fleet collection

Two things: this is not a fashion blog, and I am not a fashion blogger.  So when the opportunity presented itself for me to get my hands on some crazy cute dresses from Fleet Collection and take some pictures in them, I was like "whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat! me?!" and then I was like "GIMME THOSE DRESSES!"  

You see, I love clothes.  I really, really love clothes.  Especially dresses.  I have more dresses than pairs of socks, or t-shirts.  Dresses for days!  I love dresses!

Basically: I convinced my friend Janine Ker to hang out in Griffith Park here in Los Angeles for a day and take pictures of me.  It was so much fun!  Not just styling the dresses, but getting to collaborate on something with my friend, doing something creative outside the norm for both of us.  I mean, I'm no model, and the button on Janine's camera is held on with a bit of tape, and we did this all completely guerilla style!  (We almost got booted out of Travel Town for bringing 'props' in with us.) We got some weird looks, but that just added to the fun, I think.  

It also forced me to respect my favorite fashion bloggers that much more...it takes a lot of planning and creativity to get good shots!

Credits for this adventure:

Dresses by Fleet Collection

Photos by Janine Ker

Styled and modeled by this moi

We shot this blue dress in Travel Town in Griffith Park.  It's full of cool old trains.  It's probably one of the coolest places in LA.  And it's free!

As a person who owns a lotta dresses already, I have to say that these are really excellently crafted.  I'm not jus saying that!  The fabric is nice and thick, so you don't have to wear a slip underneath, and they fit like a glove.  They're not flimsy like dresses this cute tend to be.  

Also, they are made in downtown Los Angeles!!  How cool is that?

sweater: J.Crew

shoes: Kurt Geiger

little suitcases: that is just the kinda stuff that I keep around.

This is a good place to mention that Janine is also my hairdresser.  She is responsible for my pixie cut, which gets me an average of one compliment a day.  

For the photos with this black and red dress I had the silly idea of going to this giant bougainvillea bush in Atwater Village, right by a train overpass.  It was our least glamorous location for sure (garbage all over, old man with a shopping cart rolled through, a car honked at us) but those flowers matched the dress so well!

sunglasses: the $15 or less store in Santa Barbara.  They were $7!

hat: some vintage hole in the wall.

belt: a thrift store like seriously 8 years ago

shoes: Kurt Geiger again

necklace: The Getty Center gift shop

THIS dress may have been my favorite.  I love red.  

 hat: J.Crew

belt: a thrift store like seriously 9 years ago

sunglasses: Asos

hat: Topshop

cardigan: Crossroads

all my jewelry: vintage

I got that paper parasol at FYF Fest a couple months ago for the practical purpose of keeping the sun off and also the awesome purpose of being adorable.  It was a fun prop!

Both Janine and I agreed that this yellow dress looked best among the yellow leaves of the sycamore trees.  The sycamore is my favorite tree.  How could you not love a tree that grows little deedly-balls on it?!

cardigan: Crossroads

shoes, sunglasses: Urban Outfitters

lace socks: Forever21

I hope I get the opportunity to do something like this again.  Super fun times!

Don't worry, there will be an art update soon.  I sure as heck have a lot to share, I just have to wait until the time is right!

crystal clear hi-fi

acrylic on board, 30"x14"

This is my piece for an upcoming show at Gallery Nucleus, Yesterday's Tomorrows.  I love the look of vintage stereo equipment.  I don't know what anything does, but it doesn't matter...it's so boxy and cool and complex!  I enjoy the idea that there was a point where advancing technology meant more complicated stuff.  More buttons and switches and little blinky lights.  Infinite options and settings and modes for a really simple thing...like just listening to music.

in the pomegranate forest

Hello out there in blogger land!  I have a painting for you!

This is for the "I believe in unicorns, too!" show at the WWA Gallery in Culver City.    They specifically told us that we didn't necessarily have to do a unicorn themed painting, but I couldn't get this image out of my brain once it was in there, so out it came!

For this painting I wanted to try breaking away from my usual palette, and I kinda succeeded.  Specifically, I noticed that when I open my website (http://brigetteb.com) there is a LOT of pink.  Pink and purple.  And I'm not surprised, cuz I love pink and purple!  But I AM surprised that I keep going back to pink over and over....and over.  And over.  Pink is my safety color.  So I tried some browns, and greens, and blues!  The pinks still snuck in there (although a kind of electric peach or coral), but I did end up using a color scheme from outside my comfort zone, so I call it a success.

As you can probably tell, I really love pomegranates.  I think their shape is so beautiful!  I didn't originally intend on putting so MANY in this painting, but as I was sketching I added them in and I'm glad I did.  Even though they are intricate suckers to paint.

See you at the gallery opening, maybe?  I love openings at the WWA Gallery, cuz it's right down the street from one of my favorite veggie restaurants, Native Foods!  I go eat a bowl of veggies and drink a gallon of watermelon agua fresca and then show up at the opening bloated from a fresca overdose.  I recommend it!

happy holidays

I know it's kinda early...but is it?

This is the holiday card I designed for 826LA, a nonprofit writing and tutoring center in Echo Park, Los Angeles!  They are super great and awesome.  

I never ever ever work for free (if you ask I'll say no) but when they inquired as to whether I'd be willing to donate some time + energy to illustrate a holiday card for them I said yes.   I just really believe that what they do is fantastic.  

If you live in the area, you can visit their Time Travel Mart store front (the front of the space is a little store, and the back of the space is a big giant room where they tutor the kiddies).  The store is very silly, and very very fun.  If you live in San Francisco you might be familiar with the Pirate Store, it's founded by the same folks.  

Read your kid a book!!!  And happy holidays.

paper gal!

The actual "making" part is done! Now I have to print em out and test how everything fits. I have a feeling that they're going to be a pain in the butt to cut out...





Yay!

grampa's christmas cards + winter break

I don't think I've ever mentioned this before, but my grandfather on my dad's side was an artist. He worked for a company called Josten's that made class rings and diplomas and such in Owatanna, Minnesota, for several years. Like any good artist, he made a new Christmas card every year (a tradition that I have yet to catch on to...maybe when I have some dogs or babies to show off I'll get into it). Last November when I was in San Francisco for APE my uncle handed me a big, fat stack of those Christmas cards. It seems that the responsibility of cataloging and sorting through and sharing-with-the-rest-of-the-world of grampa's work has come to rest on my shoulders, so here's a few cards that I liked the best. It's their internet premiere, and probably the first time anyone besides family has seen them in many, many years...



There's more of these guys on my flickr. I finally broke down and got myself a flickr pro (200 images is really not that many). Merry X-mas to me!


I never knew grampa that well as he died when I was only seven, and he wasn't around much before that. I do remember him sleeping on the couch in our living room with the TV on and wondering if he would wake up if I changed the channel to cartoons...


What do you think? Did I inherit any of my skillz from this guy?



Also, I'm taking a Winter Break from my blogging responsibilities. Don't be sad, I'll be back after Christmas! I've just got so much seasonal stuff to do: bake vegan goodies, watch like 1000 hours of TV, and go to Bahooka for my yearly Hawaiian Christmas fix. I know Christmas + Hawaii probably doesn't make sense to you, but if you go to Bahooka and check it out this time of year you won't regret it. Me and Sean have made it a holiday tradition. We're going to take our dogs or babies there with us when we have some! I'm spending Christmas by the seaside this year in my hometown, and although it is without fail a green Christmas every year, we may actually have rain, which sounds just utterly cozy to me. Hopefully when I return from my break I'll be recharged and fat and rested and ready to take on some smashing New Year's parties.

Here's wishing you a Merry Christmas! See you later!