red nails, bare lips, no
telling what might be if she
slips into the stream.
photos by cary fagan
river princess, by cary fagan
Posted on: Sunday, August 31, 2014
smoke signals
Posted on: Friday, August 29, 2014
canopy of smoke
could mean anything, nothing
if it is not seen.
vintage dress from charm school vintage
with lavender and lace
Posted on: Monday, August 25, 2014
As I headed south from Brooklyn to Austin on my solo road trip earlier this month, I had to stop by sweet little vintage store, With Lavender and Lace, in Norfolk, Virginia to go shopping.
Kelsie McNair has created a whole world within her shop and took some time to share it!
With Lavender and Lace opened its doors in November 2011. It was conceived as a coming-of-age blog created by Kelsie McNair, and later spread its wings as a successful Etsy shop operated from Boston, MA. With a background in photography, Kelsie used her artistic powers to push her online shop past being just a hobby—she began branding her first ever boutique.
With Lavender and Lace now exists as a quaint storefront in the heart of Norfolk's Historic Ghent, filled with meticulously rediscovered vintage apparel and handmade goods. The shop nurtures the aesthetic of an intuitive and happy life, free from restrictions in both fashion and form.
Both blog and storefront, inspired by the modern lifestyle of east coast musicians and artists, offer a dialogue that insists on creativity in every aspect of life. With Lavender and Lace is more than a store, it is an experience. Each hand selected piece offers a history, mysteries are buried in the textures and colors. And each piece offers the wearer an opportunity to discover a little bit more of who they are.
Kelsie McNair sees her storefront as an opportunity to cultivate a creative atmosphere. It is a place to create meaningful dialogue—a place to sell the aesthetic of a creative, interactive, and inspired lifestyle. And a place that provides an alternative to all-too-artificial fashion.
With Lavender and Lace is a brand, it's a business, and hopefully one day it will represent a community of like-minded people driven by creativity.
617 Colonial Ave
Norfolk, Va 23517
franziska fox, by jill di donato
Posted on: Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Julia Fox and Briana Andalore, the duo behind an emerging ready-to-wear body-con luxe line, Franziska Fox, seen this summer on Iggy Azalea, Rumer Willis, Robin Wright, and the penultimate party gal, Lindsay Lohan are white hot this summer as the brand takes off. Catch my feature on them in undressed’s fall issue, but until then, here’s a Q&A with the 23 year-old Head Designer, Julia Fox, and 23 year-old Creative Director, Briana Andalore on how their party gal days in downtown’s hottest spots inspired their creative design vision.
By Jill Di Donato
How would you describe the aesthetic of Franziska Fox?
JF: It's a body-con ready-to-wear knitwear line, made from luxurious fabrics. I design for a woman who is sexy and intellectual, strong and feminine.
In other words, these qualities are not mutually exclusive? And you're dressing the woman who gets that.
JF: Yes. She's invincible in her sexual prowess, but has an effortless minimalism in her look.
I'm a fan of knitwear because I feel like I'm wearing sweats, but with a sexy cut-outs or curve-flaunting silhouettes, I don't look like I'm wearing sweats.
JF: Absolutely. I'm re-imagining knitwear.
As New York City kids, you lived fast and partied hard as teenagers – experiences that informed your design aesthetic. Fashion and nightlife, the catwalk and the club, are notorious for going hand-in-hand. What were some of your haunts?
BA: Around 2006, 2007, we went to City-As high school, and spent a lot of time sneaking out to parties like The Misshapes, Motherfucker parties at Avalon and Batcave, Happy Valley; Lucien was also a favorite.
Getting dressed was half the fun, of going out, right?
JF: On most nights we would meet up at Briana's mother's apartment in Greenwich Village and begin the getting ready process.
BA: Or we'd chill at the boat Julia's dad kept at the 79th Street Boat Basin Marina and play industrial music back when I sported pink hair and platforms.
So you were going out a lot, but more than party girl teenagers, you were building an eye for what would eventually become your brand.
JF: Well, from a young age we amassed quite an international archive of vintage clothing. This gave us the platform to begin experimenting with silhouette and understanding the cut and fit of clothing from around the world.
I'm assuming getting undressed was also part of the wild child allure, no? After all, as the Head Designer behind Franziska Fox, Julia, you're known for throwing around the Françoise Sagan quote, "A dress makes no sense unless it makes a man want to take it off you." So do you kiss and tell?
JF: No comment.
Touché. At least answer, who are your style icons?
JF: Emmanuelle Seigner in Frantic, Naomi Campbell.
And, Briana whose entrepreneurial spirit do you admire?
BA: Madonna, Diana Vreeland, and the Studio 54 Clique.
Visit Franziska Fox's website for a video lookbook and purchasing inquiries.
Jill Di Donato (@jddoe) is a novelist, essayist, and writer of arts and style. She teaches in the liberal arts at the Fashion Institute of Technology and elsewhere.
(photos courtesy of Franziska Fox)
(update: reblogged on the Huffington Post here)
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