Another Year in Tokyo

And sometimes elsewhere.

Fashion

Quarantine in Style #2: White Shirt with Skirt, with Pants, or with Itself

See all its expressions in the color of sheer white.

Here, as promised, my excited self portrait with some new white shirts from Zara. Collar and collarless, linen and cotton, just-fit and oversized… so many options to explore. Too bad it is still under lockdown here in Tokyo, so all the photos are produced inside my apartment. Excuse the bed, the door, and the stand mirror!

Oversized shirt with skirt

I think this is completely a ZARA look. It is technically true, though, as both the shirt and the skirt are from my recent ZARA purchases and the floral skirt is really convenient to style up with.

Collar shirt to ease off some feminine accent from the skirt.

Or with pants, casual or a little bit suited up

Most of the days I am a pants person. I wear a lot of denims, and when it warms up, I like to wear wide pants that have an accent shape and suit pants that can show the body curve naturally.

I thought wide pants can be a challenge with oversized shirts; but it is actually quite nice. It can be called a “ゆるコーデ” in Japanese, which basically means “loosened up coordination” as a very common style here.

Ultimate conservative with collarless shirt.

I recently bought a pair of pants from Theory. I was lucky; it was on sale because of the lockdown, and I saw this one that has nice shape as Theory always does, and a dark yellow color which can be nice addition to my grey/navy usual suits from Theory.

Handsome look with collarless shirt.

As an single item of ultimate romance

When talking about items that are romantic, usually we think about long floral dresses, on a sunset beach, with a big hat perhaps. Actually I found withe shirts are quite a romantic single item, especially with oversized “boyfriend” style and basically any design if it is linen.

It can be a little too intimate, though. It has to be styled up with items that can bring out its character, such as a simple trench coat or a straight denim. Maybe I can try that combination sometimes.

White Shirt Mood of The Day

The most versatile, expressive, changing and yet the most constant, simple and mundane mood.

It was a moody Saturday, with changing shape of clouds and fading sunshine from time and time – perfect mood for some self -portrait photography experiment.

I have been having a serious crush on white shirt those days. It is such a versatile item, with its plain expression yet ever-changing shape of different fades and shadows to work perfectly in almost every setup. I prefer to think, it also has its own character; it is classic, and it brings in the depth and the contrast exactly the way you want to. You need nothing else 🙂

The ultimate conservative.
Or a few more colors with a different expression.
A little more intimate as a shirt dress.

I am bringing out a new series of how I style with basic white shirts recently… I love it, can’t wait to share here!

Quarantine in Style #1

Then you realize you style up for yourself, no one else, although some audience would certainly be motivating.

The Other Side of Oneself.

It has been a half way “lockdown” in Tokyo for more than one month. Coming from a highly disciplined family background, I myself, however, have been practicing social distance since I got back here in early March. And as you can imagine, because you have probably been there as well, more than two months of solitude is not easy for a camera girl (or wannabe, for accuracy).

In a peaceful afternoon, I finally gave in to my inner urge, and started to try out my new spring/summer collections even I don’t have plans to go out at all. It was amazingly satisfying – not that the staring from the opposite building was nice as I was shooting on the balcony, but that I could be even more audacious about what to wear, what to go with that little black lace camisole… oh well.

Mastering the Tank Top

I like tank tops. They are flattering when you have nice and firm arms and shoulders. It is, however, difficult to appeal to the feminine side of oneself, which is why I tend to wear it with skirts.

Both the color of the tank top and the pencil skirt can be categorized as Beige, and that makes them go together nicely. The pink tone connects naturally with white shoes in general.
It is rare to see such a floral skirt from ZARA. I like the effortless overall style which comprises a calming daily look, that you can even wear going to the 7-11 next door.

Playing with Color – Green

Green is in the spotlight this year. Or even it is not, it is just such a warm color for an effortless look that is refreshing, feminine, and a little French with an Asian accent when paired right.

This green floral one piece dress is not new. The handbag, though, is. Look how this French dress paired in harmony with the Japanese traditional leather handbag.
This is just too feminine, that I cannot even wear going out either by myself or with my boyfriend. But I like the turquoise color print of the dress, and it shows different characters with and without the cardigan. Maybe I wear it not in Japan. hmmm.

Playing with Color – Black

Black has always been the color that I like the most. Not that I am a dark person, but from a young age I found myself most attractive to the mysterious atmosphere created by different layers of this color. It is a little tricky to wear it, though, as my natural hair color is also black, and that could bring out too much heaviness. My trick is to use another accent color.

White is always a good friend of black. But I actually think I could have survive without the cardigan but only the shoes, as the black lace camisole already softened the overall heaviness.
This is what my killer look would be like. I like it! But it is so heavy, that I had to put on my red heels to take away some focus and in a complete look I would perhaps use a pair of red lips, too.

Playing with Color – Blue

It is not that I am going through all the colors we know. I used to buy my clothes in the blue palette a lot, as it is safe and it goes well with everything. The downside of that would be it is sort of a boring color series. Certainly, some blues have more characters, but I say use its versatility and go match-up.

The blue shirt is the center of this look. Pairing it with plead pants in blue-ish grey and to bring out the light, I chose no-color sandals and the purple hair accessory is the accent.
This is one of my more characteristic blue dress. Still, blue is the calming part of it, and accessories and shoes matching the white component make it more naturally harmonized.

So, this is what I have been playing around during this difficult time period. I hope I don’t have to have #2, and even worse, #3 coming up, as I really hope things can get back to normal soon… but none the less, I found staying home becomes more entertaining with such experiments, and taking notes of it.

I am not a stylist at all, but I enjoyed coordinating my imaginary outfits going out, and I hope you enjoyed it as well! 🙂