🌋Halloween this year was a real BLAST!!!💥
Through researching Mediterranean mythology I discovered the early Greco-Sicilian volcano nymph Aitna, who was used by ancient peoples to explain the origin of the volcano of Sikelia. She is one of a set of primordial mountain god siblings, children of Gaia, referred to as the Ourea. She is unique in that all the other Ourea are depicted as old bearded men, and they inhabit non-volcanic geologic structures.
What really drew me to her is that there are no known surviving visual depictions of her from antiquity. We know only of her existence in folk mythology through oral tradition, and written history. It’s a fabulous design prompt, to imagine a deity through language only. For her clothes, I wanted my gown to feel like a molten glowing magma chamber just below the surface of a recently cooled lava flow, so I used crimson and neon pink tinsel brocade layered under a black sequin netting to play with luminosity, and glimmer. I wanted my bustle to feel tectonic, and massive, like the foot of a mountain, with a fitted column pyroclastic ash cloud as the upper skirt and bodice. My sleeve caps have smoke plumes of black netting, and my hat has peacock and goose feathers meant to look like projectiles emerging from the throat of the volcano. Almost every hem is punctuated by short glass beaded fringe because I wanted all the edges of my gown to feel in motion, as if the extension of my ashy reach was impermanent, and alive. Her hat is a subtle nod to the costal significance of etna, and her nearest metropolitan center of commerce, Catania, spilling into the sea in retreat from her fiery wrath (I think is where my grandfathers family are from?) My black beaded wig is laced with strands of small multicolored satin and silk flowers to capture the beauty of regrowth and new life that is essential to the story of any volcanic lifecycle. The fabrics I chose utilize catholic motifs as a nod to the many centuries of occupation Aitna has witnessed, I love imagining myself inhabiting geologic time in the same way a demigod can, to imagine a better world being within my earth shaping grasp over millennia.
A prom queen always wins🥲🤭🩵
CLASS OF ‘24 YEARBOOK!!
When @missleidyrodriguez reached out asking if I’d be a part of her next shoot, the theme of queer high school had me less than enthused. High school for me was a traumatic time marked by physical violence, homophobia on behalf of people who couldn’t even comprehend transphobia, targeted harassment, vandalism of my home, verbal abuse from adults and children alike, isolation and loneliness. It was by the gentle kind virtue of my incredible parents that I survived. But when Miss leidy offered me prom queen, I couldn’t say no💎💎💎
When trying to imagine the girl who attends prom anticipating a win-I thought of a young starlet who yearns to steal the show. This girl (me) wants to shine more brightly than anyone ever has, and the best way to suck the attention out of any room is to dress as a bride. This promstress in pursuit of queendom-a feminine ingenue stepping into womanhood for the first time, shedding the guise of virginal naivety-would treat prom as her wedding night.
@THEM
Special thank you too @sarahlubyburke@mathewkrodriguez
Creative Director: @missleidyrodriguez@jimi_urquiaga
Graphic Designer: @neatasheck
Yearbook Portrait + Class group shot Photographer: @MARTINGATTISTUDIO
Superlative Photographer: @nicolaspadron
Candid Photographer: pasteltraces
Location: ARTANDDESIGNNYC
Special Thanks @Ljardinier
EQ: @milk@neighborsbrooklyn
Production Company: @neighborsbrooklyn
Lead Creative Producer: @felixcadieu
Creative Producer: @boy_sandwich
Creative Producer: @kendalsteensen
Production Coordinator: @wmanogue
Production Assistant: @_kindlover@lunaabreia@kaylinskye alexsweterlitsch
Stoning: @its.nxthing
Stylist: @katelyndjohnson
Styling Assistant: @theballgownboy
Set Designer: @ilananotilana
Set Dresser: Caitlin Charles
Set Assistant: @bellenajjar
Casting Director: @missleidyrodriguez@jimi_urquiaga
Photography Assistants: @celsoassuncao bkphotographynyc Chris Morell
Graduation Gift Sponsor: @aboutfacebeauty@mybarriere@beautyblender@goodlight.world@loveseen@touchland
Lunch Sponsor: @magnoliabakery@twobootspizza
Thankful to be alive and in love, thankful for beauty and community and family, feeling gratitude for joy and laughter and glamor and whimsy and hoping that these feelings stick around for the next four years because I might not🤭🤭🤭
Photography: @victordemarchelier
Creative Direction + Casting + Producer - @missleidyrodriguez@jimi_urquiaga
Styling - @katj.nyc
hello to thirty fun, kind regards to the triple decker. First year into a new decade, I’m older, I look older, I feel older, I act younger, im more thankful than ever, feel more cautious than ever, remembering confidence*** still no kids (can you believe?) career is still confusing, friends are fabulous, i’m still social climbing !!! don’t care how it sounds !!! You have to make money to spend money, but I keep doing it the other way round? Feeling more excited than ever to be in our home, I want to reorganize and redecorate the entire apartment. Queens is by far the happiest borough, Astoria is an enchanting place to live. We’re definitely getting somewhere, continuing to thank god for Michael♥️♥️♥️
Can’t get enough of this hat, sorry about it.
📸📸📸: @a.ax.axel@dude_25______
Celebrating international fluevog day! New song, new shoes, new hat, old dress, old quarter zip fleece, middle aged cat, medieval tabernacle inspired apartment (not old enough yet) new year incoming (birthday soon) new work needs to be finished, there’s always too much on my plate.
Xoxo 30, 31 arrives in a week!!!
Come with me while I walk us through my boyfriend and my outfits for the opening of Rocky horror on broadway! 🏴☠️💥💎📸🎸🧨☠️♥️💋
He sent me so many prince references for our looks, and I was looking at lots of old Dior couture runways for pirate inspiration. It was so fun to build all the accessories into each look to make them feel like full outfits, and I sooooo enjoyed splurging on our jewelry!!!
Thank you @thefeatherplace for always keeping us together, @vinnycastro__ for making @diana.dash incredible purse for the evening, and @sterlingtullnyc for all my special makeup goodies (most especially the official Rocky horror lipgloss collab!!)
If you can go see Rocky you totally should!!!
In attendance at the opening of Rocky Horror at Studio 54, be two gay pirates; Captain Brown Mustache of the S.S. Pump It Up, and Madame Commandant Grande Admiral Buttcheek. Swathed they be in cheetah and striped silk taffeta and chiffon, dripping in booty galore, with feathers in each bicorn cap.
All my love and congratulations to @diana.dash and everyone who poured themselves into the magic that was Sam Pinkleton’s Rocky Horror. I was once again blown away by the incredible talent both on and off stage💋📸✨♥️🎸🧨🐣☠️
Thank you @thefeatherplace 😜🤭😘
Rocky Horror is in previews at studio 54, and Michael invited Ripley and I to the invited dress!! It was a transcendent experience, a phenomenal adaptation of this beloved source material, made fresh by clever and thoughtful casting, costuming and most excitingly wig design!!! The hair was spectacularly wacky, rogue, daring, and yet controlled and still beautiful! It felt so special to see some original ideas go from my boyfriend’s brain and hand to the stage! Techniques I’ve seen him experiment with over many years twirling and shimmying on actors heads-it was surreal for me! If you have a chance to see the show in its 12 week limited engagement, I can’t stress enough how worth it, it was, for me!
Thank you, I love you, and I’m so proud of you @diana.dash ♥️💋♥️💋♥️💋♥️
Our girl turned 25 and fled the country😳😳😳
Reminiscing about dim sum in the tummy, beaded wig on my head, shift sack spaghetti slip with deconstructed petticoats around my hips and knees. Beautiful friends sing beautiful songs as we time travel to 2010 and imagine the woman that Harriet would grow up to become. Popular doesn’t even begin to cover it, we’re all so lucky to have one another✨
“Dreamy wishes,
Harriet” ♥️
