Photos with Simone

Dress, belt and shoes: Hong Kong

Jacket: Sportsgirl

Hat: Minty Meets Munt

Ring: Yves Saint Laurent

YSL Ring

There are not many moments in life when you're completely taken back and have to pinch yourself to see if you're dreaming or not.

This is the exact moment I experienced when I saw these Yves Saint Laurent rings waiting to be placed on my finger.

Yves Saint Laurent Arty Oval ring in Turquoise

In instantly fell in love with the turquoise Arty Oval ring years ago on tumblr. I knew one day I would buy this ring.

Unfortunately there is no YSL store in Melbourne. This ring is also one of the most sought after rings in the world so it was a little more tricky to get my hands on one, let alone two.

After booking flights for Japan, I decided to save up and buy the ring in Japan. Just to make sure they had it I called Yves Saint Laurent HQ in New York (on my mobile...woops.) and spoke Japanese to the flagship store in Tokyo. I was pretty paranoid.

When I arrived in Tokyo, the turquoise ring had sold out nationwide. Completely disheartened by my experience in Tokyo, I didn't want to look at another Yves Saint Laurent store for the rest of the trip.

Secretly, I knew that this ring and I were meant to be.

On my first night in Hong Kong I went for a stroll around the Harbour City department store. This huge department store housed every designer you could think of. Chanel, Christian Loboutin, Dior, Alexander McQueen, Fendi...you name it.

I turned the corner and saw the Yves Saint Laurent store. To my surprise I walked into the store to find a tray of the Arty Oval Ring in almost every colour. I raced for the turquoise one and basically demanded the YSL lady for a size 8. 

YSL Harbour City had just gotten a delivery of the Arty Oval rings that day. She pulled out a turquoise ring in size 8 and I almost cried. The ring fit perfectly. It was a Cinderella moment. 

After calming down the YSL lady told me she only had a size 8 in the turquoise and one other colour. She showed me a gorgeous silver ring with a beautiful deep purple stone. I tried this on as well and I was on cloud nine. 

Yves Saint Laurent Arty Oval ring in Amethyst Purple 

After years of yearning, months of saving and weeks of searching. I had found not only one, but two YSL arty oval rings in my size. When was the next time I was ever going to see these rings in my size AND the colours I wanted? 

I soaked up every moment in that YSL store as I bought the rings of my dreams. One in gold and one in silver :)

I have loved every minute of wearing them. I get many compliments and aften get asked if you can buy them at my work -I work in a costume jewellery store.

I love how they just stand out in any outfit and by itself!

I have a canvas of Audrey on my wall, I thought it contrasted nicely with my newest purchase.

Ciao,

Emma xx

Japan

I recently returned from a family holiday in Japan and Hong Kong. I had the most amazing experiences in those three weeks.  The feeling you get when you immerse yourself in a completely different culture and get a sense of what it's like to live a life much different to your own in indescribable.

I studied Japanese in Year 12 so it was great to speak the language again see how much I really retained from high school! I was surprised how much I could still remember.

Here are a few happy snaps of my trip and a few life lessons I learnt along the way:

At Osaka Castle with its Mascot

First stop was Osaka. The third largest city in Japan and it was bustling with people! A nice mix between Old and New Japan, I soon felt at home in Osaka (after the minor jetlag of course). 

It took a while to orientate ourselves into this foreign and exciting city. We found ourselves walking out of the subway station and into a sea of stylish shops and people that is the district of Namba. In an instant I recognised labels such as Zara, H&M as well as designer stores like Dolce & Gabbana, Dior, Tory Burch and more. Namba can easily be compared to shopping in New York's Fifth Avenue. Even though Osaka isn't immediately known to be a fashion destination, Namba sure had a lot to offer.

While the food was a cultural shock to some in my family, I embraced the food and all of Japan's delicacies.

Takoyaki (たこ焼き) -literally fried or grilled octopus in a ball-shaped Japanese dumpling

Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) -Japanese Pancake

This is THE best sushi I have ever eaten. Ever.

Teppenyaki in Kyoto

Lunch at Hong Kong's Jumbo floating restaurant, Aberdeen.

After Osaka, we took a bullet train to Hiroshima. 

A-Dome. Located 150 metres from the hypocentre and here it still stands today.
 

There is a distinct feeling of peace and calm in the city of Hiroshima. 

We were privileged to meet an A-Bomb survivor. She was 3 years old when the atomic bomb hit Hiroshima. Her powerful story was a poignant reminder of the horrible events that occurred in this city on August 8, 1945. 

hibakusha (被爆者), a Japanese word that literally translates to "explosion-affected people".

Our cultural experience didn't stop there. Kyoto was the next city on our agenda.

A traditional city full of temples and shrines, Kyoto showed us a quieter side to Japanese life and offered the most amazing views high up in the mountains.

The photos below were from the only day it rained out of our whole trip! We were very lucky to catch some great summer weather most of the time. :)

Yes...I sacrificed getting wet to take a selfie. 

 After Kyoto was the highlight of my entire trip: Tokyo.

There is one word to describe my experience in Tokyo: Heaven. Shopping heaven, that is.

Shoes at Bershka, Zara's sister store for the younger shopper.

Shopping in Tokyo was a-mazing. There were large department stores at every corner ready to pamper you silly. High end fashion retailers were skyscrapers. Every store was at least 3 levels and it was cheap! Much cheaper than Australian shopping.

I spent a bit here and there in Osaka and Kyoto but the money I saved for six weeks leading up to my trip was for this crazy city.

One of my favourite days in Tokyo was when I got to spend the day shopping by myself (this is a good thing, I'm terrible shopping in pairs). 

First off I shopped up and down Harajuku. I went into Forever 21 and came out not only with bags of shopping, but a Facebook friend as well! The lady at the fitting room and I had a half English/Japanese conversation with each other and as I was leaving she asked me to be friends with her on Facebook. Six months into uni and I'm already making contacts abroad!

After hours of shopping I caught up with a high school friend who works at Zara in Shibuya. She then directed me to go to Ginza and check out the Abercrombie & Fitch store. 

This wasn't a store, this was a club with models, clothes and fitting rooms in it. As soon as I entered this dark building booming with music, a gorgeous topless male model approaches me for a picture with him.   Still finding my bearings, another model points and shoots their polaroid towards us and next thing you know, I have a polaroid of me and a male model together...forever ;)

A little red and flustered. It's from the heat coming from outside I assure you.

Shibuya

A week went by quickly in Tokyo, yet so much happened! You could spend a month here and still be scratching the surface. I will definitely be returning to Tokyo to explore discover some more.

Coming home from this trip, Japan and Hong Kong have given me the travel bug. It has motivated me to  start saving for my next holiday. I want to fill my passport with stamps before it expires!

I hope these photos can tell another thousand words about my trip. There's only so much words can describe. 

Ciao,

Emma xx