Last leg home

Kinda depressed

Getting ready to leave.

Last shot

This photo is of our mvp, jamie. It would be an understatement to say I'm obsessed with her. I've been kneeling at my bedside at the end of each day, saying thanks to the lord of models above for delivering her to my life. She made the shoot the perfect mix of young/sexy/fun/sultry.
I cannot wait for everyone to see this new issue. It's going to be dreamy.

my crew

fun in the sun

so childish, but so much fun. we've been laughing for days straight now.

i just can't get enough

so many puppies, so little time. this little one is up for adoption, the guy who found her and her siblings is hoping to send them all to the states. i can send photos of the whole bunch if anyone is interested....anyone?

Chrissy

Here is the lovely Chrissy. She is not only drop dead stunning, like
blow your mind absurdly beautiful but she also happens to be, hands
down, the sweetest, funniest and smartest.
We are laughing nonstop with her, to the point where you can't shoot
because your doubled over with a dizzy laughter.
Nothing is taken for granted with this girl. She appreciates all she
has and all that is part of life. She lives to the fullest, and loves
every second of it.
Her parents did a great job. Her boyfriend is very lucky. So are we
for having her around to crack us up all day.

Another perfect day

The shoot is going amazingly well.
This place just gets better the more time you spend here. Maybe I'll
stay.

I'm not cheating, I'm just, totally smitten.....

This. Is. Lulu. I. Am. In. Love.

for my audrey

Hi little lady!
I was thinking about you today, as I was shopping in a market and spotted these sweet dolls made by the locals down here. Thought you might like them, but you can only have one if your mom and dad send me a text or email with a new picture of you. I miss your beautiful face and need a little inspiration to make this shoot go even better.
Don't mean to bribe, but no harm in a trading goods between family, right?
Love you and miss you. Give your mom and dad a big huge hug for me.

Hurricane Ike

For those who recall the tremendous storm, better known as Ike, that hit in September of 2008, here are the remains that are still being found here on Turks & Caicos. Apparently Ike was one of the top 5 storms to ever hit the US and blew over T&C multiple times, throwing just about everything on the island upside down. Thankfully no injuries were fatal, but the devastation - close to $60 million - to boats and homes can still be found as you wander around this beautiful island.

sorry for the random ? marks

for some reason my email to blogger interaction creates randomly placed question marks into my texts. typically placed where a dash or apostrophe should be. sorry if it causes confusion.

morning!

the reevaluation

For the past few weeks life has flown by. Each day has been filled with so much chaos that I find myself awake at 4, 5, 6am writing notes, work emails, reading my book (Clockers by Richard Price, soooooo interesting and so well written), but mostly trying to sleep but too wound up to do so.
The anticipation of a shoot is always a lot on me emotionally. There?s so much to be done and so many factors to deal with ? what if it rains? What if a model has a sudden case of acne all over her body? What if the clothes get stuck in customs? What if the big guys back at the office don?t like the film?
So, in staying awake I often find myself dissecting who I am and where I am in life. In 2004 I started answering my own personal questionnaire, the same questions all the time, only spread out over a few months. A little game I played to both entertain myself and to calm my nerves. I never look back at the answers until a year later, and by now I have filled out the form 7 times. I did it again last night and reread what I had written a year before. I was in awe over how much I have changed.
I believe this is such a great way to measure your growth and see how your mind works at different stages of life.
Here are the questions - if you answer them, will you share it with me, please?
What?s your favorite color?
Are your dreams peaceful?
Your favorite memory?
Your favorite trip to date?
Your biggest challenge in life?
How did your first love of your life change you?
What?s the last thing you purchased both big and small?
What do you do to calm yourself?
Are you happy?
What would you change in your life, what would you keep the same?
A perfect 24 hours would be:
Where do you go to wind down?
If you could meet someone, or see someone again, who would it be and why?
Earliest childhood memory:
What 3 people are you most thankful for?
Who can you turn to for anything and know you will get pure guidance and love?
Wildest fantasy:
What is one thing you never thought you would do in life, but can now imagine it a reality?
If you had a million dollars to spend, what would you buy 1st, 2nd and 3rd?
I wish I had more?.
If I could go back to one moment in time and change it, it would be?
Ok, so I know it seems a wee childish, but I promise it?s interesting to answer. It?s all about being honest with yourself and truly, deeply thinking about the answers.
Trust me when I say, TRY IT.

"I believe in love. I believe in hard times and love winning. I believe marriage is hard. I believe people make mistakes. I believe people can want two things at once. I believe people are selfish and generous at the same time. I believe very few people want to hurt others. I believe that life can surprise you. I believe in happy endings."
-Isabel Gillies, from an affair to remember, US Vogue February 2009

wish you were here....

Why don't you...?

Yeah, this is kinda pathetic but I play silly games with myself, and often can convince a friend to play along with me. One of my favorites is called "why don't you...?" 
Here's how it goes: I list a bunch of things that make me incredibly happy, or something that interests me at the moment, the idea is to inspire others to do these things on the list in hopes that it will make them happy too.
My most recent list: why don't you....
1. take a long walk, with headphones on, the music on full blast, listening to Grace by U2, Loving You by Paolo Nutini, Lost One by Jay Z, Feelin' Alright by Joe Cocker
2. smile at a random stranger
3. give money to a musician in the subway
4. eat something you really love, savor each bit and don't feel guilty about it after
5. read The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
6. rent the movie Vicky Christina Barcelona and swoon over Penelope Cruz's effortless sex appeal
7. go alone to the Brooklyn Historical Library - spend time in the silence and beauty of the books
8. spend a full week not worrying about your body, but instead tell someone (even if it's just yourself) how good you feel, love handles and all
9. unexpectedly write someone a hand written note
10. say thanks to someone that deserves it
extra credit:
11. take a picture of a heart and send it to me

Eagle Rays

Our producer on the shoot, Tony, went scuba diving yesterday - these Eagle Rays are what he encountered at 100 feet. 7 of them, each of them roughly the size of a car. They were coming up out of the darkness from a depth of about 200 feet, full speed as they were feeding on fish.
He's an incredibly experienced diver and said it was the dive of a lifetime. Clearly.

End of day

Turks and caicos is stunning. We are staying right on the beach, the
sand is pure white, the ocean infinite shades of blue.

Oh beautiful daughter of mine

Taloo,
I'm off again for another week, but don't fret, I shall be back and
when I do get home you'll be the proud owner of a beautiful shell
necklace.
So be good to everyone at 12 stone hollow way and call me if you need
me.
Remind grandma and grandpa how grateful you are to have them,
especially since your mom works so much and is constantly away. They
love you so much, as do I, so be good and you'll always be invited back.
Hope your Sunday night was great, happy new week. Lots of hugs.

A promise

Dad, this ones for you.
Both Lobo and Tara promise to recreate this photo in the heat of the
summer, clad solely in bikinis.
All to make you smile.
Cause that's what good friends are for.

No Internet

Been trying to blog all day but my Internet is failing. Hope
everyone's having a great weekend. Love you.

but I want this more...

The loveliest

I've been meaning to post this photo, I am in awe over how beautiful they looked together, but most of all how breathtaking Michelle looked. So chic and elegant.

I want this.

Baby bulldog

Olivia, 17 weeks old. Pure mush.

This is going to require a lot of explaining...Max's gallery had an
opening that I dragged my crew to. It was a beautiful experience that
can only be explained by either experiencing it (go, it'll be on for
the next month) or by listening to max dissect it. Tomorrow he will
give me a full interview on it.
It was a touching experience to witness, moving in the way art should
be but often isn't. Moving in a way that the world is lacking. Felt so
good to be a part of it. To witness it.
Go see it. It's worth your time.

Today, part two

Watching the sun go down from the studio windows over the Hudson river.

Today, part one

All the ladies at my shoot. Endless fun and entertainment. Imagine
being part of this shoot, 9 hours in a studio with all of these
hilarious (& beautiful) people?

Fidel

One day I'm going to blog about my friend fidel. Till then, here is a
little photo of him to tide you over. He's everything he appears to
be...and so much more.

Soon I'll be here...I leave sunday for 7 days in Turks and Caicos for a shoot - so no complaining allowed.
Life is good, I know. Anyone want to join me? Book your flight, I'll take care of the rest.

One of those days

I wish I was somewhere else today. The hectic, endless pressure of work almost broke my spirit, but I found inspiration in beautiful photos to keep me going. Well beautiful photos AND a grande soy chai latte. Two of them. Ok, three. Whatever does the job, right?
Hope you all had a better day than me. A nice long run at the gym will fix all the stress. I hope. If not, I'm sure a gallon of wine will.

My quintessential NYC (tourist) weekend

I had one of those weekends that I wished never ended. I felt like a tourist in NYC, only better dressed.
From top to bottom:
1. MoMA's Pipilotti Rist's, Pour Your Body Out exhibit
2. a nice long run on the Westside highway/Hudson River
3. Paloma Varga Weisz's exhibit at Max's gallery
4. drinks at the Plaza
There was also a lot of walking around in the snow, shopping upper 5th avenue, eating stuff I shouldn't have been eating, reading and relaxing wrapped in a big blanket. The ideal winter weekend in New York City.

Watching at my desk

Tears are streaming. What a day...

Welcome!

My friends Cate and Erik are the proud new parents of little Evelyn (Evie) Vail Wright who was born on Thursday, January 15th at 1:04pm. She weighed in at 7lbs 10 oz and was 19 inches. How beautiful is she?!?!

"My fellow citizens, our nation is poised for greatness. We must do what we know is right and do it with all our might. Let history say of us, "These were golden years-when the American Revolution was reborn, when freedom gained new life, when America reached for her best." - President Ronald Reagan

Happy inauguration day!

What a fabulous way to start off the week. New beginnings.

For an explaination (of sorts) see #4 in the Happiness post

Post lipstick application

Happiness

Dad,
I'm finding it near to impossible to get a few images of you from
today out of my head. Thankfully all of them have left me laughing - a
big laugh, that gut wrenching laugh where your body shakes but no
sound comes out.
1. Exploding not one but TWO Ginger Ale cans and then dethawing them
both in a sauce pan. Genius.
2. Coming home to you watching yet another western film. I can safely
bet my entire life savings on the fact that you know a minimum of 93%
of the lines from the movie. Nothing compared to 116% of the lines you
can full on reenact at any given moment from The Godfather (I'm giving
you an extra 16% for teaching me lines, ahem, "leave the gun, take the
cannoli," amongst others).
3. The dog food bag debacle. Slouched over the counter with 19 pounds
of hypoalergenic Fatty Taloo food.
4. Chances are I've climbed that driveway 600 times in my life. Never
have I done so with a hunchback toting a handbag.

Lastly though, thanks to mom for applying her lipstick mid-mountain.
The paparazzi at Lauren and Marc's almost got you bare faced!

Had the best day. Still full. Love you.

Peter Luger

Had my first Peter Luger dining experience. Why I took photos of the
chocolate rather than the 34 pound steak I inhaled is beyond me.
It was absurdly great.

Been going through my tearsheet archives and photo books this evening.
Found so many exquisite photographs, they make me yearn for another
travel adventure.

I am by no means a pink kind of girl but I've been seriously crushing over a soft pinky palette lately. I find myself in stores gazing at pale objects, at work pushing for my clothing buyers to buy into shades of the softest sunrise, and I actually considered buying Taloo a new pale pink collar. I made this little mood board for no particular reason, other than to make myself happy.

can you spot it?