Month: July 2017

Festival Yatai MTL! and yukata outing

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What’s this? Another outing for yours truly?! It feels good getting back into the swing of things.

This weekend a friend was in town, and the first Yatai MTL! street food festival was happening, so we decided to go in yukata. Since she was visiting from a ways away, I lent her one of my yukata and obi, and I’m glad to see it getting some use.

One of the awesome things about Montreal is the sheer number of awesome events and festivals that happen during this summer. This year is no exception, because the city is celebrating her 375th birthday. This weekend alone, aside from the festival we went to, had the Formula E electric car races, Just For Laughs!, the International Fireworks competition, and quite possibly other small ones I’m not even aware of. Because of all this, all the public transit in the city was free. However, because of this, the public transit in the city was also the busiest I’ve ever seen it. We were delayed getting out, and the metro was a horrible swamp of humanity. However, we made it to our first stop without too much drama. We began the afternoon by fortifying ourselves with lovely microbrew beers from Dieu Du Ciel, an awesome local brewery. My friend’s brother came with us and was kind enough to act as photographer for the day.

Thus fortified, we headed to the festival on foot. It was a gorgeous day, and yukata were perfectly comfortable and breezy. The walk to the park where the festival was being held was short, and we got there uneventfully. That’s when things went sideways. This was the festival’s first year, and they were clearly massively unprepared for the volume of people attending. We got there less than an hour after opening, and the lineups for food were over two hours long, and they had already run out of several dishes. We worked in shifts, taking turns in the line, and eventually got our okonomiyaki, which was the only dish available at the kiosk we got to. It was absolutely delicious, I will give them that! I also found a vegan mocha popsicle, which warmed my shrivelled little dairy-intolerant heart. However, considering how long we’d been waiting it wasn’t nearly enough food, and none of us were willing to wait another two hours we decided to find a restaurant to fill us up.

After another quick jaunt on uncomfortably crowded public transit we found our way to Kurobuta Izekaya & Ramen-Ya, an awesome homey Japanese pub-style eatery. I got two of my standby favourites, agedashi tofu and takoyaki, and they were both delicious. My dinner companions both got ramen, and I tried a bit, it was delicious too. If you’re looking for a comfortable, entirely unpretentious Japanese eatery in the Mount Royal area of Montreal, I highly recommend a stop here.

The day may have been waaaaay longer than we’d anticipated, and there was an awful lot of frustrated, cramped, waiting around but in the end good food with good company in adorable outfits made it all worthwhile!

Items used in this coordination

Ariel – Disney Princess Kitsuke Project

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🎵Look at this stuff, isn’t it neat?🎵

Six weeks ago, I found a kimono on ebay that was perfectly reminiscent of Belle’s yellow ballgown from Beauty & The Beast. I snatched it up, and thus the ridiculous Disney Princess Kitsuke Project was born. I spent the following weeks plotting out coordinations for every single one of the official princesses. Made a few purchases, but mostly tried to use my existing collection. However, six weeks in, that gorgeous gold kimono still hasn’t arrived. I felt my frustration setting in and my motivation up and running away. I knew the only way to keep myself on track was to work on some of the other princesses in the interim.

Ariel seemed like a good starting point, as she was the first “new” princess of my youth. I definitely identify the most with Belle (nerdy idealistic brunette? come on!) but had very strong memories of Ariel too so she seemed like logical next best thing. I chose my teal green hakama to mimic her tail, a sparkly purple komon to match her purple shell bra, and my shell haneri. It’s not very visible, but of course I had to use my whale hanhaba obi under the hakama, right? Last time I was at the craft store, I kept an eye out for charms and decorative items I could use in this project, and the first thing I found was a cute little shell charm. I figured I could work with that, and then I stumbled across the dinglehopper and couldn’t have been happier! I assembled them together with some silver chain, and some pearly beads and starfish charms finished it off perfectly.

Overall, I think this first outfit in the project came out exactly how I wanted it to. Which is a good thing, because now my motivation is back on track for the rest of them! I’ll likely be aiming to doing one a week, and then a big collective entry when they’re all complete. I hope you come back to see the others.

Items used in this coordination

Art Gallery – Fuji Musume Doll (and repairs)

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You may have seen the little souvenir doll I fixed up recently, and maybe even the ceramic hakata-style dancer I refinished, but this pretty Fuji Musume has been waiting for her moment in the spotlight since February of 2016! She had a very brief cameo on my Instagram account but has been in hiding ever since, unless you’ve been in my bedroom.

I found her in an antique shop near my house before I found the other two dolls. The owner tried to tell me she was in “perfect condition”, but once I took her out and had a good look at her I could see that absolutely was not the case. The delicate painting on her face was faded and chipped, her wisteria branch was sun-damaged and brittle, the structure under her hair was almost bleached, and there was a not insignificant crack in the bisque on the back of her neck. I managed to talk him down to a more than reasonable price for her and her glass case. I knew I wanted to restore her beauty, but I had no idea where to start, aside from the obvious things like getting her a new wisteria branch. While that was in the works, I focused on the other dolls and the things I learnt doing those two helped prepare me for more on her.

Jess from Tiaras ‘n Teakettles came to the rescue for the wisteria! I sent her photos and measurements of the original branch and she crafted this beautiful tsumami branch by hand. It’s got a lovely weight to it, the dangles flow gracefully, and it fits perfectly between her hands. I didn’t even have to glue it, it balances so well.

Once that was sorted I knew it was time to tackle the more serious issues. Her lips were lacquered in an almost glassy red that had cracked and split and faded over time. I ended up having to use Tamiya paint thinner to strip the original off properly, and then used watercolours to repaint her lips and add a tiny hint of red to her eyes. I feel like it helps breathe new life into her facial features.

Next up was the most challenging bit; repairing the cracked bisque on the back of her neck. Thankfully it was just a surface defect, not a structural one, and with the way she stands in her display case it’s virtually unnoticeable, but I knew it was there and I wanted to fix it. I tried a few different things before stumbling upon crafting chalk paint. It’s easy to find in any large craft store such as Michaels. I bought a bottle of white and mixed in the tiniest amounts of peach and brown to make it warmer and less stark. I worked in incredibly thin coats, brushing it over the crack and wiping away the excess each time, essentially filling the crack in with the chalk paint and blending the edges out with a wet brush. If you’re right next to her or looking through a camera lens you can see it faintly, but it’s nearly gone.

Finally I used a black marker to fill in the bald spots on the sides of her hairstyle, repositioned her obiage and gave her a new obijime. I felt that the original one she came with was too big in scale and to starkly white, but I found this thinner gold cord that works perfectly.

I am so glad I waited to work on her, because I know I’ve done the best job possible instead of eagerly rushing through things as I am sometimes wont to do. I love her to bits, and she occupies place of pride on a table next to my sofa now.

Also, you may be thinking to yourself “Isn’t this primarily a kimono blog? Why aren’t you posting any actual kimono lately?” and I would like to address that briefly. I’ve been feeling under the weather, and combined with the heat and humidity this summer, I have no energy to even wrestle with the mannequin. However, I do have a big project in the works, and hopefully it will make up for the sparsity and somewhat disjointed nature of the posts lately! I just need the weather to calm down a little, and the last of the pieces I’ve ordered to arrive in the mail.

Lush Peony Ikebana

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It’s been incredibly hot and muggy and rainy out here lately. While it’s not particularly fun for me it’s been fantastic for the garden! I managed to catch this vivid pink peony at the ideal time; it’s blousy and open without a hint of decay on it yet. I knew I wanted to balance it out with some foliage, and decided to keep it all to things I could get from the garden. The hosta leaves provide a sense of grounding, and the little white flowers feel sweet and fresh. I will be honest, I don’t know what they are. The vessel is one I found at a thrift shop a few weeks back, and felt cool and refreshing, perfect for a heady, humid arrangement.

Ichiroya Vendor Spotlight

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Welcome to a new feature here on Kimono Tsuki! While I have shared shopping tips and tricks before, I often receive questions asking if a particular vendor online is a reliable source and I thought it would be beneficial to shine a spotlight on some of the excellent vendors and dealers out there.

For the first installment of this feature, who better to feature than Ichiroya. Run by a lovely couple named Ichiro and Yuka Wada, Ichiroya has been bringing vintage kimono to the public since 2001. They were one of the first stores to make purchasing kimono simple for people outside of Japan. Their team has grown slightly over the years, but they remain a small, friendly, and very knowledgeable company. Their selection is updated almost every day and they stock everything from Taisho-era vintage formal pieces to modern and inexpensive yukata.

The site is quite well laid-out and easy to navigate, especially if you’re used to large Japanese shopping portals like  Rakuten, which can get a little overwhelming. There’s a huge variety in stock, from vintage to modern and from inexpensive yukata to major investment pieces. A little something for everyone, from the beginner to the seasoned collector! The listings are always incredibly detailed, with a full list of flaws, age spots, etc. A few times I’ve purchased things and been unable to find the “flaws” that were pointed out on the listings. It just goes to show you how thorough they are.

One of the ways Ichiroya stands out is the customer service. Everyone who works there is not only incredibly helpful and knowledgeable, but they’re also very kind. If you’re a beginner, or looking for a gift and don’t know where to start, they will gladly communicate with you before you make a purchase. They include lovely little gifts with every purchase. Usually something small like a fabric sample or a little postcard, but it’s a lovely gesture. They’ve also taken the time to answer questions I’ve had about kimono I didn’t even buy there! Now that’s amazing customer service.

Ichiroya also has an offshot project, Kimonotte Factory, where they can make kimono with modern size, comfort, and convenience using custom-printed fabric with vintage designs. This is especially awesome for folks who love the bold look of Taisho Roman or early Showa fashions but need a bigger size, or are worried about ruining delicate vintage fabrics. There are a few pieces I would absolutely love to have here (this lavender rose komon and this beautiful floral obi come to mind), but they are not in my budget for the time being. One day, though!

Mugi, the owners’ daughter, also runs a lovely Tumblr account called Mugi’s Kimono World where she shares lots of fun and funky coordinated outfits, so if you’re looking for inspiration after having made a purchase, do check that out too!

Quality and Selection

Ichiroya has an enormous selection of products, and add more nearly every single day. The site is also very well organised, which makes it easy to find what you want. Or you can browse and end up falling in love with something unexpected. The quality of the pieces varies, as to be expected with vintage items, but they’re always incredibly up-front about the condition of each item.

5 out of 5 stars

Ease of Use

The site navigation is very straightforward, and adding items to your cart is as easy as a couple of clicks. However, the ordering process has a step you might not be used to if you’ve only shopped online in North America, or only with large retailers. After you’ve placed and submitted your order, you have to wait until they get back to you with the invoice, at which point you can pay easily with PayPal or a credit card.

4 out of 5 stars

Customer Service

I cannot say enough good things about the customer service at Ichiroya. As I mentioned above, all the employees are incredibly helpful and friendly, always willing to go the extra mile to help out a potential customer. They are just genuinely lovely people.

5 out of 5 stars

Prices

This is a tough thing to quantify, as there are currently items under $10 and items over $1000 listed. When it comes to kimono, there are so many things to factor in when it comes to price. Age, rarity, condition, etc. Since most of these items are one-of-a-kind, it’s not easy to comparison-shop. However, their prices are more than competitive when all of these things are factored into account. Whatever your budget is, you’re certain to find something you’ll love.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Shipping

They offer multiple shipping options, depending on your budget and timeframe. When ordering from Japan, EMS tends to be the most reliable option, but it’s also the most expensive. SAL is cheaper, but slower and uninsured. Whatever rate you choose, though, they are always quick about getting the order out, it’s always carefully packed, and there is always a lovely little extra in the package.

5 out of 5 stars

All in all, whether you’re looking to add to an existing collection or just dipping your toes in, I cannot recommend Ichiroya highly enough!