league of extraordinary gentlemen

As a stylist, I spend most of my time dressing lovely ladies, but I always love it when I get to work with cool dudes like the gents in the March issue of Hour Detroit. Working with shoot producer Jeff Newsom and photographer Marvin Shaouni, the Hour staff cast some far-from-regular metro Detroit men as the models for our men's spring fashion feature. It was important to not only showcase the latest menswear trends but also each of the model's unique styles. From artists to chefs and even the Honorary Consul General of Namibia, each fashionable gentleman was a blast to work with. Check out all of the images from the shoot below, and learn more about all of the gentlemen in the March issue of Hour.

oh-so-lovely bridal fashion

Gena Conti hat; Modern Trousseau gown.

I know I always say this, but I LOVE STYLING BRIDAL!!! And I absolutely looooooove my latest shoot for Hour. The look and feel of this shoot was inspired by vintage fashion images, particularly the work of Richard Avedon. That translated into a 1950s glamour - tailored silhouettes, nipped in waists, ladylike gloves, red lips, and oh yes, lots of hats! For this shoot, I was able to reunite with my favorite Detroit milliner, Gena Conti. I've worked with her on many shoots in the past, and she created the gorgeous headpiece I wore for my own wedding. Her work is stunning, and I highly recommend her for all your chapeau needs! Anyway, on to the shoot! Check out all the oh-so-lovely images by the fabulous Jenny Risher below!

irresistible style for cadillac magazine

Paul Smith tuxedo and Tom Ford bow tie, Neiman Marcus. BOSS Hugo Boss dress shirt and Prada shoes,
Saks Fifth Avenue.

When our brilliant art director, Cassidy, left Hour, I was so, so sad to see her go (but at least we went out with a bang!). Fortunately, she didn't go far, and I recently had the chance to work with her again on a shoot for the Winter issue of Cadillac Magazine. Combining colorful fashion with whimsical illustrations by Lucille Michieli, this shoot was irresistibly fun. Look at all those amazing cakes by Love & Buttercream! And the gorgeous peacock! Between the props and the wardrobe, this was a big job, so many thanks to fellow stylist Janeea Simelane, who came onboard to assist. Check out the full shoot below!

metro detroit bride winter/spring 2015

The new issue of Metro Detroit Bride is out now, and as always, putting it together was a labor of love. I styled more shoots than usual this issue, taking on two fashion shoots and a food shoot featuring cake and cheese (but not together - that would be weird). I also curated the registry section, finding homewares that would satisfy mates with completely opposite tastes. All in all, it was tons of fun - I mean, there's a real live penguin on the cover! So cute!

Our cover story, photographed by Jenny Risher, was shot on location at The Detroit Zoo and starred some of the zoo's incredible animals. The concept was to take animal-inspired sayings - for example, "The cat's pajamas" - and apply them to wedding to attire. See below for images from the cover shoot and more highlights from the issue!

hour december 2014

Life has been moving full speed ahead lately. Graydon is already one, walking all over with talking surely to follow very soon. I'm so happy that I've been able to focus so much of my time on him over the past year - he'll only be a baby once, and I can already feel that stage melting away as he transitions into toddlerhood.

Over the past year it seems like I've also been working non-stop (at least since I came back from maternity leave in January). Case in point - the December issue of Hour features two shoots styled by yours truly. The first, photographed by Jenny Risher, combined two of my favorite things ever - sparkle and animals. What's not to love about glittering party dresses and jewels modeled with pretty pooches and glamorous kitties? Check out the full shoot below, and keep scrolling down to see my second shoot, our gorgeous holiday gift guide!

where the wild things are

Ralph Lauren cardigan; Tea Collection dress.

I'm so excited to share this shoot with everyone. Not only was it the first time I got to style a children's clothing shoot, but it was also Graydon's debut as a model! Before you jump to conclusions and think I'm some sort of crazy stage mom, the idea for this shoot was actually Hour's new art director, Valerie's, idea. But of course I didn't hesitate to volunteer Graydon for baby modeling duties. ;)

While Graydon is certainly the star of the shoot in my totally biased eyes, it was really little Addison that stole the show. For an eight year old she was a consummate professional, and even tolerated wearing actual deer antlers in her hair. Thanks, Addie!

I also love this shoot because I got to work with some of my fave people - photographer Jenny Risher, prop stylist Stephanie Potts, and hair/makeup artist Monica Jadan. I also loved working with Valerie for the first time. It was such a whimsical, sweet shoot concept, and she also opened my eyes to just how useful a fanny pack really is.

Check out the full shoot below and in the September 2014 issue of Hour Detroit, on stands now!

the hunt: fashion. function. fanny pack!

My latest shoot for Hour was in the middle of nowhere, literally in a field surrounded by woods. In a stroke of genius that had me and prop stylist Stephanie Potts wishing we had thought of it first, our new art director, Valerie, was stowing all of her photo shoot essentials in a fanny pack. Yes - a fanny pack. Scissors, pens, string, phone, bug spray - everything was in there, yet both of her hands were free during the entire shoot.

And then this showed up on the internet:

Matthew McConaughey, photo via HuffPo

That is one sexy ass fanny pack.

Now that I've seen how useful - and heartthrob approved - they are, I think it's time to jump on the fanny pack bandwagon. Here are some of my functional-yet-fashionable favorites:

1/ Pins and Needles, $69 - so rock 'n' roll! 2/ Alexander Wang, $495 - spendy, but so cool. 3 & 4/ Herschel Supply Co.,  $25-$45 - so many great prints! 5/ Rebecca Minkoff, $195 - can also be worn as a shoulder bag. 6/ Leibeskind, $198 - so many pockets! 7/ Cleobella, $245 - meow! 8/ DKNY, $108 - classic black and white colorblocking.