Stepping out in Tokyo #1

A few weeks back I found myself in Tokyo, meeting up with my world travelling other half (you can check out his kid-friendly travel blog here) and my little sister (aka Blink London). Well, it was BRILLIANT, and what an absolute culture shock too. We hit all the sights, shopped ours socks off, and generally wandered around checking out as much as possible. One of the neighbourhoods that we thoroughly enjoyed was Nakameguro, a jumble of streets and alleys filled with a boho mix of fashion and interiors shops, much of them vintage.

Oooh vintage, such a magic word... Anyway, of course we spent the whole day just in this one 'hood and found a slew of cool stuff. Those first three shots are from Hiige which was all about vintage Scandi gear (we scored some great fabric which'll be sewn into cushions soon). Pics 4 and 5 show Hatago International, next door to Hiige, an ultra cool mini shop jammed to the gills with vintage airline paraphenalia. Jantique is next in the pics, and was like hitting a French or Belgian flea market, and then finally Acme Furniture, which was a great mix of vintage industrial gear (lots of it from the US) as well as new pieces. For more, read my sister's fashion-y take on Nakameguro here.

Have nothing in your house...

Before you freak, I'm not suggesting you chuck everything out and live a minimalist (and rather dull) life. No, it's the first part of my fave William Morris quote - more on that here - and the subject of illustrator James Brown's latest work, a poster printed for the V&A museum in the UK. My sister managed to catch up with James recently to interview him for her blog Blink London, so if you'd like to learn more click here. He's quite the interesting chap, having designed prints for both Levis and Louis Vuitton. Oh, and I've also included another of my faves, his Hats print, which I would love to have hanging on my wall sometime. To get your hands on one of James' prints, check out his General Pattern Print Shop.

Midsummer madness

Oh, I lead a rather odd life. Over the past couple of days I've been checking out a flurry of previews for what retailers will be carrying over the Holidays. And last week, in the midst of an extra hot and sticky July day, I actually dressed my first Christmas tree of the year. So, to help you all cool off from this heat, I thought I'd share a quick take on what to expect to hit the stores as we plunge headlong into fall and winter. PC Home has some lovely cabin and craft influences, as well as tons of affordable sparkle. The Drake General Store has a lock on just about the coolest gear you'd want to gift or receive, including a standout gold-hatted gnome cookie jar (really). Indigo is all about charming chunky knit accessories (love those extra long reading socks!), as well as a fantastic selection of toys and specialty candies. Holt Renfrew has glittery gold covered, in everything from nailpolish by Deborah Lippmann to heels by Christian Louboutin. Sears has a covetable selection of countertop appliances, not to mention a swish washer and drier duo in a deep royal purple, plus they've completely re-vamped their Whole Home furniture and upholstery collection. It's now all made in Canada (yay!) and is uber-customizable, and did you know they also do a great line of Quebec made kitchen cabinetry? Me neither!

This all adds up to the fact that I've been kinda busy, so, with that in mind, I've stolen the extra-pretty shot below from my sister's fashion and style blog, Blink London, from her interview with talented floral designer Victoria Brotherson of Scarlet & Violet. Click here to check out the interview, and to see more gorgeous floral arrangements.

Thieving from family

I've had a boffo couple of days, bombing around town in a truck filled with Thonet chairs, cafe tables, wedding bouquets, picnic blankets, apples and coffee cups for a shoot with Michael Alberstat, as well as shooting the reveal on a fantabulous (if I say so myself) condo makeover for CityLine. It has definitely been busy.

In the meantime, a few thousand miles away, my sister has been hanging out in Paris. It's work for her, but she still gets to head out to all the stylish places, including Merci, which she thinks is definitely worth a visit. This lovely must-see store has four floors, one for fashion and three for home (yay, I love it when home trumps fashion!), including a rather smashing courtyard with a dinky red Fiat, a cafe, bookstore and florist. Take a boo below at the shots to get a taste of the place. Yup, whenever I'm next in Paris (sadly, not anytime soon) I'll definitely be stopping in. Oh, and check out my sister's blog for Blink London - her fashion reporting service - here.