Oh yes, that trip to Tokyo. It didn’t happen too long ago, perhaps in October last year? Bear me with me, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, I promise you.

We were on our way to Asakusa Shrine, which was sort of fun but not great. After going to Kyoto and seeing those shrines, Asakusa feels like a touristy trap.

I’ve been very into stripes recently, I think it’s an aftereffect of watching Coco Avant Chanel. In one of the scenes, Audrey Tautou was wearing a white and black striped long sleeved tee with pants and boy, did she look classy.

Photo was taken by husband and I look like I needed sleep. But then again, I always look like that. Heh.

I know…Tokyo was so last year. But I haven’t finished writing about my trip yet! I’m currently holed up at home due to the debilitating UTI so hopefully I can sit still enough to churn out everything.

(Yes, it has struck again and I now have brightly coloured pee…or is that TMI?)

Dress & Tights - Topshop; Boots - From Taiwan; Bag - Marc by Marc Jacobs

This was taken on our third day in Tokyo. We were on our way to the beautiful Meiji Shrine and boy, was the sun shining that day! I didn’t even need a jacket.

We were going to hit the trendy Harajuku/Omotesando area after that so I didn’t want to look dowdy next to the fashionably forward Japanese. You can’t really see from the photo but the dress has tiny prints of anchors and makes me feel like a sailor girl.

We didn’t buy much though – I was feeling the pinch and things were pretty pricey. But I did score a funky Balmain-esque dress with the big shoulder pads from H&M which I haven’t worn. I’ll probably be teased mercilessly by my friends when I wear it – I’ve been called “Christmas tree” a lot – but I don’t really care.

And as always, the photo was taken by husband.

One of the sites that I visit regularly is etsy. It’s like a treasure trove of all things beautiful, hand crafted and vintage. Things that I never knew existed or needed – like the helvetica acrylic jewellery – suddenly turned into things that I absolutely craved.

A great find that popped up today was One Garnet Girl. Her work caught my eye because they are so gorgeously hand made and elegantly simple. She hand carves the metal and best of all, she is environmentally conscious and uses recycled materials as much as possible. I love how “raw” the pieces are.

Red light ring, $128 (I so want one of these cos it's my birth stone!)

Blue Topaz and Argentium Sterling, $188 - Love the chunky feel to this ring

London Hue Stacking rings, $106 - Beautifully seamless

I always hate it when fashion mags in Singapore tell us what they think are fashion dos and don’ts. Don’t wear boots because it’s too hot in Singapore and you look like a poser, don’t wear a fedora because it’s so yesterday, don’t wear leggings because you look short/fat/ugly in them. Who cares about what you think?

Magazines that I like to read include Nylon, Frankie, Lula and Lucky – and they never come up with silly lists like that. Instead, they just tell you how to work it better. A little positivity never hurts, right? It’s more constructive than reading something that’s condescending.

I got meself a pair of leather boots with flat heels when I was in Taipei earlier this year and that $150 was definitely well spent. These boots have kept my feet dry on rainy days and they kept my freezing toes from turning blue and dropping off when we were in Tokyo (of course I exaggerate! But it was cold at night!). I trampled all over Tokyo and Kyoto in them on an average of 10 to 12 hours a day and they did an amazing job in keeping my feet comfy and happy. Even my Converse caused them tootsies to ache a little.

So yeah, I love these boots of mine with those rockin’ buckles. Cos these boots are definitely made for walking. And they make me look good!

Skinny jeans + boots = Warm

Jacket - Uniqlo; Dress - Muji; Scarf - Loan from Trev, Leggings - Forever 21; Sneakers - Converse; Bag - Marc by Marc Jacobs

This was taken on our second day in Tokyo, after a horrendous 11-hour flight onboard Malaysia Airlines. When we bought the tickets, it was not stated that there was going to be a one-hour stopover at Kota Kinabalu (!) and we had no clue until we boarded the plane. But it was partly our fault – we didn’t even wonder why the flight would take so long when looking at the itinerary, despite being aware that flying from KL to Narita would not take longer than seven hours. Sigh.

Anyway, back to the outfit. The weather was nice and breezy, and the sun was out! So as we walked and walked around the Imperial Palace grounds, the layers came off.

First it was the jacket and then the scarf came off shortly. Gah. Talking about the weather in Japan just made me miss the place more. The torrential rain in Singapore may be a welcome change from the sticky, sultry humidity of everyday but it’s drowning my plants and my shoes! Can I have some sun and less humidity please?

Thanks for the photos, Mr Thick!