A few months back I was approach by Hell Yeah! Magazine to do an interview and to work on something together.  I suggested that M.I.S.S. do a fashion editorial because I love any excuse to get the team together to create something beautiful.

Since I was seeing a lot of work wear and heritage brand revival I thought it would be cool to see women in work wear because I hadn’t seen it done from a woman’s point of view.  The theme of the issue was Pop Art so to marry the two concepts we decided on a Rosie the Riveter meets Roy Lichtenstein as the inspiration. For hair and makeup we went with pin up hair and makeup – very classic and beautiful – also as seen in Lichtenstein’s damsels in distress.

My Mood Boards:

You can see the images and behind the scenes video below…

Oh, and we made the COVER!

Project: M.I.S.S. Editorial: “A Woman’s Work” fashion spread & cover in Hell Yeah! Magazine
Role: Creative Director & Producer
Notes: Rosie the Riveter meets Roy Lichtenstein in this fashion spread featuring work wear in the Pop Art Issue of Hell Yeah! Magazine

Paper Dolls Opening Reception: Mitsy Avila Ovalles, "Untitled" SOLD

Last Thursday, the M.I.S.S ladies got on planes and hopped into cars to make our way down to Los Angeles for our first ever art show, “Paper Dolls” at FIFTY24LA Gallery. It was a great excuse to see the ladies since we mostly work over the phone and via email – when we’re all together watch out – we form like Voltron and tear shit up!

Paper Dolls Opening Reception: Post Reception M.I.S.S. Dinner at Roscoes!

The show was a success with tons of people out and about for Downtown LA Art Walk, we had a steady stream of visitors and a few no-shows (damn LA parking!). It was great to connect with people we haven’t seen in a while like Laura Knapp, Lanie from Hellz and the DMPC ladies; It was also nice to finally meet ladies that we’ve worked with but hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting in person like Jaq from Nola Darling, Sarah Morrison of internet fame and Melinda of Her Nails. One of the highlights for me was finally meeting Estevan Oriol, whose store The Last Laugh is next door, who came by to check out the show.

Paper Dolls Opening Reception: Lanie Alabanza-Barcena & the Hellz Crew

The show would never have come together without the participation of so many talented artists whose work is so diverse. I am proud to have such an eclectic showing of pieces all with varying interpretations of the paper doll (and many of them sans clothing!) – with many pieces coming in from around the country (and some other countries too!). Many many thanks go out to all the participating artists: Adriana Yugovitch, Alice Mizrachi, Amanda Lopez, Branden Collins, Claw Money, Esther Kim, Farah Siozon, Fawn Gehweiler, Ilisha Helfman, Indie184, Insa, J. David Mckenney, Kelly Tunstall, Kerin.Rose, Kime Buzzelli, Leola Bermanzohn, Lisa Perrin, Liz Sullivan, Magda Sayeg (Knitta Please), Martina Fugazzotto, Melly Elliott, Miss Kika, Mitsy Avila Ovalles, Molly Crabapple, Narcissister, Nicole Markoff, Nubby Twiglet, Paulina Quintana, Queen Andrea, Sahara Marina Borja, Shin Tanaka, Sofia Maldonado, Solarspace (Austin Pinon), Tone Tank, and Toofly.

Paper Dolls Opening Reception: Fawn Gehweiler "Forest Girl" $150

A very big special thank you to the ladies who made this happen – Kimberly Jefferson and Lexx Valdez – as well as the L.A.-based M.I.S.S. interns Leilanie, Felicia and Ashley! Big hugs! And last but not least, many thanks to the Upper Playground family, FIFTY24LA, Krista & Melinda.

Please check out the Paper Dolls gallery to see photos of some of our visitors and all of the art pieces (a few pieces are missing – we’re getting those photos and will update the post shortly!). All of the items are for sale unless they are marked as SOLD. If you are interested in purchasing a piece, please email us at miss@missomnimedia.com with the name of the piece and the artist who created it.

The show runs until March 3, 2010 so if you missed the opening you have some time to check it out and there’s also the February Downtown LA Art Walk on February 11, 2010.

Thanks for all of your support and we look forward to putting together more events that push the culture forward and bring ladies together.

xoxo
GDK

A few months ago M.I.S.S. produced and art directed the look book for Office Tramp’s “Roses Aren’t Red” capsule collection. I love the way everything turned out – you can’t go wrong when you have strong product and a strong team. Many thanks to Gina Valdez at Office Tramp, Amanda Lopez, Liz Baca, Jenni Tay and Santé Johnson.

M.I.S.S. Editorial:Office Tramp 2010 “Roses Aren’t Red" Capsule Collection

And check out the behind the scenes video…

Sneaker Freaker 16 was recently released and yours truly is mentioned in 2 articles.  First, the lovely Sarah Jane Owen interviewed me for her research on an article devoted to the ever-controversial sneaker heels.  Next, Sneaker Freaker interviewed Lori Lobenstine and Amanda Lopez on a project they’re working on called Girls Got Kicks.  Since I helped bring the two talented ladies together they both kindly shouted me out.  Thank you!

Marco Svizzero of Vimby came by Mama’s Kitchen to chat with Liz and me about Mama and M.I.S.S. Many thanks to Marco, and all the people that are featured in the photos including Amanda Lopez, Liz, Ben Mayorga, Ali, Toofly, Kim, Jenni, and of course, my lovely Mama models: Reina, Mayra, Ashley, Candee, and Vanessa. Check out the video below!

Photo by Amanda Lopez

It’s been over a year in the making but I’m finally releasing Mi Vida Loca, my winter ’08 collection.  Inspired by the icon of west coast Americana style, the chola, Mi Vida Loca takes us from the Zoot Suit Riots of the 1940′s, to the low rider culture of today.  For those of you who have been following the Mama brand, you know that this is actually a theme I explored in one of my first Mama collections.  I revisited it again, first, because it’s a look that I love and am constantly drawn to.  Second, my production capabilities were much better today and I wanted to make all the pieces that I wasn’t able to the first time around.

As with all Mama productions, I would not have been able to bring the project to fruition without the help and support of many friends.

Amanda

Photo by OHW2007
Amanda Lopez is the special woman behind the camera that brings my ideas to life.  Not only are her photos beautiful, but it’s wonderful to watch her at work.  She has a great eye, and has the ability to direct people to get exactly what she wants in the gentlest manner.  I’ve enjoyed watching her career grow and as I look back at the year that we’ve worked together, her photos are among my favorite Mama images.

Liz

Photo by OHW2007
Liz Baca has been styling Mama photo shoots since my first “chola” collection in 2005 and she’s been with me since.   She always has a very clear understanding of what I’m going for and executes beyond perfection.  And, she always manages to have the perfect vintage pieces to complement whatever Mama collection I throw her way.  It’s been a pleasure working on shoot after shoot with Liz, and I look forward to many more.

Kimberly Mejia

This was my first shoot working with Kim Mejia, from Wak Shack Salon in San Francisco, and I regret that I never met her sooner.  She executed hairstyles from time periods ranging from the 1940s to the 1970s to perfection.  Kim is a woman that understands that when it comes to hair, more is more and the bigger the better!

Jenni Tay

Photo by OHW2007
This was also my first shoot working with Jenni Tay, who did makeup.  She created exactly what I envisioned, while also adding her personal touches.  Her tireless efforts, on makeup, touch-ups (and later as a light holder) were very appreciated.

Toofly
I’ve known Toofly for over 5 years and she’s always been so sweet, easy to work with and always willing and able to execute exactly what I envision.  Toofly designed one of the graphics this season, a “Toofly” girl with some Pachuca mixed in, and it’s one of my favorite designs.

Reynaldo & Spider
In my research for this collection one of the books I referenced was Cholo Style by Reynaldo Berrios.  His history and knowledge of the lifestyle, culture and style was an immense help in focusing my vision.  His book also introduced me to the work of Spider, an illustrator and tattoo artist whose fine line drawings are beautiful and reveal so much of what’s inside the artist himself.  Spider illustrated four graphics for this collection:  Virgen de Guadalupe, Bomba, Revolucionaria and Laugh Now, Cry Later.

Velez

Photo by OHW2007
Amanda introduced me to Velez (Last Originals Car Club) on the day of the shoot. She knew I wanted to photograph the girls with an old school car and she set it all up.  He was extremely hospitable and let us photograph in his garage and his car. His set-up lent us an authenticity that went beyond my expectations.

Lexx
Though no longer an intern, Lexx was with me when I was designing this collection.  She designed about half of the graphics that we printed on the tees and played a big role in researching and developing the theme.  She was the best intern I ever had, and though she couldn’t make it to the shoot, she was missed.

Dree
Another stellar intern, turned sales woman extraordinaire.  Dree started with me in 2006 and went on to become a Mama model, and later, Mama sales rep.  We missed her during the shoot!

Ali (OHW2007)
Words can not express how much love I have for Ali.  He’s my best friend and biggest supporter.  He never backs away from any request, and always pushes me to do better.  Ali is the person who introduced me to the whole west coast look (as I’m a NYer) and this season, and Mama, would not have been possible without his tireless wisdom and support.  In addition to all of that, Ali took behind the scenes photos that you can view here and did all of the hand style in the look book.

Mama Locas
Reina

Photo by Amanda Lopez
Reina was with me on the first chola shoot, and it was after seeing how natural she was in front of the camera and easy to shoot, that I decided that she should be the “official Mama spokesmodel” and I’ve been working with her since.  She never fails to embody and personify exactly the look I want and she always gets the shot in just a few tries.

Mayra

Photo by OHW2007
Mayra was born to do this photo shoot.  She’s got the look down to a tee and has “Mousie” on her bag.  Mayra was a Mama intern when I was designing this collection and she couldn’t wait to do this shoot, and I couldn’t wait for her to be in it.  Many thanks to Mayra for a great job, and for the introduction to Kim.

Candee

Photo by Amanda Lopez
Candee is the baby and little sister of the group.  She always manages to bring a smile and a laugh to everyone’s face with her combination of innocence, sarcasm and sass.  She started out as an intern, then started as a Mama model and hasn’t stopped since.

Ashley

Photo by Amanda Lopez
Ashley joined the family by responding to a Mama model casting call on myspace a year ago for the Operation Saigon Sunset photo shoot.  It was a large group shoot, but her great personality and smile convinced us that we needed her as part of the Mama family.

Vanessa

Photo by Amanda Lopez
Vanessa was a very, early supporter of Mama as a buyer for a store in Sacramento.  She was one of my first accounts, and I later learned that she was Amanda’s sister.  With such a strong theme of friendship, sisterhood and family as a part of Mi Vida Loca we thought it was only natural to have her be a part of the shoot.

You can see the Mi Vida Loca look book here and the behind the scenes shots here.

Photo by Amanda Lopez