Review: My Tokyo, by Eloise Rapp

As I announced here a few weeks ago, 5am je t'aime was hosting a giveaway, which, luckyly, I won!

So here's my review of it.

My Tokyo is a 28 pages long, din-A5 sized booklet. But don't let its size trick you, it's full with more than 90 art galleries and shops of all kinds.
Author's words:

All the information in this zine comes from the point of view of a textile and graphic designer with a love for fashion, music, contemporary art, innovative design and of course, Tokyo.

And in my opinion, this is part of what makes this guide so interesting. It's not the same getting a guide written by someone who just loves to travel than getting it from someone who loves art, design and shopping.
This guide made me want to write one about Barcelona! haha this is really inspiring!

The guide is divided into shopping areas, with clear instructions on how to get there, and each area has a map with all the shops located in it, so you can find everything really easy.
You can also find the keys to categorize every shop: from vintage to furniture, from music to books. Love the selection of bookstores!

I really wish I got this guide back when I was planning my first trip to Tokyo!

I need to talk about the design too. Eloise aside from being a textile designer (which I really find very interesting) is also a graphic designer, and you can really appreciate that in the guide.
Inside, you can find a really pretty zine, carefully designed. Easy to read and understand, and let’s say this clearly, pretty to look at.

Shops are presented in a packed BUT understandable way, which makes the zine contain a lot of information in a few pages, but still, readable. Which I love. And you can carry it around with you since it's not heavy and doesn't take up a lot of space.
You can also find summaries, pictures of the shops/items, websites and addresses. Very helpful, this really is a complete guide.

You can find both the paper edition and a pdf version of the guide, and you can get them here. A really fair price for a nice edition, design and selection of places.

And I really recommend you to get it if you're planning going to Tokyo soon (or not so soon). You'll find in this guide cool shops and interesting places to visit that won't be packed of tourist and you'll still be around popular areas like Harajuku (really, if you just step into 3-4 streets away from Takeshita-dori, you'll find a completely different place).

Find more info about the guide here, in her etsy store and about Eloise here in her blog.

Thank you so much again to 5am je t'aime for the guide. And don't forget to read their blog if you're into Asian fashion. Lots of interesting posts await you, really!

Zipper report. August and September.

I'm not fully back yet from my little break, but I have some free time and I wanted to post all this eyecandy you're about to see!

Wow, magazines come out faster than what I can read! (this, or I'm just lazy...)
Anyways, August and September's Zipper commented in this post, since I've seen a few things that catched my attention.

There are so many cuties on the August issue! I love to see pretty girls, and so, I have to share them with you all! Plus, nice hair arranges.

Love these girl's lips!

Plus, inspiring coordinates.

I love those kind of pages where they feature a piece of clothing being worn in diferent types of coordinates, or worn in a girlish and boyish way. So interesting!

How cute is the coordinate from the top left??

I love Amo's coordinate in this shot, looks so comfortable and so pretty at the same time!
And the sailor one is my most favorite from this batch. Everything just looks so right! Love love love!

And, new brands and shops I didn't know about!
So many pretty cute wonderful and sweet stuff.

From September's issue, all I can say is, MILK's autumn collection! Featuring Amo! She looks a bit weird in the pics though. Weird meaning, she doesn't look like her. Cute anyways c:

Also, some really cute coordinates in mori style. Some great inspiration, really!

Socks+pretty shoes steal my heart, really.
And I want to steal those red miu miu bloomers.


Too dark for me to be mori girl, but super cute nonetheless.
I love the red accent on the monotone coordination.

And my favorites.

This coordinates probably have almost everything I like. Soft colors, ruffles, pretty shoes, socks, vest, fur, skirts, brown, frills, lace and white. Aaaaahn... ♥

Fur is going to be trendy this year too, and I can totally see it.

You can download August and September's issues here.

I'm downloading Mina now, just to see how it is. Never read it, so surprise surprise! But the cover looks cuuute, so I kinda expect it to be something between Vivi and Spoon maybe?
(btw, expect a post about Spoon soon! tehee)

And one last thing, remember Laurita's giveaway?
Well, the good news are, I'm the winner! I can't believe it yet! haha
First time ever I win a giveaway!

Magazines

Figaro april 2010
(click on pics to see them bigger)
With lots of beautiful interiors pictures, Figaro brings lots of inspiration once again.

Shows some western-like shops, like bars, restaurants and even "boulangeries" (pretty similar to the one next to my house!) where a baguette costs 300 yens (and I thought it was expensive here...!).

Also shows some nice accessories and interesting stuff to decorate your house/room. Always with that feeling of old and handmade. Also gives the links to some of the stores, pretty nice if you can't go to the actual shop.

In this issue they report some hight clothing brands like Chanel, original skull jewlery and designers from here and there as per usual.

I have to admit I download this magazine just for the pics, I'm not really interested in this mature side of the magazine, so I don't pay that much of attention to the rest (though I'm thankful for the boulangerie map of Tokio).

Mori style-book #2, spring edition
(again, click click click to see pics in bigger version)

Brings the guidelines for a mori girl to still be mori in spring (what will happen in summer? all that layering can't be fresh!). Nice coordinates and new ways of layering, just in time for the spring shopping!

Also shows some stores which sells/are centered in mori style and shows places mori girl likes (like public baths).
And brings the report from the opening party for "Made in Colkinikha", Kate Sakai's brand (she made a duo project with Mister Nakata called Colthemonika, producing two mini-albums, I highly recommend them!) with more random coordinates.
Interview with mori girl Kate Sakai, keyword report, hairstyles, room, ...
Coordinates from mori shops's staff, a couple of weeks's dress-ups, shops, DIY tutorials, ...

Also comes with what I like most when looking at a magazine, hair tutorials!

And above all that, lots of inspiration and pretty pictures!


Now, some of my thoughts on mori style (pictures also from the "rule-book")

Putting aside the fact that you have to be super thiny if you want mori style to look good on you (I mean, layers and layers of clothes will make you look fat unless your clothes are as thin as rolling paper, there's no arguing in here) I really like its organic side.
That doesn't mean you can't do mori if you're not thin. You can do anything you want as long as you think it looks good. And there are always other ways to mori besides layering.

This style uses a color chart (mainly white, beige, brown, green) that makes pale girls look super cute (just add some red blush to make everyone die).

Also lives off plain colors and when they add patterns, it's always a floral/animal one.
Frills are also a mori girl's best friend, and this is one of the parts I love the most.

This two aspects combined seem to be getting in trend right now. Has anyone taken a look at Zara, Blanco or H&M (just for example) lately? they're full of mori-like items. I've just tried on a pair of frill pants at Zara! It was super awesome, since I've never thought I could find something so Liz-lisa in a store like Zara.

So mori is planning to rule the world, just in a shy way, getting out of Japan little by little and conquering the masses.


Scarfs, long vests, even longer shirts, super baggy and denim pants or long skirts/onepieces combined with white/natural colors, leggins, frills, hair accessories, with flowers and animals everywhere make the mori girl (althought you could find more elements, this is just the essencial, or what one could notice the most).

Of course one always copies the aspescts they like the most from each trend and add them to their personal style. I think this is the most interesting part of fashion, see, combine, create (your own style). In a way, following a trend is the easiest thing to do. Finding yourself while getting inspiration from everywhere is the challenge.


Source for both magazines