Sewing, self portraits and spring

Yes! I finally blew off the sewing machine cobwebs and whipped up this cobalt blue bad girl. Albeit a super simple maxi dress but it was still fun to make and shoot. I'm also hoping to add these little fabric heart necklaces to the blogstore within the next two weeks. Hope you enjoy the pictures and for those of us in the northern hemisphere, the warmer weather xoxo

Pleats please

  Vintage pleated skirt (a new addition to the blogshop). Second hand wrestling vest. Uniqlo heat tech shirt. Mr Price shoes. Handmade earrings.

Happy Wednesday xoxo

Memories from home

Sunshine, green grass, Rocky the lab, and a dress from Forever 21

Treasure hunt in Japan leads girl to a red cape surprise

 I wanted to start showing you some of the gems I’ve collected during the past year and a half. Used/vintage clothing in Japan is pricey by South African standards, but then again, most things are. You’re usually paying for better quality, but no matter the price, it’s always a good idea to thoroughly check a used garment before you purchase it. I prefer shopping at second hand stores in bigger Japanese cities where the clothing is actual vintage or just outright crazy. This little red cape was a perfect addition to my early winter wardrobe, and I literally did a little happy dance when I got home and realised it was reversible. 

Trixie + Flo are in business!!

Although a seemingly small venture, this has been a dream in the making for ages and I am so so excited about it. Cheers to making a start! Hopefully this is just the beginning of great things to come. Check out the Trixie + Flo online store for a small range of hand knitted chunky winter warmers, and then let me know what you think! Thanks Emily for the pics! xoxo

Miyajima, red pants and a stalker

I’m baaaack, with a slight tan and a holiday hangover to boot. So this is mission blog catch up! Taking you allll the way back to November 26^th 2011, when my inner Japanese conscience finally reprimanded me for not having checked out the autumn leaves. The internet told me that Miyajima was my closest, best option. Blue skies and grilled oysters were calling, so I threw on my red skinnies and headed for the island. The peak of autumn leaf viewing (yes, that’s an activity) meant that tourists and their cameras were out in droves. I cuffed an 80 year old couple snapping my pic and decided to strike up a conversation and make the most of their stalking. Ha! He and his wife ended up emailing me the pictures in five different file sizes with a cute Japanese message in each. Gotta love tech savvy oldies ;)

My top tips for Miyajima: 1) There are only a couple of things worth doing on the island but they’re all a real treat. You really could spend more than a day here. Head to Itsukushima shrine, the floating torii (unmissable), the five storey pagoda at the pavilion called Senjo-kaku and the cable way that takes you a fair distance up Mt. Misen (it’s still a 20min hike to the top after that). 2) Hang around at the island for the whole day so that you catch the torii during low and high tide. 3) Beware the deer: they eat anything from paper to the very clothes on your back. 4) Eat, eat, eat: deep fried momiji cakes all year round and seasonal oysters. Yes please!

They don't make 'em like they used to

A gorgeous leather pullover I picked up on this particular trip to Kloof SPCA, Durban, South Africa. Each diamond is hand crocheted to the next. It’s done so brilliantly I wish I’d thought of the design myself! Also, some good ole Mr.Price shoes thrown in for kicks. I had a bit of a nervous breakdown in the store when I realised how much cheaper home is compared to Japan! Picked these floral babies up for the equivalent of 600yen!!

Okayama Castle

Okayama-jo (nicknamed “Crow Castle” for its black exterior) has been on my list of “travel to” destinations for a while. I’ve taken a somewhat contradictory touristy/untouristy approach to castles in Japan. Yes, I’m the freak that’s setting the self timer and running in front of the camera to capture the proof, but I’m also the person that refuses to pay entrance for the castle because A) I find the inside of castles extremely boring and B) I’m perfectly content with a grabbing a picture of the impressive exterior (with me in front of course). As superficial as that sounds, travel really is about seeing what you want and not wasting time on the rest…right?

What do Victoria Beckham, Lady Gaga and Blake Lively have in common?

No, this is not a bad joke, just a really great project that gives fashion a brownie point against its usual fickle self. Each of these celebrities, among others, have designed a T-shirt print for UNIQLO and its SaveJapan! T-shirt range:

“The SaveJapan website was established immediately after the Great East Japan Earthquake to support the affected parts of the country by providing information on area-specific relief efforts. UNIQLO is working with Condѐ Nast Japan – a supporter of the SaveJapan! website and the publisher of Vogue Japan and GQ Japan – to create T-shirts featuring messages of encouragement from artists around the world. UNIQLO plans to donate approximately 100 million yen through the sale of SaveJapan! T-shirts to the Japanese Red Cross Society, to back recovery efforts in northeastern Japan.”  

It was Lady Gaga’s design that called out to me from across the UNIQLO store – but with my limited Japanese Kanji all I can make out on the T-shirt is “love,” “Gaga” and “small monster.” For the record I also liked Victoria Beckham’s clean design (cringe) but they never had it in stores here.  If you decide to purchase one after reading this post/ or already have one, I’d love to feature a picture of you in your SaveJapan! T-shirt on the blog. Email pictures to trixieandflo@gmail.com and support in style people! To see the rest of the designs visit Vogue Japan xoxo.

French dining in Onomichi

If you’re living anywhere near Onomichi, Hiroshima, you have no excuses! If you’re nowhere near Onomichi you should be drooling with jealousy! This is Restaurant aux Herbes. 

I blame my previous lack of dining experience on the bank balance that used to truly reflect that of a struggling student. No cash = no travelling = no international tasty treats. Sad face! Also, dining out usually entailed a quick dash to Steers (South African burger place) for a midnight snack during a late night party. Well all that is changing, and I’m loving every bit of it! A group of us went to Restaurant aux Herbes on Sunday afternoon for the lunch set. It includes a starter (I had liver pate - delicious!!), main (mine was roast lamb), dessert (chocolate cake!) and a coffee. Bread baskets arrive in abundance too, and good bread is such a treasure in Japan. Supermarkets usually sell bread so white it couldn’t be considered bread anymore. So get yourself over there (with this map) and order the lunch set. You won’t be sorry! 

Chuo Shinrin Park

Have you ever lived somewhere and discovered a place that you couldn’t believe you’d never been to before? For me, this place is Chuo Shinrin Kouen, the park surrounding Hiroshima Airport. Just a thirty minute bus ride from Mihara Train Station separates me from one of my new favourite places. I’m going to get all “lonely planet” on you and tell you to head to the main office and ask for a map to the Sankeien Gardens. It’s the only part I managed to get to: Chuo Shinrin covers a maasssive area and it’s covered with bicycle routes and hiking trails if you’re keen to spend the whole day there. Entrance for the Sankeien Garden is just 300yen, definitely well worth it! I threw on another shortened granny dress and some unfashionably filthy slops/flip flops/ thongs for the day trip… here comes summer!!