The Ether Diaries

its all happening

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Jessalyn with Nico Turner

Can't wait for the images Nico Turner shot of friend/writer/poet/musician/brave badass Jessalyn ... coming soon. For more of her AMAZING work visit www.nicoturner.com

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California Girls <3 

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I finally caved. Thanks to yaelgreenberg 's insistence. My new favourite track on repeat. (This one just bumped Beyonce's Flawless down to 2nd place.)

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Marvle Magazine, Frey Mudd shot by Samantha West, styled by me...

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C.R.E.A.M./Fuck You Pay Me/I Don't Work For Free

I firmly believe that even in downtime, us creative types need to stay productive. Not just because it's crucial to keep your mind moving forwards but also because thats often how new work surfaces. Especially in the freelance world. If you put your work out there and share it with others, good things happen. It's just the understood cosmic rule of vulnerability. 2013 ended really well & I was feeling optimistic about the future, and then 2014 happened and it felt more like a firework that manages to get a lot of height and then dies out. The crowd murmurs and lazily shuffles away out of disappointment. 

So, in an effort to stay moving and being creative I agreed to one non-paying job after another. And ultimately agreed to intern on a music video for one of the top celebrity stylists in the game. She dresses not some but THE most legendary female musicians of all time. So, when the opportunity arises to potentially learn from her by working on a music video for again, one of THE top rock bands of the last 10 years, you take it because you're no fool. But at the end of it all, thats exactly what you'll feel like. Because when you set your value at $0, thats exactly how you get treated. The moment one person agrees to work for free, the rest of us are expected to as well.

It would be remiss to not applaud her team of assistants, the production team on set, the crew and the talent, who were so supremely awesome and kind. They worked tirelessly, giving 110% on grueling, 20 hour days. But the tone of a job is ultimately set by it's leader.

Part of not being a fool means that you also have to accept that the industry you chose to be a part of is a game and is filled with enough egos to fill an Olympic stadium (and then block all the exits). And you have to set the price at which you're willing to participate. Truly, that is what all work is. If you love what you do, you'll do it for less. If you're good at what you do, you want more. If you love it and you're good at it then you deserve even more. And I am good at what I do. I'm smart, experienced, efficient and resourceful. And I've set my price to reflect that. I cannot go backwards. I recognize that it was a choice to participate in this and I'm incredibly grateful that it was not only a learning experience for industry skills but that it was also a reminder that I. Do. Not. Work. For. Free.* So many creative worlds revolve around the support of free labor. And for young people, trying to find their place in the world I think it's incredibly valuable to give some of your time to a small company that really gives you the opportunity to learn and grow. But the entertainment industry wastes more resources at a one-day shoot than I use in a month. Which is like pouring salt in an open wound. So, no more free work unless I'm getting full credit.

Also, I highly doubt that anyone out there will have any idea who I'm talking about but if perhaps they do and I get shit for saying things everyone says behind closed doors then que sera sera, carpe diem motherfuckers! There are no rules except handle your shit, take only what you need and be kind. Have the courage of conviction. Be your own best advocate. Blah Blah Blah. 

C.R.E.A.M.,

SAH 

*I will always give my time to my rad, gracious, thoughtful friends that are hustling and working towards their dreams. For you, always. 

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Vox Vauthier

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I haven't wanted to write for months for a number of reasons. First and foremost I've spent a lot of excess (read: all) energy on a new relationship and while I firmly believe it's been worth it thus far and will continue to be, I wish that I could split myself in half and double the hours in a day. I will always be amazed by women that manage to "have it all" and seem to juggle it all seamlessly. I don't even have 1/3 of "it all" and still, I cannot. So for something to zap me out of my silly heart induced haze, if only for a moment, it's gotta be good. Enter: Alexandre Vauthier, Spring 2014. Maybe it's my sissy little subconscious that saw an image of a cotton-candy like organza dress and got all verklempt and soft. But at the end of the day, we're all suckers for a pretty dress.

There were a lot of mixed references in Vauthier's collection; most of all the Elvira Hancock (Scarface) dress was not lost on me...always a sucker for the disco queen look. There were a handful of looks that bordered on Balmain, who clearly does not adhere to the Coco Chanel, <i></i>take one accessory off before you walk out the door<i></i> mantra. But Vauthier did and that made all the difference. Great oversized moto jackets, lots of gold jewelry, a couple spikes, some see thru body stockings. But my favourite were the confectionery cocktail dresses, short and sweet layers of organza (?) making both soft round folds and sharp points that remind me of a Vivienne Westwood bustier. But perhaps most satisfying was his use of texture with what looks like a big fat friendship bracelet at the collar of his black blazers. I always applaud the application of "crafty" ideas to higher end materials, or introducing a more time-intensive technique to cheaper materials. It takes real creativity to see a use for something far beyond it's original intention.

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It's Not That I Don't Care, It's That I Don't Care

I'm sorry, thats not entirely true but dammit life gets in the way sometimes. I wish I had more inspiration around me right now but the truth is I've been either resolutely (see what I did there?) focused on work or with my head in the clouds a bit in a bit of a romantical haze. Whatever, I do what I want. The only resolution I can muster for 2014 is to just make it better than 2013. Thats terribly vague but I truthfully don't have the energy to make a list twenty pages long. Because this is website devoted to style and creative thinking I'd be remiss to not share one of my hopes for 2014 that is to relaunch my jewelry collection, Hartfield and to make great things, not necessarily limited to the tangible. So cheers & more later... xo

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"Garth, marriage is punishment for shoplifting in some countries!" -Wayne

Dating is really just the worse. It's the most awful activity that I can think of. Even if you don't care, you still care. You're nervous a lot, you don't sleep that well, you constantly check your phone, you analyze every fucking word that comes out of his mouth, you drive your friends crazy with "oh well, ____ said that Mammoth is really better than Big Bear", you drive yourself crazy with dreamy coulda-shoulda scenarios about years of your life that you haven't even lived yet. It's the worst torture that I wouldn't even wish on my sworn enemies and also leads to the most amazing, triumphant, inconvenient and powerful feeling human beings are capable of feeling: LOVE. Just typing the word fills my heart with dread and my stomach with knots. Like, the nautical kind, meant to keep shit tied down while enduring gale-force winds. So, with that I leave you Liz Phair's Fuck and Run, off a great shitty recording of Exile in Guyville from 1993.

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Next time you're doing laundry, have some fun with it and make your very own Victor & Rolf ensemble. Before you know it you'll be dancing with Tilda Swinton at Silencio and studying the Marina Abramovic method with Lady Gaga. Just don't forget about us little people.

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One Trick Pony

That I am not. If you're curious about who I "am" and what exactly it is I "do", don't worry I wonder the same things too. But I am a human female that works in the fashion world. So far, thats as far as I've gotten. Feel free to peruse for yourself... Sarah Anne Hartzog  

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There's something so special about living in LA. The endless sunlight and summer vibes, the fact that you can wear a scarf in February though you really don't need one and that on a Tuesday at 2pm there are people eating outside and hiking Runyon Canyon. But most importantly, you can essentially dress like you slept in a trashcan and people will think you're "boho chic". I hate that phrase. It means you look like an expensively dressed homeless person. But I can't help it, its warmed my bones and I'll admit that there are days I legitimately go get coffee in sweat pants and birkenstocks (today). And some days I wear my Nike running pants all day because, yes, I will end up working out at some point.  In NYC I wouldn't have done that if you paid me (yes I would). LA is one giant Den of Slack and sometimes it just feels right to let the apathy wash over you and sink into a pair of pants you can really do some eating in. In Oklahoma we say, "get yer eatin' pants on, we're going to Taco Bueno." 

So with that, some of my favourite lazy day necessities. I realize none of this shit is "new". But I don't care about new. I'm a grown-ass woman. I care about good. 

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I had the most amazing, nostalgia boner-fest this past week when I FINALLY got to see Mazzy Star. I was 10 when Among My Swan came out, but thanks to a best friend with an older brother, we got the dregs. That album shaped, formed, molded and influenced so much of who I am. When you're a teenager and you hear something that speaks to your disconnection and angst you hang on and carry it around like an adolescent blankie. It's a badge of some sort; that you belong to something bigger. I realize that that might sound dramatic but have you ever been a teen girl? DRAMA.

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SEBASTIAN WAHL

Sacred geometry that doesn't remind me of Burning Man. Thumbs up.

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Heather Mooney You're My Hero

God. If I had a dollar for every time I did this in my head while stuck in a brutal situation. We'll I'd be the richest person on the globe.

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Bad Bitch From Bed-Stuy

Somehow, despite an enormous knock-off market and mass availability the Louis Vuitton logo hasn't been watered down into nothingness. I'd argue that thanks to the rad misappropriation of the brand by Dapper Dan in the 1980s, it was pre-emptively given street-cred. And thus began the rap games love and obsession with luxury goods. Even though the luxury brand squashed Dan's efforts, I think they should retroactively put him on the payroll for his genius branding foresight ... (click title for more)

I'm reminded of this by a couple things; my generously handed-down collection of vintage LV Monogram luggage pieces by my grandmother, this article about Dapper Dan in an old issue of the New Yorker and most importantly because of one of my favourite images of rapper Lil Kim, taken by David LaChapelle.

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Two Snaps and Around the World!

Boo, I feel you. The clocks just changed, it's chilly damn near everywhere by now (yes even in LA) and the seasonal bummer-knob just got turned to 11 and will stay there until the winter solstice on January 22nd. Not that I'm counting or anything. So today feels like a good day for a mid-day goof off. Perhaps this snippet will be a jumping off point for my other In Living Color favourites like Vera De Milo and Wanda. Its fuuuuucking trips me out that there are kids today that have no idea that Jamie Foxx had one of the most hilarious and epic characters in sketch comedy ever. And David Alan Grier. GTFO. (click title for video!) 

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Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Tech-Addicted Zombies

I realize the hypocrisy in that title, given our current locale. I also love animals and would give my right arm for my dogs but I also own a shit ton of leather and love eating animals. I'm an asshole, but I'm sure your sons no prize so quit staring. ... (click title for more)

I will try any and all diets, most especially when I feel myself spiraling out of control with something. I'm a person of extremes; binging on sour patch kids for breakfast for a week followed by an equally voracious though less damaging green juice cleanse for 2 weeks. And lately I've felt the impending doom from the need to check myself and self-correct. I feel like a rabid beast, before I've even opened my eyes fully I'm fueled by FOMO from the 8 hour Instagram black out caused by sleep. Perhaps its because I am single and I don't have anyone but myself to be a touchstone or mirror or moral accountant or whatever you breeders call each other. I hate dating. In fact, I see dudes in real life that I've seen on okcupid and yet neither of us acknowledge eachother; the simplest way to a human connection. I don't party like I used to. I haven't worked in a month and the truth is that idle time IS the devils plaything. And also that you can't love someone else until you love yourself. Fuck, I hate that one. 

I'm a big fan of the technology purge. I crave places where no one can find me but my Grandmother and my dog sitter. 2 years ago I said bye to Facebook and haven't looked back. Today I said a temporary goodbye to Instagram. Who knows maybe I'll read another 3 pages in my book this year and maybe even learn how to cook a new meal. At least thats the hope. Until then, pull up a seat 'cause I'm sure I'll find a way to procrastinate here.