ALLISON HARVARD FOR WETHEURBAN
STORY: EILEEN DONIEGO DE FRANCE / PHOTOGRAPHY: ZACHARY CHICK / STYLING: ALLISON HARVARD / MAKEUP: TIFFANY PATTON / HAIR: CAROLINE MCGOVERN
“When faced with the harsh realities of the world, I rely on my dreams. I stare blankly out at whatever is in front of me, for a day dream soothes the mind. Stretching than curling in for a nap chases away worries, and settling in for a deep slumber allows the soul to wander about colorful and colorless altered realities. Dreams are fantastic and nightmarishly frightening experiences within the subconscious. They can take us to places we’ve never been, can cause great euphoria, uncannily predict the future, solve life’s current problems, take us into the past, or place terror within our hearts. It is this very unpredictable nature of dreams that makes it so special and magical.
Artist and model Allison Harvard is quite familiar with the majestic dream world….”
WeTheUrban: Can you share with us a particular nightmare that left you a unsettled upon waking?
Allison Harvard: It’s wonderful when my dad visits me. He asks me all sorts of questions about my present life and he’ll…
FOR THE FULL STORY + MORE, BE SURE TO BUY YOUR COPY OF WETHEURBAN ISSUE 5 (BEFORE IT’S GONE) HERE!
BOOM! I wrote this. And yes, these are exclusive photos for WeTheUrban!
Akihiko Miyoshi - Abstract Photographs, 2012
Power Rangers on 5th and Island! #comiccon #sandiego #street #art (Taken with Instagram)
Would love to check this out in person.
Mike Mitchell’s, “Just Like Us”
Mike Mitchell’s first solo show, Just Like Us, opened this past weekend and it was phenomenal. If you’re not lucky enough to drop by Gallery 1988 Melrose in Los Angeles, California you can browse all the artwork right here. There are prints available for most every piece and if you’re quick you can grab yourself an original! Congratulations Mike!
Everyone has their own take of the Disney Princesses, from hipster to high fashion, but I think I like these photo manipulations and illustrations by Jirka Väätäinen best! Jirka takes some of Disney’s best female characters and illustrates them as if they were “real life.” Jasmine and Pocahontas are such babes! What’s even more awesome is that he does not limit his work to the Princesses. If you click his blog and scroll through, you’ll see a villain, a gypsy, and a Greek mortal… I’d post them all here but I’d rather you support him by visiting his site!
NOTE: For everyone who has said I resemble Pocahontas, I wish I were that gorgeous! I think I look more like the toddler version of her. I actually think she looks more like one of my other friends.
So Salvador Dali! I want!
(Source: chloerayne)
INSTAPRINT (PRINT YOUR INSTAGRAMS!)
Calling all Instragram lovers! How freaking cool is this?! Instaprint is a concept printer which would allow anyone at a specific event to wirelessly print their Instagram photos. All they would have to do is tag the photo with a specific location or hashtag - any photo tagged appropriately will automatically be printed out on inkless paper.
The project is currently on Kickstarter, aiming to raise $500,000. If you want to be the first with one of these, you can pre-order different sized and capability printers through Kickstarter now. Prices start at $399.
(via Golden Spider Silk Cape / Exhibitions & Galleries / Happenings / V&A Channel)
Spiders are not exactly at the top of “My Favorite Things EVER” list - but this cape is truly amazing. Woven and embroidered entirely from female Golden Orb spiders in Madagascar, this cape is the largest piece of spider silk cloth ever created, laying out to reach 13 feet. What’s even more amazing is that this cloth has not been color treated at all; this is the natural color of the spider silk!
Right now it is on display at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, until June 5th, 2012. I would DIE to see this, let alone get to touch the silk. It looks absolutely delicate and luxurious - and if you watch the video, they do note how light yet strong the garment is. Unf! I love the idea of taking old weaving techniques and producing something new and unique.
Advanced Style Film: trailer (by plioplyte)
I just posted this video to Facebook - and I couldn’t wait to tag my fashion/style/art loving friends in it! The old, fashionable women of New York give me hope and make me feel less stressed about growing older. In an age where we feel pressured to have everything “together” by 30, to be more conservative by 30, and to be sane by 30? It is more than a little unnerving for a 27 year old like myself. My parents often do tell me to dress my age and to find a respectable career - but what is that? Is what I do not respectable? And what’s wrong w/the way I dress?
I love these women because they are not bound by stereotypes. They love fashion because it makes them feel good about themselves, despite what society tells them is acceptable at their age.
I cannot wait for this documentary to come out. Not only am I a sucker for fashion documentaries, but I am a sucker for crazy old ladies who just don’t give a damn about perception!
Oh, the Places You’ll Go at Burning Man! (by Tedshots)
Inspiring. “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr.Seuss is an incredible book by an incredible man. It was either college or high school where an instructor read us this book - and I remember feeling wizened, agreeing and feeling slightly more cultured. Looking back, I laugh at my sophomoric mind. How much I thought myself better than the rest of the students. I thought I understood what Dr.Seuss meant, but really I was just getting started on my path.
Watching this video - absolutely beautiful and inspiring and magical! I am certainly not in my old age yet, but I think I am now starting to understand what “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” means. What it means to live, the human experience, how glorious it is - how scary it is. How often you’ll fight demons of the outside world as well as your own personal demons. But it is exciting! It is life, and it is what we should all embrace!
Life is too short to continue on, trying to watch every step we take. What’s the point in life if we are too afraid to live it? If we are too concerned of how others perceive us? Not to say we aren’t going to throw away our fears or insecurities - we are too human to do that. But what we can do is to accept ourselves for who we are and to accept others for who they are. What we can do is to live life - no matter how bleak it may seem.
I didn’t mean for this post to go in the direction that it is in right now, but how can it not? Funny how a simple idea and a little video can radiate such magic. And I have never been the type to go to Burning Man (though I have always been curious about it), but this video is pretty much the best promo for it. I want to experience this other world with them! Maybe one day.
NOTE: For every cynical person out there who has something to say about hippies, be on your way. Focus on the actual point of the literature and not so much on differing lifestyles or political views.