My Inner Child

top - Urban Outfitters, tank - hand-me-down, pants - thrifted, shoes - urban outfitters, belt & necklace - vintage, ring - gifted

Much like the title implies, this shoot was meant to release my inner child. I wanted to capture a childlike sense of wonder, innocence, and a playful spirit. These were taken at a Children's Muriel in a part of town I'm particularly fond of. I grew up around this area, so there's a double meaning for invoking the kid in me. Who doesn't enjoy balloons and butterflies? While typically I tend to flock towards the darker things, sometimes you need to learn to laugh at yourself. Reminds me of a quote, in paraphrase "blessed is the man who laughs at himself, for he shall be forever amused."

It is no secret I have a predilection for butterflies, which tends to clash with my consuming bug-phobia (which a quick consultation of google search has taught me this condition is called "entomophobia"), which somehow excludes them. My mom gave me this ring for my birthday.

Releasing your inner child is an understated virtue that rarely receives attention or value - have you ever studied and watched a child play? They're so creative. I once babysat a little girl while I was in high school, she was absolutely adorable. While babysitting, she wanted to play barbies with me. I felt so inadequate - in my time growing up, I had forgotten how to play with toys, while she quickly invented personalities, background history, scenarios, and situations so easily. I made the doll talk how I would, react how I would, think how I would, while she acted with ease. It was a little tragic to me, realizing how much time and maturity had changed me.

I like to listen to songs while I'm getting dressed for a photo shoot to help channel me into the moment, songs that inspire a look. The song I listened to for this look I think makes for a good accompaniment, you've been warned, it's a nice flash back. Listen here if you'd like, embedding was disabled :)


Side note: that balloon is still lurking around my house! these foil balloons take weeks to deflate! I'm so used to the rubber ones that pop so easily...

-H.

There are times that walk from you like some passing afternoon

skirt - forever21 (old), crocheted cardigan - thrifted, belt - thrifted, necklaces - borrowed & gift

I am fortunate enough to live near an open expanse of countryside, with old farms surrounded by crops. Everything about this area breathes nostalgia for me: the childhood explorations and my senior photos for high school which were taken around this area. I'm always overcome with the urge to plant myself under a shady tree and read a book, walk down to the river and dip my toes in the water, find an abandoned barn and write about it.

This is where fashion is meant not just for the purpose of conveying personal style, but personal story. In most of my looks, I wear something that was given to me, or handed down, and it's that much more unique with memory. The tiger's eye apple necklace was my grandmother's, bought in Japan, if I'm not mistaken. I'm happy that I can continue to bring myself and my background into these looks.

MIND THE GAP

Glasses - Ray Bans, shirt - London airport, I honestly can't recall... skirt - thrifted, scarf - vintage

I will accept all nicknames such as "four eyes" and "dork" in the comments, please and thank you.

Yes, I am one of the unlucky vision impaired souls. Just recently updated my glasses, and I was set on finding a pair of cat eye glasses. I deeply preferred a pair of wayfarers by Ray Ban, but I came to accept I don't think I have the face shape for them... But I found these little gems instead. Glasses are cool, I won't hear otherwise!

Since it's obviously I primarily shop at thrift stores these days, it's my biggest peeve when I find an awesome item but is perhaps five sizes too big - I found a red leather pencil skirt a while ago, and much to my surprise, they were my exact size. It's like someone handed it over to me specifically. It's one of my favorite pieces, I just never get to wear it as much.

And lastly, the shirt. I want to say I found it at the London/Heathrow airport, but I can' be sure. That was back in 2007. Believe it or not, that's a size small. I had some fun with it and cut it to pieces, and now it's one of my favorite shirts. The End.

I'm not exactly sure how I will manage once classes resume in the fall - I've grown far too familiar with passing the morning by in the comfort of my sheets.

-h.

Little black dress

dress- Urban Outfitters, gloves - costume store?, necklace - jc penny, ring/braclet - borrowed, shoes - ross
Photos courtesy of Heather's Flickr

A little black dress is a woman's best friend. I found this little one shouldered wonder on sale too. I felt like channeling Jessica Rabbit and other cartoon beauties for this look - classy, edgy, diamond loving. Me and Heather, who continues to amaze me with the photography she produces, found the most astounding water fountain - we both had in common a dream of having a photoshoot by one eventually.

This was a very experiment shoot, I took some risks for it. The gloves, (I thought the gloves might have come off as too much, but everyone voted yes for them), I straight up dunked my hair in the fountain to get that sexy, wet, clingy look (yes, I've been waiting this entire post to drop the word "sexy" in there.)

Nothing thrifted in this look, hmm. Just occurred to me. Doesn't the shoe shot look like a magazine advert for some high end brand? And all I did was splash my foot in and out of the fountain, something I'm sure the keepers would have been pleased with....

Is it me or is the ginger re-emerging?

-H.

He had a couple of cold bottles full of gasoline

What a wonderfully hot and bright summer, and what a way to celebrate and embrace it - wearing full black. This look is such a stray away from the feminine, floral look like last time, but contrary, I'd like to express I feel this look is staying truer to myself and interests: mesh leggings, asymmetrical patterns, large accessories. Me & Heather, who kindly took these awesome pictures again, had a mini-adventure finding an old station with enough character and a vintage look. We stumbled across this one and I think it's one of my most favorite settings I've shot at.

Shirt - Urban Outfitters, Leggings - Urban Outfitters, Shoes - Nine West, Jewelry - assorted

Flickr images can be found here - Heather Ferguson

I just absolutely cannot for the life of me choose which full body shot is my favorite and the one I'll promote on the various fashion blogs I'm on.

I've had some real consideration lately and in order to keep this blog more active than how I've neglected it lately, I'll be sharing some art I really appreciate soon as well as some things I've written. Hopefully this will continue to be of interest.

-H.

Morning comes in paradise, morning comes in light

It's been a busy two weeks and my usual photographer was out busy. But luckily a friend offered to shoot me on a nice day in the park! Thanks to Heather Ferguson for these pictures, they're amazing! She has some amazing photography and it was so nice of her to do this for me. Her flickr is here, so check it out! Also, that squirrel picture is adorable, he was our little audience the whole time (I think I'm turning into Snow White.) There's a few more pictures over at her flickr as well, I didn't want to overload, but it's nice to have options for which picture to use, because they all turned out stunning.

Dress - Urban Outfitters, Socks - Urban Outfitters, Shoes - nine west (borrowed), Jewelry - vintage/family, hat - target
Photos copyright Heather Ferguson - http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherferguson/

Well, it seems I don't ever go without a piece of family jewelry - I actually made this necklace a long time ago. It was my great grandmother's beads and I didn't have enough so I strung the few I had and made the clasp the pendant.

The dress was actually my graduation dress in 2010. I lovelovelove the back though, and me + floral anything = best friends.

The shoes are actually borrowed and a size too big, thus why socks were involved to help keep them on my feet.

~

In other news, I just finished "Diary" - and um, wow. Not my favorite of his, but certainly a quick and fascinating read. Just started on "Brave New World" for my next summer reading! Anyone want to join me?

-H.

Inspiration

It will be a few more days before I can get another look. I've been working everyday this week, so I'm hoping Friday I might stock up on some images so I can better pace myself.

Instead, I offer a post about some inspirations. Poetry, specifically. My creative energy, when available, has been channeled to finish up some works I've had floating a notebook for some time now. I've made point when I started this blog that the crucial foundation wasn't just fashion, but a collective art blog. Obviously, my focus has been to produce more of some fashion inspiration so I can at least start somewhere. I've been heavily debating and weighing whether or not I'd like to post some poetry here. I think I will.

The one I'm mostly considering publishing (as in, publishing here on this blog :P) is one I wrote more out of experimentation. Most of my poetry is confessional, but this one isn't about me. I've recently tried not writing about myself for once, as strange as that sounds. I was reading Anne Sexton's "Rapunzel", humored by the way she twisted a fairy tale. So I basically copied her. Great artists steal, haven't you heard?

Rapunzel

A woman 
who loves a woman 
is forever young. 
The mentor 
and the student 
feed off each other. 
Many a girl 
had an old aunt 
who locked her in the study 
to keep the boys away. 
They would play rummy 
or lie on the couch 
and touch and touch. 
Old breast against young breast... 
Let your dress fall down your shoulder, 

come touch a copy of you 
for I am at the mercy of rain, 
for I have left the three Christs of Ypsilanti 
for I have left the long naps of Ann Arbor 
and the church spires have turned to stumps. 
The sea bangs into my cloister 
for the politicians are dying, 
and dying so hold me, my young dear, 
hold me... 
The yellow rose will turn to cinder 

and New York City will fall in 
before we are done so hold me, 
my young dear, hold me. 
Put your pale arms around my neck. 
Let me hold your heart like a flower 
lest it bloom and collapse. 
Give me your skin 
as sheer as a cobweb, 
let me open it up 
and listen in and scoop out the dark. 
Give me your nether lips 
all puffy with their art 
and I will give you angel fire in return. 
We are two clouds 
glistening in the bottle galss. 
We are two birds 
washing in the same mirror. 
We were fair game 
but we have kept out of the cesspool. 
We are strong. 
We are the good ones. 
Do not discover us 
for we lie together all in green 
like pond weeds. 
Hold me, my young dear, hold me. 
They touch their delicate watches 

one at a time. 
They dance to the lute 
two at a time. 
They are as tender as bog moss. 
They play mother-me-do 
all day. 
A woman 
who loves a woman 
is forever young. 
Once there was a witch's garden 
more beautiful than Eve's 
with carrots growing like little fish, 
with many tomatoes rich as frogs, 
onions as ingrown as hearts, 
the squash singing like a dolphin 
and one patch given over wholly to magic -- 
rampion, a kind of salad root 
a kind of harebell more potent than penicillin, 
growing leaf by leaf, skin by skin. 
as rapt and as fluid as Isadoran Duncan. 
However the witch's garden was kept locked 
and each day a woman who was with child 
looked upon the rampion wildly, 
fancying that she would die 
if she could not have it. 
Her husband feared for her welfare 
and thus climbed into the garden 
to fetch the life-giving tubers. 

Ah ha, cried the witch, 
whose proper name was Mother Gothel, 
you are a thief and now you will die. 
However they made a trade, 
typical enough in those times. 
He promised his child to Mother Gothel 
so of course when it was born 
she took the child away with her. 
She gave the child the name Rapunzel, 
another name for the life-giving rampion. 
Because Rapunzel was a beautiful girl 
Mother Gothel treasured her beyond all things. 
As she grew older Mother Gothel thought: 
None but I will ever see her or touch her. 
She locked her in a tow without a door 
or a staircase. It had only a high window. 
When the witch wanted to enter she cried" 
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair. 
Rapunzel's hair fell to the ground like a rainbow. 
It was as strong as a dandelion 
and as strong as a dog leash. 
Hand over hand she shinnied up 
the hair like a sailor 
and there in the stone-cold room, 
as cold as a museum, 
Mother Gothel cried: 
Hold me, my young dear, hold me, 
and thus they played mother-me-do. 

Years later a prince came by 
and heard Rapunzel singing her loneliness. 
That song pierced his heart like a valentine 
but he could find no way to get to her. 
Like a chameleon he hid himself among the trees 
and watched the witch ascend the swinging hair. 
The next day he himself called out: 
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair, 
and thus they met and he declared his love. 
What is this beast, she thought, 
with muscles on his arms 
like a bag of snakes? 
What is this moss on his legs? 
What prickly plant grows on his cheeks? 
What is this voice as deep as a dog? 
Yet he dazzled her with his answers. 
Yet he dazzled her with his dancing stick. 
They lay together upon the yellowy threads, 
swimming through them 
like minnows through kelp 
and they sang out benedictions like the Pope. 

Each day he brought her a skein of silk 
to fashion a ladder so they could both escape. 
But Mother Gothel discovered the plot 
and cut off Rapunzel's hair to her ears 
and took her into the forest to repent. 
When the prince came the witch fastened 
the hair to a hook and let it down. 
When he saw Rapunzel had been banished 
he flung himself out of the tower, a side of beef. 
He was blinded by thorns that prickled him like tacks. 
As blind as Oedipus he wandered for years 
until he heard a song that pierced his heart 
like that long-ago valentine. 
As he kissed Rapunzel her tears fell on his eyes 
and in the manner of such cure-alls 
his sight was suddenly restored. 

They lived happily as you might expect 
proving that mother-me-do 
can be outgrown, 
just as the fish on Friday, 
just as a tricycle. 
The world, some say, 
is made up of couples. 
A rose must have a stem. 

As for Mother Gothel, 
her heart shrank to the size of a pin, 
never again to say: Hold me, my young dear, 
hold me, 
and only as she dreamed of the yellow hair 
did moonlight sift into her mouth.

- Anne Sexton

P.S. how is everyone enjoying Diary? I've loved every minute of it so far.