OUTFIT | Knit Dress + Vans

I always love a simple outfit, especially when it only consists of two items + accessories. I picked up this knit dress from Madewell last week. The day I took these near Sawtelle, it was warm enough to wear it by itself, but I've worn it with black skinnies on colder days (I'd rather not catch a cold during my vacation). And I just can't stop wearing my Vans!! Remember when I was wearing the checkered ones in almost every outfit post this past summer? I think the white ones will replace those...

And meet my friend and the little sister I never had, Mika. She took my pictures for me when we trekked around the Sawtelle area in LA. Thank you<3


先週、友達のミカちゃんとソーテルでご飯食べに行きました！彼女は本当に可愛らしくていい子です。この日は、シンプルなグレーのニットワンピに、白いVansでカジュアルなコーディネートにしてみました。やっぱりシンプルがベストだ！


What I wore:
dress: Madewell
shoes: Vans
clutch: Dezso by Sara Beltran
sunglasses: Marc by Marc Jacobs via Shopbop





Love,

Samantha

aquamarine

(Jacket: Forever 21; turtleneck: Zara; shorts: Vintage Levi's; boots: Dr. Martens)

A few more from my weekend outing in Kawagoe. I had no idea plain, plastic water bottles could create something so pretty like this. I think the yellow foliage added a nice touch. This jacket I grabbed from Forever 21 was such a steal - I found a similar one at Zara for twice the price, but this one is so sturdy and warm, I can probably wear it next year, too. And I love my cropped turtleneck.. So much more special than a regular turtle knit.

And thank you to my friend Trevor for snapping away these photos for me :)

Love,

Samantha Mariko

my week on instagram

 

So sorry for not posting for a while! It was a really hectic week this past week - I was working 6 days and trying to squeeze in events and meetings in between. I don't really do this much, but I thought I would tell you about my week through my Instagram photos:

 

 

Fridays are for selfies (well, not really but I think so). So excited it is cold enough for my furry jackets and coats! 

Assisting at Le Ciel Bleu's AW Lookbook shoot for November. The model was super sweet and rocked all of the clothes! 



My first time having Chinese-style hotpot. Got together with some of my musical friends and basically talked and ate for 3 hours.

 



I found a hands-down, the most delicious ramen joint right by my place. The shio-tonkotsu is my favorite - it was so good I even finished every last bit of soup which I don't usually do when I eat noodles.

Spent quality time with one of my good friends at a stylish café on Cat Street in Shibuya. Girl talk and such over coffee and café lattes. Perfect!

 

 

 

 

Do you use Instagram? If you do, follow me @samanthamariko and I'll do the same!

 

 

Good night and have a great week ahead!

 

 

 

 

Love,

 

Samantha Mariko



busy streets

(jacket: Le Ciel Bleu; top & sweats: Zara; shoes: Converse;

bag: Madewell; ring: Soo Ihn Kim)

Photos by Lisa from Paint with Stars

I had another fun shoot with Lisa this weekend in Shibuya. This alma mater jacket from my work is from Spring/Summer, but I paired it with some more recent Zara picks and my Converse hightops that I've owned since my university days.  Funny how they come in handy, like, 2 years later. I don't know if I've made it obvious enough yet, but I'm really into turtlenecks this fall. I might have a nice collection by the end of the season.

I work in Shibuya everyday, but somehow I still haven't gotten sick of the busy streets full of too many people. I think the busyness is one of the reasons why I am so attracted to Tokyo, and one of the reasons why I wanted to step away from monotony of Orange County. But don't get me wrong, peace and quiet are always welcome elements in my life.

Anyways, I ended my weekend with a much-anticipated date night at Outback Steakhouse:)

How was your weekend? Did you do anything special?

I hope everyone has a great week ahead!

Love,

Samantha Mariko

p.s. I just reached over 50,000 views on my blog since I started 2 years ago! I want to thank all my readers & followers for their support thus far. I do appreciate all the comments, and any suggestions or constructive criticism is welcome. I'm always looking to improve my blog so that it is a more enjoyable experience for you:) Thank you and much love!!

back to black

 (blazer: Alexander Wang; shirt: Uniqlo; sweats and heels: Zara; bag: Madewell;

bracelet: Giles & Brother; ring: Soo Ihn Kim)

photos by Lisa from Paint with Stars

I went back to black... literally. I got a new do this weekend and decided to sort of go back to my natural hair color (black) and sport some bangs again. Like I said in my last post, I can't get enough of black. The heels and blazer I'm wearing here are a bit old, but I added some new pieces that I purchased recently. I think my favorite is the silk shirt I got at Uniqlo for less than 2000 yen ($20!). It's oh so comfortable and goes with anything and everything.

My friend Lisa never disappoints when it comes to photography. We originally planned to meet for coffee & girl talk in Omotesando, but I asked if she could snap a few photos for me. Thanks girl! She has an amazing photography blog so please check out the link above! :)

Love,

Samantha Mariko



monochrome

(top: Le Ciel Bleu; pants: Forever 21; heels: Target;

 bracelet: Giles & Brother from Le Ciel Bleu)

Photos by Naohiro Hara

Makeup by Terachi

Styled & Edited by Samantha Mariko (me)

Second set from the photo shoot mentioned in my previous post. This is a completely different theme and look, which I chose, from the clothes to the hair & makeup. I really wanted to wear this cropped white shirt from my work, Le Ciel Bleu, with my sarouel pants that I found for a reasonable price at Forever 21. White & black, monochrome world. The hair-styling in the very last photo was suggested by my photographer, which turned out surprisingly well.

Thanks for taking the time to check out my work! Any kind of feedback is appreciated, seriously.

Love,

Samantha Mariko