Kickstarter: The Black Belt of Alabama

OK, here we go... remember last week when I mentioned Tom and I spent a day in NYC and visited the Kickstarter offices?  Well, this is what we were working on; a book project for our next road trip through Alabama!  As you probably already know, I'm a born and raised 'Bama girl.  I've since lived in California and now Pennsylvania, but a large part of my heart will always reside in that southern state.  

If you'd like to check out more details, you can read all about it on the Kickstarter project page.   Our plans are to spend about 10 days driving through the Black Belt region of Alabama (the region encompasses the central counties of the state, from east to west).  We'll stop along the way at any spot that catches our interest, photographing whatever landscapes, structures or people we discover.  We're excited to see where this adventure takes us!

Above you can see the video we posted telling you a little more about the project (why is it so hard to watch oneself in motion?  I swear I don't sound like that - but I guess I do).  And on the project page, you can read about the rewards we're offering;  everything from a digital PDF of the book, to signed & numbered printed copies, postcards, giclée prints and loads more!  

If you're interested in pitching in or just following along, I'll be posting updates here as we get ready for our road trip.  Thank you so much for checking this out and for all of your support! 

Hans Hildenbrand

One of the nice things about exploring the National Geographic Found Archives is it leads me down paths of discovering loads of new photographers.  Well, new to me, of course.  I could spend all day Googling the names that appear under each photograph to see what other treasures await.  One such discovery is Hans Hildenbrand.  He was a German photographer best known for his color photographs of World War I.  After the war, he was employed as a photographer by National Geographic.  As seen in this sampling of photographs, his work took him all over Europe, from Hungary to Austria and from Germany to Switzerland.  I love studying the details of the clothing in these photos. 

Found

I think my favorite online discovery of late has been the National Geographic Found Tumblr site.  Found is a curated collection of photographs from the Nat Geo archives that have rarely been seen in public.  Many of the photos have lost their original captions or location information so readers are encouraged to contribute if they have information pertaining to any of the photographs.  And if you're particularly fond of an image, prints are available for purchase. 

Summerland

Photography by Anja Verdugo, Model Emily Love, Hair/Styling/Makeup by Megan Hart

Summer, indeed!  Apparently we've skipped spring and have gone straight to summer.  The air is thick and humid and it smells like thunderstorms are on their way. The lookbook from Portland based shop Summerland pretty much sums it up; days spent lounging on big porches and walking barefoot through flower gardens. 

Desert Warrior

 Model: Marlene Avelino, Photography: Charise Marie, Art Direction/Styling: Sarah Radcliff

This lookbook from Yo Vintage has me craving warm days and cool nights spent in the desert.  It was shot on location in Phoenix, AZ - a city I have never visited.  But we have spent quite a bit of time in the California desert and plan to go back to Joshua Tree National Forest again next summer.  I love the planning stages of a vacation and have already started day dreaming about our trip. 

Closet Visit

I'm sure you are all familiar with the site Closet Visit by now, right?  I love getting a peak into stylish ladies' closets and homes.  Right now I'm pretty stuck on Crystal Meer's visit.  Her closet seems to consist of everything that I'm drawn to right now.  Lots of polka dots and chambray, breton stripes and chunky necklaces, summery prints and brass jewelry. I really can't wait for warmer weather. 

Dark Side of the Moon

I was pretty excited to see this new Bona Drag lookbook land in my inbox yesterday.  It's the first sign of spring to come and has me thinking about another road trip that Tom and I have in the planning stages.  It won't involve the desert where these ladies are, but somewhere equally as hot in the summertime: the Black Belt of Alabama, ending up on the white shores of the Gulf of Mexico.  I haven't had much of a reason to buy a new swimsuit for years so I've been making do with a few vintage ones I have lying around.  But the thought of visiting the Gulf has me considering a new purchase.  I've been eying lots of Mara Hoffman prints lately (I have a feather print scarf and love it) so this might be the perfect excuse to finally own this. 

Myth & Symbol

I discovered Myth & Symbol when I was on the hunt for a particular Dusen Dusen dress.  I quickly found myself wishing that the Houston based boutique was located right around the corner. They seem to be stocked with every designer that is on my current wishlist.  Lots of Dusen Dusen, of course, and also Ace & Jig, Rachel Comey, Dace, Wren and Hansel from Basel.  They also have a pretty great selection of jewelry, a lot of which can be seen in this winter lookbook.  That Dace dress is next on my stalk-until-it-goes-on-sale list. 

Alive or Just Breathing

photo via Tom's Tumblr

Here's a little peek into what we've been up to around these parts.  Over the weekend we took part in a charity show with a band that Tom frequently works with and photographs, Killswitch Engage.  They were on tour celebrating the 10 year anniversary of their Alive or Just Breathing album.  Tom organized the Lancaster show to benefit the Water Street Mission and Lancaster County Humane League.  My contribution came mostly in morale support as Tom worked hard to bring all the elements together and running around the night of the show helping wherever I could. 

Of course, the night would not have been complete without taking some time out for lunch (and dinner) for potato quesadillas and copious amounts of hot sauce at Roburrito's.   Seriously.  Best.  Hot sauce.  Ever.  Tom captured our friends Jesse, me and Justin chowing down and watching the world pass by out the window. 

In the end, the night was a huge success with over 1000 cans of food donated to the charities involved.  Over 470 pounds of food for the Water Street Mission.  It was a lot of work, but in the end so rewarding to see the generosity of the fans that donated as they filed in for the show.  Thanks so much to everyone who took part!

We Have Always Lived in the Castle

Although we technically have a few more weeks of fall left on the calender, the weather officially turned to winter this morning when we awoke to an ever-growing layer of snow.  While I'm surprising OK with this, I'm also still enjoying this moody fall lookbook from Need Supply Co.  That site continues to be one of my favorite places to virtual window shop.  They always have something that tempts me to hit the "buy" button.

L'ecole des femmes

Far away lived a girl from a French town of Deauville.  She loved poetry, paper, Earl Grey tea and the sweetness of the rain.  But something happened to her when she left her apartment... (read the rest)

Maryam Nassir Zadeh

photos from mnzstore.com

This post could easily be titled "Beautiful Clothes I Could Never Afford".  Even if I could afford them, I don't think I'd want to spend $800 on a dress.  Regardless, they are beautiful clothes, and that's why they've landed here.  That cape is just the shade of mustard that I've been looking for all fall.  I would like to have a coat (or cape as the case may be) in just that color. 

Aubin & Wills

This Lifestyle Collection of photographs from Aubin & Wills says it's for summer but to me it evokes a feeling of fall more than summer.  It features the adorable Sophie Dahl & Andre Van Noord in some really covetable pieces from the Aubin & Wills shop.  I'm especially loving this dress and this sweater.

Baseball Portraits

photos by Paul Thompson

It's October and that means there's been a lot of baseball on our television lately.  I'm not a big sports person in general.  Basketball bores me, football confuses me and I can never follow the hockey puck.  But baseball seems to be the one sport I can wrap my head around.  Having grown up in eastern Pennsylvania, Tom is a lifelong Phillies fan and so over our years together I've come to follow the team as well.  The Phillies are out of the playoffs this year, so we're pulling for the Detroit Tigers to win the World Series. But even before I knew anything about baseball, I could appreciate a well-taken portrait and that's really what this post is about.  It's incidental that the subject matter is baseball players.  I love the way they stare into the lens, the details in their wool uniforms, their small hats perched upon their heads. 

Clive Arrowsmith | photographer

via

When I was a teenager, I hated the 1970s. A real put-down was to call something "so 1970s", but that is of course probably because I was born in the 1970s. Once I got to college I was totally 1970s wearing this super awesome pair of bell bottom jeans that I made MORE bell bottomed by sewing triangle shaped swatches of fabric from the knee to the hem of my jeans. My love for the 1970s has only grown from there, these Clive Arrowsmith fashion photographs pretty much capture what I really love about 1970s fashion - ethnic & bohemian prints, big shapes, maiden hair, etc;  I think at least one or two of these are Bill Gibb creations, a designer we hear nearly nothing of nowadays which is really a shame. One of my biggest vintage dreams is to find a Bill Gibb dress and make it mine!

The Opera House Collection, Pt. 2

Here are more shots from the time we spent wandering through the Sterling Opera House.  There were rows of wooden seats on the second level with some having star shaped perforation decorating the seats.  Our guide told us that the lucky audience members that got the "star" seats would win a prize during performances.  The top level had bench seating for the "cheap seats" but still had a great view of the stage.  Oh, and on the stage was a pile of painted backdrops that dated back to the 1930s that hadn't been unrolled since they were used in a production.  I would love to be there when those are finally unfurled!

In the shop: Coral Sky Floral Dress, Cocoa Dress & Jacket, Oil Tanned Leather Belt, Fair Isle Cardigan, Saffron Button Skirt

The Opera House Collection, Pt. 1

photos by Tom b. and me

A couple of weeks ago Tom and I drove to Connecticut to photograph an old opera house that has sat empty for nearly seventy years.  The Sterling Opera House is in line for restoration and our admission fees went towards helping those efforts.  We were allowed to roam freely through the building's four stories, backstage and auditorium.  Every nook held a little bit of history, from the battered posters that still clung in pieces to the dressing room walls to the 1930s era signatures that were uncovered on the stage walls.

Everyone from Harry Houdini to Bing Crosby had once performed on the stage.  There was a trap door in the middle of the stage and I could imagine Houdini disappearing through the floor to the delight of the audience.  I was mostly there as an assistant to Tom (who really didn't need any assistance at all) but I also took a few things to photograph before listing them in the shop.  Consider this the official launch of autumn in the Etsy shop! 

In the shop:  Houdini Knit Dress, Latisse Leather Purse, Orange Blossom Skirt, Amelia Knit Top, Sterling Woven Tote

Weekend Adventures

photo by Tom b.

- vintage skirt
-  H&M top
-  vintage hat
-  Madewell Zipcode boots
-  Julie Nolan zodiac bracelet
-  Datter eye necklace

Last weekend Tom and I had a few fun adventures.  On Sunday we went to a concert in Philadelphia for a band Tom has worked with over the years.  We stopped on our way into the city and picked up seitan Philly cheesesteaks (so good, by the way) and ate them on a freezing cold tour bus.  Why are buses always so cold?  Then we drove home late at night only to return to Philly the next day for a Phillies game.  Dollar dog night!  I love that the stadium there does vegan hot dogs.  We ate hot dogs and soft pretzels with cheese (which I managed to spill all over my jeans within minutes of sitting down) and rooted the Phillies to a win over the Reds.

Then after the Phillies game we headed north towards Connecticut.  Once there, we stayed in a roadside motel so we could wake early in the morning for a photoshoot in an abandoned opera house.  Tom was going to document the empty spaces of The Sterling Opera House in support of the Valley Community Foundation and invited me to go along.  Over the years the opera house has hosted acts from Harry Houdini to Bing Crosby but has been empty for decades and is now in line for restoration.

I'd planned out a shoot that would be similar to the one we did last year at Beekman Place but at the last minute, didn't feel up to being in front of the camera so I rearranged a few things and stayed behind the camera instead.  But I did let Tom snap this one photo of me.  I'll be sharing more of the project later this week!

Hidden Gems

via here & here

Still life photography commissioned by Cartier by Peter Lippman, the series features iconic Cartier pieces among actual floral & fauna. One has to look closely to find the jewelry!

summer glamour

credits: Drury Bynum and Shinecreative TV

photo credit: Jamie Campbell

Another reason to love Instagram, I discover beautiful images like these of Lane Harlan (lanesomedove on Instagram); the natural beauty posts romantic and lovely photos and I am always jealous of her glorious hair. I saw a photo of her in a hotel pool and just had to know more about it. She was nice enough to email me screenshots of a commercial she did for Four Seasons hotel and also some behind the scenes shots. The second image is my favorite.