An Ethereal Beauty

Dree Hemingway ♥

Photos:Models.com

A Reflection

So much has changed. Within the Fashion Industry, as well as in my life personally. I have spent much of the year writing, and re-writing posts for my blog only to end up deleting the drafts later on, losing the ability to hold on to a passing thought and allow it to grow into a theory or revelation the way I was once so skilled at doing. When exactly did I become so detached? Where have I fallen off? I realized that my focus has changed. I have changed. This blog that used to exhibit so much of my discovery of Fashion had begun to mold itself into the Interpreter that I had unknowingly become. It had begun to reflect the themes that inspire me while I was still attempting to hold on to the voice that had started this blog. That voice had changed, grown, and molded itself into who I am now. I realize that I am still very much inspired by the story that Fashion can tell. I am still drawn to the purity of Fashion Design, and still motivated to learn, and work within the Fashion Industry. Moving forward, I hope to re-establish the connection to my blog. I hope to have a deeper and more innate understanding of the complexity of the Design process, and I hope to connect with my audience as we watch the growth and evolution of the Fashion Industry together.

Photo: www.Fashiongonerogue.com

All Things Beautiful.

A spirit.

Raquel Zimmerman Vogue Paris April 2006.

'I am different people...

at different times'


I only know myself in each moment.

Have you ever looked back at yourself in your life? There's such a disconnect between who you once were and who you've become...Your interests, your beliefs, thoughts, actions...It is such an odd feeling to become reacquainted with who you once were. I don't always believe that it was me.



Photos:Fashiongonerogue.com

Alla Kostromicheva and Alymeline Valada for i-D Spring 2011.

An Education

I've always longed for adventures in my life. Those experiences that you dream about where you create unbreakable bonds, narrowly avoid trouble, and have the most amazing conversations into the early hours of the morning...All of these dreams became my reality this past year. I've never laughed so much, I've never learned so much, I've never loved and hurt as much as I have in 2010, and through disappointments and lessons, pain and forgiveness, I am here now. I've spent much of the year questioning life. My life. My goals, my intentions, my fears, my passions, my love. What I've learned is that I won't have the answers. What I've learned is that in some way or another, were all just trying to make sense of this life that we were given...in our own way...In our own time. This blog is still a framework for my ideas and thoughts as I stumble through my life. Except my passion for life is intrinsically tied into Fashion. The difference now being that I no longer use this blog as a way to hide from life . Disappointments and heartbreak are inevitable, I've learned to meet life head on. As we enter into a New Year the fear that I've harbored about what is to come has turned into curiosity. I no longer plan where I will go in life, rather I wonder where it will take me. I want to see myself at different stages in my life and see how I've changed and who I've grown in to. 2010 was a year of discovery for me. I'm curious as to what 2011 will be for me. I hope you'll continue exploring with me.

I find beauty...

In strength. Inner strength, and in a world where to this day,women are still unappreciated and undervalued by the world over, I've come to love and appreciate strong women. Lea T, to me is representative of a strong and beautiful woman. A transcendent woman. I say this because Lea T is a transgendered woman and her courage to share her struggle and her story with many is not only inspiring, but also necessary. The truth is, we live in a world of fear. We always have, and as history has taught us numerous times in the past-fear propagates hate. Currently in the United States a discussion has arisen about the bullying of gay children and the subsequent suicides that have resulted from the bullying. Yet our policies do not support the gay community and their inherent rights whatsoever. 45 out of the 50 states in the United States will not issue marriage licenses to gay couples, and the current fight to repeal the 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' law pertaining to openly gay soldiers in the military is only being met by bans all around. Gay bullying and intolerance is all too common, overlooked, and tolerated by our leaders, our peers, and even ourselves. The issue is often treated as an afterthought, or is disregarded as not being that big of a deal. It is, and the loneliness and fear that drove several children and young adults to take their own lives for fear of exposure or blatant hate shown to them by society shows how big of a deal it is, and how out of touch with reality many of us are. This is why I admire Lea T so much. In a world where she could have easily chosen to live in fear, she chose courage. She chose happiness. She chose to be the person she knew she wanted to be, despite the amount of hatred and loneliness she would undoubtedly encounter. Lea T is a woman I aspire to be like. She has broken boundaries and redefined the definition of beauty. As her story gains exposure I hope that her strength will inspire those in the gay community to live in love-not fear, and be who they were destined to be, because in a world where we are constantly progressing and moving forward at a dizzying pace, one thing we've seemingly left behind is our humanity, and in leaving members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgender community behind we have isolated them. We have failed them.

Reminisce.

There is a certain parallel...

seen in the Givenchy design. One of romance, and haunting. And what we have seen in the Givenchy design is a certain dialogue that has taken place between the romantic, and the haunting. As Riccardo Tisci has matured as a Designer, his use of the two have evolved in their intensity. Tisci's use of haunting was once limited to a subtly pale faced model paired with gorgeous ethereal clothing, what has evolved is a darkness that has begun to show through the Givenchy design no matter what the influence. Such darkness was first evident in his Spring 2010 Couture Collection where the influence was the 1970's, yet the color and hyper intensity of the 70's was re-imagined to feature a sparse color palette of predominately black and white. A 70's maxi dress was reconfigured in black with tiered ruffles falling to the floor, an intricate pattern cut into the fabric, at first glance reminiscent of a pentagram. Even when the Collection was designed in such a way so as to embody the romance of the 70's, there was something quite Gothic, recalling the clothing of the Puritanical era and its modesty- the long flowing layers falling to the floor, and the high necked collars- the same era in which the Salem Witch Trials took place. Flash forward to Tisci's Spring 2011 Collection where more evident than ever were the Gothic undertones, this time exhibiting an undeniable power. Tisci's use of romance was decidedly less obvious, yet still present in the long sheer skirts that fell over a zippered miniskirt, or underneath boxy tuxedo vests. This parallel between the two is one that has been long running in Riccardo Tisci's designs, yet this can also be said of man. What exists inside each of us is seemingly played out in the designs of Givenchy-the duality of man. The dark and the light, yet Riccardo Tisci designs in such a way where the two run along each other, and seemingly intersect at the same time.

Givenchy Spring 2010 Couture
Givenchy Spring 2011 Ready-to-Wear
Photos:Style.com

Passion...

Is truth.

When you love something, you should not be blinded by it. By its imperfections, its struggle, and its reality.

It is the image...

that defines a moment, an era, a lifetime.

Life is but incomplete without the image.

Corinne Day. Image maker. Artist.

1965-2010