I try to be clever with my titles. Most of them end up being strange puns of one sort or another.
This weekend was good fun…I was able to let loose a bit since school is still in the manageable category in my life.
It is now Autumn, my favorite season of the year for memories. I think if I were to die that repeating sequences of Autumn would definitely be in the final reel of my life.
A great friend of mine is getting married soon…very soon, in fact. I asked him what kind of dress was expected at his wedding, because I know that he and his wife to be will be over-the-top fancy. Not in a covered in baubles kind of way, but because I know they have class. He told me “dress to impress”, which can basically mean anything. Luckily for me, my online shopping pursuits gave me a great lead on a dress that I have fallen in love with. Not just for the color, but also for the cut and the fact that the cranes etched all over it will go with my Japanese tattoo work. (They are full-size cranes with their bodies lined in gold sequins and embroidery). I found it looking for vintage reproductions, and its based on a gown from the thirties, all bias cut and everything.
September 17, 2007 at 2:44 am
That is a GORGEOUS dress. 🙂 I bet you will look fantastic in it!
I really like those photographs, too, not just the one of you (though that’s a nice photograph too). A nice cross section of people. Do you know why he chose to do a photo shoot around this topic?
And if that’s the worst you can look, I’d love to see your other pictures. 😉
September 17, 2007 at 2:59 am
yesss
I think it’s pretty fucking fantastic myself. It is really amazing to me how inexpensive reproductions can be these days–back when I was collecting the actuals from the twenties and thirties, I would pay $300-$400 for each piece, and most things on the site averaged around $120 something, so it’s pretty amazing. We shall see with the quality, but it is silk, so it will be hard to say. I could kick myself for paying more for a much more casual dress I wore to another wedding this summer.
Thanks for the compliment! People like doing these subjects all of the time…heart surgery and other aesthetically damaging ailments. I was only really ever into one project, and that was something I had creative collaboration with–but I might be doing another one if I can manage getting some more control and find the time.
Someday I will put up a retrospective of my modeling stuff…it is much closer to being a real retirement for me and any of my high fashion endeavors. I have gained a bit of weight so I actually have an ass and chest to speak of these days. When you model, you can’t really have either of those.
September 17, 2007 at 3:26 am
Re: yesss
I love finding good deals like that. You collect vintage reproductions, or Japanese artwork motifs?
I think the way things are going in the fashion world, you may still have some pull. Hasn’t there been some backlash against the thin-as-a-rail model physique recently? (Hopefully?) I don’t pay that close attention to the modeling world, but I keep an eye on fashion, and it seems the models there have a bit more weight on them these days. One can hope!
September 17, 2007 at 4:29 am
Re: yesss
Ah, but the whole point of rail thin models is that the clothing is portrayed on a hanger…so if the woman looks like a hanger, then the clothing looks favorable to purchase.
Sad, but true.
September 17, 2007 at 1:29 pm
Re: yesss
I’ve never heard of this. It makes a kind of sick sense, though.
September 17, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Re: yesss
yeah, people don’t realize that that is what the entire point is…human clothing hangers.
September 17, 2007 at 3:14 pm
Re: yesss
It seems like an ass-backwards way of showing off clothes. If they’re meant to be worn by people, why not show them on people’s bodies? Mannequins aren’t always stick figures, they tend to be a little fleshed out compared to a lot of the flesh models. And while I understand that you can extrapolate how it will fit on an “average” body based on how it fits on a human clothing hanger, it can work the opposite way too, meaning you can use models with more curves and flesh. It just seems that using human stick figures introduces more problems.
September 17, 2007 at 3:51 am
Fall is my favorite time of year and I’m glad the humidity is finally gone!
Those are very good photo’s, I love pictures of “ordinary” people and the scars just make them that more powerful.
Just be thankful your not built like me!
September 17, 2007 at 4:25 am
no kidding
The weather is definitely a factor, but I tend to like more of the warm fall days than the frigid-almost-winter toe numbing Fall.
I like how everyone is just very ordinary as well. I was taken a bit with the number of people who had tattoos in the project…very interesting especially when you consider the normal population strata.
Most people would trade *any* body type in to get one that works. Having an alright body or pretty face is pretty shitty when you get rotten organs inside.
September 17, 2007 at 12:34 pm
Re: no kidding
Yeah, I guess I should be happy with the fact that, for the most part, I’m in good health. Most people don’t think about things like that which is what makes those pictures that much more important.
September 17, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Francis,
I actually think that photo of you is beautiful. It’s all about your facial expression—especially the eyes.
<3 you,
Francine
September 17, 2007 at 2:37 pm
spanks, Francis!
We were trying to get my body twisted to show the scars, and I am a bit shocked that this was the best representation.
I think he is a better fashion photographer to tell you the truth. The work is devoid of meaning or expression without the scars.
September 18, 2007 at 2:38 am
Love the dress. The color is great…
I looked at the artistic photos. Curves or none- you’re beautiful. 🙂
September 19, 2007 at 1:35 am
Thanks, lady–
Sometimes I feel it, sometimes I don’t. Just like anyone else, I imagine.
Hope you are well~