I spent the two days this past week on the Oregon Coast, in familiar yet missed salty air, hair whipped to and fro by the rambunctious wind. It has been years since last visiting those dunes, since witnessing the crush of the tide and feeling the emptiness and fullness of the Pacific.
Throughout the thirteen hour plane ride to Taipei, I could not stop watching the woman in front of me. Between bouts of sleep and finding myself staring at the ceiling, I would notice faintly but strongly her presence in a plane full of people. Forty years old or sixty, it was difficult to gauge. Her high, gaunt cheekbones battled against full, tanned cheeks and her hair flecked with dove grey stranded elegantly through inky black. I never quite got a strong, clear look at her eyes or mouth, only glimpses through the space between the seat and the window as I sat behind.
What was it that made my brief walk home from my neighbourhood bar so unapologetically lavishly feminine and dauntless? An anomaly of exposure and tenacious durability.
I feel everything so keenly and bluntly today. A grade A example of a seemingly bipolar being, sensing each moment pointedly and on each end of the spectrum. Some fill me with what feels like a hot cup of tea, filled with surprising lemon tartness and smooth honey and warmth and safety, making it difficult to breathe in a way where everything seems to skip a beat- some are ragged and painful and sharp around the edges, making it difficult to breathe and not in the lovely way where everything seems to skip a beat.
I dream a lot. I dream vividly and lucidly and remember clusters of them like they were pulled from a photo album or notes in a journal from last week. Sometimes my dream world becomes so rich and evocative that it comes close to a dangerous escape from reality, my pillow a ship to worlds unknown and the sheets wings of creamy high thread count to adventures that await.
As my mom and I walked outside her house across craggy little Washington rocks along the beach in Gig Harbor, I scanned the vast landscape of a million eco systems with expert eyes: eyes that have taken in creatures and the skeletons of creatures year after year, eyes that hone in on a special little gift from the ocean or a fumbling, tumbling miniature crab trying to make its way back under a comforting rock.
I understand the thrill of traveling, particularly for a photoshoot. Even moreso if that photoshoot is somewhere exotic, new, and unlike anywhere you’ve ever been. When you have a strong bond with the photographer- which I definitely appreciate because many of my best friends are photographers- it makes everything even more fun: the locations, the wardrobe, the styling, the props!
But the props…the props I’m noticing more and more in fashion are actual humans. Not like “here we’re posing together for this campaign, lookbook, or magazine” but “let’s use these kids or this withered man in the shot because they add such local flavor!”
Blegh.
Here you go, Phnom Penher’s trapped inside your homes due to the masses of people cramming the streets for Water Festival! If you’re brave (or haven’t stocked up on the essentials…) maybe slide over to your closest beauty shop or pharmacy and try to track down a snail mucous mask. Yeees. From WUPP!‘s November issue, Highlight & Gloss. 
Or read on: Continue reading
Mondays can be merde. A lot of people like to use the term “It’s not Mondays you hate, it’s your job” or something along those lines. I don’t necessarily think that’s true, I don’t hate my job, but I really dislike Mondays- but oh well; call me Garfield and give me some lasagna. This Monday though was pretty exciting.
Particularly because of the article that featured TEMPER as one of their eco-friendly brands on BBC; what an honor! We couldn’t be doing these things without a wonderful team and workshop here in Phnom Penh, amazing customers around the globe, a fabulous support team from sea to shining sea, and an amazing business partner (here’s lookin’ at you Jesse!), and the wonderful back story of our collection.
Take a peek HERE, if you’re keen!
