If you have noticed my sparse blogging lately, I apologize- but hopefully you are using summer as a chance to break away from the computer like I am! I have so many neat photos to share, from my recent shoots, but first things first- I was interviewed on the Very Coolest Blog Ever, and there is a little giveaway going on over there to win Sasha and the Shamrocks CDs! Head on over to The Ghoul Next Door and leave a comment to be entered to win. (I hope you enjoy the interview, too- it was a lot of fun to do.)
Now onto those photos.... Last week I took a trip up up up to an Alpine Valley where sits the little town of Sierraville, and did a photo shoot in the Quaking Aspen trees in the hills surrounding the valley. I had noticed these trees and their stunning bark every time I'd gone to soak at the hot springs at Sierraville, and always wanted to come back and take pictures. Suddenly I found myself making plans for the expedition, which was accomplished to a soundtrack of The Fairport Convention and The Steve Miller Band. I think luck and the fairies were on my side that day, because these are some of my favorite photos ever!
(there was gorgeous Mugwort in the High Sierras!)
It's a bit blurry, but you can see the incredible colors on this insect!
Naturally, I went to the hot springs between my morning and afternoon photo shoots, so I was feeling on top of the world! I think, at 5,000 feet, I actually was on top of a good part of the world...
This weekend we went on a magical camping trip on the Yuba-- there were ten of us, if you can believe it, some friends from as far away as New York City, some from right here in Grass Valley. We played music and watched stars and watched the moon and had a disco in the middle of the river with a flashlight as the strobe light; we laid on huge granite boulders until the middle of the night, having Deep Conversations, floated down the rapids all day long, and saw ten thousand dragon flies and a really cute water snake. If you are wondering if you should go camping before the summer is over, I have to give you a big Thumbs Up. And the more friends and guitars that you can gather, the better.....
For some reason it just hit me-- I don't ever have to dress "normal" again.
There is no end to this vacation from "sensibility" in fashion. There is nowhere I have to fit in, besides this funny little nest that I have feathered for myself. And if it ever does reach a finale, and I suddenly find myself sitting in front of a serious interviewer, wearing an awkward outfit that I am hoping appeals to the general public, well-- I want to know that I lived in these times!
I don't usually manage to do photos of my every day outfits (I am always bolting out the door slightly late for something or other), but I got a few snaps this week:
Fun with scarves: the long ones make great material to weave into braids!
The shirt below, a Shepard Fairey (of "Andre The Giant Has A Posse" fame) design that reminds me of Maria from the original Metropolis movie, was on a regular cotton t-shirt, but it was too heavy for summer, so I cut the sleeves off. Never underestimate the power of cutting the sleeves off of something! The purple Mexican dress above met the same fate, and as a result I can wear it when it is 100 degrees outside. The necklaces are actually one multi-chained gold necklace, a bolo tie, and a belt buckle woven into the whole shebang. My light jacket became my headscarf, Little Edie Style. I totally love Little Edie.
I think I was a little afraid of layering up until now-- I have no idea why. Clearly layers are the way to go! They can transform an odd kind of piece, like this 80s skirt, which I just wouldn't wear in a "straightforward" way, into a part of a larger tapestry. And you can sculpt with layers. Sculpture and collage are probably the art forms that come to me most easily, so this is really a whole new dress-up world opening up for me! It makes sense that my fashion has started to lean this way, since my house is literally covered in fabrics and scarves. It also makes me slightly more able to accept that lovely, easy summer will end in a month or two, and I will have to wear more fabric again.
Clothing psychology: a good way to keep track of your subconscious!
One of my biggest inspirations right now:
Maya Arulpragasam aka MIA, whose new album is blowing my mind. There seems to be a track for every shade of every mood I am in this summer-- from extra saucy to pissed off to ambitious to crushed out to blissfully surrendering to the flow. Thank god/dess for MIA. There is no one else like her.
Speaking of blowing my mind... somehow, up until now, I missed out on the amazing band Gogol Bordello. If any of you are still in the dark, let me light a candle. No, let me light a four alarm fire.
You really, really want to watch this. It is so full of life and fun:
Come to find out, Chris actually went to the disco in the video above. Long story.
Lastly but hardly leastly, I am sooooooo excited about the new Agent Ribbons album, Chateau Crone, coming out this fall, and I have been obsessively playing their first album, On Time Travel And Romance. I love everything about this band... the vaudeville-meets-girl-group musical arrangements, the sweet and sour poetry of the lyrics, and Natalie's voice... that voice! Check them out here (and on itunes and everywhere else).
.............I hope you all are having fun with your clothes and finding music that inspires and expands your summer spirit!.............
