art of wore

My Final Editor's Note

2012-02-11T02:12:48Z

My last Editor's Note since leaving Minnesota Bride came out in the Spring/Summer 2012 issue, which hit newsstands in January. It's one of my favorite notes I've written because I decided to just lay it all out and tell the reader exactly what I've learned about weddings over the years.

My old editorial director, Barbara Knox, once told me that the most boring Editor's Notes simply regurgitate the Table of Contents, so I've always tried to steer clear of recommending stories within the issue. It's better to write about stuff that the reader might want to learn about or find entertaining. My former editor at METRO, Chris Clayton, was excellent at that. His Editor's Notes were always full of hilarious, poignant annecdotes.

Casual Corner

2012-02-06T06:32:08Z

It's been a lazy weekend. I meant to get outside and take pictures of my neighborhood, but something always came up — mostly naps and Netflix. This was the first weekend I've been able to relax and cozy up in my apartment since moving to Seattle three weeks ago. Sometimes that's more important than productivity.

I wore this outfit to a Superbowl party this afternoon. It's as simple as it gets: breezy chambray skirt, sailor striped top, navy blue sweater, Bionic Unicorn necklace, Givenchy lipstick in Shocking Pink. Oh, and of course, the icing on the cake: a pair of cheap white heart sunglasses. I took these pictures while fidgeting about in my new favorite piece of furniture — a chair from an interior design shop down the street.

The weather was gorgeous this weekend. I'm hoping it stays sunny for the arrival of my pal Vanessa, who's coming to visit on Thursday. Eeeek, I can't wait!!

Prabal Gurung Spring 2012 Campaign

2012-02-01T06:38:18Z

Prabal Gurung's spring ad campaign, released today, is definitely my favorite of the season so far. I love the mix of elegance, edginess and eroticism, something I never managed to get out of the models I worked with in my old job as a fashion editor. I'm not sure if it was hesitance on the part of the photographer, who's typically the one to give a model direction, or the comfort level of the model, but they were rarely willing to throw back their heads in ecstacy.

I gotta say — when done right, it makes clothes look fantastic.

Awesome new hair editorials

2012-01-31T03:23:14Z

How toally freaking rad is this editorial from Vogue Germany? Polish model Magdalena Frackowiak has one of the best heads of hair I've ever seen. Who knows if it's all hers, but it hardly matters. I love shoots like this — why not let hair steal the show? The fashion's cool too (hello, sequin suit), but all the action is clearly happening up top.

Speaking of awesome hair, I'm really digging Chloe Sevigny's new bob in the campaign for Korean brand Tomboy. In fact, I might have to copy it for summer.

How are we feeling about her as a brunette?

OUTFIT POST: Ladylike meets psychedelic

2012-01-30T05:56:30Z

This is my first outfit post since moving to Seattle! As you can see, it's raining outside, but I still prefer this weather to Minneapolis' sub-zero temps.

I wore this vintage dress to work last week, with a few minor tweaks (long-sleeved shirt underneath, no bracelet). It's been in my closet forever. I love how it has a crazy psychedelic floral print, but the silhouette is quite simple and ladylike. No need for tons of accessories or anything but basic black accents.

I'm also so excited to finally wear the pearl earrings from Tiffany that my boyfriend got me for Christmas! I only just got my ears pierced this fall (I know, I know), and it's been so hard seeing them on my jewelry display while I waited to remove my "starter" studs.

Anyway, this post is going to kind of long, because I have tons of SEATTLE OBSERVATIONS to fill you in on now that I've been here two full weeks. They are as follows:

No one jaywalks in this town, to an alarming degree. The street could be completely bereft of cars and bikers, and everyone will stay perched on the sidewalk, waiting for the walk sign to light up. I, of course, do not pay attention to walk signs — I pay attention to cars. But I guess if jaywalking tickets are common in this town, I guess I should pay attention to police cars too, heh.

Everyone here thinks 40 degrees is unbearably cold. This is hilarious. Where I come from, unbearably cold is more like 10 degrees and under. And windy. If it's not windy, anything's manageable.

For the most part, Capitol Hill, my neighborhood, reminds me a lot of Uptown Minneapolis, my old neighborhood ... except after 2am on weekends when it suddenly turns into the Lower East Side. The streets are packed, food trucks are out and it's like a dance party.

There are pho restaurants everywhere. EVERYWHERE. I'm not yet sure how I feel about this. Never been the hugest pho fan, but maybe I just haven't had the best stuff.

Pretty much every Seattleite I've met thinks Minneapolis is flyover country, which makes me a little sad. I'm convinced every one of them would love Minneapolis if they visited simply because it's so damn similar to Seattle. They have no idea!

Here are a few things both cities have:

tons of indie restaurants with cool décor and seasonal menus
hipsters galore
locally owned boutiques for all kinds of stuff — clothes, yarn, skateboards, shoes, gifts, vintage, etc.
a mix of old 1920s homes and new condo-style buildings
a large gay population and its fabulousness
tons of cute neighborhoods, each with their own personality and incredibly loyal inhabitants
a priority on summer and everything that comes with it, namely water activities and cabins ... and befriending those with access to said water activities and cabins
not enough diversity
a downtown located on the water
very polite strangers who will smile at you on the street, say hello and open doors for you
residents willing to fight gentrification with every fiber of their beings
subpar public transportation in comparison to other big cities
a thriving local music scene
an obsession with discussing the weather

This last one might actually apply to every city on the planet. Discussing the weather seems to be part of human nature.

All in all, I really like it here so far! More to come soon, including photos from my 'hood.

Alyson + Jesse

2012-01-27T05:24:17Z

As the former editor-in-chief of three regional bridal magazines, I've seen many of weddings over the years. But never have I been so proud as to run the following story about Alyson and Jesse Newquist — Minnesota Bride's first ever same-sex couple.

I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, because it shouldn't be an exception to the norm, but, well, the United States hasn't exactly gotten to that point yet, and it is a big deal. You might even be wondering what took so long! It all boils down to equality — we only feature the best local weddings in the magazine, regardless of sexual orientation, but hadn't yet seen a same-sex wedding that met our standards. Until now.

Jesse and Alyson's wedding was absolutely gorgeous and full of creative, meaningful details. They even opened their own venue in the process! Check out Matt Burgess' wonderfully written feature on these inspiring newlyweds, with photos by Photogen Inc:

Minneapolis Fashion Designer Amanda Christine

2012-01-26T03:34:06Z

Below is a short profile I wrote on Minneapolis fashion designer Amanda Christine for the January issue of METRO magazine. She's the prime example of an indie designer whose determination, business smarts and artistic talent have enabled her to make clothes full time. It isn't easy, of course, and she hasn't become an overnight millionaire, but her work is sold in boutiques around the country (and even a few in Japan and Toronto), and it's only growing.

Figuring out how to mass-produce designs, hire remote sales reps, balance the books, source affordable fabrics, maintain a showroom AND turn out fresh collections each season is challenging, to say the least. Most designers start and stop at making collections, but Amanda has the right amount of business savvy to become a "real" fashion designer. And she's based in Minneapolis! Pretty cool.

Grunge Bride

2012-01-24T05:21:00Z

This is one of the last fashion editorials I did before leaving Minnesota Bride earlier this month, and it's now one of my favorite stories. Everything just came together, from the styling to the model to the lighting to the overall feel.

My art director, Janet, and I started with the photographer, Lena Lakoma. We knew that we wanted to work with her and knew that it needed to be in-studio. From there, we met with Lena and went back and forth on a concept before deciding on a relaxed grunge theme, inspired by a postcard-sized image Janet had torn from a magazine.

Once we had our concept down we knew we needed a strong model who could carry the story, since it'd be about her attitude just as much as it'd be about the clothes. I suggested Ashlee Walker from Vision, having worked with her before, and we all agreed she'd be perfect. And yep, she was. I'm so glad I got to work with her one last time before she headed to New York this winter.

Next, we needed to find a stylist who could handle the dichotomy of grunge and bridal — two concepts that don't exactly go hand-in-hand. Jahna Peloquin was a natural choice as someone who understands the recent grunge resurrgance and had already proven reliable in handling valuable gowns and accessories. She found really great pieces and had plenty of ideas ready to go.

For hair/makeup, we hired Fatima Olive, who was fantastic. I didn't have to give her hardly any direction at all — I just showed her Janet's sample photo, told her the vibe and she came up with the perfect rocker hair and punchy yet clean makeup.

It was such a great shoot. They rarely go so smoothly! I'm really proud of the way everything turned out and couldn't be happier with letting this be one of the last bridal shoots I organize.

Link Love

2012-01-19T22:16:14Z

I've been in Seattle for a full week now! I don't have Internet installed in my new apartment yet, hence the sporatic blog posting. It's gonna be another couple days before I get it, so I'll leave you with a few links to other fabulous blogs to tide you over.

W Magazine compiled clips of actors talking about films that made them cry. I love this interview series they've been doing. Colin Firth is hilarious. Michelle Williams needs to be my friend. Charlize Theron is gorgeous in a way that is unfair to the rest of humanity. Brad Pitt cannot seem to turn off his hotness. And they all cry at the movies.

One of my favorite outfit bloggers, Bee, from Atlantic Pacific in San Fransisco, put together a photo montage of her looks from 2011. It's a great way to quickly scroll through everything and get a feel for her amazing wardrobe, styling skills and physique.

Fashion bloggers Jamie of From Me To You and Kelly of The Glamourai teamed up for a photo shoot at the breathtaking home of designer Kelly Wearstler. I can't imagine living somewhere this incredible. You've gotta see it to believe it.

I loved this cute video montage of model/blogger Christina Caradona whipping together outfits in front of her closet. It's not a bad lesson in styling and layering. Of course, when you've got a model's body like Christina, everything looks good. But whatever — it's fun to watch.

Last but not least, here's a bit of inspiration for your tabletop, from Oracle Fox. I love the idea of putting feathers in a vase as opposed to flowers, because they never die and they look just as pretty! Now if only I could figure out where to get feathers in Seattle ...

Sun-kissed editorial and Seattle update

2012-01-13T07:18:28Z

I spotted the work of Australian photographer Ali Mitton on Oracle Fox the other day and fell in love. How perfect are these images? She captures that fleeting, free-spirited summer feel so wonderfully — the long, tangled hair, hazy sun and rag-doll postures. The weather is actually like this in Australian right now. Hard to believe. Start planning that vacation.

In other news, I'm in Seattle now! My storage container arrives tomorrow, and I couldn't be more excited to unpack and build my new home. Exploring Capitol Hill, my neighborhood, has been really fun. I have so many boutiques to check out and restaurants to try and yoga studios to hit up and thrift stores to visit — it's overwhelming! My first day of work is on Monday, so I'm diving in headfirst. Wish me luck!