2 Time Couture

I recently had a photo shoot at a great little boutique in Albuquerque called 2 Time Couture. I finally got a chance to post some of the images for you guys to see. I had a great time shopping while I was shooting (sorry, I couldn't help it!) and these ladies were so much fun! 

www.shop2time.com

365 Project: Day 117

I love 24 hour places. Restaurants, gas stations, bars, etc., I love them all. There is just something about a business that NEVER closes that I find really interesting. I have become a sort of connoisseur of these kinds of places. That was my favorite thing about Las vegas. EVERYTHING is 24 hours! Its like heaven.

My new favorite 24 hour place is Harold's Laundries. This place is amazing! Its a 24 hour convenience store that is also a laundromat. I love it! The laundromat part is genius! All it needs is public showers and you could practically live there.

The convenience store is small, but its stocked with all the essentials: sodas, chips, stale "fresh" pastries, candy bars and a sassy elderly woman who has obviously smoked most of her life/ gotten too much sun behind the counter. In addition to all the traditional goodies, they also have an ample assortment of miniature laundry soaps: liquids and powders. There is even one of those Claw arcade machines that are impossible to ever win a stuffed animal out of, and a candy/sticker/temporary tattoo/crap you don't need dispensers that every kid loves. 

I took a ton of pictures there today while waiting for the laundry to finish. I can't wait to show you guys.

365 Project: Day 111

I have dressed and undressed this manequin probably 500 times in the last few days. I've been shooting some of Modern Cowgirl's T-shirts for their website. I started looking at this mannequin and thinking, "This is supposed to be the standard female form?" I think I can honestly say that I know maybe one or two woman who look like this. Maybe. No wonder we're all screwed up when it comes to body image. 

365 Project: Day 87

Ugh. Laundry. Its one of those annoying little tasks in life that you just have to do. Its right up there with dishes and grocery shopping for me. I despise having to do it. I'll let my dirty clothes pile up as long as possible before I actually make the effort to wash anything. The day always comes when you get up and go to the closet to get dressed only to find that there's not one single thing that is suitable to wear. In my life, that day is also known as laundry day. Otherwise, I just can't force myself to do it. The washer and dryer on this rental property are in a little cinderblock shack behind the house. Its terribly inconvenient to have to drag my laundry outside and through the backyard, not to mention its freezing now that its winter. However, having a washer and dryer at all is a big plus for a renter. I shouldn't complain. As much as I hate doing laundry, I hate going to the laundry mat even more. Something grosses me out about washing my clothes in a machine that countless numbers of other people have used. The dryers never manage to get your clothes completely dry, always requiring one or more additional quarters to finish the job. I swear they're rigged.

People watching at the laundry mat is fascinating though. There's a certain crowd of people who you run into at the laundry mat. I've seen some pretty strange people hanging out washing their clothes. There's always that person who comes in carrying a year's worth of laundry and with no consideration for anyone else, uses almost every single washer in the place. Or the person who puts their clothes in the washing machine and then just leaves. Where do they think they're going? What do they expect is going to happen when the washer is finished and other people are waiting to use it? That's when you get into shady territory with boundary issues. There is that point when the person has been gone so long that you have to decide if its appropriate to take their laundry out of the washer so you can use it. I mean, there is a stranger's underwear in there. Do you really want to touch those? There's also that person who insists on talking on their cell phone the entire time they're washing their clothes. I was in a laundry mat once with a woman who was not only on her cell phone, but she was talking on speaker phone. What possesses a person to talk on their speaker phone in public is beyond me. Just today I drove past a laundry mat where there was a homeless man laying not only on the sidewalk, but across the sidewalk casually picking his nose. I'm usually the girl sitting as far away from everyone else as possible, headphones on, book in hand, trying not to make eye contact with anyone.

Most laundry mats are set up exactly the same. Washers and dryers, of course, rows of plastic chairs all linked together so you have to sit uncomfortably close to the person next to you, one or more televisions chained to the wall or on those hospital stands hanging from the ceiling, usually set on some horrible channel that no one wants to watch, overpriced vending machines that have been picked over so the only things left are trail mix or licorice, change dispensers that are inevitably out of order or just keep spitting out your dollar bill no matter how hard you try to flatten it out, tile floors with dryer lint and dust bunnies in the corners...its quite the scene.

365 Project: Day 83

BIG sunglasses. I can't live without them. My eyes are super sensitive to the sun. I can't even go outside without my shades or I'm blinded, eyes watering, squinting, and overall looking quite unattractive, I'm sure. The sun gives me a headache. Probably because my facial muscles are all tensed up and contorted from trying to keep the blinding light out of my eyes. At one time I probably had 10 different pairs of sunglasses, all equally huge and crazy colored. Most of them have since either broken or been lost somewhere along my journey. I'm down to 4 pairs. I know there is one pair that was left behind in Vegas, but I think that pair really belonged in Vegas. Hopefully there is a really stylish hotel maid running around in my awesome shades.

I get a lot of comments and non-complements about my different sunglasses. Either people love them or they think they're ridiculous. You know, when someone says, "I love your sunglasses. I could never wear those, but you can pull them off." That's a non-complement. Why not just say nothing?

I've always made bold fashion choices. Ever since I was little I dressed myself in these crazy get ups. There are pictures of me as a kid wearing so much jewelry that I'm surprised I'm standing upright. I had a favorite dress too. It was all one piece and had a white top with a little embroidered rainbow patch on the chest. The skirt was knee length, and vertically striped in rainbow colors. It was really brightly colored and I loved it. Even now, I still love it.

During my teen years, shopping was like a battle. My parents were still paying for my clothes and, with complete disregard for my style and taste, mom refused to buy me anything she thought was ugly. Unfortunately, she thought at least half the clothes I wanted were exactly that. So, I was forced to find a happy medium, or have no clothes. I remember her throwing away a pair of vintage bellbottom jeans that I bought at a thrift store because she thought they were hideous.

Things haven't changed much. My clothing choices have toned down a little as I've gotten older, or at least I think so. I still love bright colors, I still wear huge jewelry. The best part is, I still genuinely don't care what anyone else thinks about what I'm wearing. So, here's to being bold, being yourself and wearing ridiculously huge sunglasses every single day.

365 Project: Day 13

It finally got cold enough over the weekend that I started pulling my winter clothes out of storage. I was living in California the last two winters so I haven't really gotten to wear any of my favorite sweaters since I was living in Boston. I missed them!

Modern Cowgirl

When Shana Gibson from Modern Cowgirl asked me if I was available for a photo shoot I was so thrilled! Of course I was! Clothes, jewelry, fashion, editorial, this is the sort of stuff I live for! 

Major thanks to Shana from Modern Cowgirl and Endion our beautiful model! 

Diane Von Furstenberg

My first love in photography is fashion.  If I could only photograph one subject for the rest of my life I would choose fashion, no doubt.

Diane Von Furstenberg creates the most beautiful, feminine clothes for women.  She has lived an incredible life and is such a great role model.  If you ever have a chance to read her autobiography, I highly suggest that you do.

I just got a look at her Spring 2009 collection and I love it!  These are just a few of my favorites:

The ad campaigns for DVF are photographed by an artist/writer named Francois-Marie Banier.  His work is so inspirational to me.  He combines photography with writing, drawing and painting to create the most interesting images.  A Russian model named Natalia Vodianova (of course she is breath taking) is the muse for these artistic advertisements. 

I love how he uses big swipes of color over the images.  It creates a whole new life for black and white photographs. To see more of his work you can visit his website.

Quote for the day:

"Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual."

--Arthur Koestler

I Have a New Book

Reading is one of my favorite past times.  But since I left Boston, the time I once spent reading while zipping from place to place on the train has been replaced with endless miles of traffic.  (Ugh!)  Since I don't condone reading while driving, I haven't had the time to devote to really sitting down, relaxing and reading a good book.  So, I've taken up the habit of half-reading five or six books at a time.  I only get through the first couple of chapters of most of them.  Then they take up residence on my night stand.  I look at them longingly when I tuck myself in at night, but I'm always too exhausted to pick one up and actually finish it.

This Christmas I received a book store gift card.  Immediately my mind was filled with thoughts of spending hours perusing the store, which I love to do, and buying stacks magazines instead of just flipping through them while standing next to the rack.  

So, gift card in hand, I took a trip down to the book store and picked up a copy of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's book: Influence.  The book was cleverly printed with your choice of Olsen twin on the cover.  When I checked out the clerk made sure to ask me if I chose the cover with the twin I wanted (I chose Ashley). 

I have followed both of their careers for quite some time now.  These two women never cease to amaze me.  They have accomplished so much in their short lives.  I can only dream to be half as motivated and ambitious as they are.  I mean, when do they have time to sleep?  

I haven't finished the book yet (note the first paragraph) but I am fascinated by the lives of the people they chose to interview.  There is such an eclectic group of people with amazing stories and experiences to share.  I am drawn to fashion and art and even more so to the people who create it.  I think this book is going to be a really great edition to my bedside table.  I think one day I'll finish it.  Maybe.

Fairy Tales

Alice in Wonderland just happens to be one of my all time favorite children's books.  It has fantasy, adventure, imagination, interesting characters, and, my favorite part, a rebellious young lady who's curiosity seems to get her into trouble everywhere she goes. 

When you think about it, the entire story is completely crazy!  I can't imagine what Lewis Carroll was thinking when he came up with this twisted tale.  

Tim Burton is directing a new Alice in Wonderland movie that is due out in 2010.  There is no better person to direct this wacky story than Tim Burton.  I think it is going to be amazing and I really hope that I'm not disappointed.

Daniel Pla.Estilismo created these awesome Alice in Wonderland inspired images for a Spanish magazine called Ragazza.

I love the rich jewel tones and how the story is interpreted through simple props.  Not to mention the gorgeous clothes!  The pink dress (above) by Paule Ka is especially lovely.