Fashion Memories : 90's Tommy Hilfiger Jackets

I came across this photo on Tumblr and I had a weird moment of being transported to 1995. It was my freshman year of high school. I started a new school, with new people, that were different from the classmates I had before.  I had never been in a prep school environment prior to this. The vibe was fake as fuck. In hindsight, going to that high school prepared me for the rest of my life. It's funny how things work out like that, but I spent the next four years feeling like I didn't belong there at all.

Fashion wise, the kids at my new school wore designer stuff. In junior high, I would have to borrow basketball jerseys from guys for step team performances, which had to match with my baggy jeans stolen from the local mall. I was trying to fit in the grimy and hustling ways of some of my junior high friends. I think the lowest point of my moral compass was stuffing stolen makeup into an umbrella and trading baby tees that we'd stolen from the mall in the girls bathroom. I digress.

Anyways, back to this jacket. I had an almost exact replica of this jacket to the left. Actually, lies, it was my mom's jacket. That's right. You read that correctly. My mom bought an orange Tommy Hilfiger jacket, and me being so thirsty to fit into my new school, I would take it from time to time to feel fly. I have a very clear memory of a classmate telling me that I looked like an orange safety cone.  He even made a driving and crash gesture towards me and everyone started laughing. I mean, I was kind of butthurt about it, but I was laughing at myself too. I suppose at fourteen I took a lot of things seriously, but I wasn't mad that  I legit looked like a safety buoy.  I never wore the jacket again, and I was drawn to safer colors such as dark blue and red. I actually was able to get a dope red, yellow, and blue panel version of that jacket later in the year. I was also fresh to death with blue Nautica challenge jacket later for Christmas that year.

So back to this picture. When I saw this fly ass Asian chick rocking the safety buoy jacket of my nightmares, I couldn't help but laugh my ass off. I mean, look at her. She looks so dope, right? It's a larger lesson about fashion that I didn't realize in 1995. You don't have that confident smolder at fourteen. You have a decade ahead of awkward and character building moments.

Fourth Time's a Charm : Tokyo

First night in Tokyo: Drunk bat cadging

Before I was in Australia I had traveled to Tokyo to visit my brother. It was a last minute invite from my family that I couldn't refuse. Although, I was a bit hesitant since I'd been there three times before. I felt like the money would be better spent going somewhere I hadn't been. I'm actually glad that I went though.

It took the fourth visit for me to actually appreciate Tokyo for the dope city that it is, rather than standing afar admiring its novelty. When I first visited Tokyo in 2009 I just lost my mind. I was still living in San Francisco at the time and the fashion was still going through it's post neo soul phase. I was tired of wearing leaf colors and hats, and I had this misguided idea that Japanese people know how to do this fashion shit, so I should buy up all of that fashion shit.  I ended up going home from that trip with a bunch of clothes that I would end up selling in the years to come. I don't regret it. I tell people everyone loses their shit in Tokyo at least once.

My brother has been living in Tokyo for a few years now. It was a trip to see him guide us around the city. Although this time around, I felt assured that I could get around the city by myself just fine. Much of that trip was me going off on my own and meeting everyone else later.

Where are we going? I don't know. 

The biggest highlight of that trip was spending quality time with my brother, which is just co signing with the usual shit that he likes to do. "So do you want to go to the batting cages?" um okay. "So do you want to go rock climbing?" Uh. Sure.

Although I could've done both of those activities back home, going to the batting cages drunk at 2am is just a blast. There are outdoor batting cages in the middle of the city, and with a green tea and whiskey in tow I allowed myself to just swing away.

Did I go shopping? Yeah not crazy kind. Shopping in Tokyo is kind of just madness, but like a quiet madness. It's not like Black Friday here in the states where you're afraid for your life, but every time I come here I find that people have an excitement about shopping that's contagious. I went home with three items. If you'd known the old me. That's a vast, vast, vast improvement.

Here are other highlights:

Abura Soba. 

Didn't really eat anything new except for some Abura Soba, which was the fucking tits. You're probably like ... where's the soup, Christina? You don't need soup, bruh. There's magical chili oil, spices, and garlic below all of that sexy noodle.

Best day ever. 

Yes this is an owl. I hope there are no animal rights violations associated with this owl cafe. From what I observed the owls were very pampered and loved. This guy that I'm holding got a complimentary hose shower because it was over a 100 degrees outside. The glee and happiness getting to pet a motherfucking owl was worth the damn trip.









It's been real Japan. Arigatou gozaimasu *peace sign*