Tulle & Marble

I've been coveting one of Alexandra Grecco's gorgeous, dreamy tulle skirts for as long as I can remember: ever since I saw one on a rack at Anthropologie a few years ago, and spent that same night dreaming of Russian ballet performances and Grace Kelly in 'Rear Window'. When the lovely designer herself reached out to me and offered to send me this beauty in the prettiest Seafoam color, I was over the moon, and couldn't wait to make some photo magic in it. The following were taken the other morning at Forest Lawn Park & Cemetery in Glendale, CA (a magic place that, back in the 1930s and 1940s, was equal in tourism and adoration to what Disneyland is now!).

View more items from Alexandra Grecco's ethereal collection here, particularly if you want to feel like a princess for a day. x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Gretta Tulle Skirt by Alexandra Grecco / Lace blouse by H&M / Patent Leather Heels by Zara

Photographs by Alex Terrazas.

1940s Inspired Hair & Makeup

Recently, I've begun experimenting more and more with makeup and with various hairstyles. I was never a makeup girl growing up: I've never had the best skin, and my teenage years were riddled with a pocky red face and constant sad, droopy eyes. I've learned to embrace my natural features over the years, but I've also learned to love the creativity and personal expression that makeup provides; something that was completely lost on me in my pink-faced high school years. My mother always told me that I couldn't wear eyeliner or eyeshadow - not because I wasn't allowed to, but because she said it didn't work with my eye shape. Sorry, mother dearest, but I'm all about cat eyes and liquid liners these days.

I decided to make a little retro inspired hair and makeup tutorial for you all. The makeup, as you'll see, is kind of a mishmash of 1920s through 1960s styles, with a strong focus on pin-up looks and the 40s. The hair is something I've been doing consistently since November: all my life, my hair has been pin-straight and very fine. I practically ruined it for good with years of heat styling - in vain and mostly unsuccessful attempts to get it to hold some semblance of a curl with curling irons and blow dryers. One day, I woke up, realized I was doing it all wrong, and went to the pharmacist to buy myself a pack of cheap pink foam rollers. They're fast, painless, and work like a gem, and I haven't gone back since. And, to boot, my hair finally looks and feels healthier and is growing faster and longer than it's ever been.

I plan on continuing to experiment with various looks, both hair and makeup-wise. Let me know if there's anything you'd like to see me try out, and I'll give it a go!

Hope you enjoy me being shy and awkward on camera, and the brilliantly awful edits and audio job I did! xx

Opium Dreams

The weekend before my birthday, my boyfriend and I went to one of the loveliest places on earth (aka: somewhere I've wanted to go since I was a small child). We drove up to the high desert, about a hour Northeast of Los Angeles, to the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. I had heard that the poppies were blooming extra heavily this year, and that there's typically a very small window each April to see them before they close up, so we packed up our car and headed to Antelope Valley for the day. Though I knew we'd be hiking throughout the reserve, I decided to wear my new vintage Edwardian lace tea dress, only because I knew photos would be taken and because I've always wanted to emulate the lovely autochrome photo below:

Helen MacGowan Cooke picking California golden poppies in a field, by Arnold Genthe, 1911

I also had the ever-so-lovely poppy scene from Atonement in my mind while we waltzed through the endless fields. 

x

x

x

x

Unfortunately, though the golden sunlight looked lovely on the poppies, the wind that day was atrocious. The wet set I had done on my hair was ruined almost the moment we stepped out of the car: all my curls fell down and only got worse as the day went on, hence the messy hair.

x

x

All photo taken by my love, Alex.

I think, next year when we go back, I'll ditch the Edwardian dress and do a guerilla-style photo shoot much like the lovely one above! (an unknown pin-up from 1938).

Enjoy, lovelies! And look forward to my first video tutorial of how I do my 1940s inspired makeup, coming soon... xxx

The Feline Feeling

Earlier this year, I had the marvelous chance of working with some of my very favorite ladies on my first ever video shoot. I'm proud to say I starred as one of the many lovely showgirls/cat burglars-in-training in lingerie brand The Loved One's film, The Feline Feeling. The weekend we made this little gem of a film was one of the most delightful few days I've ever spent, thanks to a certain miss Hannah Metz and a gaggle of other beautiful gals who help make The Loved One the magic that is is... take a look at some of the behind-the-scenes snaps from that dreamy winter weekend.

x

x

x

Even kitty cats have to check instagram between scenes...

x

x

x

Creepy mug shots of Ashley and I... we are cat burglars, after all!

x

x

...& watch the video below. It is sheer fun:

The Feline Feeling from The Loved One on Vimeo.

xxx

Beginnings

Hullo!

I've tried various forms of blogging about two trillion times in the past, and I never put as much effort into it as I should (which often results in me slowly giving it up as an extracurricular pursuit, and which also often involves a bunch of divine but wasted URLs.)

But, I thought - with no high hopes and no expectations - that I ought to make a little creative space for my future styling, modeling, dressmaking, & vintage selling pursuits. I'll try to avoid pretention yet still keep deadlines; and other such blogging formalities. Take a peek at this little spot every now and then, if you please. I promise sweets & goodies (like miss Susan Hayward hanging out with some bunny rabbits - or, my namesake!):

xxx