DirtyRock

Last weekend me and Bin Han posed for our friend Angie for a photo shoot she was working on for a class assignment. After a few hundred photos, here are some of the best with her edits.

The last one is my favorite! I love the backdrop, the mix of dull and bright colors and the intensity of our faces. This building has been under construction for a while and we had to climb a fence to get onto the site and walk around inside the empty building. She was going for a grungy, carnivalesque, juxtaposed theme full of attitude and I think we definitely achieved that. This shoot was so much fun! Go to Angie's website to see more.

Wishes

"How I wish, how I wish you were here.

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl,

Year after year.

Running over the same old ground.

What have we found?

The same old fears.

Wish you were here."

 

Sometimes a song comes along that is so powerful you can physically feel it. This is definitely one of those songs for me, and probably for a lot of others out there. This song gets me every single time I hear it. It makes me think of everyone I've ever loved, everyone I've ever had to leave behind, everyone I've ever wanted so much it hurts. So much emotion in such a short song.

 

On that note, it's another cold and rainy Monday. It's been a week since I've posted... finals week here at Southeast is keeping me quite busy! So here's what me and my lovely photographer Angie did over the weekend...

This is one of my favorite locations yet. It's an old rose garden close to my house. I love the stark look of the bare branches and the few somber orange roses that are hanging on to summer. I also love the contrast of the soft colors against the darkness of this outfit. The white sweater is a new favorite from Old Navy.

  

LOVE the attitude that Angie caught here. Mixing soft pieces with leather and studs has always been a favorite style of mine. The faux leather jacket is from a store in St. Louis called Love Culture. the jeans are black denim Levis - only $5 at TJ Maxx.

I collect old jewelry, especially crosses and strange, unique pieces. I love thrift stores and garage sales because you can always find some old lady's jewelry that you know no one else will have. I usually only wear one piece at a time but for a rocker look you can layer.

My nails are a dark purple here. The color is "Pat on the Black" from Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure line.

 My current obsession - these Candies heels from Khol's!! I've posted pics of them previously but this is the first time I've actually worn them. I love the color, texture, thick heel, everything! I'll definitely be wearing these out this winter.

Hell on Heels

"I'm hell on heels,

Say what you will.

I done made the devil a deal.

He made me pretty, he made me smart,

and I'm gonna break me a million hearts.

I'm hell on heels.

Baby I'm coming for you."

- Hell on Hells, Pistol Annies

 

The BEST nude shoes I have ever owned.

Wild Pair, $50 on sale

 

Buying into the chunky heel trend...

 Candie's, $20 on sale

 

 

I was immediately drawn to the mixture of texture and pattern... and the price. Thanks to these, I now require a pair of high waisted flairs and an Orange Crush T-shirt `a la Jackie from That 70's Show.

 Charlotte Russe, $7 on clearance

 

 

I love how this pair borrows elements from a traditional men's shoe and turn it into something sexy and tough. I feel like a secretly sexy librarian would wear these hidden beneath long pants.

 Charlotte Russe, $5 test pair

 

This is just a fraction of my heels. But looking at this collection I'm noticing that I lean toward neutral tones, gentle, clean lines and styles popularized in the 60s and 70s.

 

Vintage Now Fashion Show

Back in October, I had the chance to participate in what turned out to be a great fashion show. Vintage Now II, sponsored by Pastimes Antiques in Cape Girardeau, raised over $30,000 for the Safe House for Women, also in Cape Girardeau. The theme of the show was incorporating modern pieces with classic vintage wear. There were two segments, the first was "Just for Fun" where the models picked their own outfits and the second was "Hollywood Now," the outfits for which Deb Maevers, owner of Pastimes Antiques, picked out. Me and about six other girls from my fashion merchandising classes were "dressers" for the event. We ran around doing whatever was needed, from double-sided sticking shoes to the models' feet to rolling racks of clothing around behind the stage to operating the curtains that the models had to walk through. Here are some pictures from the show! 

 

Me and Stefanie, a fellow fashion merchandising student.

 College students modeled in the show.

Prominent members of the community also modeled.

 

Photos by Angie Hayden.

Drugstore Cowgirl

"I know a drugstore cowgirl, so afraid of getting bored.

She's always running from something, so many things ignored."

- 311, Beautiful Disaster

Just as Ralph Lauren and American Eagle before me, I have this strange obsession with denim. I'm amazed by the versatility. Lately, I am  particularly drawn to mixing denims of different colors and styles. The look I have on here is reminiscent of a cowboy, but I added some modern and "urban" touches to keep it out of the Wild West.

 

 

These are from Charlotte Russe, and I LOVE them! They add a tiny bit of height to my 5'4" self and really help slenderize the line of the leg. The heel keeps them from looking too much like cowboy boots.

 

This bag is from the Converse One Star line at Target. I actually use it as my school bag. It helps add a little sophistication and personal style to every outfit. The dark camel fabric is faux suede and features gold hardwear.

 

 

Who doesn't love a friendship bracelet?! Lately these staples from my childhood have caught on and become trendy again. I paired a few that I made with some copper baubles, hair ties and rubber bands to create a messy, colorful and completely personalized look.

All photos by Angie Hayden.

Trying my hand.

A good friend of mine, Angie, is majoring in TV and advertising. She asked me to be the stylist for one of her recent photo shoots. We went over images of the new Cavalli and Gucci magazine ads to come up with the concept for this shoot. All makeup, hair, clothing and jewelry styling on our wonderful model, Bin Han, was done by me. The backdrop was a combined effort. The colored lighting was Angie's work, some done using gels on the lights on set and some in post-editing.  Check out more pics at Angie's website.