Kyoto Part 3: Fushimi Inari Shrine

I admit that it was "Memoirs of a Geisha" (both the book and the film adaptation) that drew me to Kyoto, especially the scenes of Gion (previously blogged here) and of Sayuri running through the orange torii gates of this Shinto shrine.

The area is also adorned with statues of foxes carrying keys to the rice granary. Fascinating enough, inari sushi (my absolute favourite!) and kitsune udon originated from this shrine.

It took us about 15 minutes from the Inari Station to walk up to the two parallel rows of gates called Senbon Torii ("thousands of torii gates"), and what a magnificent view it was.
Torii gates were donated by businessmen, with their names and date of the donations carved into the gates.














Not sure if this is a mailbox, but isn't it adorable?

Nelissa Hilman: Giveaway Winners!

Hi ladies!
I've selected a participant at random to win a pair of tickets to Nelissa Hilman's show at KL Fashion Week and it's.....

Q'aini Kay

Please check your email to confirm your win by tomorrow, Q'aini ;)

UPDATE! (16 June 2013)

Nelissa Hilman has an EXTRA pair of tickets to give away, so congratulations....

Henrieta Duncan!

Please check your email to confirm your win by tomorrow as well ;)

Up Close with Shoe Designer Nelissa Hilman + Giveaway!

The Eden. Not for sale... yet.

Can you believe that Malaysian shoe designer, Nelissa Hilman, and I met on the Internet? On Instagram? You can find me here and Nelissa here btw ;)
Sounds like the perfect recipe for a 21st century-based love story with social media thrown in every now and then, you know, for good measure.

We immediately started chatting after I saw her designs and decided to finally meet up for lunch (with Cheryl and Hui Yen of Elements Magazine too) before proceeding to her studio in Empire SOHO, where we spent hours just photographing shoes... and talked even more about shoes (the designer is a huge fan of Nicholas Kirkwood)

Nelissa had something in common with the 3 of us: She had a background in engineering as well. After obtaining her degree in chemical engineering, Nelissa decided to pursue shoemaking and took a shoemaking course in Italy. And the rest is history.
Her shoes are made by local craftsmen using leather imported from Italy. The quality and workmanship are astounding.

I particularly LOVED the Eden heels, created in collaboration with House of Wanpa for Malaysia International Fashion Week 2011.
It's a work of art, something worthy to be displayed in a glass case. The shape of it is so balanced, and the green leather paired with gold glitter piping is the cherry on top this wonderful pair.





The Melody wedges. Love this too!




These feathered and tribal-inspired shoes were created in collaboration with House of Wanpa for Mercedes-Benz STYLO Fashion Grand Prix 2013.







GIVEAWAY TIME!
Nelissa Hilman will be giving away a pair of tickets to her show with Silas Liew at Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week 2013 to my blog readers! Her show will be held this on June 19 at 3pm.

Cheryl's blog and Elements Magazine will be having the same giveaway as well. From the 3 winners, 1 will be selected to win a pair of shoes from Nelissa Hilman!
How amazing is that?

This giveaway ends on June 14 2013 (Friday) at midnight.
CLOSED :)

What you have to do to participate:

• Like Nelissa Hilman's Facebook Page
• Like my Facebook Page too
• Leave a comment in this blog post with your name, email address, and tell us which your favourite pair of Nelissa Hilman shoes is! You can browse her collections via her website: www.nelissahilman.com

Good luck!