Oh J.Crew, You so Cool

I have resorted back to ripping things out of catalogues old school style, then photographing them with my iPhone.  A little ass backwards I realize, but sometimes it just works.  Especially for J.Crew.  They really seem to knock it out of the styling park when it comes to their catalogue, now called a style guide.  I usually do a quick flip through the print copy on the kitchen island as the hubs plops down the mail.  The most recent issue was chalk-full of styling ideas for shorts.  For some reason, outside of the athletic arena, shorts are always a challenge for me but I am loving these ideas.  Now bring on the beach!

Uniform Dressing

While I love, love, love fashion there are many mornings I miss the no brainer aspect of all my years growing up wearing a uniform to school.  As I was switching my closet over from winter to spring clothes, I realized I still do have a “uniform.”  One look at my Pinterest board on fashion confirms my taste.  A silk shirt, skinny pants and ballet flats are my crazy day “go-to” outfit, but I also realized my uniform needed a little tweaking and inspiration.  (Tweaking that did not require a shopping spree.)  There is the saying, we wear 20% or our wardrobe 80% of the time, which begs the question: how do I incorporate some of those loved but not super worn items?  To help me answer that question, I pulled some of my spring favorites from my Pinterest board.   I swear I have some variation of everything pictured.  Here is my (ideal) spring uniform:

 

Behind the Scenes

Okay, enough with my pity party.  The past few weeks I have had some amazing photo shoots not to mention a great trip to warm Georgia, so I should really stop being a cry baby about my other road bumps (sick household and cracked computer.)  One photo shoot was with one of my favorite clients, Louis, for their woman’s resort collection.  We had the stunning model Jax and a great sky blue back drop.  Love, love, loved the editorial feel of this shoot.  It doesn’t hurt when you get to photograph clothes from the likes of Marni, Proenza Schouler and Roland Mouret to name a few.

  

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I also got to photograph some gorgeous hair with new client, Salon Mario Russo.  Bring on the pretty!

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Thanks to my interns Amanda and Jordan for the behind the scenes footage.  Oh yeah, I am doing the whole Vine.co thing so if you have the app, check me out under Sarah_W_Studios.

Art and fashion

I am so excited I can finally share this photo shoot with you all.  A few weeks ago I photographed some amazing fall fashions for Louis at the DeCorvoda Sculpture Park and Museum.  This was a dream come true photo shoot for me, combining my love of art history, fashion and photography.  It was a great day of shooting, despite the fact that it rain during the entire day long shoot.  I actually think it made for some moodier shots.

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Dewitt Godfrey, “Lincoln” (2012), DeCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, Lincoln, MA

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Julianne Swartz, “Elevator Music” (2005), DeCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, Lincoln, MA

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Dan Graham, “Crazy Spheroid – Two Entrances” (2009), DeCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, Lincoln, MA

Jaume Plensa, “Humming” (2011), DeCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, Lincoln, MA

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Laura Ford, “Bird” (2007), DeCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, Lincoln, MA

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Jim Dine, “Two Big Black Hearts” at DeCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, Lincoln, MA

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Roy Lichtenstein, “Five Brushstrokes” (1985), DeCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, Lincoln, MA

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Front Row at a Fashion Show

Last weekend I packed up my camera gear, kissed bébé goodbye for my first night away and hopped a train to New York. I was a ball of nervous energy, excitement and sheer joy. I absolutely eat up all the Fashion Week hullabaloo with a sterling silver spoon. (P.S. have never used the word hullabaloo before but it is stuck in my head…seems appropriate.)

Anyway, I got to photograph backstage at the Tibi fashion show and then sat front row! As a seat filler of course. I kind of love being this low key, nobody, snapping away among the flurry of models, make-up artist, socialites and self-important fashion reporters. I find it fascinating. And as an unapologetic fan of fashion shows and Tibi clothing in particular, I love seeing what designer Amy Smilovic has in store for next season. Let me tell you, it is black and white, minimal, sleek and very wearable. It’s Céline meets 90′s Calvin Klein, but at a much more feasible price point.

Front of the House

Although my seat was front row, it didn’t really lend itself to a great camera angle of the clothes…those girls walk FAST and my shutter speed could barely keep up with them. For the full show look-by-look go to Style.com. but for some shots from my point of view, see below. Plus my seat mate, the designer’s darling 10 year old son made for some fun conversation. At one point he leans over, looking at the screen on my camera and goes, “its at 2.8 (referring to my aperture setting), that is good.” What?!?!?! You rock kid!

Next: all the back stage action.

The most wonderful time of the year…Fashion Week

So I am heading to New York tomorrow for a quick little taste and some photographing of fashion week. I know I should be all blasé about going to fashion week, but inside I am about as cool as a pre-teen, hopped up on pixie sticks about to meet One Direction. I love this shit! (pardon the French) This will also be the first night I am away from bébé and I am equal parts scared and excited…well lets be honest…I am a little more on the excited side. Arrivederci!

Here are some of my pics from last September’s Fashion Week. I cannot wait to share this season’s with you. Wish me luck! Yeeeeeeee!

P.S. I totally this yellow dress on sample sale at the Tibi Outlet in August!

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See you soon New York!

Hello Fall!

The other week I photographed some new Fall accessories for Louis Boston.  They have recently revamped their website to include large high res photography and I just love it!  You really get the feel of the velvety cashmere, buttery leather and shiny jewelry.  Here are some photos from our shoot now on the Louis website

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Diaper bag for me?…

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Opal is my birthstone and this ring was out of this world!

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How perfect is this ring on this box?!?!  I couldn’t resist photographing them together.

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I just want to dive into this pile of really expensive scarves!

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Beautiful menswear.

The perfect blazer! (packaging and all)

Imagine my delight when I saw this black and white stripe package awaiting me the other day.  My client, friends and awesome clothing company, Two Penny Blue, sent me the one and only Cambridge blazer!  In Mint!

Here we are in various states of unpacking.  I had to record each step of the way, because the box, the tissue, the seal, everything was just perfect.  I do love me some good packaging.  I was almost as excited about the packaging as I was about the blazer…almost.  You better believe this is the first thing going in my suitcase as I pack tomorrow night for a family wedding in Ohio and then our week in Sea Island, GA.  I can’t wait to pair it now with white jeans and a cobalt blue tank and dark wide leg jeans and orange for fall.

Rue La La – guest blogger

The other week RueLaLa asked me to write a guest blog post for their Road Trip Across America series with a focus on Nantucket.  One of my most favorite places!  I was thrilled.  For those of your not familiar with RueLaLa, it is a private sale boutique site with new flash sales each day.  You have to sign up but it grants you access to some fabulous deals on some amazing shopping.  It you are not a member you can use this link to sign up.

Here is a little tid bit of my post but pop over to the RueLaLa blog to see the rest.

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Nantucket is an island with a personality all it’s own.  It is equal parts sophistication, New England charm, and laid-back beach destination, with a rich history in colonial commerce and whaling.  When traveling to Nantucket, packing well is essential.  You need the right high/low mix to take you from bike rides and the beach to a night out on the town.  That, and it all needs to fit in the perfect weekender bag since you have to take the ferry or a little puddle jumper plane to get there.

What to Pack

Swimsuit
Pick a bright color or a fun pattern. No boring black here.

Beach cover-up
Opt for a beach cover that can also double as a sundress.  An item that can serve a double duty is key when packing light.

Sunglasses
Aviators for biking and beach time, and some ultra glam cat-eye sunglasses for strolling downtown.  Remember, the sun doesn’t set until almost 9pm in the summer.

Flip flops
Cute enough to mix with your dresses, but functional enough to go to the beach.

Panama hat
I am loving these right now.  They are wide-brimmed enough to offer sun protection, but without the hazard of a floppy sun hat blowing off your head during your bike ride.

Maxi dress
Glam it up for night with a breezy maxi dress.  Pick a great color that can also transition into fall.

Denim jacket
The nights can get chilly on the island, and a denim jacket is a perfect travel solution.  Cuff the sleeves and throw your hair up in a loose topknot for instant evening-chic.

Wedges or flat-forms
Get some height for night, but still navigate the cobblestone streets like a pro.

Jewelry
Gold tones look great on sun-kissed skin.  Stack bracelets up each arm, add a great cocktail ring, and you are ready for evening fun.

Where to go…

You’ll have to go over to RueLaLa for more!

Sous Style

So it has been an Erin Gates filled month for me.  (I joke that she is the fashion model muse to my Mario Testino.  In that I seem to be photographing her a ton this month.  I know it is a huge ego stretch to put myself in the same camp as Mr. Testino, but I digress.)  Sous Style did a “day in the life” feature on Erin, and I got to follow her around to photograph it.

Sous Style is lifestyle, cooking, home design, fashion website founded by the photo director of ELLE, Pippa Lord, and offers are fun, modern approach to entertaining.  Think a young, hip Martha Stewart.  Here are some shots from the editorial.  Click here for the full feature and to see Erin’s day.  She is one busy girl.

At Home:

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At the office:

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At the Design Center:

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Checking in on a project:

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Finally unwinding: