Devi is Divine

My senior year of college,  after having fulfilled all my major requirements, I rewarded myself by taking a class in Rajasthani and Mughal art. At the time, I knew nothing about India apart from what I had seen in the movie Monsoon Wedding. So I was truly blown away when I learned about the Gods; Brahman, Shiva, Vishnu, Devi, Parvati, Lakshmi, Rama, Sita, Krishna, Radha, Kali, and infinite other forms. 

Hindu mythology and the art it inspires, is an exercise in the fantastic, the romantic, and the psychedelic.  The art is a visual representation of poetic verse, largely inspired by the epic tales of the Ramayana and Mahabharata.  Enjoy this fashion homage to the Goddess Devi in all of Her forms.

Just a quick disclaimer, these photos are inspired by Indian myths and art, they are not meant as actual depictions of the Indian people or culture.

Photographed by Nick Shepard

Assisted by Andra Georges

Styling and art direction by Annie Shepard

Modeled by Laura Schneider and Annie Shepard

I Fed Beyonce to YooouuuTuuube and This is What it Pooped Out

Do you love Beyonce? How about Rihanna? Or Lil'Wayne, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift? Now you can multiply them with YooouuuTuuube, a very nifty little program that breaks videos into shots  and syncs them with the song's rhythym.

I chose Beyonce's Countdown video for this post because she is already experimenting with split screen and mirror images, Yooouuu Tuuube just makes the video  awesomer. I hope you enjoy playing around with the program, just don't blame me if all the flashing lights give you a seizure! 

Read more after The Juuump!

Kaleidoscoping

Kaleidoscopes are circles of mirrors that reflect beads or glass into complicated symmetrical forms that enchant the eye. Fortunately, the iPad has cut out the need for the real thing. Just point, shoot, and stare back in wonder. 

All photos by Rumi

And now a word on hats…

I bought this first hat, which has an amazing sculptural floral shape, from Ida–the new and painfully tempting millinery and jewelry store across the street from me. I paired it with a vintage gold dress and elaborately beaded salwar. I have wanted to shoot the hat for some time now, but was waiting for the ideal moment. Thanks to the multiplying powers of the kaleidoscope, I think I did the hat justice. 

The second topper is a red-velvet turban from the 1930s paired with an awesome leopard print dress made by the indie designer Dawn Sharp. Check out her stuff, it is totally unique and very wearable.

In the last look, I'm sporting the hat by Rumi Tsuda that also inspired my bird Halloween outfit. I'm wearing it with a 1930s embroidered dress and my new favorite fringe jacket by House of Matching Colors. 

Paisley Explosion

New Yorkers are notorious for loving black. But when I see such a vacuum of color, I recoil. For me, the brighter the more patterns, the better. So when I spotted this shirt from Munrowski & Mits at the Brooklyn flea, I knew it was made for me. Sheer cotton fabric- yes. Paisley print- yes. Purple tones- yes. This shirt just says "I am having more fun than you are". 

Shirt by Munrowski & Mits, Afghan Necklace from Brooklyn Flea, Vintage Bag, Corso Como boots

All photos by Nick Shepard

More After the Jump!