In Japan!

I’m currently traveling Japan – landed in Tokyo where we had a few amazing days sightseeing. Then went to Gifu, and from there we have arrived in Osaka. Today we are leaving the beautiful house of our hosts and will be heading towards Kyoto, which I think will also be pretty amazing.

I’m very much looking forward to Kyoto as according to my friends, you can buy lots of fabrics there. I bought some fabrics in Gifu which you can see below:

Silk Kimono

This is a silk kimono in a beautiful purple colour. It was only 525 Yen (which is less then 4 pounds!). It is an old kimono, and it has a few spots that are torn – that’s why it is so cheap. But the fabric is amazing, and for that amount of silk it is a great bargain.

Red Butterflies Fabric

I bought this cute butterfly fabric in the same shop as I bought the kimono. I like bargain bins…

Hemp Pattern Fabric

Yesterday we went to Nara, which is the oldest city in Japan. Next to the huge amount of temples, shrines and other fantastic things we went to the old city center where you can buy very interesting things. It is of course very touristy, but if you look in the right shops, you can find very good bargains. In one shop I found this traditional hemp-leaf patterned piece of cotton which was very reasonable priced.

I have been looking in many bookshops in Japan for books on making fashion for men. I love the Japanese style of clothing, and there are tons of books for women on fashion and how to make the most amazing garments. But I can’t find any for men! Does anyone know of any good titles? Please get in touch if you know of any.