Liniere July 2011

Finally, my July magazines - Liniere July 2011 issue, which came with a set of 2 Nimes x Les Olivades quilted pouches.

I had mistakenly thought the pouch set would be made of cotton canvas, which was why I bought it. Turns out they are polyester and feels somewhat rough and foamy due to the padding. Don't get me wrong, these are nice pouches. I just wish they were cotton instead, because I'm picky like that.

The bigger pouch measures 13(height) x 18(length) x 6(width) cm and the smaller one measures 10(height) x 13(length) cm.

As mentioned above, the pouches are padded. Both have flamingo pink zippers that match their lined interiors, and both have their inner seams covered.

Inside the bigger pouch is rather simple. It has just one pocket running the length of the pouch on one side and that's it.

The smaller pouch is very cute in my opinion. I can fit my credit card in it on days I don't want to take my big wallet and still have something more or less secure to put my cards in.

And just when I was about to conclude that I'd hit the freebie jackpot again, I spotted this loose thread on the back of the larger pouch :( It wasn't just some hanging thread either. This one actually threatens to unravel the quilt stitchings if I were to tug on it. I didn't of course, and I'm not about to write off these as duds either. Given that the rest of the 2 pouches have very neat and clean craftsmanship, I think I might have gotten unlucky with this defective set. Oh well, I win some and I loose some. Plus I still like these pouches ^.^

To be honest I don't particularly like Liniere magazine, though I don't particularly hate it either. It's a breath of fresh air from the all frenzy cute and super feminine stuff that overcrowds the other women's interest magazines in Japan. That said, it's too rustic minimalist for me.

See how the models are photographed with simple/natural backgrounds, minimally made up, and aren't doing the oh-grow-up-already cute poses? I like that.

Then again, they also feature supposedly "baggy" pants (right page) that are barely hanging on to the poor girl's hips. See how the bottom of the zipper is in between her thighs and her knees? Since when is swimming in your jeans, and oh, just roll the legs up, considered "mannish" style? There's a big difference in pants cut to look baggy, and pants that are baggy because they're several sizes too big! Do men have a closeted habit of borrowing clothes from grandpas, or the gangsta rapper next door, I don't know about? Seriously?

Not sure how they went from those baggy pants to these perfectly wearable outfits.

And then back to frumpy outfits...

And borrowed barrel pants again...sigh.

Real people rocking the styles featured in the magazine, only I think they style and wear it so, so, so much better than the magazine did.

The freebie pouch set.

An article on actor Matsuyama Kenichi of Death Note (he is spectacular as L, by the way), Norwegian Wood, and Gantz fame, with co-star Ninomiya Kazunari, who was interviewed in More June 2011 issue.