POW! WOW! HAWAII 2016

Once again, in February, we were blessed to fly across the Pacific and film in beautiful Oahu during Pow! Wow! Hawaii. I filmed along side 0484CREATIVE for a short film featuring HEX.

I'll make it quick and easy - highlights of the trip included:

The Modern Hotel - my all time favorite place

Filming in cut-off shorts and converse

Hanauma Bay - even though it was pretty chilly once the sun set

Adventuring up the North Shore in a Jeep

Dining at BLT - another fave

Beach days with good friends

Sunshine and warm breezes

Mimosas by the pool

I worked. I swear. It's actually kind of amazing how life can end up being. It's magical and unreal to be able to enjoy the most amazing parts of life all while working.

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PORTLANDIA - ROUND 2

Went out to Portland for a second time back in January.

It was the start of a 17 day adventure of being on the road filming. 

Gabe and I spent the weekend with JP and his wife Danielle in the freezing cold of PDX. John built a custom Hyundai Tucson. It was showing at the Portland Auto Show and because it was out there we filmed a short video featuring JP and his ride while he was out interviewing with some pretty awesome independent designers.

I just finished editing the video - I'm sure we'll release it soon. Hold tight.

LOVE NOIR

I filmed a new short vid for winemaker Love Noir and actually managed to shoot this whole vid (except for one shot) by myself. Takes a little longer trying to set that focus but, hey, it all worked out. Back to the grind with more editing and 16thColony 'stuff'. Happy Monday.

16thCOLONY: MOONSHADOW COLLECTION

The new 16thColony Spring/Summer 2016 collection is now live! Introducing 'Moonshadow'.

Inspired by looking at things in a new perspective. For instance, it's easy to look at the shape of the moon as it appears whether it's a waxing crescent or a waning gibbous, but I often try to image the part not show. I look at the part of the moon that seems as if it's missing - the shadow casted by the position of the sun. I image what the section of that moon looks like. 

Every collection comes from within me and this one is no different. There's a constant evolution in 16thColony, as there is with me. This collection is our biggest yet, full of new flowy dresses and skirts and flirty shorts and tops. Wander on over and check it all out here: 16thcolony.com

BLOOD, SWEAT + TEARS

In just a few short days my new SS16 collection for 16thColony will launch.

When you're the only one running the show, you wear a lot of hats. I'm hands on with everything for 16thColony, just short of physically producing the product itself. Behind the scenes I'm designing, sourcing fabric and trim, hand drafting the patterns and sewing the samples. The term 'blood, sweat and tears' holds a lot of truth for me. 

Recently, I was up in LA on the hunt for new fabrics and felt inspired to capture my experience, so I shot this short vid on my iphone to give an inside look.

Stay tuned for the release of the new designs.

BLACK SWAN: SS16 VIDEO LOOKBOOK

I love it when brands drop their new collections because that means I can finally share the video lookbooks that I've shot.

Black Swan released their Spring/Summer collection a couple weeks ago. This was filmed in the most beautiful location in San Clemente called, Casa Romantica. I had actually attended a wedding there the month prior to filming and was excited to learn that's where the shoot was being held. Everything from the location, the clothes and the model made my job super easy. 

CELEBRATING IN PORTLANDIA

I was whisked off to Portland a couple months ago for my bday.

Naturally I was pretty excited. I hadn't been to Portland before and it was going to be FALL there. There's something about the Fall during my birthday. I grew up in the midwest until I was in high school so the majority of my birthdays were celebrated in beautiful Fall colors. Portland had just that.

We went to all the places I've had on my list plus more. 

-Screen Door: my personal fave in town. The fried chicken and potato soup is where it's at.

-Cargo Inc: Super random finds from various countries. I wish I was driving back to Cali, instead of flying, so I could hall some of the antique furniture home.

-Powell's Bookstore: Huge bookstore - it's hard to leave without a new read. A must.

-Made Here PDX: A curation of artist and designer goods. Everything from fancy packaged foods to art prints and handmade leather accessories. 

-Woonwinkle: This general type store is the coolest. Came back with moon coasters, jumbo magnet and toy top (super fun to play with at your desk while you're waiting for a video to export.)

-Wine tasting: I ended up at Phelps Creek in hopes of viewing Mt. Hood while sipping on some wine. The entire trip it was too cloudy/rainy to visibly see it- such a bummer.

-Sizzle Pie: Good pizza. Duh.

-VooDoo Donuts: Had to.

I'm actually heading back up there in a couple weeks and already curating a new list of things to see. I'll share that once I'm back.

DESIGNER PROFILE: NATASHIA TOMEK

I haven't posted a Designer Profile in awhile and wanted to start the new year off with a really good one.

I've been following the work of fashion designer Natashia Tomek for a few years now. She designs women's for the Southern California based brand, Lira. I first noticed Lira when I was walking through Agenda Long Beach a few years back - some of the styles caught my eye and I was really inclined to give the collection a closer look. Immediately I noticed the designs were ahead of the game. Natashia has an impressive knack for knowing what she likes and seeing ahead of what's trending. That combination is gold.

Growing up in Southern California, Natashia has always been drawn toward the Action Sports Industry and started out at Beach Bums as their womens buyer. Later she went on to start her own business designing cute foldable shoes under the label Tash Limited. Natashia had much success with that but when presented with the opportunity to design all of Lira's women's clothing she took it. 

Natashia takes on every single collection herself. She not only designs them but does everything from traveling to China in order to source and develop with her manufacturers to styling photoshoots and catalogs.

When I visited Natashia at her offices I got a sneak peek of her SS16 collection which is full of beautiful faux suedes, crochets and bralette silhouettes for swimwear. I'm looking forward to catching up with her at Agenda this week. Check out all the cute Lira pieces here and while you're at it, keep an eye on Natashia's Instagram to find out what she's up to.

ITALY THROUGH IPHONES

I'm usually pretty reserved and don't typically share a lot of my personal life. This is one of those rare times but hey, maybe it'll be putting more out there in 2016. You never know.

Anyway, here's a very raw glimpse of my trip to Italy a couple months ago through Milan, Rome and Venice. Myself and @0484GABE filmed short clips on our iPhones throughout the trip. I think since we both film professionally it's definitely not to the quality we usually put out but I couldn't help myself this time. Everything is so in the moment and not planned out so that element alone adds something special that a cinematic video can't. Enjoy. 

*Side note: Long story but since we booked our tickets 23 hours before departure we ended up taking separates flights. That might clear up any confusion.