Wonderzine x Kailey Flyte by James Fitzgerald III

Late last month, me and an armful of my favorite outfits met James Fitzgerald III in a studio space that is usually reserved for burlesque and dog portraits (!!!) to shoot for Wonderzine, a Russian magazine!

Being chosen to have my style spotlighted by such an interesting website is pretty amazing in itself, made even more incredible by working with such a talented photographer as James Fitzgerald III!

It was the first time I have ever posed in a studio setting, so I was pretty nervous to say the least, but James was very encouraging and patient. I just had to share some of the original text here and favorite outtakes and pictures on Mermaidens - and you can take a look at the full feature here!

"This outfit was inspired by the board game CandyLand. I love graphic, technicolor prints like the cloud design on my purse and shoes by Kling, and my tights remind me of candy cane stripes. My dress has a beautiful frothy lace overlaying three pastel hues - and it is made even more special to me because it was a gift from my friend Marlena."

"In general I am a pretty shy person, and sometimes the idea of calling attention to myself by wearing something a little out of the ordinary is scary. But over the past couple years, I have been learning how to be braver with my sartorial choices and drawing confidence from wearing what I love instead of being preoccupied with fear of judgement. (I do get a lot of disapproving stares from older ladies, though…!)

I am drawn to sheer, light fabrics, so I am smitten with this simple see through blouse. My towering, glittering wedges were a gift from one of my favorite stores - Hello Holiday."

"I was having a really bad day before I opened my mailbox to find a parcel from one of my favorite designers, Samantha Pleet Nestled in-between two of her gorgeous lookbooks and fake flowers, Samantha also had included a piece from her Spring 2014 collection - this crop top! It was a very reaffirming moment to receive such a special gift from a talent I admire so much - it felt like she had shared a little bit of her magic with me. It's kind of cliche, but I can't help but don a flower crown when wearing this piece and pretend I am Persophone, the goddess of spring!"

Animal Cookie Pin by Tiny Tangerines, Cat Mermaid Pin by The Albino Hare, Watermelon Necklace by I Love Crafty, WishCandy Pin, Cotton Candy Necklace by Fatally Feminine Designs, Ice Cream Ring by Tiny Hands Jewelry, Candy Bow by Pop That Cassette, Princess Bubblegum Pin by Mikomi Accessories, Donut Pin by WishCandy, Disney Cinderella Pin and Retro Barbie keychain were gifts.

(If you have any outfit details questions just let me know and I'll reply with the information!)

Hope you are having a lovely weekend!

Siren

DRESS: Lady Petrova * PURSE: Gift from Marlena SHOES: ASOS (sold out; similar)

This iridescent number might just be the perfect mermaid dress! If my dream wardrobe came to life, it would pretty much look exactly like Australian designer Lady Petrova's gorgeous, frothy pieces. I am completely captivated by this dress in particular - the opalescent fabric and use of pearls for buttons immediately call to mind mermaids who dwell in crystal embedded coves.

The deep v in the back of the dress is another wholly unique and gorgeous aspect of this dress - just GUH. Truly a show stopper, one of the most gorgeous pieces in my wardrobe, and an absolute honor to own one of Petrova's phenomenal designs - thank you so much again Lady Petrova! ♡♡♡♡

Wanting to keep the styling simple to let this beautiful dress shine, I just accessorized with my beaded shell purse that was an amazing gift from the dearest Marlena from Self-Construced Freak and my old stand-by metallic ASOS flats!

I have a couple really exciting things to share with you shortly, stay tuned! n____n ♡

Mermaidens 3rd Anniversary + Tiny Hands Jewelry Giveaway

It's hard not to get soppy when talking about something that has impacted your life in an incredibly positive way, so I apologize in advance for this post! Though in many ways the past three years of my life have been some of the most trying, they have also been some of the happiest because of this little blog.

I started blogging three years ago with no plans, no distinguishable voice, and pretty subpar content - but slowly and surely, Mermaidens grew into a space I pour my heart into, that truly represents me and the things I am passionate about.

It is really mind boggling to think of all the wonderful things that have happened because of Mermaidens - especially when I still almost can't even believe anybody reads it at all! I have been lucky enough to establish some of the most meaningful relationships in my life with dazzlingly bright people who I admire deeply, worked with brands, designers, photographers, and artists I absolutely adore, and my self worth and confidence have increased tenfold since I started (something that means the world to me as someone who has self image and anxiety issues) - all because of Mermaidens!

If you have been a reader for years or just started following yesterday, thank you thank you thank you for being part of my life. I really can't express how lucky and thankful I am to each and every one of you!

OKAY ENOUGH OF THAT ;___; As a way of saying thank you, Mei from Tiny Hands Jewelry generously accepted to holding a giveaway in honor of the special occasion! One lucky Mermaidens' reader will win $50 to her darling shop. Mei's downright adorable food themed jewelry is beautifully crafted and, get this, it's scented. Simply enter the giveaway using the widget below! This giveaway is open internationally and ends August 30th, 2014. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ice Cream Float

DRESS: c/o Dahlia NECKLACE: c/o I Love Crafty PURSE: c/o Kling SHOES: ℅ Kling

A frequent favorite of mine, British clothing brand Dahlia has truly outdone themselves with this dress - ETA: and it's now on sale! I am so smitten with it because the style reminds me of several different time periods: the Edwardian era's "demure" high collars, but calling to mind the liberated flappers from the 1920s as they started trading in the restrictive corsets for dropped waists and inching towards shorter and shorter skirts. Zelda Sayre right before and after she met F. Scott Fitzgerald is a perfect example!

It ended up reading more 1960s when I styled it - with my slightly heavy-handed mascara and eyeliner application (… oops) and pop art accessories - another one of my favorite eras for clothing! I was actually slightly apprehensive about how it would look on me (I'm always a tiny bit nervous to stray from my favorite tight waist, flared skirt silhouette), but I'm absolutely in love with how it looked on ♥

I wore what has become the cutest necklace in my stash - this sprinkled donut piece by I Love Crafty! I have been a fan of I Love Crafty for years now, and Laura continues to blow me away with her talent and excellent taste!

And finally, my matching cloud print shoes and purse are from another brand that has become a fast favorite of mine, Kling! I am always a huge fan of novelty prints, and the graphic, technicolor cloud print on these is a dream.

I hope you all had a beautiful weekend! ♡

What's In My Bag for ModCloth

^^^ CLICK ^^^

Sadly, making videos isn't something I've perfected yet - not by a long shot - but when ModCloth contacted me asking if I could share a "What's in My Bag" video, I had to say yes. Click the picture above if you fancy seeing me in bad lighting list what I carry around with me everyday!

Kling Cloud Purse * | Jump From Paper Wallet * | Fred Flare Heart Sunglasses (similar)
Bubblegum | Zero Gravity Phone Case * | Topshop Whimsical Lipstick
F21 Cat Compact (similar) | Bobby Pins | EOS Lip Balm

WEARING: Dress ℅ Missguided, Sweet & Lovely Collar Clips, Locketship Bow

Mermaidens 2.0

After months in development, I am so happy to finally unveil Mermaidens' brand new layout. As much as I loved the old one, I've had it for over two years and wanted a more clean design and brand new header. The stars aligned when Sibylline (thank you so much again Sibylline! <3) allowed me to use the amazing illustration she did of me for the header and everything else just fell into place!

Header Portrait by Sibylline Meynet // Layout Template by Designs Blue Moon

There are still a few little bugs in the code (that is what happens when you hardly know CSS and relying on google for help making adjustments...), but I plan to fix those in this week. Please let me know what you think! ♡