white album

the rise and fall of style.  it's an interesting concept, no?!   but with the beatles? 

so rewind to a conversation i had earlier today with my brother about the beatles' experimental stage.   it started in a pop up conversation of brian wilson, the beach boys, and evolved suddenly to the beatles and their transition into their "experimental" music.  it peaked my curiosity, and i'm a little bit of a nerd, thus i searched for articles about the beatles and their phase of "experimental music".     come to find out (per experts in statistical analysis and music) the experimental phase began with Yesterday off of the Help! album, and peaked on their sgt pepper album.  please discover this essay when you have a good 30-45 minutes to burn and learn.  i promise you'll learn a lot about the rise and fall of their musical phases:  early stage, experimental stage, and late stage.   

it is interesting to read a scientific perspective of a band and their albums, and to see how the researchers took into account how music is driven by emotion, culture, politics, and imagination.  by measuring the number of times certain chords were used in a song, the instrumentation, and the lyrical content, they were able to show the direct relationship between the stages of their music and the responses of their listeners.   not stripping away the innate beauty of the music, but breaking it down to its components, the researchers were able to show the rise and fall of the various stages in the beatles career.   

 i wanted to share this paragraph from the essay in reference to the artist's creative process and the rise and fall of style, " The most convincing explanation for the skewness of life span might lie in the process of creation.  At first new features are used gradually more and by the same token the preference for them is linked with familiarity to them.  This causes a rapid rise in the use of features but the cumulative pressures for novelty make greater demands.  Finally it becomes unreasonable to use the same solutions because the amount of available combinations is diminishing and their effective usage is becoming increasingly harder and the results more complex (Martindale, 1990)."  

it's so true!  we, humans, are such quirky beings.  we love familiarity, and strive for individuality.  some artists are ahead of their present time, and will only be appreciated when their art becomes more familiar, even decades into the future.  the same rise and fall curve is present within any period of art, and it is what keeps the beautiful process of art on the move.  so this i leave to you on this beautiful holiday....merry christmas.

a muse

since i began sketching for next spring's line, the idea of a muse has taken on a new form. i began this new adventure with a concept and story for "geneva's daughter." she's unabashed, american, avent-garde, rooted in the days of ole, and has a romantic affinity for the outdoors. she appears fragile and dainty, but has a resilient strength to rally most. her eyes behold life thru rose colored lenses. she loves her friends well. she finds amusement and normalcy in the uncommon quirks of life.

when i happened upon fashion photographer, alexandra carr's, website i gasped. her collection entitled, land of the brave, is a visual/emotional muse for my own collection. i hope it has provided you with a look in my view finder of what is to come.

xo.

recycled snowflake ornaments!

merry christmas everyone!  

i realize that 1 - i haven't updated this in a while, and 2 - this post has NOTHING to do w/ fashion.   i'm actually working on some sketches that i'll be scanning and posting in a few weeks.   but until then, i wanted to share with you a fun idea that i'm using for a holiday gift exchange at work.  we have to make homemade ornaments, key word being HOMEMADE.  as many know, i am a catalog/magazine junky, much like geneva (my grandmother).  so i'm pulling from my recycling bin to make this year's ornament.   i found the idea at zakka life.   she has published a easy to follow tutorial on making your own.  

i would love to hear your own ideas for the holidays!  it's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season (aka shopping) that i often forget to use what is at my immediate disposal.  keeping with the ever growing green movement, i encourage you to get creative, resourceful, and REUSE!   explore your inner child again.   you'll probably find them in an art class with finger paints, scissors, and glue.  

xo.

Avery MaKenna

so without fail, i have to update everything i am connected to that Avery MaKenna was born yesterday, 11.24.08.  she weighed in at 5 lbs., 11 ounces.  and 19" in length.  :)  i hear she has a cute button nose, and light brown hair.  here she is pictured with her big sister, Karsen Monroe, and her big brother, Caden Jeffrey.  i'm sure many more pics will follow.

xoxo

she and him

one of my favorites, she and him, have been given a nod from paste magazine as album of the year. hooray! i would also like to give them a nod for their amazing cover on paste, in stores NOW.

dear stylist of she and him shoot: you are GREAT! please tell me the designer of m ward's suit.

unfortunately, i can't find the cover image yet online, but i did find this photograph from the shoot. m ward's suit is absolutely amazing. the flannel shirt and black boutonnière provide enough friction to compliment zooey's dark tights and ivory dress and shoes. if you have a chance to grab a closer look of m ward's suit, PLEASE do. better yet, just grab this issue (issue 49 dec/jan) of paste. it appears to a be a light grey wool blend. so handsome.

ps - i have a new niece being born today. :)

xoxo

nashville art gallery

today i discovered a rare gem of nashville, tennessee via my friend, betsy.   david arms is a local artist, and he's A-MAZ-ING!  his works are at bennett gallery in green hills.  if you like this teaser, let's make a plan to take in some of his other works.  he paints w/ oil, and his use of light and texture are entrancing.  please go check him out:  www.bennettgalleriesnashville.com.  

xo

the comeback of cravats and snowflakes

not that i don't adore the scarves we've been sporting for the last two seasons (i saw a fifth grader wearing one last week), i am ecstatic about the soft whisper of something new when it comes to neckwear.  

trendcentral updates the new neck alternative is a throw back to the days of yore.  sleek silhouettes using elegance and delicate pops of length and color provide a great new accessory you can create at home or find at your local posh boutiques.   styles inspired from gothic to western, anyone can put their own twist on it.  i recently wore a brooch version with a beautiful black ribbon tied underneath. wear it with a flanel shirt, a dress, a button down, etc.  the options are endless.  

oh..and it's snowing back home around the great lakes.  

xo.

the new kids

with all of the election hub-bub going on, i decided to grace your eyes with a powerful depiction of civil rights, and ask the question, "how far have we come?". this a norman rockwell entitled "new kids in the neighborhood."

this morning i read an amazing article about a woman in bastrop county, texas, who at 109 years of age, being a daughter of a slave, recently voted by a mail-in-ballot for obama. this woman paid the poll tax to vote until the year 1966. it's amazing that even though african americans were given the right to vote after the civil war, the state legislatures passed laws to keep african americans away from the polls, imposing tests and taxes to earn their right to vote.

in a time where americans are supposedly "united", i find that we're still radically divided. we're missing the greater point. instead of fighting with each other, we need to fight to understand each other.

xo.

winter on the prairie

thanks to the sartorialist for capturing this look in paris....

just this morning i was pondering fur and plaid together.   i LOVE it.  let's go thrift shopping!  

3.1 Phillip Lim

calling all ebay shoppers - 

please catch a glimpse of phillip lim brilliance that is now on ebay.  if i didn't have issues with bidding on a dress already going for over $250, i would bid.  so until either my issues are resolved or i decide to sew something similar, join me in pretending this dress hangs in our closets.  

the whimsical ribbon is very feminine...and a flattering accent to this dress.  and the sleeves....oh the sleeves.  they're precious.
i love the delicate detailing!  

xo.

  

great-grandaughter of geneva

meet miss ava. ava is almost 2. and she's the great-grandaughter of geneva! we like stripes, sunshine, and playing peek-a-boo with the camera.

autumn afternoon

This is my desktop image at work. It's amazing....(and I can't remember where I found it....my deepest apologies to the photographer who deserves all of the credit.)

Home was a small, rural community in Illinois, and this photo paints the perfect picture of the land surrounding Geneva's home. It transports me to my own youthful afternoons at her farm as we waited for Earl (my grandfather) to drive up the long lane. Time slows down a bit when you look at this photo, almost to a complete stop. For me I get lost in the tall grasses as a ten year old looking for adventure. A light wind leads us (probably my two brothers and I) around the big, red barn, over to the winding creek, and down to the old train tracks. Every child deserves a setting in which their imaginations can be authored by such a place.

xo.

a humble beginning

today marks the first entry of geneva's daughter.  a place where i can post moments of inspiration and reflection, and to ultimately share the journey of my clothing line.

a brief, sweet background to geneva's daughter:  my grandmother, geneva, is my teacher and role model for living life.  she is a mother of five children, four sons and one daughter (my mom).   her life has permanently impressed upon my own the importance of love, laughter, hard work, and joy.   her hands have shared and passed down a love of sewing, cooking, planting, and praying.  she is the inspiration to a line dedicated to her heart, her freckles, her smile, and her laughter.  

i hope to inspire with elements of simplicity, and a beauty that ranges from vintage prints to prairie nights.   thanks for your read....and continue to check back in on the new work in progress.  

xo.