Today I am filling up my eyes with stars and imagery, these are the things that dreams are made of.
Photographer Bunny Yeager, a model herself. She took the most famous photographs of pin-up beauty Bettie Page.
I want the weather to warm up so I can take photographs of girls dancing in trees.
This image reminds me of Dee Larsen, my Parisian muse, whom I miss daily.
Jessica M. found my model twin. More than a few friends really thought this was me!
In dreams.
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“Believe that you can do it, even if it is ‘a dream job’. Someone has to do it, so it might as well be you!”
-Leanne Ford
Name: Leanne Ford
Location: Nashville TN! . .. .and NY . . .and LA. . .. and Pittsburgh
Occupation: Wardrobe Stylist
Ten things that describe who you are.
Creative, A good time, Kind, Carefree, Gypsy, Open, Loving, Tomato-lover, Dance maniac, Sing-a-longer.
Tell me about your personal style.
Fashionably Scrubby? If grandma used to be a hippie rocker chick, I am the grandma.
Do you have a favorite artist? Photographer?
Hmm, I have favorite writers: Dorothy Parker, Jack Kerouac, CS Lewis. I really love photography, but not the kind I am involved in. I love documentary photography, getting life and people and places and showing them beautifully without changing anything about what you are shooting. And I love love love music! All kinds, but to sum up my style of music, I would say anything from Lost Highway Records.
When did you realize that styling could be a viable career choice?
It was pretty much a fluke. I realized I could and should be a stylist when people started calling me and asking me to style for them! I was working in PR for Roxy, and the VP of Design and I had a mutual admiration club going, so she would ask me to come on the shoots and style. I was so excited because it was in Palm Desert, which is so fun. Then, a magazine in California, FOAM, that I worked with called and asked me if I was interested in being their Fashion Editor. So for two years I conceptualized, produced, and styled three shoots an issue. When I moved back to New York, I realized I had a huge portfolio of work and could style full time. It really worked out perfectly for me.
When did you decide to become a freelancer?
When I realized I could! It is perfect for me. I am able to be where I want, when I want. I do not have to call off for my two weeks vacation, and I can make a nice amount of money to have a nice life. And the sky is the limit, the options are totally open. Those are all great things for me as a person.
What inspires you?
OH! Roadtrips! Cowboys! Indians! The South! Old Things! Vintage shops! People watching! Colors! My parents’ old picture albums! White washed wood! Schillers in LES! Flea Markets! Music that makes me want to cry! There are so many things I see and hear that make me want to create something!
Do you do all your own shopping?
I don’t like clothing shopping, I never have. And I especially don’t like shopping now that I do it for a living. But yea I find my own stuff. I like to find treasures, but these days I get most excited about finding things for my house.
Do you have a huge clothing collection yourself? Any favorite pieces?
I sell off a lot of clothes after I have worn them, so my closet rotates a lot I think. My friends love me because I have these clothing sales were everything is usually 5 or 10 bucks. I also move so much, so it is hard to keep too many clothes. But I definitely have enough. I like to find a couple pieces or outfits and just wear them over and over until I pretty much want to burn them. I have these amazing boots that I found in a Goodwill in Austin and I have worn them so much that the zippers on the sides are broken, and I keep wearing them. I also found the perfect Chloe open wooden heels from a couple years ago and wear them almost constantly. And anything vintage with sequins I love to wear right now, but bring I bring the look back down to earth with what I wear it with.
Where is your favorite place to be in the whole world?
I have four.
1. With my man.
2. My home in Nashville, TN
3. Deer Valley. It’s a summer camp for the whole family in the hills of Pennsylvania that I went to every summer for 22 years. Its kind of like “Dirty Dancing” without the dancing.
4. The highway
Any advice to others pursuing styling as a career?
Be prepared to work for free for awhile to get your book together. Shoot as much as you can with your friends in the business – find photographers and hair/makeup friends who want to create with you. Get a book together and get your work online. Talk to everyone you know and introduce yourself to as many creative and industry people as you can. Believe that you can do it, even if it is “a dream job”. Someone has to do it, so it might as well be you! Eventually people will start seeing your book and offer to pay you for your work. Phew! Get a rolling rack, a steamer, some clips, and double sided tape, then go for it!
Posted in beauty, dream jobs, fashion, inspiration, interview, photography | (1)
First off, for a limited time, ModCloth is having a big “Cabin Fever Sale” in which selected items are 70% off! Go here and check out the goods.
Hopeless Lingerie is making affordable and beautiful silk bow headbands, which you can buy in various colors through their Etsy store.
Richard Wayne sent me a link to fashion site, 80s Purple and I was pleasantly surprised to recognize the work of an LA photographer that I admire, Julia Galdo!
Last weekend I had the pleasure to work with model Bobbi Wall and stylist Lindsay Williams for a Margot Tenenbaum-inspired photo shoot. Check out some of our images! It was probably the coldest weather I’ve ever photographed in, and the only fashion images I have with snow!
Other things that are making daily life happier: bi-weekly shipments of my favorite San Francisco treat, Blue Bottle Coffee; NubbyTwiglet’s Week In Pictures (who doesn’t adore a lady who has an affinity for taxidermy and wears stilettos at home?); beautiful letters, music, and cards sent from friends; my new houndstooth baby doll coat; and daydreams of an upcoming California visit.
Posted in art, favorites, photography, thoughts | (1)
Today is the anniversary of the day my favorite cowboy Richard Wayne Brown arrived into the world. Our long convoluted tale brings us both together in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I thought it would be fitting to interview the man of my heart about his job as a ModCloth fashion writer, style, Star Wars, music, and himself.
Name: Richard Wayne Brown, the Sequel
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Occupation: Fashion Writer for ModCloth.com
Ten words that describe you?
After much deliberation, I’ve decided upon the following words, in no particular order: neo-luddite, considerate, nostalgic, soft-spoken, thrifty, small, tuneful, sartorial, corny, principled.
You are making me a mix tape. What are three songs you would put on it?
Who would make a mix tape with only three songs on it? Haha. I suppose, right now, the first three songs I’d put on it might be “Rare as the Yeti” by Kid Congo and the Pink Monkeybirds, “Mother of Earth” by the Gun Club, and “Sad Waters” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Funny, Kid Congo is/was in all of these bands!
Tell me about the daily activities of a ModCloth fashion writer.
On a typical day, as soon as I get to the office, I check email and catch up on the new products and blogs that have been posted to our site. Then, at about 10:30, the writers get together to brainstorm names for products that haven’t been launched yet. For the rest of the day, we write descriptions for those products and work on copy for any blogs, newsletters, etc. that we’ve been assigned. Sometimes we have meetings interspersed throughout the day, and usually we have quite a bit of fun cracking jokes.
How do you get inspired?
At work, we’re sometimes writing so much that we can hit a creative wall, or we can get to the point where we feel like we’re writing the same things over and over again. Personally, when that happens to me, I find inspiration by going onto the site and reading the descriptions the other writers on my team have authored. They’re such a highly talented group of women (yes, I’m the only male writer at ModCloth) that it’s hard not to feel invigorated by their compositions.
Which Star Wars character best describes you and why?
Han Solo has been a lifelong hero of mine, and so I’d like to answer with his name. But I think we often admire people who carry the characteristics that we only wish we could possess. I’d like to be more like a rogue-ish space pirate with a flashy ride and a devil-may-care attitude, but that personality falls nearer to the opposite side of the spectrum as mine. When I think hard about it, I’m probably a combination of Luke Skywalker and C-3PO – a callow young fellow from a small town who dreams of bigger things for himself and also finds it generally easier to follow protocol.
Tell me about your style – has it evolved? Is it still changing?
Oh gosh, it has definitely evolved. My friends Tiffany and Rachel, with all the photos they have between them, could probably put together a whole catalog of looks I’ve sported over the years, from glam to garage, from nautical to mod, and so on. But I feel like I’ve pretty much settled into my current style, which I’ve had going on for the past several years or so. If pressed to describe my look, I’d probably say that it’s what would happen if a cowboy hitched a ride with a biker and they bumped into a southern preacher on an Indian reservation.
Do you a favorite item in your closet?
This is a tough choice to make. I’m pretty fond of each of the nearly two dozen western shirts I own, but I think I’m going to go with my vintage, black leather jacket for its sheer versatility and dependability. It’s basically impossible to look bad in a well-fitted, black leather jacket. It goes just as well with jeans and a T-shirt as it does with a nice button-up shirt and slacks.
Not everyone knows that you are a musician as well. How did this start? Do you think song writing has affected the writing you do at ModCloth?
I never feel very comfortable calling myself a musician because I worry it would devalue the contributions made to the art form by people far more talented and dedicated than me. But I’ve been interested in music for as long as I can remember. I took cello lessons for the duration of third grade, then I switched to the alto saxophone in fourth and played it for several more years in school bands (and it still lives at my parents’ house). Music always came pretty easy to me – I’d make honors band with little-to-no practice outside of rehearsals in school. I also picked up some guitar chords from music class in middle school and was able to recall that information when I bought my first guitar at age 21. Pianos always somehow made sense to me, too, even though I never had any lessons until I took a beginners course for a semester in college. Eventually it just seemed to make sense to me to start writing songs and putting together bands!
I don’t really think my songwriting affects my writing at ModCloth. In fact, it’s probably the other way around. Being ‘forced’ to write on a daily basis really does wonders for getting your creative juices flowing.
Advice for other aspiring fashion writers?
I’m not sure I’m the best person to ask since I didn’t necessarily set out to acquire a job writing for fashion. But if you’re a writer applying for jobs in general, your best weapon is your cover letter. As a writer, you SHOULD be able write a good one, right? So, employers are going to be judging you from the start of your first sentence. Make sure the grammar, spelling, and sentence structures are impeccable, and make sure its a dazzling piece of work!
Posted in dream jobs, interview, thoughts | (0)
I know that I’m late on this, but I love the character of Vince Noir, played by Noel Felding, from the British comedy series The Mighty Boosh. I started watching Season 1 this weekend and am hooked because I want to see what he will wear next! Silver spandex, cowboy hats, furry boots, and the most perfect hair? My favorite scene so far is when Vince Noir paints a portrait of Bollo the gorilla dressed up as Julius Caesar, and then says that Bollo looks like a “naked, little squashed-up hairy boy.”
Low-fi living in a modern world?
A new Urban Outfitters contest asks you to send them three photographs that illustrate how you are living a low-fi lifestyle. Enter, and you could win a $300 UO gift card!
Recently I had the opportunity to watch a documentary called, “Beautiful Losers“. The films website says, “In the early 1990’s, a loose-knit group of like-minded outsiders found common ground at a little NYC storefront gallery. Rooted in the DIY (do-it-yourself) subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop, and graffiti, they made art that reflected the lifestyles they led.” It stars a selection of the leaders of this movement, artists like Shepard Fairey, Barry McGee, Margaret Kilgallen (whose colorful paintings I have seen on the streets of San Francisco’s Mission District), and others.
I am still trying to figure out how to live in snow and bitter chill. Basically, with the the “high” temperatures being in the 20s, I’m cold all the time. I thought that I could get away with protesting the snow and wearing heels all winter, but each time I set foot on the sidewalk, I feel like I have to really focus or else I’ll fall down! Fashionable ladies who live in the snow, please tell me your secrets! Kid Congo Powers tells us about his shopping habits and twenty-five pairs of shoes (including four pairs of slippers). here.
In memory of Rowland S. Howard’s recent death, here’s a song by the Birthday Party for you. It’s one that I can’t stop listening to on this grey, snowy Pittsburgh day“Shivers”.
Posted in art, contest, eye candy, favorites, inspiration | (0)
Today I realized that it’s the end of a decade. When 2000 came, I was 18, with long blonde hair, and home for winter break. My parents had a huge Y2K party, and all of my high school friends and I sat for hours in their garage talking about our first few months of college and if the world would end at midnight.
In this short period of time I had my first kiss, found graphic design, drove a bus, created a zine, had my first fashion photo shoot, voted in my first election, graduated college, turned 21, drove with a packed car from Sacramento to Seattle, met and lost friends, got my first real job, lived by myself, started running, and traveled to London, Hawaii, and New York. In 2003, I embarked on a ten hour train ride to from New York City to Pittsburgh, PA, where I met Richard Wayne, learned how to use Photoshop, worked in San Francisco, learned some things the hard way, saw Morrissey three times, saw the Cure, dyed my hair black, started wearing high heels and red lipstick, got my first digital camera, started a website, learned about studio lighting, found a muse, and had my first art show. In this time my siblings grew up, I turned into a woman, became a photographer, unexpectedly found love, and moved across the country.
And these many moments, words, tastes, happiness, tears, and dreams are only what I remember. Now that we are starting a new decade, it’s time to make more memories.
Margot Tenenbaum is the inspiration for an upcoming photo shoot!
It’s a high of 25 degrees today in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania! While I sit inside a warm office watching the snowflakes swirl and fall softly to the ground, I have some things to share with you, dear readers.
I came across the website of Austin-based freelance web designer and writer, Paige Maguire, called flux-rad.com, where she has some really great mixtapes available to download!
2009 was the year in which MadMen inspired me to start wearing pegnoirs to bed instead of pajamas, and in my searches for them, I came across this the pegnoir of my dreams.
Shae Acopian Detar always inspires me with her self portraits that she posts on her fashion blog, EverythingStyle.com. On Christmas Day, Richard Wayne’s mom gave me a fancy wireless remote, which means I have no excuse for not taking more photographs of my own face. Maybe this can be a goal for 2010?
Posted in art, collaboration, fashion, favorites, music, photography | (0)
Happy Holidays!
Richard Wayne & Kristin
“Of course she drank the poision.”, artwork by one of my favorites, Caitlin Shearer.
This morning I opened my eyes and Pittsburgh was covered in snow! The sidewalks, the cars, the tree branches – it all looked like a scene from Groundhog Day!
I think the snow is gorgeous to look at, but of course I am saying this from my cozy apartment, while poor Richard Wayne is outside scraping snow off his car.
How are you? I am enjoying learning about my new environment but really missing California and my family. How are you going to spend the holidays? One of the things from the internet that I have been enjoying lately is Regina, the jewelry designer behind Chain Chain Chained’s blog.
Finally able to take pictures again, this week I was really curious how to make my own bokeh and found this really easy to follow tutorial.
What I love the most about this time of year are the decorations and giving gifts to my nearest and dearest. I wish that I could reveal what I purchased for Richard Wayne, but let’s just say that this year, Etsy was a great gift resource!
I also collaborated with Lindsay Jean, ModCloth fashion buyer and budding stylist, along with friend and model Bobbi Wall to create some gorgeous images. Can you believe that this was Bobbi’s first time in front of a camera?
I am anxious to focus on my photography again. There are some collaborations in the works, including an exciting identity redesign with graphic designer, fellow black and white lover, and snow white beauty, nubbytwiglet! Updates coming soon! Other than that, I am trying to stay positive and enjoy where I am.
Posted in art, collaboration, design, dreams, fashion, favorites, inspiration | (1)
