Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Bubbles and Gelato

     So it's been work as usual recently, and while we do definitely appreciate the ever-increasing level of normalcy, it was tough to get back into the groove of things. It didn't help that our work day, now slightly shorter in order to reduce electricity consumption, was unbalanced as we started later in the morning but still had the same huge stretch of work after lunch. Ugh.
     At least some respite was offered in the fact that I totally loved the outfit I wore on Sunday. I wore a pretty decent one on Saturday too, but when I tried to snap pics in the bathroom after work I found a coworker in the bathroom who, no kidding, spent 15 to 20 minutes touching up her make-up...at like 6:30 at night. I hope she had a hot date or something that she was prepping for, rather than just wasting time after work and preventing me from indulging in my own vanity (of taking outfit pictures, that is, I never touch up my make-up during the day save for using a few oil blotting sheets or using a q-tip to remove any eyeliner smudges). Oh well, you win some, you lose some.
     But on Sunday I had the ladies' room all to myself, so I was able to take photographic evidence of what may be the best skirt I own (quite a bold statement, since I have about 15 of them). Paired with my recently found and favored oatmeal turtleneck AND my recently cut and treated hair, I was in a pretty decent mood that day. Ladies and ladies, I give you the Golden Bubbles skirt:
Sucking in a rather sizable food baby post-lunch.
     This is the first (and so far the only) J. Crew skirt that I bought, and I took a gamble and bought it sight unseen on-line. Since it was crazily discounted there were only a few left, some 6s and 12s. In Zara, Gap, and BR I wear either a size 6 or 8 depending on the fit, so I was a bit hesitant in case the 6 wouldn't work out. After reading a few reviews, though, it seemed that J. Crew skirts usually run a bit large, so I thought the 6 would probably be fine. And happily, it was! It even seemed a bit lose in the waist when I first looked it over, but once I pulled it on over my turtleneck/undershirt layers it was a nice close fit. The skirt itself is made of a rather heavy textured jacquard fabric, embossed with a circle pattern that is sprinkled with a few dots of golden metallic thread. The skirt is fully lined in a champagne color and is fastened with a sturdy zip in the back. As with most heavy fabrics, the skirt barely even wrinkles and after a full day of work only required a quick pass of an iron over the kick-pleat and pelvic area to rectify any crinkling.
Oatmeal turtleneck (Zara), Golden Bubbles pencil skirt (J. Crew), gold-tone charm bracelet (anemone Japan)
     So now I'm a big fan of J. Crew cardigans AND skirts, which is a bit dangerous! But luckily for my bank account we're steadily approaching spring over here in Tokyo, which means I won't be buying many more clothes until fall/winter season later this year. Maybe it's because I don't really like spring/summer clothes that much or it may be because summer here is so brutal and humid that it makes no sense to wear nice clothes anyways, but I always buy less clothes when warm weather comes around. But for another month at least I can probably get away with my winter wear, and even though today is a sunny 65 degrees here, Tokyo climate usually dips in and out of the cold and rainy (and sometimes even snowy) end of the weather spectrum throughout April.
     Speaking of cold weather, I recently came across an awesome lounge wear label called Gelato Pique (yup, makes no sense, but the name is at least cute). They make super soft and fuzzy at-home wear, and yesterday I bought myself two tops because I knew I'd need them for the Toronto winter later this year.
They are probably the most comfortable things I own, and I especially love the shawl collar on the zip-up; I don't really like hoodies but a regular collar line is a bit chilly in winter. I'm even considering buying one for my fiancee...in the most masculine color I can find, of course! Especially since he just bought himself (and by extension, myself) an awesome new toy:
It's a girl! Her name is Ripley (yes, she's named after the badass character from the Alien franchise).
     He had intended to get a new MacBook once we moved back to Canada, but we found that the Japanese prices are basically the same, and in some cases even cheaper. Previously we had been using a reasonably priced second-hand MacBook (not a Pro, though) but it's been having a few issues. I suspect the previous owner did a number on it, since my own 6 year-old iBook has never had so much as a hiccup. I'm definitely liking the new Snow Leopard OS... and with the newest version of iTunes I was able to update the software on my 2G iPod Touch (it was actually a free gift, and I'll be replacing it with an iPhone in Toronto), which is pretty sweet. We went with the basic 15" version, though we did get a model with an American/English keyboard. The Japanese keyboard isn't so different, and has the major advantage of featuring a dedicated "@" key, but when you want to use an apostrophe you have to press shift, which gets pretty annoying. As for software, we eventually went with the native iWork pack instead of the much pricier Office suite, since we can't really see having to use the Office applications, and it helps keep Ripley free of MS stuff.
     Okay, enough tech talk! Have a good weekend, everybody!

5 comments:

  1. You look amazing in that skirt, I love your skirt so much.

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  2. Thanks Tereza! J. Crew skirts are definitely out of my price range, but I will definitely purchase more when they go on sale!

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  3. The skirt looks great on you :) I love the print on it too.
    Dora

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  4. That Skirt is amazing, and looks awesome on you..

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  5. Thanks ladies! The skirt is great, isn't it? I love how the print is unique but still understated.

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