The Craft Begins

I’d like to introduce my sister, Chelsea, who will be popping in from time to time with a few fashion-related posts.  I’ll fully admit that she’s a lot more stylish than I am so I pressed her to share some of that insight with my readers!  Without further ado:

Wearing statement jewelry was always something I did for myself. Be it as a distraction from under eye bags, or to jazz up an otherwise boring outfit, but as of late I have been pleasantly surprised by the breadth of people who appreciate a great piece of statement jewelry. At the college bookstore my first day on campus I saw a class ring that I coveted all four years. By the time graduation rolled around it felt like that ring was my reward rather than the diploma I had been allegedly working towards. Since that day I have yet to take it off, and am constantly surprised by how many comments I receive about it on a daily basis. My advice is to find a signature piece to make your own, one that reflects your own personal style, but that incorporates some spunk into your Monday at work.

1.  Signature earrings are a great way to bring some sparkle to your face, and they also save time getting ready in the morning.

2.  My always thoughtful Mom got this funky ring for me for Valentines Day – even my straight male Starbucks barrista commented on it.

3.  This large resin and gold tusk necklace by Kenneth Jay Lane is a playful spin on Urban Safari (it’s also stunning in jade).

I wanted to share these colorful, whimsical, and a little bit sinister illustrations with ya’ll.

If you want to see more, you can check out an interview here, and check out his whole portfolio here.

I saw these works in a gallery recently and was totally charmed by these colorful, playful little birds.

The good news is that you can get your own!  How fabulous would they look in a little grouping on your wall?  I like grouping small works like this vertically in those little spaces on the wall that seem to not be a fit for anything else.  Find these and more at Bird Babble.

This program is a really awesome way of taking low-res files and blowing them up as big as you could ever imagine!  It’s also just fun to play with.  Here’s my test image:

And here is just one panel of what would eventually be a giant poster that you can print out from a .pdf and tape together:

Kind of cool, no?  Just a warning, it’s an excellent time waster.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

How clever and amazingly detailed are these photographs?

The crab is my personal favorite.  Check out Paige Thompson’s portfolio for more adorable painted images!

On the first Friday of every month, Denver hosts an event called “First Fridays”, where all of the art galleries throw open their doors and crack open the booze and everyone has a great time drinking and looking at great art. It’s become increasingly popular over the years, which is great, as the lineup of galleries is only expanding.  I usually try to get down for every one but it doesn’t always happen.  Most of the time the art that I see seems to be pretty amateur hour, but every great once in a while I see some amazing things.  Here’s a roundup of the best finds from this month’s art walk.

1.  Beautiful landscapes with unexpected figural images really caught my imagination.  Allen Birnbach is an amazingly technically skilled photographer with a beautiful vision.

2.  Something about these tiny geographical sculptures from John Solo really struck me.  I think it might be my affection for miniatures, but perhaps its just the unexpected nature of their containers.

3.  I like the colorful, gestural qualities of Laura Moretz’s work – to me, it looks like an emotion rendered in paint.

4.  It’s rare that I see something that I covet and would hang on my wall for all eternity, but this painting specifically (and the rest of her work generally) I would put up in a heartbeat.  Check out Mai Wyn Schantz’s portfolio for more amazing landscape images.  Also, she paints them on aluminum and stainless panels – genius!

Some of you may remember the post I did about Nan Whitney’s amazing styling work – if not, you can check it out here.  Nan has graciously submitted herself to my questioning and I’m really excited to share her answers with you!

1.  What did you have for breakfast?

This morning, fried chicken and prosecco…not my usual!  (normally Marriage Freres French Breakfast tea…so delicious).
2.  How did you first get started in photo styling?

Literally bumped into it.  I was a clothing designer, selling to Henri Bendel, and Bergdorf Goodman and befriended an assistant, that had too bad a cold to work on a clothing shoot, so I took her place, loved it and changed careers.

3.  Do you do photography as well, or are you just purely doing styling work?

4.  Do you think that an understanding of photography is important for what you do?

I think an understanding of looking through a lens, the mystery of the unsaid and the beauty of light are important to any picture.

5.  Did you grow up in a creative household?

Definitely.  My Grandmother was a clothing designer with Hattie Carnegie, my mother was a fashion fit model, and my grandfather was an architect involved with the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and many other buildings in NYC.

6.  Was there a really important creative influence in your life?

hmmm….the force of life.

7.  If you weren’t a stylist, what do you think you would be doing?

Painting.

8.  What is your best garage sale find?

9.  What’s another super-secret skill of yours?

Cooking.
10.  What would you eat for your last meal?

An endless supply of sushi.
11.  What is something that you think everyone should know about?

12.  What kind of music have you been listening to lately?

Benjamin Biolay, Le Trio Joubran, Checkers , and John Lee Hooker.
13.  What do you like most about where you live?

I live in Harlem, and love the kindness and the morning conversations with the “older” residents in my neighborhood.  I also love the architecture of the old brownstones.

14.  If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

15.  Do you have any pets?

16.  What is your favorite color?

17.  What’s the best advice you could give someone wanting to start out in your field?

18.  If you could give a child just getting started in the world three personality traits, what would they be and why?

19.  What is your most precious possession?

20.  What projects should we be looking forward to from you next?

I don’t think that anyone would ever accuse me of being a a girly girl, but there is just something about these dresses that makes me want to throw my hat in the ring with the ladies.  And my white gloves, of course.

I know that fashion is an art form, blah blah blah, but I find myself mostly unimpressed.  Perhaps that’s too strong of a word.  I just think that there’s a lot of fashion out there that is pretty good, but very few things that really blow me away.  Dior’s Spring collection blows me away.

It’s sculptural, it’s architectural, it’s feminine.  It’s like Disney princess with its ice-cream shades and billowing skirts, only grown up.  These dresses manage to somehow be vintage and oh-so-modern at the same time.  And can we just talk about the hair?  That’s it.  I’m abandoning my ponytails.

These dresses make me wish that I was somehow rich or famous, or at least had an opportunity to get to wear something like this someday.  Hell, I’d settle just to even see one in person.  It’s the kind of craftsmanship and attention to detail that you just don’t see anymore.  Why can’t we all just dress like this all of the time?

I would love a set of these for general snarkiness purposes.

Get your own here.