Meeting Simone Legno in Singapore

Having been a Tokidoki fan since their first collection for LeSportSac in Spring 2006, I was incredibly excited when its creator Simone Legno announced that he would be doing a signing session at Bugis+ in Singapore on 10 January. Legno was also in town to give a lecture at a school and attend the opening of a cheese steak shop. The signing session at Bugis+ took place at the pop-up store in front of the mall's entrance, where there were also several large statues of iconic Tokidoki characters. These were a natural hotspot for photographs, especially for kids fascinated by the unusual creatures.


Kajiu!



With the signing session scheduled to take place from 1.30pm to 3.30pm, I arrived super early at 10am only to find that the pop-up store was still being set up. Plonked myself down at the nearby Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf for the next couple of hours before activity started up at the store, which was selling Tokidoki T-shirts, caps, bags, figures and stationery. One could receive an autograph pass with any purchase, up to a maximum of three passes per person. I purchased a Robbery print messenger bag which I've been eyeing for some time (it's the same print used for one of the seasonal makeup collections that Tokidoki did for Sephora).

The queue for the signing session started forming only after 1pm, with about 30 people in the queue. I was second after a group of three friends who were clearly seasoned Tokidoki collectors. Legno arrived promptly on the dot and was superbly gracious and patient in acceding to each person's request for an illustration. He also kindly posed for photos with each person.


When it came to my turn, I asked him to draw a Unicorno on my iPad Tokidoki x Hello Kitty case. He did it in a flash in gold metallic ink. He thanked me for supporting the brand and I congratulated him on Tokidoki's 10th anniversary. Getting to meet Legno was truly a dream come true, after years of missing his appearances at Singapore's annual Toy, Games & Comic Convention.


After the signing session, Legno did a live drawing, the final product of which is below.

The Tokidoki pop-up store and installation will be at Bugis+ until the end of January. If you are in the area, you may also want to check out the specially commissioned Tokidoki wall at the St Games Cafe on the third floor of Bugis+.

Tokidoki x LeSportSac

The new Tokidoki collection for LeSportsac is finally available on the Tokidoki website. As it was their original collaboration with LeSportsac in 2005 that started my Tokidoki obsession, I couldn't be happier that they have teamed up again. This year, Tokidoki has really been hitting it out of the park with a frenetic pace of collections. It's tough on the wallet for collectors but it's great to see one of my favourite brands make such a strong comeback after some lacklustre years in which the quality of its bags was uneven.

Simone Lego will be making his usual appearance at the Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention from 6-7 September. Don't miss it if you're a fan!

Tokidoki for LeSportSac Autumn 2014

Tokidoki is teaming up with LeSportSac again for Autumn 2014. The Malaysian press got to preview the collection so there are various pics floating around on Instagram. Check them out on Elle Malaysia, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

I first fell in love with Tokidoki when they did their first collection for LeSportSac in Spring 2006. The colorful Luna bag from that collection remains the most expensive bag I ever purchased, thanks to the premium prices of LSS in Japan. The archive of Tokidoki LeSportSac bags can be viewed here.

The latest addition to my collection is the Jujube Be Light in Sea Amo, the new summer 2014 print. The bag is superbly lightweight and works great as a day bag if I'm just going out for a few hours with the baby. Tokidoki has really been hitting it out of the park with its recent releases, after the rather uneven quality of a couple years ago. Time to start saving up for the autumn, which looks like it's going to be a real wallet-bleeder on so many fronts!

Tokidoki x Jujube Bags in TokiPerky and Unikiki

Being a longtime fan of Tokidoki bags, I couldn't resist picking up a couple of bags from their recent collaborations with Jujube, a diaper bag company. The timing was perfect too, with my baby boy arriving last month.

My first purchase was the Better Be shoulder bag in the TokiPerky print released for Spring 2013.

Next was the larger Be Prepared diaper bag in the Unikiki print released for Holiday 2013. This unicorn-themed print was immensely popular with most of the lower-priced bags selling out in a flash on the day of release. Unfortunately, it looks like there won't be a restock, so the only recourse is Ebay for many of the designs. It's disappointing that Tokidoki and Jujube can't seem to get the task of anticipating demand right, even after several collections. Diehard Tokidoki fans are reduced to stalking their website for these popular collections but not everyone has the time to do that.

The Be Prepared is quite a bit taller and roomier than the Better Be. For a quick trip outside for a few hours, for example to the mall, the Better Be is the perfect size and fits everything that I need. It also affords faster access to the interior via the flap with a magnetic closure whereas the Be Prepared's main compartment needs to be unzipped. The side pockets of Better Be are also easier to access compared to those of Be Prepared which have a covering flap.

Better Be's shoulder strap is also slightly wider compared to that of Be Prepared. I found Be Prepared to be surprisingly heavy when empty, so this will probably be reserved for travelling.

Both bags come with a padded changing mat, with the Better Be having a slightly larger one.


The cheerful whimsical prints never fail to brighten up my day. The prints featured in the Jujube collections are amongst the most charming ever done by Tokidoki, with none of the leggy Japanese girls common in the older Tokidoki releases.


Inside, there are several netted and zip pockets which make organising the multitude of items a baby needs a breeze. The bright interiors make it easy to see the contents.



My Samsung S2 phone slides easily into the side pocket.

Be Prepared has metal studs on the bottom but not the Better Be.





Overall, I think these are the best bags that Tokidoki has produced since its classic LeSportSac creations, in terms of the attractiveness of the prints and the quality of the bags. Hopefully, Tokidoki will continue this collaboration with Jujube for several more seasons to come. Tokidoki has also just released another Sanrio collection, which can be viewed here.

Farewell to Tokidoki at Sephora

The Tokidoki makeup line exclusive to Sephora is being discontinued with mark downs on almost all of the products. Apparently, this was always intended as a two-year collaboration.

Being a Tokidoki fan, this is naturally very disappointing. The Tokidoki line for Sephora could be hit-and-miss in terms of the product quality but they always did fantastic accessories with charming prints like the makeup cases and brushes for reasonable prices. My all-time favourites are the beach bag, Pittura brush set and the purple travel case, which I use all the time.

Recently, I ordered the Airways Palette from Sephora on Amazon.com, which had been marked down from US$42 to just US$19. Nestled amidst the eyeshadows is a Donutella figurine.


The plastic layer holding the eyeshadows can be removed from the case. Love the incredible detail on the interior of the case.

Hopefully this won't be Tokidoki's last foray into the beauty world.

Tokidoki Spring 2012

Tokidoki's travel-inspired spring collection is up on Sephora.com. I'm completely in love with the Airways Palette (US$42) and the Passport Medium Hanging Travel Bag but their US$42 price tags are on the high side.


Also loving this cute illustration by Tokidoki creator Simone Legno for the year of the dragon. Happy lunar new year to all who are celebrating it! :-)

Tokidoki x Hello Kitty for 7-Eleven Hong Kong

Recently, 7-Eleven in Hong Kong released an uber-cute collection of Tokidoki Hello Kitty figures. Thanks to the help of a very kind friend, I managed to get a set of eight from Yahoo HK auctions, which was much faster and more hassle-free compared to purchasing individually from the 7-Eleven stores.


My top three favourites!



Here's a clip on the production of the collection and the TV commercial.

Tokidoki & Pop Beauty Holiday Haul at Sephora

I wandered into Sephora at Ion today and was surprised to discover that Sephora had brought in Tokidoki's blinged-out 24 Karat holiday collection! Aside from the Pittura Brush Set (S$59) and Medium Bag (S$39), there was also the Rollerball set (S$25) of six mini fragrances. The 24 Karat Skate Deck Eyeshadow Palette is not in stock yet. There were also holiday sets by Kat Von D Tattoo Chronicles Candelabra Edition, Rollerball Set and Painted Love & Foiled Lipstick Set, Hello Kitty Noir Eyeshadow and Lip Gloss Palette, Too Faced and Urban Decay holiday palettes plus tons of Soap & Glory bodycare gift sets.

I was most excited about the Pittura Brush set, which I've been wanting ever since I saw them online. Initially, the Sephora staff said that it had already sold out but subsequently, one of them managed to find just two sets remaining and very kindly passed me one! Needless to say, I was immensely overjoyed and grateful.

The set contains Ciao Ciao Star Powder Brush, Latte Eyeshadow Brush, Adios Star Smudge Brush and Unicorno Eyeliner/Lip Brush, all of which are made with synthetic hair.


Love the charms dangling from the brushes!

There were still plenty of the makeup pouches in stock. The pouches all have different placement of the characters, so it took me awhile to select one which featured my favourite characters like the pegasus and less of the tattooed girls.



The interior is lined in a cheery bright pink.

I also picked up the POP Beauty Glitz Blitz Kit of three eyeliners in Black Blitz, Brown Brilliance & Wine Wink, after reading about them on Lovely Day. This was priced very attractively at S$23, which means you are getting three eyeliners for the regular price of one.