Styling

I find it mildly amusing that companies are out there making designer masks. Don’t get me wrong, I am all about staying safe and following the rules, but spending some money on designer masks is funny to me. I know we live in the day and age where getting sick with Covid-19 can be a death sentence for some people. At that point, does it really matter if your mask is a knock off Chinese Gucci flying the colors of luxury? Hm. I suppose if you’re going to risk it, it might as well be with a sense of style. That is where we are with this new series. Maskless and with a sense of style.

We go indoors with this beautiful look brought forth by the talents of yours truly and the good people at Forever 21. Of course I forget who the MUAs were, but not to worry as this isn’t a sign a Alzheimer’s, nope, it’s just that I had to pull these photos from the archives of a time where people didn’t hide their face because of a dangerous virus. In other words, it was a long time ago and I forgot. They did a mighty fine job though by pulling off a very natural look for the lovely Ericka. We also procured a wonderful henna artist to do a beautiful white intricate pattern on the right arm. – ( EDIT: Half the mystery solved. Stylist: Jordan Crenshaw )

Why the name?

So why do I call this Frusciante? It is a reference to the mood board I put together for this look. Long ago I was this big fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and John Frusciante during the Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik album had this unusual style of wardrobe. Even today you can sort of see that his style of dressing has evolved, but it still maintains the uniqueness to it. Have a go on google to see what I am talking about. It most certainly was a major inspiration for this.

I find it to be a treat to go back and see these gems within my archives. It reminds me of how easy it was to arrange a shoot and not worry about having to leave the house without a mask. I guess that’s a lot of reflecting into each of these posts. How carefree it used to be once upon a time. It’s kind of like that complex henna tattoo you see here. Much like life, there’s all sorts of patterns that you can recognize. It can be beautiful, complicated, and take a long time. I am glad that I still have the privilege to create beautiful imagery even during a pandemic.

Will this inspire me to purchase one of those designer masks? Probably not. I am just fine with those .99 cent cheap ones.