sakura blossoms in the rain

(jacket: vintage Levi's; dress: Forever 21; boots: Doc Martens; satchel: Suzutan;

watch: Marc by Marc Jacobs; rings: Brandy Melville)

photos by Lisa from Paint with Stars

Yesterday, I met up with my friend Lisa in Nakameguro to do a quick photo shoot with the pretty cherry blossoms near Meguro-bashi (Meguro Bridge). It was extremely windy that I thought our umbrellas were going to break! But the rain wasn't that bad so we went on with the shoot and these are some of the shots we got :) I'm really pleased with how Lisa captured the sakura in the background - it almost looks like whitish-pink snow. 

In contrast to my last outfit post, I really wanted to bring out my spring wardrobe with my ever-favorite vintage Levi's denim jacket and a light gray dress I found at Forever 21. I wanted to keep the whole outfit casual, so that was where my Doc Martens came in (also to keep my feet dry in the rain).  

I can't wait to see more cherry blossoms in the next week or few weeks because they are in bloom only for a short period of time. And I'm sure they are absolutely gorgeous at night as well! 

Love,

Samantha Mariko

and the winner for the Delfonics Giveaway is...

I am happy to announce the winner of my Delfonics International Giveaway!

The winner is...

Rayna M!!

Congratulations on winning a Delfonics pouch in the color of your choice! 

And a huge thank you to everyone that participated in my giveaway! I truly appreciate it :)

I hope to do giveaways more often so check back again for another one!!

Have a great weekend!

Love,

Samantha Mariko

like steel

(Jacket, top & skirt: Forever 21; shoes: New Balance; ring: Soo Ihn Kim;

watch: Marc by Marc Jacobs; clutch: Wego)

Hair, makeup & styling by Samantha Mariko (me)

Photos by Jason Mordeno

I'm excited to finally have a new outfit post for you guys! I had the pleasure of teaming up with Canadian photographer Jason Mordeno for an impromptu shoot in Shibuya. He is also the photographer who shot me in the blond wig in this post (photos coming soon!). I am so pleased with these photos - Jason is very precise when it comes to lighting, posing and other details like fixing the model's hair or clothes. I learned so much from him in terms of posing, and what angle looks best in a photo. I've been modeling for almost 4 years now, but always learning something new!

I'm sure many of you know by now, but I LOVE cropped tops! I was never really a fan of tucking a shirt in a high-waisted skirt, so cropped tops are perfect. This one is a favorite because of the shoulder detail. The draped skirt is soft to the touch and adds a great contrast to the top because of its movement. And my beloved New Balances... need I say more? Just the perfect pop of color to this outfit.

Shooting with Jason was pretty much like hanging out - he has a great sense of humor, which makes the shoot more enjoyable. After the shoot, we had some coffee and dessert with his friend, Rene, who was helping out with the lighting. It's too bad they live all the way in Canada, but I sincerely hope we get to work together again in the future. 

I hope you enjoyed these pictures as much as I did. 

Don't forget to enter my Delfonics giveaway, which ends this week!! Hurry, hurry! 

Love,

Samantha Mariko

DVF in Japan

I mentioned very briefly in my last post that I participated in a special event, and this was it. I had the privilege of being one of the models to represent Diane von Furstenberg's Pop Wrap Dress from the Andy Warhol Collection for two events. She is famous for designing the wrap dress, which is what I am wearing (very easy to wear and so comfortable!), and celebrated the 40th anniversary of the dress. Apparently, it is a pretty long lifespan for a dress design, so I applaud her for her feat.  She had a huge exhibit in Los Angeles called "The Journey of a Dress," which can be viewed on the DVF website here. And coincidentally, it was Tokyo Fashion Week last week, and the DVF fashion show took place on Thursday. 

For the first event, Diane and the models arrived at the Isetan (Japanese department store) in Shijuku, and we posed for a 30 minute photo session where some of the guests were able to get a photo taken with Diane and the models, and get an autograph and the photo on the spot. It was so quick, so of course we didn't get to talk to her, but I enjoyed being able to stand next to her during the event. Two days later, we did the same thing but at the DVF boutique in Ginza. This time, Diane answered questions and spoke about herself, which was really interesting to listen to. Being able to hear about her life through her own words was truly inspiring. After she met with some of the guests there, we were immediately escorted to the DVF in Barney's, which was right down the street. A short photo session, then Diane was off to New York. What a busy lady! 

I only posted photos that were taken on my Canon, but I did post a few pictures from the Shinjuku event on my Instagram. What do you think of the Pop Wrap dresses? I loved the bold color combinations, and that most of them were pink :) It was such an honor for me to have been a part of this, and to have met an amazing woman that I admire. Her dream was to create something that could be a woman's best friend, and she did a very good job accomplishing just that with the wrap dress. 

Love,

Samantha Mariko

p.s. Thank you to kimonosnack for linking this post on her blog :)