Channel your inner fashionista! This fun and flirty blog will leave you with great styling tips, confidence, and a whole lot of ideas to show off your college wardrobe. Join me in my journey!
Art Within Discovery
Model: Ireland O’Leary
Makeup: Sarah Douglas
Photograph/Edit: Me
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Processed with VSCO with m5 preset
Current
Current. Defined as belonging to the present time; happening or being used. Habitual, yet steady my nothingness has consciously streamed along a numb pathway to an uneventful lifestyle. Living in an area blessed by family and burned by cut ties and long lost friends. My hometown has slowly drifted into something unfamiliar. We long for what gives us growth, the friends that are current and strong, the boyfriend that entices you with every move; the constant beat of spontaneous drafts to an electric charge of something bigger. Home is not current, home is away, uncertain, yet the uncertainty is what forms the picture. My picture has yet to be drawn.
New Work Ladies
I have been trying to stretch my editing abilities and push for the horizon when it comes to my fashion photography portfolio. Here are some of my newest photos!
Enjoy gals!
XOXO
-A
Playing Dress Up For a Living
As a child, fashion never came as easily to me as learning how to ride a bike and conquering my backyard did. A tomboy at heart, how I dressed myself was last on my list but one thing that always took my heart were colors. I loved how they worked together and pairing unique combinations. This subtle admiration is in fact one of the key elements towards styling trend-setting and complimentary outfits, yet I had no knowledge of it. Looking back on my high-water bootcut jeans and mud-engrained t-shirts, I could say a lot has changed but one thing that has stayed for the long run is my unique interest for color schemes; I think that one trusting element has kept all my projects relevant. So if you feel like you may not be the best wardrobe stylist or you just are not that adequate to put together your daily outfits, start with the basic color wheel concept. It will be your best friend through this process. Choose the colors across from each other like you would a cute guy across a coffee table (complementary colors), and choose the two next to you like your first friends in preschool (analogous colors). Lastly, if the guy in the coffee shop just isn’t your taste and you were a little socially handicapped in preschool, no problem, choose one color and two shades to match it (tri analogous). Everyone has a chance to be fashionable and tasteful in what they wear, it just takes a little educating. I hope this helps!
Stay colorful and beautiful gals!
xoxo
-A
Check Out My Newest Work Gals!
The Bowl of Uniqueness
The neat but simplistic stoke of aquamarine blue watercolor. It took its time to show how serine and tastefully it could bleed on to a page. Only to be interrupted by the hand of a minimalistic elementary-schooler. With a tight grip onto a tampered and well-abused wooden brush. It bristles becoming more and more wispy with each stroke. Like the delicate soft fuzz that blows in your mouth as you take a joy ride, head out of the window with your beloved dog. The smell of his cute fur. No one can ever describe the smell of, “cute” but we are all familiar with it. That cuddly smell that every blanket, couch pillow, and seat obtains all throughout your cozy house. I took this all into consideration in the span of a millisecond to realize that I was extremely infatuated with the artwork of my fellow classmate. To the point where I jolted to the nearest blank slate to with great failure, produce an image that wasn’t even near the effortless scribble he had constructed. He had painted a simple fish in a bowl, his pet. My fish bowl was twice the size with an uneven circle housing a sausage-looking orange buoy. The buoy made heads turn as I passed the sheet around looking for answers and approval from others. Was it fair? How could he make such a unique drawing when mine took effort? The effort I exerted on my sausage buoy was effort non-the-less but a conflicted and upset effort. I couldn’t do this on my own but at the same time I needed to.
You are a ghost if you carry around other people’s opinions and try to mold yourself into something that is not unique to you. Beating myself up to no avail I reconstruct my thoughts and huff a sigh of self-pity. The picture had become clear in my mind: watercolor painting of a fish bowl. So simple but why hadn’t I thought of it? The persistent streak of sound peeled through the air, art class had come to a close and I hadn’t even graced my sheet to make my final assignment for the day: your favorite pet. I’d never had a fish but the color in itself intrigued me into telling myself I had had one. Gathering my red sloppy-threaded Jan Sport I stumbled out of the room, leaving black shoe skid marks as I descended down the ramp and into the “pod.” Showing all my watchers I was on a mission to prevail.
“Morning,” my mom said as she warmly grasped my wrist. Still pondering my thoughts and reviewing my dream of the fishbowl. A clear bulbous big and clean glass circle. A large droplet of blue water sitting still to acquire a friend. A friend covered in orange scales simultaneously placed with a wavering yellow eye to welcome all into his glass home. Perfectly visible with not a moment of privacy, but content with the lifestyle. The dream had me unconsciously eating my hot oatmeal, burning my tongue with every spoonful. Concerned with my lackadaisical attributes, my mom asked me about what was on my mind. Speaking with my chipped eight year old-teeth I reply with a mumbled, “nothing.” The involuntary answer to almost every question my parents asked. Knowing that I was distraught, she patted away in her slippers across the cold morning kitchen tiles to leave me to my thoughts.
Art. I was in art again. Same struggle. Same question: what do I paint? Looking around the classroom to see all the other eight-year-olds nonchalantly crumbling papers and making art in itself, I realized that I could be possibly taking this assignment too seriously. Taking a simple and easy deep breath with a brisk eye blink to clear the excess drops from my eyes, I began my piece. A lonely black line boarding a stable surface, partnered with a soft light sand-colored puffball. Two circular strokes the size of pebbles and a big black nose. Beans, my beloved dog, soft and simple, just as minimalistic as I wanted it. It wasn’t my imaginary fish but it was my best friend I forgot about the entire assignment. His smell embracing my nostrils involuntarily and his cute idiosyncrasies dancing around my head as if I was just bonked in the head in a cartoon. In a cartoon for most of the week, I was trying too hard to mold myself into what was not unique to me and in turn creating a lackadaisical ghost that shovels hot oatmeal into her mouth. Turning in my artwork with great confidence had my art teacher gleaming at me. Gracefully handling the piece of art she took it into consideration that I was surely churned at the assignment but could tell I had regained life. It took twice as long but was worth the wait and contemplations. Beans, in my mind had surpassed the fish and even the pet turtle someone carved up with broken crayons. I wasn’t better than anyone else and neither was my drawing of Beans, I had just realized that I needed to be unique. We go through our lives with the mind-set that normal is something that is socially accepted and we should follow these set of disguised rules. These rules are implemented in our culture but that barrier can be climbed and broken by one thing. Uniqueness isn’t acquired through grazing off other people’s papers nor is it obtained through comparing yourself to other individuals. I was a patient to the inevitable curse of being compared to my identical twin but through one art assignment, steered myself out of the dark predisposed mindset. I felt free. Free of judgment and free of the imaginary fish.
Valentines Day
Hey gals! Tis the season for bitter pink candies and the extra tug you take at your poor zipper. Everyone would love to be spoiled with flowers and cuddles in February but nothing is better than focusing on yourself. I have been single for eighteen years now and have had my fair share of third wheelin it but knowing that I don’t have to constantly mold my personality to the liking of someone else is refreshing. Being independent is just as refreshing as taking a big deep breath of clean cool air. Someone who is a perfect example of this is a girl I worked with today. Being deeply invested in the fashion industry I directed her poses, facial expressions, wardrobe, makeup, hair, photo, and edit. Here are a couple of my favorites from the album. Enjoy!
Stay confident and independent gals!
xoxo
-A
[http://allysonbiersack.wix.com/photography#!f-a-s-h-i-o-n/csym]
Never Too Late For Fall 2014 Color Trends
Quoted by Leatrice Eiseman, the Executive Director of The Pantone Institute: “Sangria, an exotic red that evokes a sense of glamorous adventures and faraway destinations is enhanced by Aurora Red, a more sophisticated shade that adds verve and spark.The grown-up reds are followed by two extremes of the purple family that intrigue the eye and inspire the imagination. Mauve Mist, a romantic and elegant purple shade, reminds us of the deco era and stimulates a sense of femininity and empowerment, while Radiant Orchid, a captivating and adaptable shade, enchants the complete spectrum. Pair either with Cypress, a majestic and powerful green; indicative of its name, this shade has a towering presence and serves as a stunning perennial.”
I love the wording and detail that Eiseman goes into to give you an emotional correlation to colors. The colors we wear can have a psychological effect on perceived view of our day, mind set, and even our mood. The fact that she made these shades of red so appealing inclined me to put on a red/plum lip today for the cold weather.
Stay informed and on trend with your color schemes gals!
xoxo
[http://www.pantone.com/pages/fcr/?season=fall&year=2014&pid=3]
Purple Maroon Stones
Like the tints of purple in an amazing article of clothing we are drawn to certain things that create this feeling of lust. Whether it be in a material item or a person, there is lust behind everything. Like fashion, we create these emotions. Emotions that tide our attitude which in turn tide our outfits.
I’m a freshman at VCU and have met my fair share of not so amazing guys on campus just looking for one thing and we all know what that is gals. It’s sad that I’m actually shocked when I meet a nice guy on campus that doesn’t have hidden ulterior motives. However, its safe to say that we are only here for four years and we need to get all these feelings out somehow. A friend of mine told me, “you will never be around this many beautiful people with so much potential and limitless opportunities, so just embrace it.” Sadly, some of us get attached. Wrote a poem for you gals. Enjoy!
Purple, maroon, pink soft, but violent. Yearning to tell a story. Creeping up the long side of his neck. Like stones to a path all simultaneously assorted to hint at something more.
Always getting too invested in the wrong people.
Always letting the small stones trip me into a web of feelings all polar opposite in an immense piece of art.
Concentrating on his familiar lips but glued to his unfamiliar marks.
We see the things that we know will hurt us the most because it is our heart helping us disassociate the wrong people from our lives.
Don’t turn my heart to stone, don’t leave me alone
The waves come crashing down on me
Under the moon is where we will be
Stay strong gals
xoxo
-A
The “Rich” of Richmond
Tapping into my favorite homegrown boutique, Rumors, on West Broad I stumble upon a trend-setting shopper. The outfit she displayed eloquently offered a cute schoolgirl look yet pulling that Tumblr trend of casual Adidas. The prim and crisp use of a gray trench paired with contrasted black and white emphasizes the simplicity of the outfit yet still gives a taste of effort. The interconnectedness of modern pieces and constructions mixed with throwbacks from that classic schoolgirl look just brings forth the fact that trends ALWAYS come back and studying older fashion is still relevant.
How can you fashionista’s adopt this look? Easy! Focus not on the obvious but the texture first. This trend-setting shopper displayed a small amount of texture while still pulling off a fluid outfit. The granular look of her gray trench helped tide the look into something mature but at the same time kept it elementary. Secondly focus on the silhouette. This particular outfit is top heavy with emphasis on elongating the leg. Again drawing back to the schoolgirl look. Grab a cute and simple over sized comic tee and toss a structured trench to pace the outfit. Keeping in mind that neutrals are your friend and a little pop can help keep your outfit relevant. To achieve that full schoolgirl look, knee-high socks are a must! Once you add the socks, you’re ready to go!
With any outfit, confidence is key. A stylist can pull several outfits for you, which they seem fit but if you don’t feel confident in them, then their work is pointless. Confidence is fashion. Dressing up not only will make you look good, but at the same time it will give you confidence. Confidence is key to any outfit and if you don’t feel it, then the outfit is not right for you. You should smile and strut. Smiling releases endorphins and instantly brings your mood up. So smile and be confident!
Stay cute and eloquent gals!
Xoxo
-A
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