keep you | music video

{ directed by Melina Matsoukas }

I am excited to share Wild Belle's official music video for Keep You, which debuted earlier this week on the Rolling Stone website. Director Melina Matsoukas spoke to the magazine about her interpretation of the song and the narrative she chose to tell through the video. "It's a story about unrequited love and how with age, we don't necessarily mature," she said. "All of us are forever young. Old habits never die."

Full of stunning visuals and clever details, the Kingston, Jamaica-filmed video chronicles Natalie's tumultuous relationship with a young man. On twitter, Melina cited films such as Rockers and Moonrise Kingdom as inspiration for Keep You. These references are apparent in the stylistic nod to 1970s Jamaica and the subtle, Wes Anderson-like humor that pops up throughout the narrative. Melina is an artist known for pushing the envelope with her complex and thought-provoking story lines. Like some of her other work, this ambiguous tale of love and heartache makes you think twice. What I take away is a charming and nuanced portrayal of a character who is having a hard time letting go of a first love—a love who was hard to hold onto in the first place. A love who is pathologically young at heart. I hope you enjoy it!

{ snapshots of Jamaica through Wild Belle's lens }

backslider

{ directed by Bennet Bergman }

Captivating visuals in this new video from Wild Belle. Backslider was shot and edited by Bennet over the course of two days late this summer (with some additional footage by Tyler Kaschke). The slides are photographs taken by my mom during her travels around Hong Kong and Australia in the early '80s. Also out today: a great write-up in the The New York Times T Magazine.

more from nyfw | one

5 September 2012

A last minute sewing project and some outfit prep before heading to New York.

6 September 2012

The contents of my suitcase, arriving in NY, and getting ready for an evening out with Natalie.

nyfw diary on glossed & found

Earlier this month, I traveled to New York to visit with friends and family, have a few meetings, and participate in some of the spectacle that is NYFW. While there, I snapped a bunch of photos and kept a log for Glossed & Found. Take a look at the full diary here. I will also be be posting more photos over the next few weeks, so check back soon for an unabridged version of my trip.

holding on to summer

{ one: via Things that Sparkle | two: via Pinterest | three and four: via Eskell | five: via My Damn Blog | six: via Natalie Off Duty | seven: via Vena Cava | eight: Les Demoiselles D'Hamilton via Miss Moss | nine: via Fashion Picanteria | ten: via Hanna Skoog | eleven: photo by Bennet Bergman | twelve: photo by Julia Felsenthal | thirteen and eighteen: photos by Elise Bergman | fourteen: via See Lanvin | fifteen: photo by Bennet Bergman | sixteen: photo by Rommel Pecson via Inspiration Station | seventeen: photo by Jose Villa | nineteen: via Retronaut | twenty: via Google | twenty-one and twenty-two: photos by Billy Rood | twenty-three: via Inspiration Station }

The entire summer has nearly come and gone without so much as a peep on the blog. I have been fortunate enough to have an especially busy season with weddings and custom projects. It's meant many extra hours spent at the sewing machine or cutting table, surrounded by piles of silk chiffon and crepe de chine, organic cotton, leather, sketches, and sewing patterns. It's also meant that email communication, blog posting, time dedicated to designing new styles, personal time, and summer relaxation have fallen a bit to the wayside. I shouldn't complain, because being busy is an indication that business is going well and that I've had the chance to collaborate with lots of amazing people on garments that I am extremely excited about. But, a few important things have been neglected and I'm looking forward to making sure I have a better balanced fall.

Even though I didn't have the chance to plant a garden or finish that furniture project that was on my list for this summer, I was able to do a little traveling (a late spring trip to Oregon and our annual Forth of July drive to Tennessee) and enjoy some of what makes Chicago so magical in the summer (farmers markets, bike rides, beach volleyball, Miko's Italian Ice, and the occasional boat ride on Lake Michigan). Here's to trying to squeeze in a few more adventures, outdoor drinks with friends, bike rides to the lake, jumps in the pool, tennis matches, little white dresses, family time, sing-alongs, local produce, meals cooked on the grill, and restful Sundays before summer is officially over and fall sets in.

birthday camping

{ photos by Elise Bergman (plus a few by Collin Moore) }

Collin's single request for his birthday every year is that we go camping for the weekend. Unfortunately, busy work schedules and testy midwest weather usually prevent us from taking a trip. Since his most recent birthday was his thirtieth, we decided that no matter what—rain, shine, looming presentations or the like—we were going to make it happen. I'm so glad we did because it was the perfect way to bid adieu to his twenties. We loaded up our packs with far more goodies than a seasoned hiker should (enough food and snacks for about five people, a full bottle of bourbon, extra layers to keep cozy, travel Scrabble, a couple different cameras, et cetera) and headed to the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois. We picked a trail that went along Kinkaid Lake and hiked until we found the most inviting spot to pitch our tent. Despite a damp couple hours on our first day and a few startling encounters with critters in the woods, the weather and the weekend were flawless. A delightful birthday celebration!

october at the beach

{ photos by Julia Felsenthal }