We're all mad here...

The inspiration behind my fall Alice in Wonderland brooch line, was quite simply the concept of growing up. The story really is a great metaphor for life and self discovery-- trying to understand the world around you and where and how you fit into it. So many elements are involved, which makes the transition into "adulthood" such a fascinating one. From physical metamorphosis,to learning and adapting to change, understanding the struggles and advantages of language/communication, and the realization that mortality is an inescapable part of life-- life is one big confusing puzzle, and we go through it trying to put all the pieces together. Throughout the process we learn, grow, and adapt.
To elaborate on these themes and how they will play into my fall line and accompanying multi-media endeavors:
Metamorphosis: In my late teens/early twenties I had a mentor-- a talent manager-- who gave me some of the best life advice. One day she was reading lines from a script with me before an audition and I just started crying-- like uncontrollably bawling. She asked me what was wrong and I said in between sobs, "I looked at myself in the mirror today and suddenly saw my life, in fast-forward. I imagined myself at 25, 30, 40, 50...and it freaked me out. The thought of changing..." She looked at me square in the eyes and said, "You'll find comfort someday in knowing that change is the only thing you can count on." How true those words were. Change is inevitable, but what's so impressive is how well we adapt to it.

Learning the Rules: You can learn a lot just from reading a book, but in order for the words to have true meaning to you, there has to be some point of reference, and that comes from experience. With each new experience we become smarter, stronger, and more adaptable to change. Love, heartache, friendships, jobs...they are constant but evolving parts of life.

Language/Communication: Humans thrive on communication, yet, in our day-to-do exchanges it is often wrought with inconsistency and slipperiness. After enough experience with relationships-- both romantic and platonic, business exchanges and, quite simply, life, I have come to the following conclusion: Language is the most valuable source of joy and adaptability, but it can also be a source of great confusion. Every single one of us can justify even the most absurd ideas or behavior, and the arguments we make to support them are absolutely valid to us in that moment. At the root of finding compromise/common ground is reasoning, more so with ourselves than the other person-- discerning the logical solution even in the most illogical situations.

Death: Death is the final step in the process of "growth." Once we come to terms with the inevitably of it--that there is no escaping it-- it makes life seem more real and important somehow. A gift not to be taken for granted.

I will be using lots of black, red and white in my fall line, as well as hearts, linking chains, and timeless charms-- all signifying the stages of growth in life. It has been quite fun and therapeutic developing the concepts, and I can't wait to be able to show the finished products! Very proud of this endeavor. Here's my favorite so far...

Laud de da da

Impervious charm
Impeccable wit
But timing’s such
A piece of shit
The words preferred
Can never flow
Against the current
With a heart in tow
So you watch them
Fester, botch, unfurl
And fuck shit up
Like an off-tune skirl
Then you close your eyes
Make them count to ten
Hoping all the while
You’ll feel better when
The fog is lifted
Time has healed
The broken parts
That love concealed
All the cracks and doubts
And guilt and blame
Two hearts that felt
But not the same
Lose the will to laud
Patch and sew
Healthy patterns
With stuff you know
And some fine day
That timing bitch
Will find at last
The perfect stitch
And the whole of you
And the sum of “we”
Will be the whole of love
And the end of “me”

Snooki Wookie

For some reason Nicole Polizzi's "Jerz stage name" makes me think of Han Solo's right hand man, er, Wookie, Chewbacca (or Chewie if yo' nastaay). Aside from the obvious rhyming names factor, her "English" is just about as unintelligible as Chewie's language.
I will never quite understand the popularity of "Jersey Shore." In conjunction with nonsensical slash annoying viral videos of cats, the intelligence of the American people leaves much to be desired. The preference for insipid self-parodies over thought-provoking substance is a sad reality, and one in which I remain a minority social deviant.
Nevertheless, I'm interested in social norms, trends, trainwrecks, etc.-- I study them all day long at work. Like dating in Los Angeles, pop culture is something that both eludes and fascinates me-- like an Anthropological study of an African Tribe-- I observe, take notes, and try to understand despite the obvious communication barrier.
Snooki looks and sounds ridiculous, but it's her sthick and people love her for it, and even if they don't, for some reason they just can't get enough. If Reality TV was a sugary, high calorie adult beverage that tastes oh so yummy but you know you're going to regret the next day, "Jersey Shore" would be a Lemon Drop Martini and Snooki would be the sugary rim. Without her, "Jersey Shore" and the world at large would not quite be the same. Without Snooki, the social deviants like me would have no one to dissect and contemptuously ridicule.
The world needs Snooki like it needs an Apocalypse, but fame is built on wants, not needs. The ratings have spoken. The people want Snooki...until the next self-parody is invented that is.

I would like to broochify Snooki, but from a distance-- I don't know where many parts of her body have been. Since the new season is all about Italy, the "Anchors Aweigh" Brooch seems adatto. Arrivederci!