Check, Please

I love having a creative outlet and a hobby that gets me genuinely excited. I haven’t been this excited over a shoot in a while.

There are some days where you have the best lighting, with a bomb outfit, and you find the perfect spot with the perfect aesthetic and you just know it’s going to be a good shoot. It’s exciting to see an image come to life through photography.

This look I put together two weeks ago when my friend and I went to Takashi Murakami’s exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery, The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg. We tried taking an some outfit pictures when we were at the exhibit, but none of them really turned out. Because of this, I wanted to give this look a second try and shoot it.

Julia Dang from The Line Up inspired this look, and I love how it made me feel. Julia has been experimenting with menswear recently, and pairing androgynous pieces with minimalist pieces that show some skin that creates an eye-catching juxtaposition. It makes me think of a subtle ode to Annie Lennox. This look in general reminds me of the 80’s punk “gender-bending” movement, which is probably largely due to the iconic checkered slip-on Vans and the punctured belt, which is a vintage piece that my mom wore throughout that decade.

These pants are thrifted from the boy’s aisle (yes when I say boy’s I mean the children’s section) of Value Village, and it was honestly a hallelujah moment when I tried them on because I have not been about to find a pair of black, trailered trousers that fit my waist and were the right length.  Paired it with a cheap and simple crop top from H&M, and threw up my hair in a mini top-knot, which is easily said to be my favourite go-to hair at the moment. My leather jacket is thrifted Zara, and my highlight that is popping on my cheek is Becca’s highlight in Opal.

Trousers: Thrifted

Crop top: H&M

Leather Jacket: Zara

Sneakers: Brands

Belt: Vintage