zara had the cat print one but the swallows were my favorite, so this was a great find.

I think I'm going to try the DIY collar like the one Jessica posted here. After reading Hiroko's entry about her Miu Miu collar though, is making me want the actual Miu Miu collar! The shoes and the clothes are completely out of reach but the collars seem a tiny bit more accessible...if I save up for it. Either ways I'm planning to stop by the Miu Miu store in Shibuya just to admire the collection and the lovely store.

春/夏2010のコレクションが大人気のミウミウ。女の子だったら誰でも欲しくなるような可愛い柄の洋服や靴がいっぱいのコレクションですね。ミウミウにはなかなか手が届かないから、やっぱりこういう時はファストファッションに感謝...このそっくりなワンピースはZaraで見つけました。つばめの柄が一番好きで、珍しくサイズもぴったりだったのでラッキー。

多くのブロガーがコレクションでも登場した襟を作ってるらしく、私も挑戦してみるつもり。でもHirokoさんのブログを見てやっぱりミウミウの襟に惹かれています。服や靴は雲の上の存在だけど、頑張ればなんとか襟には手が届きそう...とりあえずお店で実物を見てみたいな。

UJ

UJ billboards were everywhere when they launched. Did you have a chance to see them? Uniqlo ads are so chic now, Tao Okamoto looked so amazing in the UJ campaign. I used to not like Uniqlo jeans because the seam would hit right on my hip bones and it hurt a lot. But imagine my surprise when I went to the store and saw this:

UJが発売された頃は町中がUJの広告だらけでしたね。ユニクロのジーンズは縫い目がちょうど骨にあたるからあまり好きじゃなかったけど、広告のTAOさんがかっこよすぎて、思わず見に行きました。

First of all, wow, the variety. They had chemical wash, colored jeans, everything. I couldn't help trying on a pair and surprisingly, the jeans didn't hurt. The material was really soft and light than the previous jeans and I ended up buying a pair of chemical wash jeans.

まず、この種類の豊富さ！ケミカルワッシュやカラードジーンズ、ベーシックのものから流行りのものまで一通りあります。そして試着してみたら以前より柔らかく、軽くなっていてびっくり。質がいい上に安いので、ケミカルワッシュのを衝動買い。

This is from the UJ catalog. From left, the different shades they have and the different styles. On top of this UJ has a monthly collection, which means new styles are released every month. I remember I sort of wanted J Brand jeans a while ago but now I'd prefer having more styles (inexpensive ones!) than one super expensive pair. What about you guys?

カタログの中身より。UJは毎月新しいスタイルをリリースするそうです。一時期J Brandなど高いジーンズが流行りましたが、ジーンズに関しては安めでたくさんのスタイルを履く方が個人的に好きかな。