Social Distancing Party: 4th of July!!

Happy Independence Day! No fireworks to watch this year but that doesn't mean you can't get together and have time fun. A good bottle of Italian wine helps! Plus a little take-out Indian food and salad, we made our own party. It was hot as usual but the light in the evening was perfect.

This is another vintage yukata, with a fabulous graphic quality to the design. Classic indigo and white is paired with a deep red Hakata obi and a bit of patriotic ribbon! Just add American flags and we were ready to party all night long.
Photo credit: @angelarose.jewelry
Lucite earrings by Alexis Bittar

Until the next party!
R

A pile of discarded wire melds with the design on the yukata

Social Distancing Party: June 20

Another party! I haven't run out of yukata yet, so let's do this! Another party at my friend's house way out in the desert. She has a covered patio, so it helps temper the heat.
I received a cute new "atomic cat" yukata obi and I paired it with this amazing vintage white momiji (Autumn leaf) yukata that is probably from the 1980's or 90's. It's crisp, heavy cotton, and I love the pattern. I bought the obi because of the black cats on it- I have a new black kitten named Varla, so it was very appropriate. I just love the kitties!

Photos credits: top three are my photos, the rest at by @angelarose.jewelry
Aluminum earrings by @angelarose.jewelry and Lucite bracelets by @Alexisbittar

Ciao,
R

Atomic cats!

Varla looks just like the cat on the obi!

Blue plaster wall

Social Distancing Party: June 13

Another "new" yukata just in time for a social distancing happy hour at my friends house again. We will keep these parties up as long as it's not super hot. In the evening, it cools off a bit, which makes it bearable.
This yukata is probably from the 1990's or 2000's, so it's not that old. I love the lovely muted color palette of taupe, black, white with bits of dusty teal and rust. The colors seem more like autumn but the colors really meld well with the colors of the desert. It has an elegance to it that I like. I wore it with a lovely gold hanhaba obi from Ichiroya (Thank you Ichiroya!- I posted the image with the sign on Instagram) that I have had for years. It's one of my favorite hanhaba obi- the quality is amazing and despite that it's poly, you would never know. It's heavy fabric and is probably the perfect color- goes with almost anything. The leopard belt was a creative touch and because leopard goes with everything!
Photos by @angelarose.jewelry

Until the next party,
R

Taken in front of one of Aureleo Rosano's amazing mosaics

Old adobe walls are the perfect foil for this yukata

Social Distancing Party, June 6

Another weekend with nothing to do during Covid, and another excuse for a get-together with take-out food, adult beverages, and some fun photos outside in the desert.

I wore a "new" vintage yukata for this social distancing happy hour at my friend's house. It's an unusual light aubergine color and seems to be from the 1980's. I absolutely love the funky sunflowers and it goes perfectly with my Circus tennis shoes, Sally Bass earrings and metal belt. The desert location was sublime, as was the golden hour light! 

The clouds in the background is actually smoke from the Big Horn Fire. It's now 89% contained as of July 15th. 

Photos taken by @angelarose.jewelry  

See you all soon,

R

Smoke seen near Catalina State Park

Social Distancing Party, May 24th

Hi everyone
I have a chance to catch up on my blog! My friend and I had another "social distancing happy hour party" on May 24th, which was over Memorial Day weekend.
It's yukata season, so I pulled out a yukata I bought from Ichiroya (Thank you Ichiroya!) years ago.
It's not my favorite yukata, and I haven't worn it for years. It's white, with pink hagi and blue yukiwa (bush clover and snow crystal) and some black in the weave. However, I needed to give it some love, so I sparked it up with pink and black accessories. This pink Hakata obi is another item that needs love; it's an odd size, too narrow to fold in half like a fukuro obi and too wide to wear as a hanhaba obi. I have to fold it down by a third in order to wear it. But it works really well with this yukata. Just add black haneri, black bunny geta and bunny tabi socks and I'm ready to drink wine on the patio with my friends!
Until next time,
R

Social Distancing Party, May 16!

Another weekend, another hot Saturday, another chance to hang out with a friend and have a drink and some snacks under a ramada. This time it was at her house and she'd made a wonderful salad platter. We brought our own drinks and pizza this time. Outside of a Zoom meeting at work, this is the only times I see friends- on the patio. We usually switch off locations each weekend.

The yukata? An odori (dance) yukata, half white and half indigo and a deep red hakata obi. A fancy zig-zag haneri (collar), white studded belt and colorful sandals complete the cool, fresh look. The twisted aluminum earrings are by one of my favorite local jewelry designers (And my friend) Angela Rose. A classic look and really appropriate colors for Memorial Day, but why not now?
Thanks for looking.
Arigato,
R

In front of my friend's mud adobe wall and brilliant blue door. 

Social Distancing Happy Hour Party, May 9

Another party with drinks and snacks on the patio, another reason to wear kimono! This time, we met at my house. Another hot day requires a yukata, so I wore my vintage (70-80's?) yukata featuring hibiscus with yellow geta. I call it my 'red bean' yukata because of the color. I have a very open weave ro opened Nagoya obi that I was creative with- folding like a fan and belting it to create something new and fun. I have never worn this obi before and thought I didn't have anything to go with it until I saw the colors in the yukata! And of course leopard pretty much goes with everything. Let me know what you think!
Arigato,
R

Social Distancing Happy Hour, May 2

Hello again
My friend and I had another social distancing happy hour get together at her home this time on Saturday, May 2nd. It's starting to get hot here, so another yukata was in order. I put this outfit together rather quickly because of the heat! I wore the green butterfly yukata, same one as I wore to the Seattle obon last year. This time, I dressed it up with an orange heko (soft) obi and a zebra print belt and some fun jewelry by on of my favorite jewelry designers, Sally Bass. 
The flowers adjacent to my friend's patio seemed to be the inspiration for my outfit....or was it the other way around?
Until next time!
R

Big-ass sunglasses!

Social Distancing Happy Hour, April 25

Another weekend, another chance to wear kimono and have a drink with a friend. I have this yukata that I was going to sell....I'm not so sure now! It's just too amazing. Look at the sleeve length! 

The design is very abstract and doesn't look too flowery and girly, which I also really like. 

I've been experimenting with folding obi rather than tying and it's really nice- easy to do and looks really good when you have a fun belt! It's a trend I have seen on Instagram quite a bit, especially in Japan. One other advantage- it works well with a too-short obi. 

I think it looks modern and very chic and looks best with an obi with contrasting colors or patterns on each side. 

I wore western-style sandals this time, I think the yellow looks works well with the yukata. Plus they are more comfortable than my yellow geta. 

Photos taken at my friends adobe home in the desert. 

Ciao ciao,

R.