veiled at sunset

photo by my sister

I am still feeling very much inspired by my veil hat and felt the need to share the other photo that my sister took of me on the beach, that day. even though I always go for black and white photos on the beach, I knew this one had to be in color as I wanted it to have a burqa in the desert vibe to it. not sure if that makes any sense, but the idea of mystery and remaining elusive under a black veil has always inspired me and I think that is always a constant theme on my blog. at any rate, however you want to interpret it, I thought my sister really captured such an ethereal moment and whether up close or far away you can very much see the beauty of this veil hat with the sleekness of my ann demeulemeester black dress. how it all worked together is still quite a mystery, but I am glad it somehow all pieced together. I guess that is the beauty of styling and finding the perfect setting. a special thanks again to my sister for always capturing my noir chic vision, even if it is in color!

river's tide

photo by david mcfarland

when I bought my veil hat I had a lot of inspirations going through my mind. I kept thinking of anthony minghella's film the english patient and for some reason this photo from the april 2012 issue of interview magazine. the editorial is entitled river's tide and features model jamie bochert draped in various ethereal black gowns. I think the lush moroccan desert background also adds a little something extra to these photos, as well. this is just one of the pics featured, but for some reason, I wanted to embody the ambiance of this image, while I was on the beach. I just love the flow of jamie bochert's ann demeuelemeester black dress and the way those birds are flying, above her head. its a total cinematic moment, that I just admire and couldn't help but be inspired by. desert or beach I think they both can be quite similar and I love the idea of a peaceful and serene setting. after all, sometimes in silence is where the most beauty and inspiration lies. in case you have not seen this editorial, do check it out. I believe this is the layout that got me hooked into interview magazine afters year of not reading the publication. interesting how four years later I am still very much influenced by their fashion editorials!

the seventh year

photo by my sister

this weekend marks seven years of sisters in black frocks. I am amazed by how fast time has gone by and how I continue writing and contributing to this blog. sometimes, I wonder if people actually read what I have too say, as I don't check my stats, or care about how many followers, I have. I even look at other style blogs and I don't even know where I stand. too me, this is just a personal style journey chronicling the clothes I buy and taking inspiration from photos, film, art, etc. and incorporating them into my own life. perhaps, to some this may be boring, but too me writing, styling, and taking photos is a great creative outlet for me and without sisters in black frocks I know there would be a huge gap missing in my life. its fascinating how for seven years I have made this blog a virtual scrapbook of my style. yes, doing this, has been a huge commitment, but I love when I make the time to write about what inspires me. case in point, a couple of weeks while looking at some shops in eagle rock, I found a vintage store called urchin and stumbled a black hat with dramatic veil. immediately, I knew this had to be mine as I thought if worn on the beach this could look quite alluring especially on a windy day. of course, I bought it and I was surprised that it was only sixteen dollars, which made it all that more exciting. I knew that if I wore this on the beach, it would have to look like something peter lindbergh would do. I told my sister that, and she captured it to perfection. I knew with my ann demeulemeester black dress this could look like something straight out of vogue italia. the concept was quite simple and I think in the end this was the perfect accessory to celebrate my seventh year!

on a side note, I don't know how much longer I will keep doing sisters in black frocks as I know I haven't been writing as much as I use to because of work and other activities, but at this point my blog is about quality not quantity and I love having a place to turn to when I feel inspired. whether or not that makes sense, just know that I am still going on and whether or not I have one reader or a 10 million I will keep doing this. thank you to my sister and my parents for always supporting my projects and a special thanks to my favorite style blogger prêt-à-porter, for being such a fan and inspiring me greatly throughout the years.....I so appreciate it and here's to more noir chic and black dresses in the years to come....ciao!

the sicilian widow

photo by peter lindbergh

anytime, I do some kind of photo project on the beach, I automatically take inspiration from peter lindbergh. I have featured this photo before on sisters in black frocks perhaps, when I first started my blog, but for some reason, I felt the need to revisit this image. I mean what is not to love about this photo. the way supermodel amber valletta looks in that veil, is just so captivating and I love that she looks like a sicilian widow. I have always been inspired by that look and I think dolce & gabbana do that look so well and I love how in practically every collection they always feature one. there is something very old fashioned about the sicilian widow and I love the mystery of hiding behind a veil with a dramatic black dress with drapery. if I could dress like this everyday, I totally would. there is nothing I love more than being elusive in black on the beach. after all, this is what peter lindbergh does best. after a little investigating I found out that this dress is actually by giorgio armani I have no idea what season or if this was an editorial or just an ad for a particular giorgio armani collection. whatever it may be, I can't get enough of this photograph and with my new veiled hat, this is the image that I am definitely taking style inspiration from. this just screams sisters in black frocks.....don't you think?

vintage style

carmen hawk

as much as I love buying new clothes I love it when I can find something affordable and vintage. I don't always have such luck with vintage clothes, but occasionally I find something that catches my eye. I must admit its usually with the help of my style savvy sister that I find something, interesting. case in point, last week my sister mentioned to me about a store called avalon vintage. it is located in the highland park area of los angeles. my sister kept telling me about a vintage knit cape and how I should come look at it with her, so I did. she also told me that I would love the owner of the store. her name is carmen hawk and she used to be a model and former designer of jovovich-hawk a fashion line she created with model actress milla jovovich. as of now, I don't think she still designs, but loves to find and sell vintage apparel. I enjoyed looking through the store and was quite jealous of my sister's vintage cape, but I also enjoyed talking with carmen hawk. what's great about her is that she knows that style isn't about wearing a designer from head to toe, but more about finding the right pieces and making it work, for you. that day I came into the store she was wearing a vintage brown fur coat and I like the way she paired it with her high waisted pants and striped shirt. she had a cool nonchalant 70's vibe going on that I thought was very rock n roll chic. of course, being me, I asked if I could photograph her and she was more than happy to do it. yes, I know smoking isn't good for you, but I just loved the way she lit up her cigarette. I always say for a photo, smoking is acceptable. I also like how she blends into that brick wall. too me, this just feels like a quinitissential cool moment. I admire people like this, who have an individual style and who wear clothes that match their personality. this look is very carmen hawk as she knows how to properly wear a vintage look...head to toe. on a side note, I must thank my sister for always finding the cool places to shop in los angeles and for introducing me to avalon vintage. if you are looking for a cool coat, cape, or dress....I highly suggest taking a look in this shop!

extase d' asie

photo by terry richardson

when I was taking those photos of carmen hawk, outside her store, for some reason, I had in mind a vogue paris editorial going through my mind. the layout is entitled extase d'asie and stars supermodel daria werbowy decked out in vintage inspired looks and jewelry from the august 2004 issue. what also makes it great is that it was styled by carine roitfeld. immediately, when you look through the editorial you can tell it has that carine roitfeld touch with the way it is styled with fur capes and diamond jewelry. what I also like about this editorial is that it has 70's vibe to it. terry richardson does that so well and I think with his eye and carine roitfeld's knack for styling, they make magic together. at any rate, this was the image I had in mind when I photographed carmen hawk smoking. for some reason, I thought of daria werbowy and that beer can. I just love the juxtaposition of her jewelry, leopard scarf, and her taking a sip. its such a contrast, but it works in such a vogue paris kind of way. I have no idea if that makes any sense, but I take inspiration from the most random moments and try and make them my own. I have always liked how carine roitfeld takes such ordinary moments in life and turns them into something chic. I think in a way I try to do the same with my own life. at any rate, if you haven't seen this layout do have a glimpse. I loved the way leopard, jewelry, and 70's style somehow all blend together, in this layout.....its that classic vogue paris carine roitfeld styling, that I so miss and love referring back to!

on fisher island

photo by my sister

one of the best parts about my trip to miami was when my sister and I got to visit our friend ivana, while she was staying with her family on fisher island. the interesting thing about getting to that specific destination is that you have to take a ferry to get there. once we arrived it seemed like its own tropical paradise. the island is with filled with golf courses, luxury pools, and even pink flamingos, which coordinated so well with the look and style of fisher island. I guess you could call it a very fancy lagoon. at any rate, my sister, ivana, and I had such a fun day of enjoying the beauty of the island and trying to find photo inspiration. we took so many photos that day, but I think our favorite moment was when we were outside and a caribbean cruise passed our way. for some reason, I thought it would be interesting if I stood on top of the jacuzzi with my yellow BCBG dress that I found while outlet shopping in camarillo, 2 years ago. I haven't worn that dress in a while and I knew that I had to ditch my signature black and sport this one, while in miami. the yellow dress just felt so congruent with the idea of miami style and with the wind blowing, it all just seemed so perfect. I also love that my friend ivana is sitting on the step by the jacuzzi with her bright green dress and signature oversized hat. the moment just felt so colorful and cinematic and I love that my sister was able to capture it in all its glory. I must say when I look back on our day on fisher island the word magical comes to my mind. somehow, I think this image perfectly represents that quintessential miami mood and feeling...don't you think?

whimsical

photo by rodney smith

while on fisher island, I couldn't help but be reminded of this rodney smith photograph. I don't really know much about the backstory of this picture, but I love how whimsical and sophisticated it is. too me, this just screams miami with the shape, silhouette, and color of her dress. I also think with her posed on that plane, it just feels like such a decadent miami kind of moment and I for some reason was feeling like that, when that cruise ship sailed by in my yellow dress. I know there is no exact correlation between this photo and the one my sister took, but I think the ambiance is very similar. there is something very charming and fanciful about the two and that is what I tried to take some loose inspiration, from. I mean we all take from something....at any rate, if you are unfamiliar with the work of new york based photographer rodney smith do check out his work. personally, I prefer his noir chic cinematic style photographs, but this one has something that is very alluring. either way, with a career spanning over 45 years you are bound to find something of rodney smith's work to be of inspiration to you!