Billowy in Ginza

     Today was the last of the string of Golden Week holidays here in Japan, and tomorrow it's back to work I go. Normally I spend my Sundays (well, Wednesdays) or any public holidays embowered in my apartment to revel in a day of total sloth-asides and to avoid the hordes of people that descend on every cafe, train station, and shop in the Tokyo area on any given weekend or holiday. But since I already had a day of sloth yesterday, and because the road crews had once again started jack-hammering away at our street, I decided to head out to do a bit of shopping.

     Normally I go shopping in Shinjuku, the most downtown of all of Tokyo's downtowns, home to department store flagships, the metropolitan government offices, my own workplace, and the world's busiest train station. It's convenient and every shop that I frequent has at least one branch there. But though it's easy to shop in Shinjuku, it's not that enjoyable or relaxing. It's near work, it's full of stressed out people running every which way, and it's home to a large population of bums and, well, weirdos. So instead I decided to head a bit further afield to Ginza which, while also crowded, is a much more pleasant place to shop. The streets are much wider and the (mostly rich) people there don't tend to stare rudely at you or try to practice their junior high Engrish on you. Furthermore, the shops in Ginza usually have much better and newer inventory; the Zara there is small, but always has the latest collection, and the H&M there is the best in Tokyo.

East Shinjuku (photo not mine), not yet that crowded

Ginza, at normal crowd level (photo not mine). Look, trees! A VERY rare sight in Tokyo.

    I didn't get anything that exciting, mostly some undershirts and a plain white cardigan for layering, though I did get a very nice leather cosmetics pouch and a red silk dress/top at Zara (which was  bizarrely only $30). I saw this dress/top that I absolutely LOVED at Forever21; it was very non-F21, the print was large and only consisted of 3 colors...more Zara than F21. The problem? The top of the dress was very roomy, but the bottom was super tapered and tight, which caused the lining to bunch up like crazy around the midsection. Shame. Here's a pic of it from F21's US site:

Yeah, it does NOT fit like that in real life. According to the site, the model is 5'10" and wearing a small. If by small they mean a medium that has had the back seam ripped open, then sure!

     Despite the crushing defeat, I was still in a very good mood, enjoying the nice but not too warm weather and my awesome outfit of the day. I wore my go-to Zara skinnies/jeggings, my gray suede sandals, and this fantastic medallion-print blouse from Topshop:

Yes, I took a photo of myself in the fitting room at Zara. 

     It's rare for me to wear something this billowy. I usually wear clothes that are much more body-conscious (but still rather covered up, no spaghetti straps for me, thanks) because, well, I like my body very much. Yeah, I know, we women are not supposed to say that, but whatever, my parents gave me great self-esteem LOL. But I saw this blouse on the "Last Chance to Buy" rack at Topshop two weeks ago and I just needed it. Its base is a soft peachy-salmon, which is probably my favorite clothing color after grey, and the medallion print is just awesome. And while the top is indeed loose and billowy, it still shows the lines of the body enough to avoid the pregnancy effect. 

Close-up of the print

     It was also a sentimental purchase for me, because Topshop always reminds me of the year I spent living in London whilst doing my MA. I lived very close to Oxford Circus and I'd always meet my friends at the iconic Topshop before we headed off to a ridiculously overpriced movie at Leicester Square or a ridiculously cheap meal in Chinatown. Of course, the teeny-tiny Tokyo branch is a far cry from the massive UK stores, but still, I'm glad that I can visit a little piece of London whenever I feel like it.