Aug 23, 2009 | DIY
(My DIY version, left) I fell in love with this necklace (found on SixSixSick, right photo), originally by artist Anni Albers. They sell the DIY necklace kit on Urban Outfitters for $14.
(A little bit about Anni Albers and the necklace kit from the UrbanOutfitters website: “This German-born American textile artist was always creating, even during WWII when fine materials were in short supply. Back then, she’d use unlikely objects from hardware and stationery stores to constantly make new and exciting pieces. A pioneer of 20th century Modernism, Anni, along with her husband Josef, revamped and challenged the purpose and aesthetics of modern art. Based on an original 1941 piece that was featured in Anni’s exhibition of “common object jewelry”, this Washers and Ribbon kit lets you easily create an eye-catching piece. A simple, easy project, the kit includes all the components needed to create the necklace shown plus a photo of the finished product as a guide.”)
Now I was all ready to plonk down my $14 for the kit at my local Urban Outfitters, but the store didn’t have it, and the salespeople were so unbelievably rude when I asked about it (admittedly I was holding an upset-looking toddler and looked somewhat sweaty and disheveled myself) that I decided no way, no how was I buying it from Urban. So I just put together the parts – one trip to Home Depot, and one trip to Michael’s later, I was set. Figuring out how the ribbon was woven through took a few false starts, but here is the DIY anyway, just in case anyone’s interested:
You will need:
-2 M of 5/8″ double-sided ribbon (I chose satin-the UO version is grosgrain. Whatever you like, just make sure both sides are the same! I also grabbed a 3 M remnant spool out of Michaels’ $1 bucket near the cash registers.)
-4 small (5/16″ dia) zinc cut washers (loose washers in the drawers below the washer/screw section)
-2 packs (of 6) 1/2″ dia SAE washers (they come in little orange plastic packs hanging on the wall at Home Depot, item#19861)
-7 x zinc cut washers1/2″ (again, loose from the drawer below)*
*I know it looks like we just bought a whole bunch of 1/2″ washers, but for some reason the loose 1/2″ dia washers actually ARE 1/2″, whereas the loose, in the drawer “cutwashers1/2″ are larger (like 7/8” if truth must be told). Not sure why. Anyway, those are what I used; choose whatever sizes you like!
Total cost of washers? $3.74.
How to: Thread one of the smallest washers onto your length of ribbon, about 8″ or so from one end. Follow lacing instructions below, adding washers on in this order:
(S= small washer, M=medium washer, L=large washer)
S-S-M-M-M-M-M-M-L-L-L-L-L-L-L-M-M-M-M-M-M-S-S
Make sure you underlap the washers as you add each new one; the new one goes underneath the previous one. And they’re single-sided (a shiny side, and a matter side), so make sure you’re keeping the same side out for each one as you add it on!
Leave 6-8″ on the end once you’re done , and tie the end of the ribbon. You can also treat the ends with Fray-Stop, or fold them over twice and stitch a narrow hem to encase the edges (neither of which I’ve done in the photo cuz I’m just too lazy). I think I’ll just leave the ends tied – am not sure I like the bow I made. Anyhow.
Project Cost: $4.74.
Time to Make: 40 min since I had to rethread it 3 times before I figured out the tying method. Should take you less!
The necklace (though heavy) sits beautifully on the body, almost like a flat snake. Very nice, Anni Albers!
I’m wearing it with my DIY cut-off Hanes shirt that I got from the Dollar Tree for…yup, you guessed it…ONE WHOLE DOLLAR. I was thrilled to find blank white and colored M and L sized Hanes tees at Dollar Tree. The bottom half of this shirt went to my DIY necklush, which I’ll probably post a photo of to bore you all with later. I kept the top half, then realized it looks more than slightly like that little Loose Crop Tee that American Apparel is selling for $17 (which I’ve had my eye on for awhile)…so ka-ching! I feel $16 richer. Funny how DIY works that way!
Happy DIY’ing!
xoxox
Carly
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Aug 22, 2009 | Media, Score!
(Free with Purchase, above: Blueberry-print mini-shorts with Sept. issue of GISELE mag; cher-print large tote and small lunch bag with Cher Fall/Autumn Collection Lookbook)
In the U.S., you may come across an offer of a free tote or calendar or small handbag or makeup pouch sent to you FREE with your paid magazine subscription to Lucky, Allure, Cosmo, etc? Almost every women’s magazine out there has one of those freebie offers (though I’ve only seen an offer of a freebie with a Vogue subscription ONCE, and that was this past June, and so I promptly renewed my subscription by using the mail-in offer card so I would get the free bag, because although I really don’t need yet another bag…it’s free and it’s from Vogue, so of course I wanted it. Makes perfect logical sense, no?)
But the freebie is never included inside the magazine. Never. It’s sent to you about 4-12 weeks after your subscription is processed, so even if you were planning on cancelling your subscription as soon as you got your freebie, you still have to be pay in full and then go through the rigmarole of trying to get a partial refund since you’ve already received a couple issues.
In Japan, you can get a subscription to a magazine, but why bother? You may receive 10% or 15% off the cover price with a yearly subscription, and there’s the added bonus of the magazine being delivered to your doorstep every month so you don’t have to bother walking the 5 minutes to the nearest one (or three) convenience stores in order to buy the latest issue…but it’s financially not worth it unless you buy 10 or more issues a year. In the U.S. a year subscription to LUcky is something ridiculous like $12, since advertising pays for the cost of producing the magazine. In Japan, consumers pay $4-6 an issue for the latest women’s magazine, and unless you live super far from a bookstore or convenience store, a subscription isn’t that great a deal. Consumers are far more likely to just go to their local store and pick up the latest issue – and that’s where the FREEBIE comes in.
In June of this year, to boost flagging sales, almost every single women’s magazine in Japan came with a freebie of some sort, tucked in between the pages, and sealed in plastic so you couldn’t slip it out secretly while in the bookstore and make off with the freebie. From compact mirrors to makeup cases, eco-friendly tote bags to scrunchies, keyrings to cellphone cases, just about every little thing you could think of was included with the purchase of some magazine.
And yes, it wasn’t necessarily stuff you might really need, some of it was really cool, like some famous brands (Celine and Q-pot, for example) doing collaborations with the magazines and producing merchandise specifically for the readers.
(Paul & Joe Sister-designed vinyl tote, included with purchase of Sept. Sweet magazine)
Though come July things were back to normal, with only a few mags offering up some goodies, again this month there is a whole slew of magazines with products included. There was even a list at the local bookstore of the items available in magazines this month- so you could pick and choose what you wanted and buy the magazine accordingly. A Marc Jacobs tote included with the purchase of the Autumn/Winter ’09 Marc Jacobs lookbook? A pair of thong undies with another ladies mag? A puffy scrunchy and pompon hair elastic with Popteen? Check, check, and check.
I picked up a pair of mini-shorts, a large canvas tote bag, a small lunch tote bag, and a large vinyl tote bag with my purchase of magazines. Free! Love that word.
(And if you have a Kinokuniya or other Japanese bookstore that stocks these magazines near you – you can pick up yourｓ too!…at the dismal price of $13 U.S., whereas the Japanese counterparts are about 400 – 500 yen or $4-$5 a mag.)
xoxox from Tokyo
Carly
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Aug 21, 2009 | Fashion
Okay, if someone asked you what images popped into your mind when you heard “nail art,” would it be something like the image below? (Or, art drawn on the head of a nail…for those particularly out there people.)
In fact, most style gurus out there decree nail art a DON’T; declaring it “tacky.” (Okay, the above image is…well, definitely NOT practical, and not really pretty, to be perfectly honest. There was tons of work that went into it, but yeah, it does look a little tacky.) (I also, on a side note, find it funny that say, Marie Claire will declare the exact phrase above…and then the Marie Claire Japan will showcase the nail art of some Japanese celebs in the same month. Different markets.)
Well anyway, the people who think of tacky stuff when it comes to nail art are probably thinking about the above, or the plethora of airbrushed designs that dominate U.S. nail salon art requests.
You guys probably know about this already, but just in case…
Japan has, hands down, the most innovative nail art EVER. Sure it only caught on in Japan in like the mid-to-late 90’s. Sure Koreans are probably known for populating U.S. manicurist/nail art salons. Sure Korean nail art is fantastic too, and Korea has definitely introduced some advances to the industry. But the Japanese have completely appropriated U.S. nail art…and made it superb.
Reverse manicure with clear tips and half moon, and black nail bed + some sequins.
It wasn’t until 1998 that I really started noticing nail art on every trendy girl’s fingers in Tokyo. I mean, growing up there I always felt, no matter how much effort I put into my appearance, I was always sloppy, messy, and uncoordinated compared to the super-clean, super-put-together Japanese girls. They really thought out everything about their outfits…and then in the late 90’s they were perfect down to the tips of their fingers and toes.
I never really saw nail art as “tacky;” it was the crowning touch to a perfect outfit.
{As a side note: I had this dream of becoming a nail artist once…then I realized I only liked doing my nails…and having pretty nail art on them. Nail artists always have messed up nails from doing everyone else’s!
So I routinely practiced on my own nails…until I had a baby. [Okay, a lot of my sentences end that way…not sure if it’s a good or a bad thing.:-)] I did freehand drawing, stamping, and embellishment, as well as acrylic overlay and acrylic sculpture…I’m right-handed so my left hand’s nails would always look fabulous but my right hand’s would be all wonky when it came to sculpture…I still sport a nail piercing from time to time, and still have my gigantic nail art kit which is begging to be used again.}
Acrylic sculpture with 3D “bubble” where rhinestones are actually knocking about in there.
Japanese nail art (though the stuff in magazines runs the gamut from the trendy to the salon offerings, to the challenging, to the more conceptual, “artistic” show pieces like the set at the top) tends to focus more on acrylic sculpture than the U.S. (Though gel nails are now all over the place, I think nail artists still go for acrylic because of the enormous 3D possibilities.) The average customer coming into a nail salon in the U.S. will ask for a French manicure, maybe a little rhinestone or flower detailed on one nail or a toenail, maybe an acrylic overlay (over plastic tips that are glued onto the nail bed). But art actually made out of acrylic sculpture??? Unh unh. [Well okay, you can get that stuff at the nail salons in Honolulu, where the Japanese tourist population is immense…but I’m talking your average salon, even the ones that are featured in magazines as being an “authority” on nails.] I had never heard of it until I was watching late-night Japanese TV when I was 12 and I saw a manicurist create a nail out of this powder and liquid. She put a foil paper under this lady’s nails and created new, long nails out of liquid!! I was floored – how could such a thing exist??? I searched high and low in the U.S. for this magic stuff for years afterwards…and after the internet came kept searching…but the selection was always few and far between compared to what they had in Japan.
Clear acrylic sculpture nails with embedded sliced venetian glass millefiori beads.
It also seems like there is a huge contingent of Japanese girls out there (late teens – early 30’s) who are doing their own nails – and are spectacular at it. Nail art is a HUGE hobby for girls in Japan, yet in the U.S., there might be some people who are gung ho about it, but it definitely doesn’t feature in the forefront of fashion rags, TV shows, or celeb’s styled “looks.”
So just as in introduction….here’s just a smattering from my magazine collection…I know they’re really old but I haven’t felt like buying it since I can’t really do any of this stuff while I have a small child and spend my days doing housework and cooking… {whaaat….you thought I did other things??? You thought I lead a fashionable life??? LOL} But for me, this stuff is still so inspirational and mind-boggling…and, IMHO, it even looks pretty.
Well, except for this. It’s a cool concept (which is why I posted it), but not that pretty. Again, a contest-winning set of nails, not in the “fashionable” category methinks.
Kanoko Miura, personal nail artist to Hamasaki Ayumi (or Ayu…basically, think the Beyonce of Japan). Her nail art is on the more tame side than the typical stuff you see on the fashionistas in Tokyo…but checkout those nails with that paint drip on the ends!! So cool.
Nails with acryclic scultped 3D shapes placed UNDER the tips so you only see the shapes when looking at the tips straight one. Weird.
Blue-tinted clear
acrylic sculpture with air bubbles added via syringe while solution was still soft.
Nails made to look like faceted gemstones by placing carefully-folded foil pieces over soft colored acrylic sculpture.
Manicurist Student Nail Art. Tons and tons of acrylic 3D sculpture. Fab!
Acrylic sculpted nails with working (sculpted) heart-shaped hourglass filled with sand. In case you ever need to time an egg on the go.
Gel-based “bubble” over clear tips with painted art below.
Some salon offerings. It’s really old, but at least you can see the range that appeals to customers over there.
Acrylic sculpture nails with blue glitter nailpolish and embedded sliced seashells and starfish. (They mean “AquaRium Nails” LOL) I was so in love with this idea I went the whole nine yards and actually had mine done specially at a salon so the right and left hands would match – for my animation school graduation. Mine were clear, with embedded holographic foil chips and tiny pink clamshells. It’s hard to see in the photo below, but they’re there.
Hope this has inspired you to start looking at your nails in a whole new light…a blank canvas, if you will, for innovation!
xoxxo
Carly
Photos from NailMAX magazine issues ’00, ’01, Summer ’02, Winter 2002 [they changed their numbering system after a couple issues], Autumn 2003, and Spring/Summer 2004.
And sorry, Martha, for deleting your comment from this original post…Blogger dashboard messed this up and published it in its first draft before I completed my changes. I could only repost it at a later date by deleting your comment! So sorry – no offense intended!
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Aug 20, 2009 | Beauty
Japan is also fabulous for (among other things) innovative beauty and health products. [I know you’re probably all sick of the whole “Japan is so great yada yada yada” routine, but honestly, if you got me started on the “Things I hate about Japan” that list would probably be longer.;-) So to keep things positive, I’m just focusing on the cool stuff – mainly consumerism and product innovation at its best.] Here are some neat products I’ve found:
Use instead of earring post nuts to keep your studs secure. Me, when I sleep on my side at night the studs I’m wearing in my ears always stab me in the side of the head when my ear is flattened. The nuts get caught on clothing and hair, get gunky with soap/shampoo/dead skin in them and have to be cleaned frequently – and I never thought about how much of a pain they are. These solve that, plus provide relief to people suffering from metal allergies (there are alot in Japan) since they are non-metallic. An added bonus: you can wear the pearls in the front and the stud in the back…very multifunctional! The store also had different versions like gemstone rounds or acrylic pastel colored balls for sale as well.
Cost: $8
For your Uggs, high-top sneaker, or other boots. Place inside the shoe in the heel area and it gives you a small height boost, so you don’t look short and with stocky legs, and don’t have the boot visually cutting you off at a weird place. They have ones that give you a 2 cm lift or a 3 cm lift. They’re made of silicone and so provide added cushioning to your heel – a big help for the tons of walking you have to do here.
Cost: $12.50 for the 3cm lift ones
Japanese people are also obsessed with ear canal cleanliness. Seriously. The colored Q-tips show the gunk you get out better, and the spiral shape really gets it all out. Or so I’m told.
Cost: $2.80 (from JBox.com; will ship to the U.S.)
Fake Eyelash Mascara
(sorry I can’t find a photo or a listing online, but basically, it looks like your average mascara)
Last year eyelash extensions were all the rage (I got some too) – they were cheap (about $80 for a full top set), lasted about 4-6 weeks if you were careful, indistinguishable from your natural eyelashes, you looked gorgeous round the clock with or without extra makeup….but they had problems, such as people being allergic to the glue, your natural eyelashes growing out and the extensions twisting and matting at strange angles and then poking you in the eye (yeah, that stage kind of sucked), and then your natural eyelashes growing in shorter or sparser because of the added weight and damage that the extensions had incurred. So now everyone’s just applying falsies for day and removing them at night with their makeup (even my 57-year-old MIL). But the problem is, no matter how realistic the false eyelashes look, they’re still kind of floating on top of your real ones. What to do? Enter this mascara, specially formulated to coat both natural and false eyelashes so that the two become indistinguishable. (Regular mascara can damage some types of falsies, but with this you can reuse your pair until they fall apart.)
Cost: $7
You know how, even after you shave your pits, you get this sort of bumpy terrain going on under there? I don’t necessarily mean ingrown hairs (which this product also helps alleviate), but just the sort of pit-appearance. It doesn’t look as nice as say, the skin on your forearm, does it? (Whether or not you use Dove Ultimate Visibly Smooth deodorant – which is specifically a growth retardent, not a skin-smoother per se.) Plus under there you also got deodorant buildup…well, it’s just an icky area of the body. Enter WakiLaLa Clear Wash, a product guaranteed to make your underamrs pikapika (smooth and shiny) by scrubbing away dead skin and deodorant buildup, and leave everything smelling fresh.
Cost: $7.50
Why didn’t they think of this sooner??? A pen with a tint made of self-tanner, you draw in your eyebrows with this (carefully, mind you) and even after you wash your makeup off what you drew lasts for 3-7 days. Brilliant – especially for those who’ve overplucked or have eyebrows so blond they disappear every time you wash your face (that’s me! Though not a problem most Japanese women have LOL)
Cost: $13 (the linked page above isn’t loading the product photo, so I’ve included the photo from this site here…the pens are henna-based, but still the same concept, tho they only last 3 days, and the Peach John version lasts up to 7)
I know you probably hadn’t thought about it before (I know I hadn’t), but those pierced ear holes get kind of…smelly and gunky after awhile, no? Clean them with ear hole floss! Like dental floss, but stiffer and shorter. Like a toothpick, but thinner and more pliable. Genius! I found both mint- and rosewater- scented versions.
Cost: $3
You can’t be female and survive Tokyo’s August without these. This work like blotting paper, except when you blot, the sheets impart a layer of soft, lightweight powder. Some sheets have separate functions for each side: one side wipes the sweat, the other re-seals your foundation once you’re done. Your makeup stays put no matter what! (And they have scented versions, and Men’s Sheets….)
Cost: $3
Most of these products you can only buy in Japan; the links on the titles will take you to pages where you can buy them but you have to have a shipping address in Japan. Some Asian supermarkets will sell them (I’ve seen the WakiLala Armpit Clear Wash at the local Uwajimaya in Oregon, for example). Some you may be able to buy on JBox.com (for example, the cotton swabs above), which is a treasure trove of all things Japanese!
xoxox from Tokyo
Carly
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Aug 19, 2009 | Fashion
[note: This was an article I wrote that was intended to post on FashionTribes.com sometime after New York Fashion Week. For unknown reasons, it never did. I felt really bad about that, and so wanted to post it on my blog to at least showcase the designer and his work, and publish the article, since I did spend some time on it. However, the information regarding the Ebay sale is now old news – so sorry to bore you guys!]
A name soon to be (if not already) on the lips of every fashionista in the know, Yigal Azrouël, chosen as Mercedes-Benz USA’s “Mercedes-Benz Presents” designer for Fall 2009, has a lot on his plate these days. Each Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, a designer who demonstrates unparalleled talent, pace-setting style and the highest quality craftsmanship is chosen to receive this honor (past recipients include Badgley Mischka, Peter Som, and Chado Ralph Rucci). Mercedes-Benz supports and celebrates the chosen designer throughout the week through the sponsorship of their runway space, access to the VIP Star Lounge for hosting media receptions, and a charitable donation to a design educational program/school on behalf of the designer and the Mercedes-Benz Presents Designer program. Yigal Azrouel was selected this year for his fresh, modern designs, meticulous attention to detail, and appreciation of exquisite fabrics.
Besides the commitments of being sponsored this season, the designer also had not one but two shows to put on: the Menswear and the Women’s RTW Fall 2009 Collections shown at the tents.
He used a darkly romantic inspiration for the Womens’ collection, interspersing his trademark drapey dresses with leather pieces such as skinny pants and a studded jacket. Azrouel, best-known as a self-taught draping expert, said “Sometimes I don’t really know what I’m doing, but it comes out when I start draping. I’m a draping designer.” His designs have been worn by celebrities including Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Alba. In addition to the shows, he also has two New York City brick-and-mortar boutiques: one in the Meatpacking District, and a second store that opened in Watermill in 2008.
If that weren’t enough on his dance card, the young designer also has entered into a partnership with eBay, where he plans to offer pieces from his Spring/Summer 2009 Collection for sale on the site this summer. Proceeds will be donated to the Natural Resources Defense Council, an organization that works to protect both wildlife and their habitats, ensuring a healthy environment for all life on earth. The charity sale (not standard eBay auction!), launching June 4 on eBay.com will offer all items at fixed, below-retail-prices. The drapey, feminine designs of his eponymous line will finally be available to women around the world who may not have had access to them previously.
Ultimately, both the pieces in the upcoming sale and those in the designer’s current collection display a fluidity and femininity, combined with an ease of wear and a chicness that elevates them beyond that same-old, same-old we tend to see so much nowadays. If you are in the New York area don’t hesitate to stop by one of the boutiques and try something on…you’re guaranteed to find something flattering and stylish…and if you don’t happen to live in New York there’s always the eBay sale starting June 4.
Designer Yigal Azrouel and some random girl hogging the photo op. The bag I made for Fashion Week also made the shot, apparently. Isn’t the Y.A. adorable??
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