Welp, that will teach me to write posts directly into WordPress. I broke my website and in the process lost my previous two posts so I’m attempting to rewrite this one from scratch. Here goes: 
I have always been uncomfortable in front of the camera. Despite having this weirdo desire to document my outfits, and despite doing so for the past eight years, it’s only in the last year or so I began using professional photographers instead of my unwilling husband. Besides the obvious plus of improving the quality of images on my site (no offense, husband), hiring professionals has also forced me to get more comfortable in front of the camera. That is 100% thanks to the amazing photographers I’ve worked with, including Elena Zhukova who took these photos (also a shout out to Anna Alexia Basile and Sofala Knapton), nudge me into making the shots a bit more interesting by saying things like, “Maybe move around a little bit?” The are always so nice. 
Also, I can’t shake the thought that fashion and fashion blogging can feel silly and unnecessary on any given day, and even more so when things like defending our rights as women, immigrants, people of color, people with special needs, and anyone else who feels threatened by our current administration in the United States feel more worthy of our energy.
But I will say this in defense of my seemingly frivolous vocation: We’re only a month in, people. We’re going to need lots of respite in order to avoid throwing up our hands. I’m relying on the delights of blogging to help keep my activist momentum going.
Lastly I will assert that now is the time to strike a Captain American pose (hat tip to my yoga teacher Wini Linguvic and her daughter Morgan). We need strength and good feelings about ourselves and others now more than ever. Wearing a vintage gown on a hike with Elena, Eddie (possibly the best dog I’ve ever met) and their Dutch friend Martin (not pictured)—and documenting it—only helps me out in those endeavors. I hope it might help you a little bit, too. 
