The Suite Life

 

It was a rainy night when I met photographer Hana Haley and her model, Lindsey, in the beautiful Westin St. Francis hotel. I've long admired Hana's beautiful 35mm film photography from afar - whimsical, gritty, feminine and haunting, her aesthetic and concepts lines up so well with my own. So I was immensely pleased and honored when Hana asked me to collaborate and style this shoot with her - I just knew it was a match made in pretty photo heaven. Miss Lindsey (the model) is, quite literally, an absolute doll (that hair! those lips!), wearing the clothes so well I almost just wanted her to take them all home. And there is just something about wandering in fancy hotels that has always held a huge place in my heart and imagination. Needless to say, helping with the creative process of this shoot was an absolute dream. 

The concept was essentially a young girl wandering alone in a fancy hotel - playing dress up, exploring...very 1960's teenage -dream, valley of the dolls, wes-anderson-heroin influences as far as the styling went. And it was such a thrill, once the photos were developed, to see the concept so perfectly realized. There will be plenty more collaborations between miss Hana and I in the near future, and I couldn't be more excited. 

If Wishes Were Fishes

clockwise from top right: Breakfast At Tiffany's eyemask by Mary Green * Mason Pearson hairbrush * Lime Crime Carousel Gloss in Candy Apple * Crosley portable record player * vinyl lip clutch from ebay * Fieldguided "Endless Bummer" tote * Charlotte Olympia "Tessa" Kitty Wedges * Lime Crime Velvetines in Red Velvet * Fifi Chachnil Eau de Parfum * Eyelash Pillowcase Set from UO  

I have the honor of being a Christmas baby - or almost, anyway. My birthday is on December 21st, the Winter Solstice, so i get to do an awful lot of wishing this time of year. It's also an extra special day this year, the day the world happens to be ending. In which case, wishlists will be rather pointless. But just in case anyone was wondering what my final wishes happen to be - i've made it easy for you to wish along with me.

Cartoon Punk

So I'm pretty sure I mentioned my obsession with Ghost World very early on. By this point we are such good friends that I don't need to explain how often it comes up as a fashion/life/music reference in my life, (even as I approach 27 years of age and should be far, far past the teenage angst phase of my life...right?). So it is only natural that I was - and still am - totally hung up on Luella Bartley's nerd-cartoon-chic 2008 Spring/Summer RTW line: big chunky nerd glasses, 90's floral mini skirts, lace up combat boots, and cartoon bat t-shirts with little leather jackets. It was smart, it was sassy, it was feminine, it was humorous - a little bit Daria, a little bit Saturday morning cartoon, and basically 100% everything i've ever loved. So here I am 4 years later finding myself maybe a little gauche or passé, but still totally inspired by this look for Fall. Throw on a pair of thick knee socks and you've got the perfect outfit to get you through San Francisco's bipolar Autumn with a smile on your face.

Snob

The job of stylist has always been both a dream of mine and a role i seem to fall into naturally. I have always amused myself by dressing my friends up, and often get phone calls or friends popping over last minute, asking me to help them throw together outfits for all kinds of events. So it has been exciting for me to have recently had the opportunity to style some shoots for some of my photographer friends. The first one I'm sharing here is special to me because it features one of my very best friends, Miss Rachel, as the model - and a highly respected photographer friend of mine, Stephanie Bouzard, behind the lens.

We were going for a kind of rich-bitch, high-fashion, veronica-lake, hot-mannequin sort of vibe. I'm so happy with the way they came out - Rachel's hair is to die for in the photos and Stephanie has an amazing way with light and shadow. I have a few more styling opportunites coming up soon so stay tuned!

Skate or Die

I made a previous post about my crazy-talented friend Chantel Beam's photos, and mentioned how excited I was to work with her again. Well this weekend I was thrilled to get a chance to participate in one of her shoots. She took me, and some gorgeous friends of hers from Seattle, to these eerie abandoned bunkers on the far side of the Golden Gate bridge, where we got to see the amazing sunset drip its way down over the city's skyline. After the sun was down, we found ourselves at the city's sickest skate park taking photos in half pipes like it ain't no thang.

Compared to the last Chantel shoot i posted, these photos have a lot more grit - but still maintain her dreamy teenage runaway vibe, her playful sense of color, and her androgynous approach to fashion. I also adore that she lets the eccentric beauty of her friends/models shine through, rarely asking us to change anything about our hair or make-up other than providing some awesome LimeCrime lip colors to wear (I got to try the new dark green Serpentina! LUV). Here are some of the photos from the shoot the other day that came out especially rad. & be sure to check out more of Chantel's seriously amazing work on her flickr and website. I guarantee you this girl is going places.

Paris

Europtrip Part II: Paris. I only spent 3 days there, but I got to see art (the Centre Pompidou) and sights (the Arches , the Champs D'elysee and Moulin Rouge) and shopping! 

the Moulin Rouge district

 

The Louvre - I only saw the outside :)

 the view from my balcony 

Warhol's Liz Taylor at the Centre Pompidou

self portrait with a neon light piece at the Centre Pompidou

more of the Pompidou...

A video projection by Man Ray 

the outside of the Centre Pompidou, which makes a person feel like a giant hamster 

i fell in love with the French underground. they have great ads, and it's so much less dirty that SF

YSL - no "Saint Laurent" here!

subtle, those Parisians.

FUNCENTER

I mentioned in my last post that i enjoy taking totally amateur 35mm film photos. These are all from the most recent roll i had developed - photos from a beautiful day in Santa Cruz. I love the way everything in Santa Cruz is true California colors, peaches and greens and blues, and when the fog sets in at night on the boardwalk it really does feel exactly like Lost Boys...

 (wearing: dress from Urban Outfitters, sunglasses by Karen Walker, shoes by Aldo)