Tag: liketoknowit

Brick Walls

Published on by Lauren Nakagawa17 Comments

“The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something.” – Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

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I’m currently in the midst of gearing up for NYFW in February, and I’ve been happily riding the waves that come with planning such a trip. Luckily I have some wing women who will be joining me and I look forward to sharing my point of view of the festivities as they unfold with you all very soon.

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I personally have always liked brick walls. They’re there for a reason, literally and figuratively speaking. I think I’ve been hitting brick walls ever since grade school when peers told me that I couldn’t do something or thought I was weird for having different interests than them. Even as an adult, being in a creative field and being self employed comes with a certain type of judgement. There’s a huge risk factor here, but that’s kind of what we as creative entrepreneurs thrive off of. We see potential and more importantly the map in which to get there, wherever “there” may be.img_8553img_8472img_8519img_8464

This will be quite an exciting trip in two weeks…and I look forward to sharing everything here with you. It’s going to be freezing. I’m not sure how I’m going to deal with that but will deal nonetheless. All I know is that it’s going to be fun and I’m excited to get a new perspective and inspiration along the way. img_8480img_8526

I’ll be covering some of my prep that I’ve been doing here in the city in a post to come next week, so look out for that if you’re interested. Until then, thanks for reading!

All photos shot by Julia O Photo

Jackson Square, San Francisco

Button Up: Rails

90’s #ootd, Remixed

Published on by Lauren Nakagawa17 Comments

The 90’s…Kind of a weird time for a whole lotta grunge fashion, Californiacation, and spawning odd pop culture trends. These were the years of Jansport backpacks, bucket hats, slap bracelets, flannels. Hell, Tupac was even alive. 1990 was the year my brother was born, so I was now 3. Moving on to elementary school, little Lauren would rock a side pony, wear her little neon windbreaker to the playground (often paired with neon bike shorts), and tediously make lanyards at snack time all whilst keeping her Jonathan Taylor Thomas notebook in pristine condition. If you’d like to teleport back to all the great things this era had to offer, take a trip with this article here.

90’s fashion has made a big comeback in today’s world. And I’m talking fiscally. What, with brands like Nasty Gal, Urban, Unif, Missguided, just to name a few, who have all taken the flannel and highwaisted jeans, patches, and neon and made it contemporary and somewhat polished is big big business. I’m liking the 90’s trend more and more now that I’m an adult, so as you can see in this set….here is my simple outfit and nod to the decade I remember most, remixed for today’s modern girl.

Photos taken by Rachel Radcliffe

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Like what you see? You can now shop direct links below.

Don’t remember the 90’s? Weren’t born then? Here’s a refresher

Flannel: Rails LA

Denim: Asos

Bag: Melie Bianco

Shoes: Lulus

 

A Quick Lesson in Monochrome

Published on by Lauren Nakagawa11 Comments

 

It’s a typical stereotype or maybe a fact by now that anyone in the fashion or production world wears black as their unofficial uniform. Black equates to blending in, you are a part of the behind the scenes after all.

Black is a stand alone powerful color. Most people men and women can agree that when you wear an all black ensemble you get a little tougher, you get things done faster, you look a little cooler, and it’s a seemingly effortless look.

Take this faux motorcycle jacket I snagged courtesy of Lulu’s. I put it on and I instantly felt like I could kick some ass. Amazing what a little black jacket can do. But you know what’s hard? Photographing an all black everything look. That’s why I am opting for a monochrome outfit nowadays.

Mixing a variation of white, black, and grey into one look can be fun and surprisingly easy, you just need to find some great fitting pieces such as this T shirt by Zoe Karssen or these shoes by Loeffler Randall. The best part is: you’ll look like a million bucks and you can always mix and match since they’re very complimentary.

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Photos taken by Lisha Wang

Jacket by Lulus

Tee by Zoe Karssen

Necklace by Alexis Bittar

Denim by J Brand

Shoes by Loeffler Randall

It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Published on by Lauren NakagawaLeave a comment

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! That means wearing my favorite plaid flannel like this one, made by Rails LA. Tis the season after all. http://www.railsclothing.com

Keeping warm in my Rails LA flannel on a wet day in downtown's Little Tokyo Plaza.
Keeping warm in my Rails LA flannel on a wet day in downtown’s Little Tokyo Plaza.
Little Tokyo Plaza
Little Tokyo Plaza, the lanterns are always so pretty here.
Walk it Out
Walking rather swiftly to lunch…eating is my favorite part of the day :)
#Selfie
#Selfie: We spotted this Dad and his two little boys all bundled up taking a selfie in the courtyard. And if you look closely, they’re eating one of my favorite types of street food, takoyaki (Octopus rolled into a tiny ball covered in a flour based dough and drizzled with sweet sauce)
Just passing through
Just passing through…this little clothing stand is home to Japangeles, a street wear company that bridges Japanese Culture and LA lifestyle into each of their designs.
Lunch: Shin Sen Gumi Ramen for a post shoot meal.
Lunch: Shin Sen Gumi Ramen for a post shoot meal. I can’t rave about this place enough, it’s one of my favorite places to park myself for a little bit and slurp some seriously rich ramen broth. Fun fact: Shin-Sen-Gumi was a name taken from a famous Samurai Clan whose commitment for excellence was of utmost importance to the nation during Japan’s Civil War. That commitment to serving excellent food shows every time I come to eat here.