Inspiration: We are all Savages

New York City: Last Day, Best Day...

the frenzied entrance to Savage Beauty:

the always inspiring Metropolitan Museum of Art:

On my final day in NYC last week, I rushed between meetings to view the Alexander McQueen exhibit on display at the Met before missing my only chance.  And I did it like I do a lot of things - in perfect timing, but a little bit delayed.  I was supposed to meet a friend that morning, but she had an emergency and cancelled, so I viewed the show solo.  I arrived 5 minutes before the line closed and instead of waiting for hours, it only took 15 minutes to enter the exhibit.  While it was pure luck and good timing, it was also disappointing to have to view the entire exhibit with packed rooms in a single hour.  Great planning, no, but perfect timing, yes. The video below is a wonderful narrated tour through the exhibit by the curator, Andrew Bolton.

Now, anyone that has been to the Sistine Chapel in Rome will understand the cluster chaos that you will encounter seeing this exhibit after it's received so much press.  The rooms were being wrangled by low paid guards with little reverence to the obvious genius they were protecting.  However, I realized quickly that since there were only two more groups being let into the rooms, if I waited a bit and slinked back, I could view the spaces in perfect silence.  While I am in no way a fashionista or designer factoid, I was in complete awe of the exhibit space, McQueen's pained, yet beautifully inspired collection, the unbelievable details that were included, the head pieces designed by Guido, and I left with a sense of feeling connected to runway fashion in a way I hadn't previously experienced.  In the past runway has always seemed like a show to me, not always directly inspiring me, although I always appreciate the artistry of the exhibiting designer.  With this exhibit, the clothing seemed to transcend fashion and create statement and purpose, as well as deep political statements, while remaining captivatingly beautiful.  The exhibit, the collection, and the memory of McQueen all seemed in perfect harmony.


So, my point?  Get your butt to NY before August 7th and see this exhibit!  Here are links to all the info you would ever need: Metropolitan Museum, Savage Beauty Exhibit Info, and special Monday tickets for the Exhibit - completely worth the $50, I'm sure!  


On my way out of the exhibit, the last few of us lingerers were being corralled out by the guards, and as we entered a back hall, I saw this:

Obviously it had more to do with construction than anything else, but I felt the tiny hairs on the back of my neck pop up…I couldn't help but toy with the thought that it felt like an eerie message from beyond:)

NY: Refreshen Your Perspective

When I'm in the city, I'm surrounded by amazing people, great friends and I am in constant amazement of the energy, diversity, and general nuttiness.  I love seeing the world in a frenetic craze and getting some fresh perspective on life in general.  At a rooftop party last night, as the evening was winding down, I snapped this shot of the Chrysler Building in my champagne induced mini-nap.  It was my favorite of the night and it reminded me to always re-examine my surroundings.  I love to grab inspiration from everything I see throughout the day, and in New York I'm on inspiration overload...

Frazier Park: The little ranch wedding

This wedding seriously stole my heart.  It's exactly the kind of wedding that makes you think, "and why does everyone spend so much money??".  Not that a blowout bash isn't fantastic, but it's great to see people go against the grain and plan a wedding with a DIY attitude.  I posted earlier last week about helping my mom do the flowers, but wanted to show a few more photos of the reception and all the fun we had!

the cake was the only thing they bought for the reception - everything else was homemade!  

Loved her blue frosting:)

Normally a frosting smash is not my thing, but they made it look cute…

the guests had fun with the extra flowers lying around….

 the bride's father helped set up a photo booth on her Mac and they put out ample costumes for us to clown around in…it may have been my favorite part of the wedding - we took about 100…for real

I loved the flags they made to mark the ceremony - so happy and fun

 the back of the ranch….the end of a beautiful day

And at the end of the day we all pitched in to help recycle, compost and toss the trash…

it was a true backyard bash

High Gloss Photoshoot: Exclusive Extra Shots

So, I'm loving the new article in High Gloss Magazine with designer Emily Ruddo and I thought I would post a few of the unused shots from my fabulous day in Emily's home.  She is fantastic to work with and I feel completely inspired photographing with her, so we always get great shots together!  
Here are a few unseen photos of the Living/Dining area and the Master Suite:  

We had a slight obsession with the light on this book - I love the way the photo turned out!

After I photographed her home in October, Emily recovered these now pink chairs and they are so perfect in the room.  The way she pairs aqua and pink make me so happy.

I loved this side table detail - especially the lucite box - and check out the shoes below…

the wallpaper is gorgeous!

Emily has a lot of her resources posted on her fabulous blog, so check her out if you're digging her style!