Blue is all X, all manly, right from the start, declaring “It’s a boy!” in pastel, baby-friendly hues. Marlon Brando made blue bad, wearing his fitted jeans with a muscle-baring tee and a no care attitude, while Jane Birkin was sexy, feminine, classic, waving the (red white and) blue of her French home-away-from home in a pair of Levi 501s.

Blue is the immensity of the ocean. It’s the danger of the unknown, the exhilarating thought that there is still opportunity for discovery. Blue is the clarity found on a bright summer’s day, it’s the cocoon-like comfort that the sky, in all its enormity, can provide.

Blue is more than a colour, it’s an emotion, a feeling, something you can catch. Lula Mae got the Blues before she became Holly and started getting the Mean Reds instead.

Blue can be ordinary, it can be every day, but it can be a little left of centre too. Blue is the colour of art, of music, of the Deep South’s Blues, popularised in the 1920s and revived sixty years later by a pair of suited Brothers. Joni Mitchell named her seminal album Blue, and a young Mick Jagger set out to be a Blues singer.  

Blue is brave and rebellious, classic and demure. It’s the discipline of a navy-clad soldier and the freedom of a country child in worn overalls.

Blue is eternal.

Recently I borrowed my cousin Nandi and her particularly pretty face to execute an idea that’s been floating around in my head for a while now. As somebody who has been actively fangirling since before it was even a thing, I have a rather robust catalogue of ‘No.1 Crushes’ filled with handsome fellas ranging from the widely adored Harry Styles to the slightly embarrassing Chris Martin (One True Love) to anyone with a Scottish accent i.e. David Tennant. Among the many men in my life is Leonardo Dicaprio, an undeniably fine specimen who managed to make even the 90s look good- floppy hair and oversized vests included.

It was a book on my beloved Leo that first sparked the flame to my creative fire. I picked up The Leonardo Dicaprio Album at my local bookstore for $1.50 and oh what a purchase it was… for less than a cup of coffee I got 104 pages of Leo related content including some truly Phwoar-worthy photos and a whole bunch of hilariously blah ‘HAHA!’ ones. These photos and their potential as a wall collage/shrine led to an entire photo shoot dedicated to the man they pay homage to.

The whole process of styling and photographing a shoot was new to me, but, after all the fun I had, I will definitely be giving it another go in the near future.



Behind the Scenes: Star Cross'd

 

Here are some behind-the-scene photos from a Leo-inspired shoot I did yesterday. The beautiful girl in the photos is my dearest cousin Nandi.

I'll try and have the actual shoot up later this week.