so retro

Photos by Masahiro Nakame

Makeup and hair by Yuna Oya

Wardrobe by Ayaka Ito

All Rights Reserved.

As promised, the photos from my retro photo shoot, the first shoot of the year for me! I'm very pleased with how the photos turned out. I had never done a retro/vintage-inspired shoot before, so I had a great time modeling both outfits. I'm starting to realize that modeling is like acting - it's important to really immerse yourself into the role you are assigned and get creative with expressions and posing.  Being able to play both the male & female roles in this particular photo shoot was an awesome experience. My stylist said she bought everything at vintage or second-hand shops in Tokyo! How cool is that?

On a separate note, I don't actually smoke - the cigarette was just a prop! :)

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Samantha Mariko

up & coming

I can't wait to show you all what I've been doing for my recent photo shoots. My apologies for the poor iPhone quality pictures, but here are some previews from a retro/vintage shoot from last weekend and a studio shoot I did today. Stay tuned. <3

Have a great weekend everyone!

Love,

Samantha Mariko

2013 in Tokyo

(shirt: Urban Outfitters; jacket: vintage; shorts: vintage Levi's; boots: Doc Martens;

tights: J.Crew; bag: Zara)

Happy New Year everyone! I'm so excited to be writing my first post of 2013 :)

Today, I spent the afternoon running around Tokyo with my uncle, who I hadn't seen in 7 years. We decided to pay our first visit of the year at Meiji Jingu Shrine in Harajuku before heading over to Tokyo Tower. It was actually our first time going up the tower, even though my uncle grew up near Tokyo. I guess you neglect doing all the tourist-y things when you know you can do them anytime. Anyways, we went at the perfect time of day - we were able to see the beautiful sunset from the top of the tower, with Mt. Fuji in the distance. So breathtaking. I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my New Years in Japan. On a side note, the jacket I'm wearing was a lucky find - snagged it for 1500 yen ($15) at a used clothing store yesterday. One goal for 2013: go thrift-shopping more often. 

Wishing you all a lovely start to 2013!

Love,

Samantha Mariko