Ladies' High Tea and Fashion P - a - r - t - y...because I gotta!

A few weeks too late, but better late than never! These are some pics we snapped at the ladies’ high tea I held at the apartment a while back. All in the name of fashion, food and fun, it was a fabulous afternoon of chit chat, shopping, eating and drinking. Thanks to all the lovely ladies that came to support Trixie and Flo! I have three very important recipes to share with you: The best carrot cake, the best cream cheese icing, and the best sangria recipes IN THE WORLD!

Goodbye Spring

The longest day of the year has arrived, which means it’s the peak of summer season here in Japan! You wouldn’t think so considering grey skies dominate and beaches are yet to officially open. I always thought it amusing that even if it was a very hot day, 99% of Japanese people won’t go to the beach if it’s not officially beach season. I’ve been asked countless times if South Africa experiences four seasons, and thinking it a silly question I’d always say an astounding yes. After living here in Japan for nearly two years I think I view that question in an entirely different sense. It has allowed me to experience each season’s distinct foods, flora and festivals in all of their cultural pride.  It’s honestly a pride and distinction unlike anything I’ve ever experienced at home. The year is actually further divided into 24 “sekki” which are given names that translate into things like “summer solstice”, “small heat” and “large heat”. These pictures I snapped in April can act as a final goodbye to Japanese spring and a hello to the “large heat” that will soon grace us with its sweaty presence!

I got a streetshot thrill in Osaka

 Sneak a picture, or ask and run the risk of being denied?

In Onomichi and Setoda, I wandered lonely as a cloud

A set of pictures that remind me of some solo wanderings, times when I made the effort to notice my surroundings and see the beauty in the little things: views from above and views from below, sunsets and heavy skies, colours and textures, layers and landscapes. Wordsworth describes it best: 

“For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills

And dances with the daffodils.”

These photographs may not be of daffodils, but I can look at them and think back and smile at many a time when I stumbled upon beauty while “wandering lonely as a cloud”. 

Hiroshima Art Exhibition

There’s nothing like a good deadline in the form of an art exhibition to motivate and inspire! Hiroshima’s Charity Art Bonanza provided just that… an exhibition featuring work from 8 different artists, including painting, photography, fashion and embroidery. The event was an incredible success, raising just over 100 000 yen for “Brighter than Tomorrow”, a charity run by Estelle Hebert, which supports the victims of the March 11 disaster in the fishing town of Funakoshi in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. Sarah, Harriet, Dave and Jackie did an amazing job organising, and thanks to everyone that popped in for support. I couldn’t have asked for a better afternoon in the city: chatting, sipping wine and appreciating unexpected talents.

Check out my portfolio to read more about the three dresses I exhibited as part of a range called “When I grow up”. In hopes of not sounding too pretentious, I did attach personal meaning to each garment, and hope it proves that fashion can also be a personally symbolic form of art. The last two dresses have already been pinched but if you’re interested in purchasing the first white one please drop me an email at trixieandflo@gmail.com. Or just let me know what you think of the range! xoxo 

DIY flower crown

With summer approaching and the fresh memory of spring blossoms, I’d been thinking about making one of these flower crowns for a while. I’d seen the hippie headbands all over stores in April, but if like me, you happen to be blessed with pixie ears and thin hair, you’re going to need something with a little more structure. If you know me well, you’ll know I’m a hippie at heart so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on some silk flowers and wire and get to work. Thanks to Bleubird and Green Wedding Shoes for the inspiration and know how, and thanks to Sayo for snapping my end result. What do you think? Hope you like it! xoxo.

I got a streetshot thrill while trying to call a taxi in Kyoto

If cute were a nation it would be Japan