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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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33 weeks

March 3, 2011 By Chie


Hi! Last week I posted about getting pregnancy photos taken by our friend Photographer Will Robb. The photos are ready now and I wanted to share some here! These were taken when I was 31 weeks. I have 100+ more photos but the ones above are my favorites:)

Andy and I both enjoyed the photo shoot. Will and his wife, Sue came over to our apartment with all the equipment, and set up a shop here. Obviously I’m not a professional model so I usually get pretty nervous in front of camera, but I really felt at home while he was taking the pictures. The shoot lasted for about 5 hours, but the time flew!

I love how the photos came out and it is really nice to have something to remember this time in my life.

So, I’ve been reading a book called “Making children mind without loosing yours” by Dr. Kevin Leman for the second time. The book was passed down from my grandmother-in-law to my mother-in-law to me. I read it when I was about 18 weeks, and now I’m getting close to the end of the pregnancy, I decided to read it again. So whenever I take a long bath, I take the book with me and read it in the bath.

I’ve noticed that I have a different feeling reading this book for the second time now. For instance, in the beginning of the book, Leman talks about how his doctor gave him advice about leaving the baby with a baby sitter for a couple of hours every week in order to take his wife on a date without the baby.  He discusses how this system worked worked well for both he and his wife, and (amazingly) the baby in the long run. He writes that it was really hard for him at first, but it helped a lot in order to maintain a strong love relationship between he and his wife. This, in turn, helped both of them to become stronger parents.  Quality time alone as a couple leads to quality  time together as parents.

Leman wonders what would have happened if he did not take the advice given him and instead restricted his entire life around a little baby… He strongly holds that if he had done this that the baby would not have grown up to be as responsible and disciplined as she is now.

When I first read this, I was thinking, “leaving a baby for a few hours? This won’t be hard for me! I want to go out and take a break sometime and I can have my mom come over to watch the baby”. But now when I re-read the same thing, I wonder if I can actually do this. I feel so attached to the baby already and leaving the baby just for a few hours sounds like a real big deal. It’s strange how my feelings and attitude have changed over the past couple of months.  I feel the baby move and I’m looking forward to her coming every day.

Anyway, although it may be hard for me, I want to try to leave the baby for a few hours each week to go out with Andy.  I plan to make a conscious effort to do this even if it feels scary. Perhaps starting on my birthday, which is 10 days after my estimated due date. It will be hard I am sure, but I think it will help my whole family in the long run.

Any opinion? If you are a parent, do you find it hard to leave your baby to someone else?

P.S. Last day to enter the cut out dress giveaway! The winner will be picked and announced tomorrow:)

Filed Under: pregnancy series

Inspiration: DECADE illustration

March 2, 2011 By Chie

Images via DECADE blog.
In the past, I wrote how I like water colors and have a fond memory of art class in elementary school where they taught how to water color. So there was no surprise how I was drawn into the illustration of Bernadette Pascuca, a woman behind DECADE.
Images above are DECADE’s collaboration with Stylecaster editorial.

P.S. 2 more days to enter my cut out dress giveaway!  Please note this giveaway is open to people outside of Japan as well. Also if you are following me on blogger, twitter or any other method, comment back for an extra entry to increase the chance to win:)

Filed Under: inspiration

Strawberry Koi Dress!

March 1, 2011 By Chie

Photos via Strawberry Koi, Thom Lennon Photography.
Hello:)  Al little late posting today.  Went out with mom for lunch and a movie today on my day off:. It felt like such a luxury to be out to see movie during the day on weekday, when everyone is working! We saw the Wall Street movie.  It was recently released in Japan.  I enjoyed it but felt it was a bit too long…
Anyway, what is worth mentioning is the release of the Stawberry Koi dress that Aya and I worked together.  I really enjoyed this whole project.  Hop over to Aya’s blog to see more photos:) She also posted a short video which is so cute!
As you can see from Aya’s design draft, her style is much different than mine. Hers is much more vintage inspired, and that was exactly why I wanted to work with her to add some different taste/style to my shop.I usually naturally go for sleeveless dresses, whereas Aya added cute cap sleeves. Aya also included PIN TUCKS and pleats…pin tucks is a technique that I had not incorporated in any of my previous creations, because I find it hard to master and time consuming to make! I’m just too lazy to come up with these on my own, so I’m glad this project helped me to advance my skills:p

Pin Tucks on the hem were bad, but Pin Tucks on the sleeves were even worse, because I had to sew tucks on curve. I had to try it a couple of times to get it right.

I decided to go for a solid color to make this dress so the pleats in the skirt and pin tucks stand out more, instead of using my favorite pattern, floral print.

By the way, I love Aya’s hand drawn design sketch! I like how the drawing of the dress includes the girl’s head, with hair 🙂

 

Now the dress is available in my shop for made to order:)

Filed Under: creation

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お客様からお預かりした大切な帯。 大切に保管されていた帯ほど、実は「日常でどう使えばいいかわからな お客様からお預かりした大切な帯。

大切に保管されていた帯ほど、実は「日常でどう使えばいいかわからない」という声をよく伺います。だからこそ、その帯の物語を読み解きながら、現代の暮らしに馴染むデザインに仕立て直すことを意識してます😌

パッと見にはわからないけれど、実は使いやすさを追求した仕掛けが隠れています。

ショルダーを付ければ、両手が空くアクティブなスタイルにも対応👜

あなたの思い出の帯も、こんな風に日常の相棒にしてみませんか?

A precious obi entrusted to me by a client.

I often hear people say they aren't sure how to incorporate their cherished obis into their daily lives. That is exactly why I focus on reading the story woven into the fabric and reimagining it into a design that fits modern living😌

There are hidden details that make this bag truly functional, even if you can't see them at first glance. By attaching the shoulder strap, it becomes the perfect hands-free bag for an active lifestyle👜

#upcycledfashion #着物リメイク #obibag #remake #sustainablestyle
飛行機と電車の中で作ったジャケットです✈️🚆 去年の夏の3週間、アメリカとヨーロッパを旅しながら、 飛行機と電車の中で作ったジャケットです✈️🚆

去年の夏の3週間、アメリカとヨーロッパを旅しながら、座席でひたすらチクチク🪡着物の裏地にキルト芯を挟んで、フリーハンドで刺し子して、日本に帰ってから染めました。

This jacket was made on airplanes and trains✈️🚆

Over three weeks last summer, traveling through the US and Europe, I stitched away in my seat🪡 
Kimono lining sandwiched with quilt batting, sashiko stitched freehand, then dyed after I got back to Japan.

Model
@kana_nakar

Photographer 
@nothing_special_88 

Nails
@ms_muse_nail

Jewelry
@viviange

Hair 
@angh0
@sho_kanaida
@iam__little__boy

Make up
@glam_by_jyoti

#kimonoupcycle #sashiko #sustainablefashion #ReleasedReimagined
#刺し子
お客様から届いたステキな帯を、オーダーメイドのリュックにアップサイクルしました✂️ 吉祥文様が織り お客様から届いたステキな帯を、オーダーメイドのリュックにアップサイクルしました✂️

吉祥文様が織り込まれた錦の帯地は、黒地に金・白・紫…と、見る角度によって表情が変わる贅沢な一品。その美しさをそのまま活かしながら、毎日持ち歩きたくなる使いやすいリュックに仕立てました。内ポケット付きで、実用性もしっかり。

受注制作についてはプロフィールのリンクよりお問い合わせください💌

A client’s treasured obi has found a new life as a custom-made backpack✂️

The brocade fabric, woven with auspicious Japanese motifs, shifts from gold to white to violet depending on the light, a truly luxurious textile. I tried to preserve its beauty while crafting it into a backpack you’d actually want to carry every day. Complete with interior pockets for real-world practicality.

For custom orders, visit the link in our profile 💌

#KimonoUpcycle #SlowFashionJapan #WearableHeritage #着物リメイク #帯リメイク
着物リメイクをするとき、どうしても捨てられてしまうことの多い裏地。 薄手のシルクの手触り、もったい 着物リメイクをするとき、どうしても捨てられてしまうことの多い裏地。

薄手のシルクの手触り、もったいなくてサマーワンピースに生まれ変わらせました。

そのままでは物足りないのでアーティストの Riko Monma @rikoshurimonmaさんに染め直しをお願いしたら、一気に息を吹き返しました✨

数年前に作ったこの一着、今回の @designerhelен とのイベントで、コレクションに加えることにしました。

Helenからは色の組み合わせについていろいろアドバイスをもらって、自分だけでは絶対に辿り着けなかったような配色を試してみたり。準備の時間も、とても楽しかった😌

The lining of a kimono — often discarded when the fabric is remade into something new.
That soft, lightweight silk felt too good to let go, so I turned it into a summer dress. It needed something more, so I asked artist Riko Monma to dye it for me — and suddenly it came alive again.

I made this piece a few years ago, but for the recent event with @designerhelena, I decided to bring it into the collection. Helen gave me so much guidance on color — combinations I never would have arrived at on my own. The whole preparation process was just really, really fun😌

Model
@bethenny.x

Photographer 
@nothing_special_88 

Nails
@ms_muse_nail

Jewelry
@viviange

Hair 
@angh0
@sho_kanaida
@iam__little__boy

Make up
@glam_by_jyoti

#着物リメイク #キモノアップサイクル #KimonoUpcycle #SustainableFashionTokyo #ReleasedReimagined
生地をよく見ると、お姫様が👸 金彩の御所車、菊、そしてひっそりと佇む姫。 裾に宿ったまま、また別 生地をよく見ると、お姫様が👸

金彩の御所車、菊、そしてひっそりと佇む姫。 
裾に宿ったまま、また別の人生を歩みだしました♡

Released. Reimagined. — Helen Castillo @designerhelen x Vivat Veritas 

Look closely at the fabric — there’s a princess👸

A gilded royal carriage, chrysanthemums, and a maiden standing quietly in the shadows. Still living in the hem, she steps into another life♡

Model
@_kasumi.y

Photographer 
@nothing_special_88 

Hair 
@angh0
@sho_kanaida
@iam__little__boy

Make up
@glam_by_jyoti

Nails
@ms_muse_nail

#着物リメイク #御所解 #KimonoRemake #TokyoFashion #ReleasedReimagined
@allpress_espresso のコーヒーバッグで作りました☕️ Cafés do Bras @allpress_espresso のコーヒーバッグで作りました☕️

Cafés do Brasil 豆を運んでいた頃の文字が、そのままジャケットの背中に残っています。
着物だけでなく、面白い来歴のある生地をもっと取り入れていきたいと思っています✂️
素材:コーヒーバッグ × 着物シルク

Made from a coffee sack sourced from @allpress_espresso.

Cafés do Brasil — the stamp from its days carrying beans stays right there on the back. 

Kimono fabric has always been at the heart of what I do, but I want to bring in more materials with a history — things that have traveled, carried weight, meant something before they became a garment.

Materials: coffee sack × kimono silk

Photographer 
@nothing_special_88 

Model
@emorylove33

Jewelry
@viviange

Hair 
@angh0
@sho_kanaida
@iam__little__boy

Make up
@glam_by_jyoti

#upcycledfashion #sustainablestyle #coffeesack #wearablestories #ReleasedReimagined
蝶は、繭の中でひとりで変わるわけじゃない。 縫う人がいて、形が生まれる。 描く人がいて、顔に光が宿 蝶は、繭の中でひとりで変わるわけじゃない。

縫う人がいて、形が生まれる。
描く人がいて、顔に光が宿る。
飾る人がいて、耳元に物語が揺れる。

そのひとつひとつが重なって、
一着の服がランウェイで羽を広げます🦋

今回のショーに関わってくださったすべての方へ💌
ありがとうございました。皆様の手が、この服を完成させてくれました。

A butterfly doesn’t transform alone.

Someone sews, and a shape is born.
Someone paints, and light finds a face.
Someone adorns, and a story stirs beside the ear.

Each gesture layered upon the next —
until one garment spreads its wings on the runway🦋

To everyone who was part of this show 💌
Thank you.🥹Your hands brought this to life.

Photographer 
@nothing_special_88

Model
@yui78_02

Jewelry
@viviange

Hair 
@angh0
@sho_kanaida
@iam__little__boy

Make up
@glam_by_jyoti

#ReleasedReimagined #kimono #着物リメイク #sustainablefashion #runway
Before the doors opened, there was this. Garments Before the doors opened, there was this.

Garments waiting on the rack. Brushes in hand. Quiet conversations in corners. The unhurried moment before everything becomes a show.

""Released. Reimagined."" with @designerhelen was made possible by so many generous hands — our makeup and hair team, our models, every person who showed up early and stayed late. Thank you for caring for these pieces, and for each other, the way you did.

More to come🤍

扉が開く前の、静かな時間。

ハンガーに並ぶ作品たち。メイクブラシの音。片隅でかわされる小さな会話。 すべてがショーになる前の、穏やかな瞬間。

@designerhelen との“Released. Reimagined."" は、たくさんの方々の手によって生まれました。 メイク・ヘアチームのみなさん、モデルのみなさん、早くから駆けつけて最後まで残ってくれたすべての方へ。 本当にありがとうございました。
次回も頑張ります🤍

Photographer 

Models
@emorylove33
@naka_kanar
@bethenny.x
@izumi_nishida
@yui78_02
@aino.yamada03
@_kasumi.y
@sienna.christinaaa

Nails
@ms_muse_nail

Jewelry
@viviange

Hair 
@angh0
@sho_kanaida
@iam__little__boy

Make up
@glam_by_jyoti

#releasedreimagined #KimonoUpcycling #BehindTheScenes #SustainableFashion #着物リメイク
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