It was one year ago on this day that I was sitting around and waiting at the airport ready to hop on an airplane and start the long journey to the other side of the world, in total we spent fourteen hours on the plane but it was worth every minute to be able to experience the culture of America, indulge in the accents we so often imitated from television and eat carelessly clogging our arteries. I'd gladly hop on the plane, endure popping all the travel sick pills and pack my bags to do it all over again, it was such a great experience and brought my closer to the peers within my year level before the start of year 12.
Maybe I would have been a little more prepared for the California Winter if I had brought a sweater jumper and also given myself a chance to blend in with the locals? The style was very different there- where Australians where volleys, Americans wear Ugg boots as well as thick and wide belts. My style was described by my American mother as 'punk' and someone else's mother described me as 'so hip'. Needless to say, both appraisals sent tiny shivers up my spine- the people there were just so warm and welcoming. One girls family even hung an Australian flag for her as part of her welcoming, it was very sweet.
Lazy Oaf are the manufacturers of this shirt but are in fact British label. Lately I have noticed they are going through a little bit of an American phase or they had printing not only this flag inspired shirt but also a matching skirt and some variation on popular Disney characters such as a shirt imitating Donal Duck's sailor suit ensemble and beloved Mickey's trademark shorts made into skirts. It's been far too long since I've had a rifle through there blog archive, I always feel so inspired by seeing their office spaces as well as the illustrative work of the people involved in their company.
Part of the reason I was keen to visit Manhattan is to be able to photograph the stature of liberty for myself, perhaps through the lens of a my trusty Diana F+. Even if I can't stretch the vision of my camera that far using a telephoto lens, perhaps I can get one of those cute hats and wear them around in the hope I'll run into a smaller stature of liberty on the streets of the city to pose next to- much in the same way models seem to. They probably travel to New York for runway shoes a lot more often than someone of my kind ever could *sigh*. 
We never got any wear near New York, the big apple, but that just gives me a handy excuse to visit again when I'm older and see the hustle and bustle of a busy city and a place where people don't tend to own cars and travel via taxi and subway. I don't think I would ever want to live there though, while I am used to noise I can't imagine being cramped in a tiny high rise building without space and a garden to relax in. Also, I'm too much of an animal lover to feel restrained by tenant policies of 'no pets allowed'.
Being declared one of the top 30 models of the 2000s by Vogue is no small feat and neither is winning a national model competition at the age of fourteen but it seems that Daria Werbory has done both. She fell into modelling and launched her career young and after a few set-backs attempted to get back into it as a way to fund her art school endeavours but after an exclusive deal with Prada it seems she hasn't look back. The fashion editorial showcased her is from Vogue France in their February edition- curiously there's a focus on the glamour and eccentricism of Las Vegas in Nevada, America but somehow the short dresses, colourful background accentuate the skinny and tan legs of Werbory. I think I love this shot in front of the pink Cadillac the best with Elvis Presley in the driver's seat. 
The settings for the editorial are each very different and evoke certain moods but I suppose I have picked the most romantic of the set, such as Werbory after a shotgun wedding with loafers, bridal veil and bouquet in hand and also a bubble gum pink dress with ruffles down the middle and black cowboy boots. I wouldn't mind getting a pair of boots not too dissimilar to those shown above but it would be a little difficult at times to know what to style them with. Of course the horse motif in the background of the photograph emphasises and supports the cowboy boot motif.
What trip to Las Vegas is complete without a trip to see your friendly cabaret girls? Although the feathers attached to the back of her are all about showman ship as well as teasing the gentlemen viewers, her stance and legs are very strong in this shot and she reminds me of my barbie dolls with perfectly straight toes and feet dressed in tiny little heels. There's a no nonsense approach to her black jacket, strong pose and eyes hidden under a cloud of feathers but the costume balances all those elements with a playfulness that's really enjoyable. It's a great editorial, I suggest you see it in full if you can. 
