bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Masturi in London, Dalston Roof Park

Last weekend, the fiancé and I headed down the road to Dalston Roof Park for Matsuri in London.
For those who don’t know ‘matsuri’ is Japanese for festival, which means food, drink and a good time.
The event itself was set up by Fumio Tanga of Sho Foo Doh & Tim Anderson (Masterchef 2011 Winner).
Some of London’s best Japanese street food, cocktails, cinema, music and artists gathered for the event.
We arrived to Dalston Roof Park and a very long line of confused people – some had tickets and others didn’t. It took a bunch of us enquiring for the problem to be solved but eventually after waiting for a bit we headed in. We were greeted by a very sunny & hot roof top, where we proceeded to jump upon refreshing green tea cocktails. It was good that we had bought tickets as the venue soon started filling up and buzzing with excitement from eager foodies etc. We indulged in okonomiyaki and karaage burgers whilst lounging on the roof top, taking in a bird’s eye view of East London. It was pretty relaxing and the food was more than good. However we didn’t notice or hear about any of the ‘special events’ that were supposed to be taking place. I was also a little sad when I went to buy some matcha soft cream and was told the flavour was changing, and I would have to wait 30 minutes. Sorry guys but I only wait for matcha.
Overall I had a good time at the event, thanks to good food and company.
I’d definitely head to Dalston Roof Park again and I hope another ‘Matsuri in London’ is held next year.
bloomzy /

Guest Post: When Fashion & Culture Clash!

It’s been a while since I featured a guest post and I think this is a great one to come back with!
The lovely Alina is from Germany and blogs at ‘A Panda in Wonderland‘. She is passionate about fashion and travelling, amongst other things. Psst, she’s also currently running a giveaway!

Today she will be sharing with you how she doesn’t give up on her personal style, even when it means loving the fashion of one culture (Japan) that conflicts with her own (Germany).

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When the doors of the arrival gate opens it is not only the cold, rainy weather that welcomes me back to Germany but also the judging gazes that lie upon me.
I’ve been traveling back and forth to Japan since 2008 and the problem of wearing my japanese outfits back home has not gotten any better. In my opinion some countries are either too conservative or too boring to accept something ‘different’ from what they see everyday. Seriously, doesn’t wearing jeans and T-shirts all the time get boring?

The usual comments I receive (most people don’t even have the courage to say it to my face) are: ‘Isn’t that too short?’ , ‘What’s with the dolly look, she must be one of those anime freaks!’ or ‘How old is she to think that she can wear such pattern?!’ Most of them giggle or point fingers on top of that. Honestly speaking, I don’t really give a damn anymore what they think since I rather wear my unique outfits than drown in the boring crowd of Jeans.
I’m facing the same problems with hair accessories like bows or hairbands. In Japan you are constantly being complimented on them while back home everyone is rolling their eyes. It is scary how some people just can’t tolerate what they aren’t used to.

If you have ever been to Tokyo, you are probably aware of the fact that almost no one looks the same, outfit wise. They all have their own style, a different hairdo and fashion taste, yet it seems to be tolerated by everyone around them. If you have time, sit down in a nice câfe and watch the people who pass by, it always inspires me fashion wise.
Colorful or patterned tights are also a little bit risky over here. You immediately end up in the cheap woman section even though you are just trying to pimp your simple H&M dress. Ridiculous in my opinion. Clubbing in my ‘night out’ outfits from Japan is a unbelievable pain in the ass because everything that Japanese consider stylish (Oshare) is judged as slutty over here.
So no matter what you do, you either end up in the ‘slutty’ or the ‘anime freak with no taste’ section. Even though you are just chosing another fashion style than the majority is.

Nevertheless, I’ll continue with my personal style and would like to encourage everybody else who is facing the same problem to do the same.
After all it’s me (you) who have to feel comfortable in what you wear not everybody else 😉

bloomzy /

Style Inspiration: Kiko Mizuhara

American-Korean Model Kiko Mizuhara

My current style inspiration comes from the gorgeous Kiko Mizuhara.
I adore her playful, fun take on fashion and how she works that into her own personal style.
Her mix of edgy, masculine and feminine into her looks really calls out to me and my own style.
She works primarily in Japan, therefore her style is influenced by the culture.
However she also wears and works with European brands.
It’s this mixture that I can relate to.
Not only is my style influenced by Kiko though – I also love the simplicity of her day-to-day make-up looks.
She’s a beautiful woman and doesn’t need make-up but when she does wear it, it’s complimentary to her style.
I should also add that my recent change in hairstyle may have ever so slightly been influenced by Kiko.
These photos were taken from Kiko’s Instagram.

bloomzy /

Photo Diary: Celebrating in Style

Photo Diary Catch-up – Celebrating in Style
I’ve been accessorising like crazy lately!
That’s all thanks to the lovely people who bought me these lovely presents.
The neon accent leather cuff (Whistles) is from my parents and the studded bracelets (Zara) from a friend.
My Tatty Devine crowns look amazing layered, thank you to Dodo & Randa, as well as my grandparents!
I’ve also been nibbling on treats from Japan.
Zak bought me some leopard print chocolate & banana sponge cakes.
You can purchase them in the Tokyo Sky Tree – Tokyo’s latest tourist attraction.
Of course I have to nibble whilst having perfectly manicured hands – I used Mavala polish & glitter.
For my birthday I visited the Victoria & Albert Museum.
We had a look around and had lunch in the amazing food hall.
The same friend who bought me the bracelets also bought me macarons.
They were gone in only a couple of days – and that was after holding myself back!
I also took my parents to The Breakfast Club, who haven’t stopped going on about it since.
Finally, a big thank you to Nintendo who sent me a Nintendo 3DS XL and a copy of the new Style Boutique game.
Expect a review soon, because I can’t get enough of it!!

bloomzy /

Grrr I’m a Dinosaur!

Dinosaur headband, from Universal Studios Japan

How amazing is this birthday present from my good friend Zak!
He knows me far too well because when he headed back to Japan he picked up this.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I knew he had bought me a birthday present in Japan.
I was even more confused when I opened the wrapping and found a Universal Studios bag.
I promised Zak I would work this into an OOTD.
I wonder if I can work this into an outfit for London Fashion Week?
It could probably be done, although I’m not sure that it would be as appreciated by others as it is by me.
Anyway, I think you guys can see how amazing this headband is, and I love it to pieces!
What do I name him? Send me your suggestions!

bloomzy /

Street Style: Tokyo

Street Style Snaps taken in Tokyo from Fashion Latte & Tokyo Fashion

As my blog started as a Japanese fashion blog all those years ago, I wanted to pay homage to that.
The amazing fashion seen on the streets of Tokyo is one of the main things I miss about my second home.
Even though in recent years it has been highly influenced by London and ‘Blogger Style’ it’s still very unique.
Models, Idols, Artists and Bloggers are born on the streets of Tokyo, whether it’s Harajuku, Shibuya or Shinjuku.
Fashion Latte is a website I found out about recently when a friend had her photo taken for them.
They are an international site who feature photos from Tokyo, New York, Paris and London.
However they are primarily a Japanese site, but navigating your way through the site isn’t too difficult.
Click on the black button that reads スナップ and then choose your location to view recent street styles.
As for Tokyo Fashion, well they’re quite a well known and established site already.
Entirely in English you can navigate your way through the various areas of Tokyo.
It’s wonderful for seeing the trends and styles that reign in one ward of the city to the next.
I took a couple of street snaps myself during my time in Tokyo, which you can view here.

Source; 1, 2