Oooh, I get my own STYLO cover version! Celina powered through technical snafus, and it looks like the second issue is now live, and it was so worth the wait, no? Look at K, giving her best bossy look in what has to be the most beloved creation to date: the Cali Faye Cadette Coat. It trumps the Frozen costume, which says it all. Tons of pictures alert!
So the theme was “fresh-citrus-metallics,” and I immediately knew I had to use this mint wool from my stash. The Cadette Coat pattern seemed like a natural fit (and a little surprising, I hope), and I utilized every last bit of silver poly lining I had. The buttons are military-esque and silver and incredibly awesome. K was a spot-on size 7 according to the measurements so I thought I should sew the 8, but with my usual eyeballing method I had an inkling the 7 was a better bet. It might be just a smidgen short on length, which makes it more of a jacket than a coat, but K has publicly declared this her favorite outerwear ever.
With her $9.99 Baby Gap shades, I’m wowed by how much older she looks. She refused to take them off for several days and nights, and of course we now have no idea where they are. Doesn’t it look like she’s channeling Audrey Hepburn in her Tiffany’s-blue coat?
As this was going to be in a magazine (can you tell how very thrilled I am about this?), I felt like i needed to bring my A-game and actually venture out of the house for the photoshoot. Since I had to go drop off the car in the Queen Anne neighborhood to get it serviced and there are a number of picturesque locations within the nearby Seattle Center, I conned K with a promise of gluttonous amounts of sweets and dragged her with me. Above she’s standing in front of the International Fountain, which brought back a lot of memories since I used to hang out here all the time when K was a baby.
She thought it would be funny to use her doll’s umbrella as a prop. Those sweet ballet flats are also from Baby Gap, but they turned out to be toe-pinchers and hobble-inducing so we had to change shoes. It played out like this: I lugged my camera and a heavy bag filled with extra shoes, clothes, props, and commanded K to pose this way and while we both got soaked in the rain and pretty soon, things started unraveling…
Exhibit A – A refusal to stop reading her book (we also had a kerfuffle about the tights as she didn’t want to take them off):
Exhibit B – Hints of discontent on her face:
Exhibit C – All out mutiny:
And so the whole adventure reminded me of why I continue to take pictures in my bedroom against the same wall week in and week out. We’re both creatures of habit and the novelty of the new location wore off quickly. But there were some gems from the photoshoot, and I’m so glad we made the effort.
By the way, I also sewed this sweet pintuck dress in a quilting cotton that I’ve had so long, I believe I might have purchased it when K was a baby. It’s a cream base with slightly lighter polka dots and feels fresh and a little retro at the same time. The dress is a pattern by Heidi and Finn, which like Cali Faye, was new to me, and it’s such a great dress! There’s a blouse version too that I definitely want to make.
Outfit #1 was a hit with K, and I’m pleased with it myself. Stay tuned for outfit #2 tomorrow!
OMG! It´s Audrey Hepburn meets Yoko Ono with those shades! She is so beautiful and so is the outfit. You did such a great job. K is getting so good at modeling, love the umbrella! And the cover shot is just perfect with the polkadot background. Wow. I don´t always love it when kids model or fashion shoots with kids but in your pictures you still capture K and her personality shines through and I love that!
Just flipped through the magazine and it is amazing! You are in such great company! Congratulations! And the second outfit rocks, too!
Thank you, Ute! It’s been so fun working on this and yes, I do think K is a natural model though she’ll only do it for me and for a maximum of ten minutes ;-).
Beautiful photos! I would love to have a jacket like that for myself 🙂
I know, right? I want a refreshing military jacket for myself too! Thank you, Rachel!
LOVE!! I was kind of wondering if I would enjoy this second version of STYLO, because the first was….well, the first. It was something out of nowhere and I had no expectations. BUT… I was completely blown away by this second version. I want to go through it again, slower and on my ipad so I get the hint of feeling like I’m holding a quarterly in my hands. Your creations and photography are so beautiful, such a treat to see K’s face! And the all out mutiny pic is cracking me up…ha!
Me too, Monica, Me too – everyone did such a phenomenal job, and the talent/skill level of the sewing/photography really blows my mind. And ha, I was trying to cleverly obscure K’s face with the shades, because I didn’t want to have to cut her face off like I usually do. The hubs is always worried that she’ll be kidnapped if I post her face in its entirety 🙂
Then, I mean, her face was very well hidden! It was just a change up from the crops…I actually really love that crop photography style anyway. I crop a lot with the full face too… Usually because I’m getting crazy eyes or something. 🙂
So funny, I know what you mean, Monica. There have been so many times when I was so glad I was cropping out her face because of cross-eyedness or silly expressions that, uh, might not look so cute. 🙂
SO cute!! love the jacket and the dress and it is fun seeing on-location photography from you, though believe me i KNOW what a pain it can be! amps the stress level up and no one needs that when you’re dealing with kids. your spread turned out great though and i think that jacket would be my favorite too!!
Oh that makes me feel better, Kristin, since your photos always look stunning and your kids appear to be having the time of their lives 🙂 With the frequent rain here, it also adds a whole layer of challenge when taking photos outdoors! Thanks for the jacket love!
You completely nailed this photo shoot, despite its frustrations and awesome outtakes:) That mint color suits K’s coloring so well, and when paired with the shades . . . the epitome of coolness! Love the details on the jacket, as well as the pin tucks on the Heidi and Finn dress. Very much K’s style and reminds me of something you might find in a Japanese pattern book.
I’m excited to go check out issue 2 of Stylo . . . just waiting for a block of time I know I’ll be uninterrupted:) So happy for you that you were included (twice!) in this issue – your skill and design eye certainly warrant being asked!
It’s really a fabulous issue, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next! K and I have the bedroom photoshoot down to a 2-minute routine at this point, so it was pretty tricky when we were outdoors. But lately she’s been willing to try new locations, so you’ll be seeing more variety!
So great, Sanae! I love the color of the coat. Perfect. And I also know the mania of shooting for stylo. You actually need to get it just right and the absolute worst things happen! I cried after my shoot. Yours turned out great though. She does look like a little Audrey. That dot wall is pretty awesome too
Oh, I felt like crying at the end of it all, Tara! K was in a mood, and we were soggy and I was worried about my camera and on and on and on….but the end result was so worth it!
Stylo is news to me, and congrats on your two features in it!
Is there some way to navigate that magazine, though? I clicked through to another site, clicked back, and was dismayed to see myself back on page 1 without any obvious way to fast forward to where I’d been.
Hi June! So sorry to hear that you weren’t able to navigate easily. I looked at the magazine on my ipad and it showed thumbnails of each page so that I could easily click on the ones I wanted to see or scroll through the main image in order. Perhaps you could give that a try?
Bizarre – those thumbnails don’t show up in a regular browser (Chrome on Windows)! I saw elsewhere that others are having the same problem, so I’m sure they’re aware of it.
Ah bummer! I hope it can be fixed to make viewing the magazine easy in any browser/platform/device!
Gorgeous outfit! So lovely to see K, she is gorgeous!
Thank you, Rhoda – so kind! K LOVED the sunglasses so much, and I started to get worried when I heard things like “This makes me look like a rock star, I’m going to wear them to school!”
Fantastic coat, photos, look everything Sanae! I am so impressed with you, and I did check out the magazine yesterday after you linked it. Most impressive.
Thank you, Asmita! This was great fun to work on!!
Wow, Sanae – amazing outfit and photos, and one very sophisticated model. Just perfect in every way.
I think K’s modeling skills are what make what I sew look half-decent to be honest. The girl is a natural (I’m not sure how I feel about that).
There is a second outfit???? I just cannot wait. This one is adorably cute, very fashionable and so flattering.
Thanks, Greta! It’s always so rewarding when she actually loves what I make as much as I do.
Your work is amazing! I love both of the outfits. So different from each other too. Just gorgeous stuff. And I’m chuckling at the mutiny. It’s such a familiar tale! 🙂
Thank you so much, Anneliese! Talk about amazing: your gold synchronized bathing suits!!!! Blew me away, as did your other vintage-inspired dresses!
This coat is GORGEOUS!! I just love the color and the silver buttons. K is definitely workin’ it – love the sunglasses! My daughter has a very similar pair from baby Gap that she loves to sashay around in. Ha!
I was so happy to see you in this issue! I just love the whole concept of this magazine and your work is a perfect fit!
Thank so much Meghan! It was such a treat to be part of the magazine and really, the other women are just phenomenal!