Sugar + Spice

A few weeks ago I was shooting my friend Megan at the Contemporary Arts Center in Downtown Cincinnati (you can see that post here). It was there that I met for the first time, photographer, Tracy Doyle. As Megan and I were shooting pictures, Tracy was too. She had struck up conversation with us given that we were both there, working with our cameras. I told her about my fashion blog and she coincidently told me she was a fashion photographer. We immediately followed each other on Instagram, obviously. It all came full circle as I re-met this lovely stranger once more while serving her and her friends tacos at Bakersfield. It's always affirmation meeting someone over and over that you were meant to know each other. Tracy kindly reached out to me and wanted to collaborate--for the complete fun of it all! I am so incredibly grateful for her putting the time and effort and pure joy into this project with me. Tracy is such a professional at what she does, that despite barely knowing one another, she made me feel at complete ease in front of the camera--so reassuring for someone who isn't a model. She is ultra-bubbly and with the gift of gab, there was never a dull moment--I loved that.

We did three looks total incorporating vintage clothing; specifically from my beloved mom. If you have read any of my previous fashion posts, you'll see a recurring pattern: my mom has saved so much clothing (bad-ass clothing at that) from her past. I am extremely lucky to have a stylish mother who exudes such timelessness and class through the art of dressing. She is my biggest inspiration, as well as my biggest critic when I need an honest opinion about an outfit (or in general when my cuckoo life requires steadfast advice).

All of my mother's clothes she has saved over the years are some of my favorite pieces in my closet. I am almost always wearing a piece of her past in just about every day-to-day outfit. Which is where my tag line "in with the old" comes from. I love knowing that not only am I putting something to good use again (reduce, reuse, recycle, right?) but that each piece has a lovely story behind it. The most important person in my life wore these items and lived out the weirdest, craziest events in them--I'm sure of it. My mom is one-of-a-kind and so are her clothes. It feels good to give them life again and make new memories in them for myself.

In this post I'm wearing a bodysuit from a hidden gem on the west side of town, Edie's Vintage Rose Room (love the rose theme, of course). It's only open on Friday's and Saturday's, unfortunately, but if you appreciate vintage, make it a point to check it out. It's well worth it and the owner is absolutely adorable. I paired the bodysuit with a vintage leather skirt, fishnet socks and Aldo heels--a little bit of edge to a delicate top.

Thank you Tracy for opening your arms to me and Haley Cator (the talented makeup and hair artist behind this look). I always feel so refreshed after working with creative beings. Thank you for your inspiration.

I can't wait for you all to see the rest of our looks in some upcoming blog posts. Stay tuned, and thanks for reading.