A collection of articles, interviews, fashionable musings, and photos from the adventures of sci-fi author, interviewer and fashionista Kendra L. Saunders.
This blog celebrates body positivity and body diversity!
The LONDON Collection is a very personal project for me, as it was inspired by a city that I have wanted to visit for most of my life, and it was made from pieces of the city that I brought home with me.
The collection is up for sale on etsy, but below I will feature a few of my favorite pieces and the stories behind them. I hope you enjoy the LONDON Collection, and that it brings you as much luck and inspiration as London brought me!
CAMDEN MARKET BABECATCHERS :
These beautiful earrings are inspired by the colors and global beauty of Camden Market and will add some spice to any outfit.
BRICK LANE BOHO SWINGERS:
Inspired by the colors and hip culture of Brick Lane, these Boho
Swingers will bring sunshine and global intrigue to every outfit you
wear.
THE SHARD BOHO SWINGERS :
Inspired by the modern and somewhat disconcerting architecture of
London's Shard skyscraper against a backdrop of historic buildings,
these earrings feature a little new and a little old- repurposed pieces,
and new beads from London. They make a sharp statement for the modern
fashionista.
ISLINGTON'S WINGS BABECATCHERS :
Inspired by the beautiful angel wings sculpture in Islington, one of my
favorite parts of London, these earrings are smoky, sexy and mysterious.
A must for the fabulous fashionista with her eye to the skies.
APPLE MARKET BABECATCHERS :
Inspired by my favorite night in London, these gorgeous Babecatchers
reflect the colors of Apple Market and the love between longtime friends
who finally get to sit down together over drinks and talk about life,
the universe and everything. Sure to bring compliments and stares your
way, so wear with caution! :)
Did you miss my fun new interview with lovely Emily Payne? Listen here! http://www.ipmnation.com/kendra-l-saunders We talk Project Runway, her adorable daughter, astrology and what she's up to now.
I'm looking for 1-2 ladies who would be interested in modeling Half
Lucid jewelry for a photoshoot, in exchange for a yummy dinner and some
free makeup of your choice. Makeup and hair styling provided.
Must be able to travel to Webster NH. Please contact me by 12/12 if you
are interested, and share this status to your local model friends to
see if they are interested! All skin/hair colors welcome to apply; long
hair preferred but not required.
So excited to announce that I am now at work on a VERY special
capsule collection of Half Lucid Jewelry, inspired by my recent trip to
London. England had a charismatic effect on my creativity, inspiring me
to write and look at the world in a new way. While there, I gathered
materials for the upcoming LONDON collection and am now working on it.
The pieces will be one of a kind, so that means that once they're sold,
they will be unavailable.
If you are a fashion blogger and are
interested in featuring the collection on your blog, please contact me.
I will be giving away ONE piece from the collection to a fashion
blogger (chosen at random) so this is a good chance for you to win a
special piece of Half Lucid Jewelry. If you know fashion bloggers who
might be interested, please let them know they can tweet me ( @kendrybird ) or email me (kendralsaunders@yahoo.com). All fashion bloggers interested in featuring the LONDON collection
need to contact me by 12/12 for more information.
Nothing like going to England to make you take a long second look at your wardrobe. I must have tried on at least 20 outfits today, in all sorts of combinations, and that doesn't even include jewelry and accessories! Keeping in mind the November weather, the London sophisticated style, travel comfort and needing to take up as little space as possible in a bag, I've snagged some Kendry Bird staples, including:
*The Mod Dress. This is what I describe as my signature dress, because I can always count on it and have worn it for so many amazing days in my life since rescuing it from a second hand shop. It's truly a dress that people have come to associate with Kendry Bird.
*Kate Hudson for Ann Taylor dress. This dress is just plain sexy, while still being comfortable. I've only worn it a couple times, so it's perfect for a club, should I hit one up while in London. Watch out, English cuties!
*The Sparkly Black Skirt. This is another signature piece in my wardrobe. Since buying it a few years ago, I've worn it maybe 100 times. It never goes out of style, it never stops being fun, and it always makes people smile. It's getting a bit old and the sequins sometimes scratch my skin, but there's always a little pain in the name of fashion, right?
Only a few days away now! Can't wait to head to England after years and years of dreaming of it!
1989
just came out, and everyone’s talking about how Taylor Swift has grown
up so much and finally made an album that people are proud to listen to. But
she’s actually had great songs for a few years now… you just never heard
them.
Part of the problem with Taylor Swift as a brand is that her singles
are rarely her best songs, and the general public doesn’t realize how
much better she is on the album tracks than the 3 minute megahit you
hear on the radio every half hour. While I can appreciate the
histrionics of faux dystopian revolutionary freedom fighter Matt Bellamy
or the sparkling, earthy wails of witchy Florence Welch or fae-like
Christina Perri, Taylor Swift seems to veer closest to silly when she’s
leading a brash singalong about never getting back together or life at
22, complete with self-deprecating spoken-word comments.
In her quieter moments, though? Taylor Swift is an impressive
songwriter. By her second album she showed potential, but it was her
third album when she really blossomed. Her specific images, much like
Lorde’s, are so pointed and vivid that they create a universal feeling.
Never is she better than when she’s describing a scene:
I walked through the door with you, the air was cold, But something ‘bout it felt like home somehow and I Left my scarf there at your sister’s house, And you still got it in your drawer even now.
Oh, your sweet disposition and my wide-eyed gaze. We’re singing in the car, getting lost upstate.
Much has been said about Taylor Swift writing from personal
experience, though I would venture to say people who think that’s odd or
problematic aren’t writers. Writers draw from the well of their
experiences. Her songs have become stronger as they’ve become more
specific and evocative, drawn so directly from life experience that
sometimes you feel more like you’re reading her diary.
Some of her best lyrics, from “Innocent”, show her ability to craft devastating poetry out of more subtle images and words:
Wasn’t it easier in your lunchbox days? Always a bigger bed to crawl into Wasn’t it beautiful when you believed in everything? And everybody believed in you?
Some of her other best songs (“Enchanted”, “The Last Time”, “Holy
Ground”, “State of Grace”, “Long Live”) deal in similar deep subject
matter, delicately impacting word play.
One of the other greatest issues with Taylor Swift has always been the is she/isn’t she
media storm that has always surrounded her. Much of that isn’t her
fault, of course, because fame came to her very early, before she could
form opinions on a range of adult issues like feminism, relationships
and sex. In the early days she, much like I did once, bought into an
image of herself as a pure, innocent, chaste girl in a world of handsome
boys and mean cheerleaders. She played the outsider by way of tennis
shoes and t-shirts and glasses. The sexist media, sensing an opportunity
to cause trouble, latched onto her ideas and multiplied them in every
article, every interview, laughing and pointing at this “good girl” who
was also dating boys. Taylor Swift, like many other girls that age,
struck back by insisting that she was not “one of those girls.” The
cycle of viciousness spiraled downward from there, until at some point
she broke out of her media-spun dichotomy and realized you can love love,
love relationships, love boys, date often and still wear 1950s dresses
and be a good person. There are no “other girls” to not be like. Women
can be as complicated and multifaceted as men, despite what the sexist
media says.
To me, 1989 is that realization in one album. It’s less apologetic
about romance, it’s more honest about flaws in both side of every
relationship. The style of the songs feels drawn from Lorde, from Lana
Del Rey, from other women who have been strong in their message from the
beginning. The songs are cohesive and interesting and mature. And the
songwriting is good.
Christopher
Palu gives off the vibe of Project Runway royalty, between his indie-chic
personal style and his cool attitude. If you think you
don’t know Chris Palu yet, you definitely do… he’s the reason for the
“it’s red!” meme that circled tumblr, facebook, twitter and every other
form of social media last year. Chris is now working on an indiegogo
project, but he took a few minutes to answer my questions about his
gorgeous fashion illustrations, Nina Garcia’s judging, what he’s been
listening to lately, and of course, how he feels about becoming an internet meme...
Q: It’s such an honor to have you, Chris! You have a huge
fanbase and I’ve gotten a lot of requests to have you as a guest on the
blog. So I’ll start out by asking- what would you like to say to your
fans?
I would like to say thank you for the out-pour of love and support.
Thank you, because without the public the show wouldn’t have the success
it does.
Q: Your design sketches are just incredible. Have you ever considered compiling them for a book?
I have not. I have so many sketches I don’t know what I would want to
compile into a book! However, I have always wanted to illustrate a
children’s book. But it is definitely something to consider thank you!
Q: If you do that, I’ll be first in line to grab one. Now,
you had a few tense moments on Project Runway when you stood up for
yourself, which many of us found refreshing to see. What was the most
intimidating moment on either season of PR that you participated in?
I mean…That whole Seaweed Green comment from Nina was very dramatic. I
didn’t know how to accept/respond to her without throwing it back at
her, so I said “Thank you “. Obviously I wasn’t thanking her for that
comment I was thanking her for her critique which hadn’t been
constructive and defeats the whole purpose of judging. Let me give you a
bit of insight; Being on that Runway and having industry professionals
judge your garment, and rip you apart while making all of the other
judges laughing while doing so, is horrifying. It is a bad portrayal of
the industry, it’s embarrassing and immature.
This isn’t high school where you can all point and laugh at
something, and be the cool kids. We stand up there, we should be
respected as adults and spoken to as professionals… I really feel that
it can get a bit out of hand during critiques.
Q: Maybe it’s because I have such a flair for the dramatic,
but I really loved your black feather dress for the season 10
avant-garde challenge. If you could go back and change anything about
that dress now, would you change anything, or leave it exactly as you
had it?
Thank you. I would change the fit of the bodice and make it overall a
bit more interesting,dramatic and extravagant to fit the Avante Garde
theme. Those time crunches really get you!
Q: Having met you briefly at Fashion Week, I can attest to
your hair game being really strong. Would you say NYC inspires your
personal style and art?
Absolutely, living in NY my whole life definitely inspired my style
and taste. I love exciting luxury and all the rest that NY has to offer.
Q: What’s your greatest advice for curvy and plus-size fashionistas who want to look great?
Wear your size! No one wants to look like they are popping out of
their skinny jeans or drowning in an ill fitting blazer. I would say
find the best clothes that compliment your figure and buy your size!
Things that cinch the waist always looks great on everyone especially
curvier girls.
Q: Okay, you know I have to ask about this… your “it’s red”
quote has been used on the internet in every way possible. As someone
who grew up in the age of the internet, how do you feel about that? Have
you ever had a surreal “Oh my God, I’ve become a meme!” moment?
I just see it like “oh there it is again.” I love that people found
it funny because that was the height of the stress for me and I started
to lose myself.
Q: What’s next for you, career-wise and how can your fans keep up with what you’re doing?
Right now I am building my own line Christopher Palu New York. I
showed my Spring 2015 collection in Austin Texas and currently have a
crowd funding Indiegogo Campaign set up for the public to help me out in
Producing this collection.
You can find it here and every little bit helps! There are even a
couple of fun perks to choose from to receive a fun personalized gift!
Q: Awesome! So everyone can check that out, support you and
even get a little something in exchange. Very cool. Finally, what song
are you really grooving out to lately?
I don’t really have a specific song, I love my Spotify and listening to the Infinite Indie Playlist!
Thank you, Chris!
Here’s “So Now You Know” by the Horrors, an amazing song featured on Spotify’s Infinite Indie Playlist.
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