Beauty Shot

I haven't written anything in a while due to a couple of reasons: lack of time and motivation, conclusion of my work contract, and a month-and-some adventure in The States, but not before diving into the all-consuming process of creating a new collection. Yes, in my defense, I have been busy and pretty tired.

This collection I'd been working on is very near and dear to my heart, but then they always are. This one is different however, because of who my muse was – me. I don't think I've changed much in the past couple of years, but my perception of myself has. Drastically. The business of clothing can be such a superficial merry-go-round (not “can be”, “IS!”), where image is everything and nothing you are or have is ever even remotely good enough. Acceptable at best, maybe. I'd always thought of myself as a creator, never the consumer, but about a year and a half ago something clicked and I realized that all those looks I've styled on models, I could actually wear and pull off myself. Enter liberation...

I think my personal style is somewhat French. I can turn on my brand of demure glamour when I need to, I know what works for me, when I want to feel comfortable and when struggling to breathe or move is actually a good thing (means those dress and heels are working!), while having absolutely no problem wearing the same t-shirt a hundred days out of the year (I'm serious, I didn't just think of a random number!) – so what? I struggle to think of anything more French than that certain air of “I don't care” that fails miserably when not accompanied by strategically placed, exquisite details like jewelry and impeccable makeup. The more I saw this side of myself, the more impressed I was and actually wanted to cater to such a creature. She's pretty damn cool!

Meanwhile I was struggling to find anything worth buying at clothing stores, not because I couldn't wear the things I liked, but because there was nothing I liked enough to own. The styles I liked were generally of terrible quality, both material and execution, and brands that used nicer fabrics had terrible designs. I like clothes that are current but enduring, flattering and well made, and a great value. All of this put together is an extremely tall order as it turned out. So, when my work commitments ended and I had more time on my hands, I threw myself into a creative, yet calculated process of addressing all those things I look for in clothes and asked myself “would I purchase this?”, if the answer was yes, it would get made.

I managed to complete jut a few pieces before leaving for The US in March and will resume the process once I'm back in the rhythm of life at home. The purpose of this collection is to not make it on to any cover, editorial shoot or show, and it's not created for any celebrity or model to wear. It's designed to be in my wardrobe, worn by me first and foremost. If the pieces catch anyone else's attention, that's just a bonus.

Now, this should have been posted on my fashion blog, however, it's been so long since I've even started up Dreamweaver, the fear of messing up the entire website makes me procrastinate editing any content on there for the time being. To make this post relative to beauty, I wanted to share the makeup and hair look we did for the preview shoot of the collection just over a month ago. I thought this would tie up my rambling thoughts nicely and serve as a visual excuse for being absent for a while.

It's grey, dark and rainy outside, I'm definitely home. Hope everyone's having a lovely evening and happy Mother's Day for those of you who celebrate tomorrow =)!