High School High- Oakland School for the Arts

High School High- Oakland School for the Arts

Oh High School....that can conjure up some memories can't it? My recent journey back to high school got me thinking back to those good ol days, and how I wish I'd went to a school as awesome as the Oakland School For the Arts. This is a performing arts school located at the Fox Theater, lucky kids! They offer programs in dance, digital media, theater, and visual arts that the students have to audition to get into. Let's just say there's some major talent walking the halls.

I had the honor of working with the production design students on their annual fashion show, titled "Jacket Required." The students were tasked with designing and styling jackets, and some went further and made dresses, and accessories. Hearing about their inspiration behind their designs was truly uplifting, motivating, exciting and bottom line jaw dropping. I was taught a true lesson in capturing the essence of youth and how powerful it is.

P.S. The models and their runway skills would make any supermodel proud!

Shout out to all the talented students at Oakland School For the Arts and the amazing teachers that foster these talents! Big thanks to the ever talented Brawlio Elias for all his help!

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Desert Modernism- Palm Springs

Desert Modernism- Palm Springs

So just a little brief history as to how my fascination with modernism began...Flashback to Junior High. We were assigned a project to create a mood board containing elements of our dream house which we later sketched out to scale on graph paper. My mood board was full of modern buildings, houses with glass walls, and pools in the middle. I believe there was even a fluffy white poodle and an old school jag on there, my mother used to joke that I had old lady taste needless to say my style preferences haven't changed. This junior high introduction led me to researching and falling in love with modern architecture and crushing on the works of Richard Neutra, Albert Frey, E.Stewart Williams, you get the point. So Palm Springs, for me, was hands down a place to visit. it's a treasure trove of house after house that I literally fawned and screamed over...not sure how many times I said "I want this one!" It was also refreshing to see some of the original financial institutions still preserved and some currently in use. Palm Springs is this perfect combination of old Hollywood glam, pristine modern homes, and warm weather that screams for cocktail parties while waltzing around in Halston gowns.....hey a girl can dream!

P.S. I opted to squeeze a few more pairs of heels in my luggage rather than fit my camera.....and I call myself a photographer. I attempted to capture the essence of this magical place with a small point and shoot with limited options.....

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