Packing for Tokyo

Every time I have ever traveled to Tokyo I pull out all stops when it comes to my wardrobe. This is one of the most fashionable cities on the planet and I do not want to be mistaken for a tourist. Of course, I'm not a local either, but how about a fashionable expat at least? It is definitely true that I put more effort into thinking about how I am going to dress in Tokyo than in Portland, and I'm not alone. Many of my friends confess to me that they wear their best clothes on vacation. Short trips to other destinations provide us opportunities to temporarily live other lives, and those other lives demand other wardrobes.

For fashion trips like this I like to plan a theme. That helps me narrow my choices and helps me to make different outfits with similar clothes. This year, my Tokyo wardrobe theme is Summer Goth. Black is of course the main color, with floral accents and stripes. The challenge was to  find clothes that were model (protect me from the sun), breathable and cool (due to the heat and humidity), would show my sweat, and wouldn’t get uncomfortable after walking around in them for 12 hours. For accessories, I kept it very, very simple. Here is what I ended up with:

• 2 pairs of leggings: lace, solid, and lace shorts
• 2 belts: tie belt and Dior belt
• 1 pair of shorts
• 1 pair of pants
• 2 tank tops
• 3 dresses: 1 maxi and 1 short and 1 self-made
• 3 jackets: 1 long sheer jacket, 1 short lace jacket, and 1 short sheer jacket
• 1 necklace
• 1 pair of sunglasses
• 1 ring

Winter is coming...

Actually, winter has long been here, so I finally  got to pull out my amazing cashmere coat (thanks grandma) and scarf from Pakistan to put this colorful outfit together. 

So much of my winter style is just:

scarf x coat x bag

Underneath I'm wearing a blah shirt and pants. Easy. 

Coat: vintage via grandma

Scarf: from Pakistan

Bag: vintage Coach, from my aunt

What I Bought in LA

I rarely buy souvenirs or showcase them from other cities in the United States. For the most part, there isn’t anything really notable about what I buy in other cities, and for the most part I don’t buy anything at all on my travels. In fact, this is the first Buy Post that features a U.S. city and for a very good reason.

I never had the chance to really shop of my three previous trips to LA, but on my fourth, in which I traveled with my BFF, practically all we did was shop vintage store, thrift stores, farmers markets, and flea markets for awesome apparel and accessories. Here is my LA buy list:

Vintage handbags

Coach laptop bag (made before laptops existed) from Squaresville

Coach crossbody from the Pasadena Rosebowl

Vintage clothes

Black Lace dress from Pasadena Rosebowl

Black Dress from Pasadena Rosebowl

Blue Dress from Pasadena Rosebowl

Black shawl from Pasadena Rosebowl

Sheer Black shirt from Squaresville

Sequin Butterfly top from Squaresville

Black Normal Miller jacket from the Silver Lake Farmers Market

Woo accessories

Pentagram necklace from Spellbound Sky

Black candle (for banishing negative energy) from Spellbound Sky

The End of An Era

2017: My last cafe trip with Nylon; also pictured, my 2017 agenda, and Tote from Athens

I am writing this from a café which is both old and new to me. I was first introduced to Insomnia Coffee mere weeks after I moved to Portland in 2009. At the time, there was only one location off of Baseline road in Beaverton and I loved their ice chai so much I made the 20+ minute drive from my house every weekend. Naturally, Insomnia was the perfect setting for my ritual of reading Nylon magazine at a café. What began as a simple weekend amusement in boring Orange County, turned into an obsession over time which lead me to reading this magazine in cafes all over the world.

Alas, after a ten-year subscription to Nylon (which was transferred from Kinokuniya in Costa Mesa, California to Portland, Oregon to Oda, Japan, back to Portland, Oregon) I have decided to end my ritual. My reasons are many, and considered how long I have maintained this ritual, the extent to which it has followed me around the world (Japan, South Korea, Thailand), and how beloved it was to me, I feel I owe myself en explanation.

2015: A photo I took after moving back to Portland. Also pictured are my 2015 agenda, and Tote from Seoul. 

1. Nylon Magazine Changed

Nylon magazine changed for the worse in April of 2016. The magazine became significantly thinner, the paper became more light weight and shiny, like a cheap tabloid periodical. The back half of the magazine felt like it was made out of newsprint. The one provocative covers were replaced by close-ups of heavily made-up models. The visual aesthetic changed significantly as well. Instead of edgy contemporary styles, every model looks like she could have been pulled right out of a Nirvana concert. I don’t mean I just dislike the current season. I have had a subscription for over a decade; I have been loyal to this magazine even when the mainstream trends don’t appeal to me. I have help on through good and bad seasons. What I am seeing now is not a new season. It is a new direction for the magazine. And I dislike it. In fact, I dislike it so much that I recycled the new Nylon issues, something shocking considered how well-preserved my collection is from 2005 and on. 

Left: last issue of good Nylon; Right: first issue of bad Nylon. See the difference? 

2. Insomnia Café Changed

After building a new location 10 minutes further on Amberbrook Road, I began frequenting that store. It was great for a while. I also got a good seat. Customers where quiet and courteous, but the neighborhood has grown considerably in the last few years, and last few times I went there were not positive. It has now become so crowded that it is nearly impossible to find an open seat at any time during the weekend. This has become the de facto hangout for high school sports teams, coming in ground of ten or fifteen at once. Parents have started taking their tiny children there; not just one or two, but I once saw a father drag in a wheelbarrow of six toddlers. Barista have taken to playing 90s hits like the Backstreet Boys. It is no longer a place where I can read my magazine in peace. It does not create the ambiance I prefer.

Nylons from all over the world, read in cafes all over the world

3. I Changed

I made several lifestyle changes recently which seem incompatible with this ritual. First, I am no longer eating or drinking sugar. This means I cannot order my once favorite Iced Chai Latte, and if I can’t order that, there is no point going to Insomnia because I can get much better lattes in cafes closer to my home in Portland. Second, I no longer find joy in the long drive to the café, preferring instead to walk 30-40 minutes to cafes in SE Portland. Walking is healthier as well. Third, I am no longer reading fashion magazines. I realize now that one of the biggest contributors to my poor self-esteem and self-image is the fact that I have been constantly reading fashion magazines which, insist on showing me nothing but bone-thin beauty. I will never look like these women, so why should I keep looking at them. From now on, I will seek out new fashion ideas from bloggers who not only share my aesthetic, but also my body type.

My tradition of reading Nylon at cafes brought me much joy and stability for many years. I am a creature of habit, but this habit has seen its last days. I celebrate the end of an era at Insomnia’s newest location in downtown Hillsboro, where I have come for the first and last time.

Goodbye Nylon.

Goodbye Insomnia.