Sandals

Posted By Mark on Aug 29, 2012

People often interrupt me to ask: "Mark, when is it okay to wear sandals?" After I throw those people out of my house – it's my house; there's a sign on the door to that effect – I usher them away from my property with two parting gifts: a kick up the backside and a handy pamphlet that I've lovingly prepared over the years which explains this particular fashion rule in as simple a manner as is possible. "Have you just fallen through a time puddle into the era when Rome was a great power built on the knowledge and experience of the Greeks and the general wiping-outness-when-possible of the Celts? Then you may wear sandals. And only then." Google+: View post on...

With Love From

Posted By Mark on Aug 27, 2012

…Tam And The Teatray. Or Jam. Or Tolm? Jolm? TdM? JaiM? Jalm? Well, the Teatray sends its love. That much we know for certain. Google+: View post on...

Fighter Pilots

Posted By Mark on Aug 25, 2012

Fashion Faves – Louisa Kitchin

Posted By Mark on Aug 25, 2012

Via Fashionising comes this shoot of model Louisa Kitchin by Karen Woo. Lovely location for the shoot suits the style of the fashion and hair very well but it’s the interesting posture of the lovely Louisa that really catches the attention here. Coupled with the seemingly out-of-place footwear there’s a definite feeling that the model is saying “you can look at my gorgeous ensemble but if you come any closer I’m going to sprint as fast as I can out of here.” Ordinarily a very wise, precautionary position to take but she’s telegraphing the direction of her flight and it should be fairly simple to intercept her by making a diagonal move to the right. It’s the pose that got Angelina Jolie mocked mercilessly on the red carpet but the errant leg is pulled off with more subtlety by Louisa in this shot. This nicely-framed photo between the gates also showcases a dated, simple elegance in the long skirt and plain blouse, and the old, early-days-of-photography feel is carried over into the finer points of the picture; vintage Kindles (back then they were called “books”) and casual scratching of the neck indicating the onset of scabies (rife in the latter part of the nineteenth century) enhance the retro aspects of the shoot without ramming it down your throat. There’s a lovely contrast between the firmness and darkness of the leather chair and the lightness of the outfit worn by Louisa in this final shot. This also allows us to get a good look at the make up and styling by Cecylia Kee, Lanie Phelps, and Leesa Gray-Pitt; it all works well to be both modern and sympathetic to the era expressed in Karen Woo’s photos. Nicely lit too but the standout point of this shot is the attention to detail in highlighting – again, subtly – how women of the time were becoming tired of playing second fiddle to men; Louisa’s feigned inability to wear a bra is the transitional step between wearing a bra correctly and the suffragette movement. Nicely...

Beetle Butt

Posted By Mark on Aug 24, 2012

I don't have any time this evening to go through any of the street shots from the past couple of days but figured I did have just enough time to put up a nature-based shot taken last week that has received quite a bit of positive attention from people who've seen it; that's what happens when your target demographic fills the important niche of Turned On By Creepy Crawly Behinds. For #FloralFriday curated by +Tamara Pruessner Google+: View post on...