my work: Grace Bol for Gravure Magazine

Gravure magazine gave me the opportunity to work with the lovely model Grace Bol for the second time last spring. Shot by Manolo Campion at Acme studios in Williamsburg (part photo studio/part wonderland, itself worthy of a post), the idea behind the looks was boldly taking the idea of layering into the summer months. 

The bright shades looked phenomenal against Grace's dark complexion, serving as the perfect backdrop to the neon sportswear and psychedelic basics. The key to taking the idea into more everyday territory is making sure to keep accessories at a minimum (unless people regularly use the prefix 'icon' or 'influencer' before they refer to you, dark sunglasses and metal earrings should be enough in most scenarios) and keeping everything fitted so that it skims the body rather than resembles a parachute or stylish clown. Metallics and varying textures also serve as helpful elements to balance out the whole equation.

For those looking to take the utmost hesitant step towards the trend, try experimenting with your makeup in the style of the second look. All it takes is one line of extra-thick black liner (liquid makes the boldest statement) and topped off with a line in your chosen color, making sure to trace the entire inner corners of the eye with the colored liner. 

side note: if you ever find yourself shooting at acme, or in the area, make sure to try cafe de la esquina down the street which is the best mexican food you will ever eat in a RV.

work: Dossier Journal issue eleven | Vanessa Hudgens | A Case of You

Here are the long awaited results of a shoot I worked on for Issue 11 of Dossier Journal with Vanessa Hudgens and Lester Garcia. The editorial, ‘A Case of You,’ was shot by photographer-duo Tom Betterton and Jenny Gage at their home in Brooklyn Heights (which interestingly enough doubled as a part-time nursery school.)

            Besides spending the day pretending that I actually live in a charming brownstone in Brooklyn with an attractive banker husband and J.Crew-ad-ready kids, we shot Vanessa in a range of boudoir-inspired looks, taking her into new territory, sartorially speaking.

            Don’t get me wrong- I was a huge High School Musical fan back in the day. I mean, my sixth grade group won second place in a lip-syncing competition for our expertly choreographed rendition of ‘Bop to the Top.’ Obviously, I played Sharpay.

Recently, however, Ms. Hudgens has acquired a very different portrayal in the media thanks to her roles in controversial films such as Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers and Machete Kills. I don’t necessarily think one side is better than the other, but I do believe that changing and adapting to new audiences expectations is as crucial in Hollywood as it is in fashion. In this editorial Vanessa executed that idea beautifully by taking on an appropriately more demure attitude in the paired-down looks.

Vanessa herself is not a new face to me- her and her adorable boyfriend frequently attend weekly masses with me at Hillsong Church in New York City. If you ever find yourself in the city on a Sunday afternoon I would highly suggest you try going to a service at Irving Plaza near Union Square. Even if your main objective is to stare a hole into the side of Austin Butler’s head (don’t worry, it can’t be done. Though I have come close on multiple occasions), it’s worth stopping in and experiencing at least once!

The teenage dream... and Vanessa Hudgens;) 

Prague: An Unlikely Icon and Emblem

(and no, I do not know what face I am in the process of making) 

Before coming to Prague I had been told by a number of friends about how amazing the city is, especially the historic architecture and nightlife scene. With my mom as my only company and my lack of Czech comprehension rendering the later pretty much impossible, it was up to the rest of this glorious city to make up for my lack of social interaction with people, preferably within two decades of my age. But thanks to the internet, who needs face-to-face contact these days, right? Only, I didn’t have wifi either (the horror). Keeping all of this in mind, it’s clear that saying that I had an amazing stay in Prague, says a lot about the powerful beauty and intrigue of this city. 

First off, can we just talk about the fact that Prague takes home the official award for most innovated Starbucks, like, ever? Normally I try not to go to US chains while I’m in another country (in favor of trying their local coffee shops… with the possible exception of ones in Amsterdam) but I ended up stranded right as it started to pour down. Thankfully Eastern Europe is no different than the rest of the world in that the nearest thing to anyone, anywhere, anytime is a Starbucks. But this one was expertly crafted into the side of steep hill, looking over the entire cityscape of both old and new towns.

(where is Natasha Poly from? I'm having a moment inspired be her apparently)

I have this thing, … a tradition with myself, that whenever I have the time to sit down for more than a minute and admire the view, I like to listen to song to help take it all in. Rather than have you all think I’m a crazy person (not in this instance anyway) let me explain my motives.

Well for one it allows me to forget about everything around me and get completely into my own head for a few minutes. Secondly, it then associates the two (stimuli) together and suddenly that particular song has became the soundtrack of the trip- becoming an almost transportive power every time you hear it, allowing you to be taken back. Back to the magic that is the maze of streets, bridges, and halls of Prague. 

 In this instance my choice of music was 'safe and sound' by Capital Cities (basic, basic, basic... I know.) A few others I have used for similar purposes in the past include: 

Take a Walk - Passion Pit

Ooh La - The Kooks

Rome - Phoenix

You Get What You Give - The New Radicals

Genesis - Grimes

Fragments of Time - Daft Punk

(what happens when I remember my iPhone camera has a panorama feature) 

necklace: a gift from fashion chalet

top: Topshop

shorts: asos

Dancing in Graveyards // Halloween in New York City

Me and my date for the night, Bruce Jenner (aka Cesar) at the V Magazine Halloween Party

 Growing up in New York City has its perks, but I always felt like I was missing out on Halloween as a kid. While the amount of candy you can collect in a single night is unsurpassable in a co-op (so long as you can hog the elevator for that long), classics like spooky hayrides and haunted cornfields just weren’t an option in the city. My ideal Halloween comes straight out of a Goospebumps book: smalltown, big mystery, loads of graveyards- the whole shebang. So when the day finally rolled around this year, I decided to try and find a little Halloween magic without leaving the city (well, Brooklyn.) 

Attempting to venture out to Red Hook, I took a couple (try 25) wrong turns and ended up in Cobble Hill. As fate would have it, I ended up finding exactly what I was looking for. The sky was a perfect shade of ominous gray, the streets were lined with brilliant fall foliage, and there were what seemed like endless rows of townhouses decorated to extremes.

Last year was supposed to be my first year attending the village Halloween parade, but Hurricane Sandy really put a damper on that plan. This year, thanks to their parade’s kickstarter campaign, they were back in full swing. It’s definitely  something to cross off the life bucket list, but the entire scene is essentially a small-scale version of (what I imagine) Times Square on New Years Eve: crowded, pushy, and intoxicated. No bueno.

Lynn's Halloween look circa 2012. 

A highlight of the evening was running into one of my favorite ‘fashion people,’ Lynn Yaeger, on her way to the Screaming Mimi’s party (though she felt strongly about staying away from anything related to fashion that night). As usual Lynn was a riot. When I asked if she was going as a witch, she said, “well, I’m wearing the hat but the rest of it is just my normal clothes.” 

(via BryanBoy's Instagram)

            My last stop of the night was the V Magazine Halloween Party at The Boom Boom Room. I went as Carrie (sadly the intensity of the entire look is a bit lost in the first shot, but just imagine a lot more blood) and my lovely date for the evening, Bruce Jenner (aka Cesar Casier). As usual, V always knows how to give us a good time. And as far as best costumes go – BryanBoy dressed as Anna Wintour takes top honors, followed closely by a faceless model dressed as the Kaiser himself, Karl Lagerfeld. Until next year.