I am absolutely thrilled to get the chance to work with the vintage shop 521 Gemini Vintage, an absolute treasure trove of delightful relics of another era.  From their amazing store I plucked this violet dream of a dress.  It is dreamy and feminine, reminiscent of the Victorian era of which I am so fond!

I worked with photographer Kerasan Lamar to create the mood of a turn of the century gothic novel.

Jane Eyre comes to mind: always one of my favorite classics to read growing up, I must have re-read it a dozen times!  I suppose the gothic drama of it appealed to me, the melodrama that was so sincere.  And the setting of the moors, in a beautiful castle-like manor, was appealing.  A favorite passage, as she addresses Mr. Rochester:

“Do you think I am an automaton? — a machine without feelings? and can bear to have my morsel of bread snatched from my lips, and my drop of living water dashed from my cup? Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! — I have as much soul as you — and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you. I am not talking to you now through the medium of custom, conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh: it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God’s feet, equal — as we are!”
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

And, of course, this early feminist sentiment:

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

As I walked over the hills and dales near the Art Museum in Philadelphia, I felt just like Jane Eyre traversing the moors.  I’m hoping this photo shoot captures some of the feeling!

To find your own magical outfit to transport you into another time and place, visit 521 Gemini Vintage.