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Custom Wedding Dress & Kimono Upcycled Clothes | オーダーメイドウェディングドレス&着物ドレス

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What I Made – October

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October is here! Although I share my creations daily on my instagram stories, I thought it would be nice to write a proper blog post as a wrap up of what I made.

Pouches as gift

This is a great way to use small scraps and as the Holiday season quickly approaches, I can see myself making more and more of these pouches! I usually put some small goodies inside when I give them as a gift. Depending on who I give one to I’ll add things like snacks, nail polish or socks.

三角ポーチ　帯
Triangle shaped pouch, which will be available at Kimono Revival pop up shop in Osaka on 10/17.
着物帯を使った化粧ポーチ
With the same bubble gum pink color obi, I made a square pouch for a friend for a birthday. Perfect to put some cosmetic items and small jewelreis like these gold rings!
蛙柄　小学生ポーチ　テッシュ入れ
These are for children, to put some kids’ essentials like hand towels, bandaids and tissue. The frog character comes from a children’s book called “９９９ひきのきょうだい“.

Uchikake dresses

I have been upcycling used kimonos for a while, but this summer, I had a few opportunities to use a different type of kimono called Uchikake. Uchikake is a highly formal kimono worn only by brides or at a stage performances. Now that many weddings in Japan have become westernized, you will see fewer brides wearing Uchikake. The Uchikake is often heavily brocaded. You can just think of it as a special type of kimono, made of obi type fabric. It’s heavy and has a full of texture. It makes a great dress for special occasions, like beauty contests, black tie events or musical performances.

金色　打掛　着物ドレス
Mermaid dress made of Gold uchikake kimono.
Green uchikake kimono dress, shot by a talented photographer, Solane Ballesta.
グリーン　打掛　着物ドレス
Photo by Solane Ballesta.
I fund this bright red uchikake kimono at a local kimono shop and even haggled with a shop owner! This dress will be displayed at my next exhibition, starting on 10/30 at Nikko Hotel in Daiba. More info here.

Polyester kimono dresses

In the summer, a very generous person contacted me to donate some their kimonos. Apparently they used to be used as rentals, but due to a change in the business, they were no longer needed. They were contemporary kimono made with polyester material. Although I enjoy the luxury feel of silk 100% kimonos, for a daily use, polyester kimonos are perfect! You can wash them in a washing machine and are, in general, very easy to care for. Here are a few dresses and jumpsuit I made using the donated kimonos.

ポリエステル　洗える着物ワンピース
All the items available at my shop.

4 Things I Do for the Summer

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It’s summer! My favorite season of the year. As I finished my last pop up shop, I’m thinking of how to take a full advantage of the season. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to take an overseas vacation this year, but there are still things we can do to enjoy the weather. 

Make a summer activity list

I do this with my kids. I ask them to create a list of things they want to do during the months of July and August. Here are a few from their list…

handmade bathing suit
  • Go to the beach at least once with a new bathing suit (the previous one was too small, so I expanded the size by adding the three bars on the sides).
  • Have a party with fireworks at local park (unfortunately all the major public fireworks shows (hanabi taikai) are canceled because of the pandemic).
  • Eat italian ice (Japanese version).
  • Go to piglet cafe
  • Eat watermelon! 

Wear Things You Can Only Wear in the Summer. 

One good thing about Tokyo summer is that the temperature is hot and stable. In the other parts of the world, there is a huge temperature fluctuation from day to night. In such places, you need to be prepared for cooler nights. But here, no such problem. It stays hot and muggy from dusk till dawn! Some might hate this but I think of it as an advantage. You can wear a cropped top and shorts regardless of the time. I made a bunch of cropped tops recently. Here are a few I added to my online shop. They are all made of reclaimed kimono fabric. 

vivatveritas kimono bustier
Leaf motif kimono bustier
Halter top and asymetric wrap skirt
Cropped bustier and wrap mini skirt

Make A Summer Reading List

I was exclusively an old fashioned paper books reader until recently. But a few months ago  I bought a Kindle Paperwhite. I started studying French and it was easier and cheaper to find e-books on a kindle. I was skeptical at first but now I’m hooked. The Kindle books do not tire my eyes and the built-in dictionary is very helpful! I’m working off of this list, as all of the books listed are public domain, which means they are free! I’ve already finished “L’Enfer’, “Le Grand Meaulnes” and “Le Mystere de la chambre jaune” (the mystery of yellow room), and am on to “Le Diable au corps”. I am also reading Wolf Hall in English. If you have any recommendations of either English or French books, please comment below!  

Update Summer Accessories 

plastic handle obi upcycle bag
Obi bag

I made this bag using plastic circle handles and obi fabric. To my surprise plastic handles are perfect for the summer, as you can easily wipe off sweat. I’ve also updated my jewelry collection with this gold chain pegasus necklace and handmade beads choker, using the beads laying around in my sewing stash. I often check out Valeria Lipovetsky’s jewelry line to get ideas on how to layer jewelry! 

Sashi coin necklace, similar here and here.

4 Items I Added to My Closet This Spring

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floral dresses thrifted

1. Floral Items

There is a thrift shop chain, called “Tanpopo.” There are several in Tokyo. They have a 100 yen section (about 1 USD), and I use it for some of my more adventurous style choices because it is so cheap. If something doesn’t work, no problem…it was only a buck. On a recent trip I picked up these two floral items. I like the vintage feel. For the brown mini dress, I modified the back neckline to a V, changed the skirt shape from a flare to an I line and added extra lace at hem.

au-rate gold earrings

2. Small Stud Earrings

To pair with spring/summer clothes, I like smaller earrings like these pearl studs and gold huggie earrings. When we have more skin showing, I think smaller earrings look better and seem a bit more classy. On the other hand, in the winter, when my skin is covered and wearing darker colors, I prefer big statement earrings. In any case, I updated my earring collections with these, plus made a few by myself by simply supergluing the earring parts to pretty stones I found laying around in my sewing room.

kimono obi tote crossbody

3. Obi bag

Initially, I made this to sell at my pop up shop. I like to incorporate new items that are non-clothing items every time I do pop up. I do this to diversify and add something new for my customers to come and see. The last pop up was in an area of Tokyo called Oshiage. Oshiage is East of Tokyo where the Tokyo Sky Tree is. I made a bunch of computer cases, mini backpacks and totes using obi fabrics. I had many obis donated but was was reluctant to use them for clothes because of the fabric’s stiffness. However that kind of fabric works really well for bags. 

This particular one in silver and blue is easy to integrate into my wardrobe, and I ended up not putting it up for sale. When I first saw the obi, I could not envisioned myself wearing it, but in a mini bag form, it turned out to be a good accent piece for my wardrobe, which consists of mostly solid neutral colors. Everytime I take this with me, people comment on it. Even my brother, who is rather critical about my fashion tastes, said he liked it! 

gold ear cuffs small

4. Ear cuffs

I love this trend! I’ve contemplated wearing cartridge ear piercing, but was scared to actually take the plunge. With ear cuffs, I love how I can be a bit “edgy” without going through the painful experience of getting the actual piercing. I added two to my collections this Spring, both from Au-Rate(here and here). I take inspiration from Valeria Lipovetsky’s instagram on how to layer dainty jewelry.  

What have you added / will you add to your Spring 2021 wardrobe?