Ruth Barzel's Spring Lookbook 2016

After being away for more than a month, I am so happy to be back in your presence again. I know some of you may not want to be friends any longer and I can accept that. Understand that I have been away for too long trying to get my self-esteem higher, my life prioritized and my aura cleansed. With all of this negativity around us every day, it is important to cleanse your spirits and keep good energy around and within you. For me, the best way to focus on doing just that is to put all of my energy into it. So writing and journaling had to sit on the back burner for a while.

 

 However, today I wanted to share with you an amazing collaboration I did this past month with Ruth Barzel, a local jewelry designer. If you have been following my journey since the beginning, you may remember our first collaboration in 2014. I had more hair then and I had just turned 18 years old--boy how times have changed. As the universe may have it, me and Ruth kept in touch after that. In the fall of 2015 she reached out to me to discuss another opportunity to collaborate for her spring lookbook. I immediately jumped to the opportunity. My first experience with her was enjoyable so it was an easy yes for me. This time around there was to be a different setting and an overall different concept. Yet her delicate jewelry pieces still remained beautiful and elegant.

 

We did the photoshoot at Sweet Lime Portrait Design in Arlington, VA. The studio was beautiful and the photographer, Michelle Hayes made sure I was comfortable with the environment. Being in front of the camera can feel awkward if you are not completely comfortable with the environment, photographer and even your overall appearance. If  you are not comfortable it will surely look like so in the photos you take. So for that, I graciously thank Michelle. For having me and for being kind to me.

Now looking at these photos, I have to say I am proud of myself and thankful for my strength. Before the shoot took place, I was worried about my acne and acne scars. I had been battling with anxiety due to the breakouts that took over my face. I began to question it all. I expressed these feelings to Ruth and she was very understanding and was willing to make it work, whatever "it" would be. Her support and understanding is what helped me muster up the courage to move forward with the shoot. Lucky for me, I had 2 beautiful and supportive women in the studio to uplift my spirit--and that they did. After all of the uncertainty, I am more than pleased with how the photographs turned out. Although I do not see myself pursuing a modeling career, I enjoy working with local designers and artist because it shows a sense of community and that is something we are in dire need of.

 

 

If you are interested in seeing the entire lookbook or purchasing any of the jewelry pieces designed by Ruth Barzel, click the link below.

 

http://www.ruthbarzel.com/

 

The Style Book Launch Party

 

O U T F I T:

 

S N E A K P E E K:

 

It's October! I don't know if I should cry or be happy that the holiday season is near. There is a lot to be joyous and excited about this fall and winter. To kick off this month, I attended a launch party. The launch party was for a style book that I had been apart of. I was asked by my good friend and manager, Christen Kinard to model for a secret project for Alexandria Stylebook. I was thrilled to know that my face would be in a published book. That to me is something that happens once in a life time. 

 

I was invited to the style book launch party which was held in the most adorable and unique venue in Alexandria, Virginia. I spent my Thursday night dancing to a live band, eating great food and sharing great moments in a room full of amazing women. It was a wonderful night of mingling and celebrating a phenomenal accomplishment for Alexandria Stylebook and myself. This was very important for me to be apart of. I feel that this book is helping Alexandria get one step closer to changing the dynamics of fashion in the area. There are so many amazing boutiques and stylist in the Alexandria/ Oldtown area that are often unnoticed. Many of these boutiques include The Shoe Hive, Kiskadee and Coco Blanca--all of which were apart of this style book. There are also several great stylist in the area such as Kathryn Martin and Alicia McCaslin. I would also consider myself an upcoming stylist in the area but there is still work to be done on my part to truly achieve this dream.

 

For those who are interested in The Style Book it is available now for purchase electronically and as a hard copy. I would suggest everyone check out Alexandria Stylebook and support all that they are doing. Especially if you are a lover of fashion, beauty and health/wellness. You will not be disappointed.

 

I promise!

Catching Up + Photo Shoot

Hi Loves! I first want to thank you all for your patience with me. I have been crazy busy and I am so sorry for completely neglecting you all. But I will say, I have so much great things in store for Broke City Grl. I am happy to announce that I finally found a free-lance photographer to assist me with my blog. I will be doing a post on her pretty soon so you all can meet her! I can assure you guys that big things are soon to come. 

On another note, I wanted to share this amazing photo shoot with you all. I was delighted to collaborate with a few local artist for this beautiful Audrey Hepburn inspired photo shoot. I had always loved styling photo shoots as it is definitely something I am highly interested in. So when this opportunity came along, I absolutely could not give it up. 

S T Y L I N G  D E T A I L S:

White Blouse- Forever 21 for $19.99

Flowered Headpiece- Created by Anthony Wright 

Feathered Hat- Nordstrom Rack (not sure of the brand) for $30

Black Dress- Forever 21 for $25

Grey and White Shift Dress- T.J. Maxx for $35

Pearls- Thrifted for $7

Burgundy Hat- Thrifted for $14

Waist Blazer- Thrifted for $15

This shoot was indeed very inspirational for me and I am so thankful for the opportunity and the creative team behind it. The photographer is Anthony Wright. He is a local photographer in the DMV area. You must check out his work! The make-up artist is also local. Her name is Crystal Rhone, she is a free-lance,self-taught makeup artist. The beautiful model is Roshelle. She has been modeling for a few years now. She is also free-lance artist based in this area. I will include the links to their personal Instagram and websites below. Be sure to check out their work. 

Anthony Wright: http://anthonywrightphoto.format.com/home/#1

Crystal Rhone: http://instagram.com/crystalrhone

Roshelle: http://instagram.com/roshelleelena

Thank you for your ongoing support,

Love ya! 

Last Day To VOTE -Phase I

 

Happy Sunday loves! I wanted to share something with you all once more with hopes that you all will continue to support me. If you have been keeping up with my blog the past few days, you may already know that I auditioned for America's Next Top Model Cycle 22. They held an open casting call on January 3, 2015 at Pentagon City Mall. I have always thought about modeling growing up but I never thought I had it in me. Not to mention I was ashamed about a few of my flaws. I completely ignored my desire to model until recently. I finally began to start my modeling career. I first started out with free lance modeling. I modeled for local street style blogs and a local jewelry designer in 2014. Thanks to my family and my friends, I mustered up the confidence to audition for D.C. Fashion Week. Low and behold, I made the modeling team! I was super excited and ready to take on the runway. After D.C. Fashion Week came to an end, it was time for something even bigger. Thus, ANTM was my next calling. Many other people have dreamt about being America's Next Top Model as well. So the competition is heavy and my chances are slim. But I am determined to push my hardest and stay motivated. If it is meant to be it will be. But with your help my dream may become a reality. 

 

DCW50 is offering one ANTM contestant the chance of winning $1000 and a chance to be on a 10 second promotional ad that will air during the premiere of America's Next Top Model Cycle 22.  I appreciate all of you that have already voted! Please continue to support me throughout my journey to greatness. I ask that you all click the link ("vote here") below and vote for MODEL 355.

 

VOTE HERE!

Recap: Ruth Barzel Fall/Winter 2014 Lookbook

 Hi everyone! As I mentioned a while back, I had the honor of modeling for Ruth Barzel's Fall/Winter Lookbook. Ruth Barzel is a local jewelry designer and she is an amazing person. We met during a work day at The Shoe Hive. Thanks to a little bit of networking and friendly chit chat I was offered this opportunity. You can find most of her pieces on her Etsy shop if you are interested. Click the link below to access her shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/barzel

Our shoot went wonderfully! It was so much fun to be apart of this. All photographs were taken by Christen Kinard, manager at The Shoe Hive. This shoot was a challenge for us all. The location was beautiful as you can see but getting there was not easy. There was a lot of climbing and jumping over water. But it was all worth it. I have always loved being photographed so when this opportunity came up, I couldn't say no! We purchased the clothing for this shoot from Shop Anthom in the Mosaic District of Fairfax, VA. They are fairly new if you all have not heard of them but they have a ton of fantastic pieces. They are a bit pricey though.

All of the jewelry pieces you see in the photographs above are handmade by Ruth Barzel herself. They are very delicate pieces and one of a kind. The shoes are by AGL. They are the shimmer suede wedge in grey. You can find these shoes at The Shoe Hive now if you are looking for a comfortable chic wedge for the winter. Makeup and hair was done by me!  I am not a high maintenance model so I had no problem with being my own glam squad :) I have included a link below to Ruth Barzel's Fall/Winter Lookbook for 2014. You can check out the full lookbook there!

http://www.ruthbarzel.com/fallwinter-2014-lookbook/