leopard girl

(Jacket: vintage; top: Uniqlo; pants: old from Le Ciel Bleu; boots: Target; clutch: Wego)

Photos by Lisa from Paint with Stars

Another cold February afternoon in Tokyo - this time, Roppongi Hills with my photographer friend Lisa. There was surprisingly quite a bit of snow left in the area, which turned out to be really pretty in the photos. 

Here, I am wearing my favorite leopard print jacket I randomly found at a used clothing store called Mode Off, for for only about 2000yen (about $20). And then everything else... black because I like black right now. Is it just me or does my hair look purple to you?? I was planning to dye it a violet red but I guess I might not have to anymore (ha).

Anyways, Lisa started an Instagram project called Portraits of Tokyo, and you guys should check it out! She takes photos of people on the streets of Tokyo that catch her eye, and conducts a brief interview with them. You can follow her @portraitsoftokyo :)

Stay warm everyone!! Hope you enjoyed these pictures!

Love,

Samantha Mariko

LE CIEL BLEU 2013 AW Collection

Hi everyone, it's been a while since my last post. I'm always thankful for all my readers and the lovely comments I receive (I read each and every one of them!).

I wanted to post something a little different today - I do post photos from photo shoots I do once in a while, but it's not what I do for a living believe it or not. I spend most of my days working for the web team at a Japanese apparel brand called LE CIEL BLEU. I work as their web model (you can't see my face, but I model & style about 90% of the clothes on the website), and do other things here and there. I also help out during the lookbook shoots as assistant stylist.

 Here are some of my favorite looks & items from their 2013 AW Collection Lookbook - plaid, fur and leopard print are some of the popular trends this season. Which looks/items do you like? 

It would be great if you checked out the website! You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Have a wonderful day!

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