My new Poloroids

It would have made sense to post this with my last post but I didn't think of it until my friend Christina left a comment on my post. These, then, are my new Polaroids. Unlike the pictures on my comp card, these pictures are less then a week old and show what I look like currently. They're useful in that they show if I have gained or lost weight, how my skin is looking, and most notably in this instance, what my hair color and cut is. As you can see, I am currently moonlighting as a blonde.

My new Comp Card

I met with my agency last week to get a new composite card made-- this is my business card, what I hand out to potential clients so that they can remember me. I'm pretty happy with the new card. The cover is from a test shoot I did with Seth Sabal, and the pictures on the back are all from magazines I shot while working in Dubai (and, actually, the two full-length shots were taken in Amman, Jordan for U Magazine).

Miss September

While recently perusing the magazines at the drugstore, I couldn't help but notice that many of the September issues feature women with their arms akimbo. Now I find that a bit odd, and terribly unoriginal, and wonder what the meaning of all this is. September is traditionally the largest issue that comes out during the year (it's full of fall fashion. I always feel bad for the mail carrier in September-- have you ever seen the September issue of Vogue? It's at least two inches thick!), so perhaps the hands on hips scream out a strong, powerful image? Otherwise, it just means the girls didn't know what to do with their hands. In Modelingland, when a girl doesn't know what else to do, she throws her hands on her hips. It is a totally uninspired pose.

This was the week when...

Amidst hard drive crash scares on laptop (it was determined not to start), Olympic moments (Michael Phelps aside, I really got a kick out of watching rhythmic gymnastics and synchronized swimming), slow dial-up connections, and family time here in South Carolina, this week has just not been ideal for updating the blog.

I do have some ideas-- I'm going to do a summer-in-review post (heavy laden with photos) and a post of my latest sewing project (a vintage-inspired apron) and a look at the September magazine covers-- so keep your eyes peeled.

I fly out Friday for Los Angeles, so I'm sure there will be more about that and my adventures out there.  I'll keep you posted.

Away from my desk

I haven't been able to post these fast few days, as initially I was uninspired, and more recently I've been just plain busy.  I made some rather of note plans: I'm going to Los Angeles for the month of September.  It was an impromptu decision based on an opportunity arising (my best friend's sister needed someone to sublet her apartment) and the realization that I wouldn't likely have such a chance again.  My hope is that I shall be able to find a modeling agency while out there and procure a little work.  At the very least, I hope to catch up with some old friends, spend a little time at the beach soaking up those California rays, and rest on my laurels with out too much interruption (surprisingly to some, I do quite look forward to not knowing many people where I'm going.  I would love some "me" time-- and am thinking of getting a sewing machine when I get there so that I can sew in my new-found me time).

I spent a few days sorting the particulars out about LA, and then I turned around and came to New York City for a job.  I had a fitting on Friday, with a job on Tuesday, and, as always, it seems that every possible second is filled with trying to catch up with people.  Of course I do a miserable job, and inevitably leave knowing that I missed out on a few people.

This Wednesday, I will fly out early morning on US Airways to Augusta, Georgia (my birth place), where I will meet up with my parents who are currently in South Carolina.  Carolina is where I'm originally from and all of my family (with the exception of my immediate family) still live there.  I should already be there, but this job is keeping me here.

I can't write much today, although I am taking pictures to hopefully share in a future entry.  Tomorrow will be another full day, and then I work and fly out, so it shall most likely be a few days before I post again.

Michael Phelps is awesome!

Shortest blog post ever 'cause that's all I have to say. It's nice to watch someone who is really quite talented (or maybe he is just related to a fish) do their thing. And, it's nice to have an American we can be proud of as a means of bringing our oft fragmented country together. Go Michael-- you rock!

Odds and Ends

My new favorite magazine these days (as I've somehow turned into a manic shopper) is Lucky Magazine.  I have been buying them on the newsstands, but recently signed up for a subscription.  I tear through each issue, using their helpful stickers to tag anything and everything that looks like something I would like.  Chances are I won't ever get around to buying these things, but the fashion designer in me pulls out the pictures and stores them away for later inspiration.

In the new September issue (with the lovely Mila Jovovich on the cover), I spied these pair of tights that I simply must have:

The fine print says that the hosiery is Hue by Tibi, but I'll be darned if I can find these particular pair anywhere (including the Hue website!)  I did, however find these on AlexBlake.com, which is the same site I picked up a pair of vintage-looking back-seamed black hose.

As I'm into all things vintage these days, I snapped up these patterns from the local fabric store the other day.  I'm excited about making these-- I just hope I can find a fabric that I like.

On a final note, I just recently stumbled upon Baby Snoopy while picking out greeting cards in the card store.  He is, as the name implies, Snoopy as a little pup.  I'm a dog lover, so I couldn't help but be suckered into their marketing scheme.  But seriously, look how cute he is-- don't you just want to scoop him up and give him a good cuddle?  (Oh, and there's a Baby Woodstock, too.  What will they think of next?)

Let the Games Begin

Today, according to the Chinese at least, is the luckiest day of the year. It is 8-8-08, the official opening of the Olympics in Beijing. My parents and I decided to celebrate with an impromptu drive to Philadelphia's Chinatown where they were throwing their own party to honor the Olympians. It was fun-- they had performers, and mini-booths of Olympic events as well as lots of family fare. It had the feeling of a street fair, with food and tents lining the streets. Afterward, we ate the best Chinese food (seriously, YUM!) at a restaurant on Race Street while a TV in the background showed the Opening Ceremonies. Here are some my pictures from our trip (including my pic with a mascot-- I love the Chinese's aesthetic of cute):















I wonder if there is anyone out there doing a comparison of Opening Ceremony fashions. The entry of the different countries into the stadium seems to be a bit slow for many viewers, but I took pleasure in discovering how each country chose to be represented in their dress.

The Americans in Ralph Lauren

Team USA was outfitted by the all-American designer Ralph Lauren. For the ceremony, they donned navy blazers, white newsboy caps, white trousers, and ascots for the ladies while the men completed their look with matching striped tie. All in all, they were a smart looking bunch, even if they were super preppy. And, yes, in the spirit of commercialism, you too can buy matching outfits or other Olympic themed clothes at Ralph Lauren's website.

Those savvy Germans with flags that double as fans. I also just noticed that the guy three in from bottom right has the Olympic symbol shaved into his head.

I would have the say that the cleverest thing I saw in the way of ensembles was those sensible German flag-fans. Someone was thinking here: in the 90 degree heat of Beijing, instead of waving a small black, red, and gold flag, each Olympian waved a flag-colored fan. Pretty smart, eh?

Easy-going Aussies

It is an honor that usually goes to the Americans, but this time it was our cousins down under, the Australians, who, IMHO, took the award for being the most dressed down. Their outfits were very sporty, wearing what looked to be a blue track suit and matching ball cap. They were a fun, happy bunch though.



The human interest story of the evening was about the little boy with the bird's eye view accompanying the 7 FT 6 in (2.29 meters) Chinese basketball player, Yao Ming. As Yao walked hand-in-hand with the Sichuan boy (and later hoisted him in his arms), the commentators told the story of how this 9 year-old boy had been a victim of last May's earthquakes in China (which killed over 70,000 people). After pulling himself from the rubble of his school, he had gone back in to rescue other students. When asked why he had risked his life in such a manner, he replied something along the lines of, "It was my duty. In school I was a hall monitor, and it was my job to watch out for the other students." You can read an article about the little boy (and how he almost didn't make it into the stadium) here.

As to my final thoughts on the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics 2008? Holy fireworks over China, Batman.

Elise's Surprise Cupcakes

On August 1st, my twin sister, Erin, and I celebrated our 29th birthday. We went to New York for a day and threw ourselves a little barbecue in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, with my friend Matt grilling burgers and kabobs. The event was a success, and I hope to soon be able to post pictures.

For the party, I made my favorite cupcakes-- a remarkably simple recipe which produces a yellow cake cupcake with a little surprise in the middle-- a cheesecake-esque blob of cream cheese mixed with chocolate chips. It's a real treat!

Surprise Cupcakes

1 package yellow cake mix (2 layer size)

1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

dash salt

1 6 ounce package (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Mix cake according to package directions. Fill paper cups in muffin pans 2/3 full. Cream the cheese with sugar, beat in egg and salt until smooth. Stir in chocolate morsels. Drop one rounded teaspoon of cream mixture into each cupcake. Bake as package directs. Makes 30-36 cupcakes.

The Skinny Model Debate and a return to 1995

The most recent issue of Vogue with Kate Moss on the cover, the famous waif herself, has a short blurb about model Coco Rocha. She jokes around with designer Michael Kors, and hosts a luncheon in which the fashion industry's obsession with skinny size 0 models is discussed.

Coco confesses her own prior addiction to laxatives and the pressures to be thin in the fashion industry. This, of course, is written up in Vogue, which continues to feature super-skinny models. My girlfriend, an Australian model who was most recently working in Germany, reported to me how the girls there eat cotton and tampons so that they feel full and skip actual food.

I write all this because the other day, in the course of cleaning out our family basement, I came upon a bunch of old fashion magazines from the mid-nineties. Note that these girls have flesh, and curves. They are hips and busts and tummies. They fill a page, rather then disappear, and they're beautiful. I scanned some of them for fun.














While I was thumbing through the old issues of these magazines(all dating from 1995) I also stumbled upon some old pictures of now familiar faces. Below is Heidi Klum, Carla Bruni (aka Ms. Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President), and Nicole Kidman (with Ronald McDonald hair).




Finally, I conclude with a few pics of Carolyn Murphy, who is today a very popular model. She has appeared on the cover of Vogue, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, and in numerous makeup and fragrance campaigns. She is now a blonde beauty, with a tan, appearing as the all American girl. These pictures from her first season modeling show a dark, curly-haired girl with pale, pale skin. It is quite a transition to see what she has become.