little boy blue..

...come blow your horn,
The sheep's in the meadow the cow's in the corn.
But where's the boy who looks after the sheep?
He's under a haystack fast asleep.

These were taken for my photography class.

I chose to do the nursery rhyme, little boy blue.

I put a little twist on it.

Notice the flowers in the cow pic and the final 2?

I decided that my little man blue would be a hopeless romantic.

These were some of my favorites.

Model: Mr. Jon Barrick :)

oh the androgyny.

As I was walking to school the other day. . .
I came across the cutest thing.
A few blocks in front of me, I noticed a mom pushing a stroller, with a little one in it.
LOoooooove babies.
By mama's side, I saw another little one pushing a cart with a 'baby' in it.
To my surprise, the other 'little one' turned out to be a boy.
I couldn't help but stare, as I saw this boy (no older than 4), mimic his mother.
He was wearing camo, cargo shorts and was also sporting a mohawk.
Little cutie -

The stroller was definitely pink. All pink.
Unfortunately the above image is not of the actual situatioonnnneee, but you get the gist.
Since I took a women's studies course in Mankato, I have been extremely in-tune with tom girls and sissy boys; the psychology behind what children play with and why, fascinates me. 
Also, when I was young I always played tractors with my brother, and in return, he played dolls with me. So what's the deal?
Are the parents responsible? Why wouldn't he rather be pushing a car down the side of the street?
I don't really know for sure..but I like it.
There shouldn't be any sort of norm for a child - what they play with, or what color they are wearing, and the list goes on.
But, sadly, there is.
I just found it a bit intriguing. That's all.

bonfires&boots.

I can't take it anymore!
. . .No more waiting.
can't fighttt it.
WOE IS MEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeee. :)
I just cannot survive another day. . .
Without my boots.
August is just late enough.
Come to think of it, I was wearing boots, already, in June.
Come to think of it, again, I guess I may have not even put them away.
fail? no.
Boots are pretty much the anchor to my boat, errr, wardrobe.
moccs. booties. knee-highs. fringes. cowboy's. stilettos.
They.make.me.smile.
With the feelin' of fall in the airrrrrr, it's time to bust them out, again.
For good, good.

                                          

 

Images via weheartit

Glamorama 2010

personal review.

I covered this live event for my fashion journalism class. . .

On Friday, August 6th, I stood in the lobby of the Orpheum Theatre. I was among students at The Art Institutes International and Macy’s employees waiting, as one of the first in line, for the 2010, Glamorama dress rehearsal show. I am fortunate to say that this has been my third year attending the show, so I had a relatively sure idea of what to expect. As we all stood anxiously awaiting the go ahead from the doormen, finally, the clock struck 1pm and the doors opened. Within minutes, everyone scattered, as we were on the scout for the best seat. We positioned ourselves in the third row, right in the center and patiently waited for the show to start.
The main reason that Glamorama happens, yearly, is to help raise money for the fight against HIV/AIDS. Over the past 28 years, over $40 million has been raised in the markets of Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. The money benefits organizations like the Ronald McDonald House Charities, the AIDS Emergency Fund and the Children’s Cancer Research Fund. In my opinion, couture fashion, celebrities, music and choreography paired with raising money and awareness for organizations in need, is an impeccable combination. The show began, as it usually does, with a personal story of a young girl, named Emma, who had been diagnosed with cancer at a very young age. Her story was very touching and surely brought tears to my eyes. Musical guests were Eric Hutchinson and Macy Gray, who definitely brought down the house.

Tommy Hilfiger was the first collection to grace our presence. His classic fall looks were quite impressive and included vests, turtlenecks, plaid jumpers and trench coats. Of course, the infamous red color resounded throughout the entire collection. Mister Marc Jacobs never ceases to please. His collection was a cohesion of tweed, wool and silk, tailored pieces. As far as fall colors go, gray was the most dominant. For the finale look, Marc outdid himself with a lavish, ruffled dress that just screamed fairytale. Versace for men delivered in full force, with the hottest, most classy looks for the male. Although parts of the segment were a little revealing, at least the men were good looking. Just Cavalli was one of my favorite collections featured in the show. To the tune of Strawberry Fields by Ben Harper, models strutted their stuff in ‘70s floral prints, fur, leather, floppy hats, fringe and maxi dresses.

Sportmax, which is MaxMara’s sister line, consisted of shades of gray and fur trim. The collection didn’t speak to me as much as the others and seemed a little uninspired. Sonia Rykiel’s line was very cohesive and fun to watch, with all of the sparkly disco balls. The collection included oversized menswear pieces and sleekly silhouetted dresses. The best look was the finale, complete with an extravagant feather coat and knee-high, tie up pumps, carefully adorned with dazzling jewels. Jean Paul Gaultier’s bold collection, took us around the world, as he showcased immaculately large, foreign inspired hats, paired with robust feathers - some being feet long. Also, knee-high boots with floral and paisley patterns sparked my interest.Philosophy di Alberta Feretti delivered on a more Victorian level. The dark ambiance made it a little hard to see all the miniscule details of the clothing. It was a little eerie, which added a little mystery. The draping of the fabrics remained consistent throughout the collection.

Issey Miyake’s interesting collaboration took us to a different universe. The futurist garments were composed of plastic-looking fabrics, metallics and bright, neon hues. Scarves, gathered pants and draping were other noticeable elements. Material Girl is a hip and trendy line, as it was shown in an upbeat, well-choreographed manner. Madonna’s daughter, Lola’s youthful line, is now exclusively sold at Macy’s. It seemed to be very cohesive and the performance, of the kid dancers, was a lot of fun to watch. Jessica Jacobson, a student at Ai volunteered to help with the show. She had this to say about what it was like behind-the-scenes, “Backstage is like a zoo. They have so much going on in the dark that it’s hard to see where you’re going, what’s coming towards you (stage pieces) and where not to stand so you don’t get run over. It was interesting that through the craziness, everyone seemed to know where they were supposed to be and what they needed to do.”

Jezebel/Felina and 2(x)ist, of course, featured lots and lots of skin. Viewing the collection almost made you feel like you were watching a theatrical performance and not a fashion show. Models were wearing angel wings and a heaven versus hell act provided for a dramatic effect. Ai student and Glamorama first-timer, Emma Lyons, had this to say after the show, “The show completely exceeded my expectations! I expected a runway show and what we got was practically a Broadway show! I would definitely pay to go see it again. My favorite part of the show was seeing the worldly designs of Jean Paul Gaultier and the sexy men in their underwear didn't hurt either! I would definitely recommend this to anyone, this is not your normal fashion show, the fashions combined with the themes, music, and dancing really made this a wonderful show open to many audiences.”

As far as trends go, there was repetition involving the ‘nerdy’ look, complete with black-rimmed glasses. Also, socks with shoes, fur, feathers and lace made their appearance. In relation to Emma’s statement, I couldn’t agree more and, personally, I cannot wait to see what next year will bring! Jessica shared what she considered to be the most rewarding part about volunteering at Glamorama, “Just seeing how the show, as a whole, comes together and how many people it takes behind the stage to make it run. There are so many details that go into the show. It was really interesting to be a part of it.”

All photos taken by Emily Utne

Italian Vogue's Oil Spill Fashion Shoot. . .

Too soon?

Oil and water don't mix. Nor does fashion and natural disasters.
Vogue Italia is getting second looks after this recent photo shoot.

Is it about being avant garde? or just plain tasteless.

Something about subbing a natural disaster, that has ruined lives and killed many, as a marketing tool, irks me.

photos via http://www.vogue.it/en/magazine/cover-story/2010/08/water--oil

retailers & photoshop. . .

TOO extreme.

Ralph Lauren.
Lucky Magazine.
and now, Ann Taylor.

Guilty, guilty, guilty.

Thank Mr. Ralph Lauren for this, 'I-have-no-internal-organs' look!

Dear Ann Taylor and friends: When you make someone skinny, skinnier, the result screams anorexia.

The photo on the left is JS featured in the September 2010 issue of Lucky Magazine. On the right, a real picture of JS - - Have at it.

Notice the caption in the lower right hand corner, about Jessica finally loving her body. Innnnnnnnnnteresting. Which one?

Photos via jezebel.com

we paid a visit to. . .

Mr. William Clark.

“Fashion is a man-made flower: Sown by the artist, cultivated by those of taste, harvested by all who love beauty.” This is William Clark’s personal mission statement, in which he admittedly, ‘stole’ from an old vacuum box. A few of us were lucky enough to visit William Clark’s personal studio, for a couple of hours, as we sat down with one of our metro’s greatest fashion photographers. Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, William Clark approaches photography with an open mind and a more contemporary perspective. He is known for his ability to take risks, for he is never satisfied with the status quo. William got his start as a photography assistant, for a company called Image Studios Inc., in Appleton, Wisconsin. He then moved to Chicago, where, he claims to have enjoyed the energy of the city, but it just wasn’t for him.

Following that, Clark moved to Minneapolis, where he now lives with his wife, his two-year-old daughter, and another on the way. He quickly found that there were endless opportunities for fashion photography in Minnesota and it has been his passion ever since, stating that, “Fashion has the biggest room for creativity.” William has been capturing images for editorial and advertising purposes, for over a decade. Some of his clients include Macy’s, Target, Mall of America and Metro Magazine. William’s true area of interest, in which he claimed to enjoy the most, lies in producing collaborative works for his own portfolio. This usually involves working with ‘an army,’ as William called it, made up of a photographer (himself), an assistant, an art director, a designer, hair and makeup artists, a style team and a prop’s team. All members work together to make a vision come to life, on the day of the shoot. “Everyone brings something different; everyone sacrifices, everyone wins,” William revealed.

When speaking of initial inspiration, William explained that the first step to executing a successful shoot is a concept, which could stem from something as simple as a word or an image. From there, a story is made, a production team is assembled, model casting is held, shooting begins and the rest is history. William spoke of the importance of knowing that you are only as good as the people you work with and that both collaboration and networking are two, key factors to consider when working in this industry. As a fashion student, taking my first photography class, my graduating quarter, I found this experience to be both fascinating and inspiring – Fortunately, I was able to get my hands on a business card.

Pictures via http://www.williamclarkphotography.com/

zebras & zen.

photos via weheartit

flower child.

photos via weheartit

prettylittlethings.

photos via weheartit