Behind The Scenes "LWR Winter Product Shoot"

Hello again, lovely readers of this blog. Katy here:

Tuesday night’s winter product shoot was nothing short of spending time with some of your best friends. It was my first shoot with the LWR crew and I walked into what felt like my house. Situated in their studio – aka the garage – is where all the professional photos (with the darling Sara Cummings) you see posted on this here blog, the “book” and the website come to life.




I wish this [shoot] was my closet. However, it’s not that easy. These ladies pour ALL of their time into what you experience in the store. It’s clear that the brick-and-mortar Laced with Romance is the product of serious hard work. Not only do they understand and know where to look for the pieces that hang on their racks, they delve deeper in their Dust and Drag line – but that’s for later discussion.




It’s clear this colab between the crew was cultivated over time. Photog Matt McCoy has been in the family for a while. He’s one of Stephanie’s long-time best friends. Watching him photograph model Sara is as organic as are the articles of clothing that are produced within the studio by your’s truly. Not to mention Sara is acute at understanding how clothes work on a women’s body. After less than twenty minutes I was at peace.






But how long can I talk about these sentiments? – (FOREVER)! Moving on … what really stood out that night was the quality of the product, the garments that now hang on the racks. As Stephanie and Bekah pieced together the outfits, I asked questions – mostly about the D&D line. The answers all culminated in craftsmanship, which extends from the knowledge and history behind their clothing to the insanely stunning jewelry to the crew that is LWR.






Ohh… let’s not forget another important piece to this magic puzzle – MUSIC. That night we listened to Bjork’s “Telegram,” which was clearly a staple in the LWR creative process. A record I was unaware of, but will now seek out in 12-inch form. Thank you, by the way.



I will part by quoting something I wrote in the moment that night – something in regards to what I witnessed the Laced with Romance winter shoot to be: “Ancient-era-but-mod bronze metallic pieces mixed with autumnal hues fit perfect for an Austin winter that attempts to experience four seasons.”



Stay on patient toes for the next post…

words: katy ballard
photogs: katy ballard

I

I. The Dust & Drag Fall 2011 Lookbook, featuring Rima Hyena

PHOTOGRAPHY Briana Purser
STYLING Laced With Romance
WARDROBE Dust & Drag
JEWELRY & HEADPIECE Rima Hyena
HAIR Sara Cummings
MAKEUP Jacqueline Fernandez
MODEL Sara Cummings

II

II. The Dust & Drag Fall 2011 Lookbook, featuring Rima Hyena

PHOTOGRAPHY Briana Purser
STYLING Laced With Romance
WARDROBE Dust & Drag
JEWELRY & HEADPIECES Rima Hyena
HAIR Sara Cummings
MAKEUP Jacqueline Fernandez
MODELS Beth Zimmerman & Phillip Whaley

III

III. The Dust & Drag Fall 2011 Lookbook, featuring Rima Hyena

PHOTOGRAPHY Briana Purser
STYLING Laced With Romance
WARDROBE Dust & Drag
JEWELRY Rima Hyena
HAIR Sara Cummings
MAKEUP Jacqueline Fernandez
MODEL Mikaela Murry, Sara Cummings

IV

IV. The Dust & Drag Fall 2011 Lookbook, featuring Rima Hyena

PHOTOGRAPHY Briana Purser
STYLING Laced With Romance
JEWELRY Rima Hyena
HAIR Sara Cummings
MAKEUP Jacqueline Fernandez
MODEL Jordan Martinelli

V

V. The Dust & Drag Fall 2011 Lookbook, featuring Rima Hyena

PHOTOGRAPHY Briana Purser
STYLING Laced With Romance
WARDROBE Dust & Drag
JEWELRY Rima Hyena
HAIR Sara Cummings
MAKEUP Jacqueline Fernandez
MODEL Mikaela Murry

Tonight at The Mohawk!

VIDEO Bobby Scheidemann
SOUNDTRACK Markus Diffee

Coming Soon, part three

VIDEO Bobby Scheidemann
SOUNDTRACK Markus Diffee

Coming Soon, part two

VIDEO Bobby Scheidemann
SOUNDTRACK Markus Diffee

The Magpie

"My name is RIMA SHEEGOG.

I was born to a horse trainer mother and a pilot father in a rural area north of the Houston swamp in Texas. I grew up running around barefoot, catching snakes, making art, and riding horses. My parents nicknamed our homestead the 'funny farm' because we had everything from peacocks to alligators. My mother said that when I was little I was constantly building things she called 'alters'. To this day, any space I'm in for awhile I fill with small objects. I'm on the boarder of being a hoarder, but I think 'magpie' is a nicer way of putting it.

I have been working as a traditional jeweler and goldsmith for ten years. I earned a Master of Arts degree in metalsmithing and sculpture from Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, Texas. While attending college, a local master jeweler took me on as an apprentice. That is where I gained a more refined touch for the miniature and developed the classical skills of a bench jeweler. I believe I had to become a fine jeweler to find my own voice. Finding your own aesthetic, that 'voice', takes many years.

I actually never thought I'd be a jeweler because I was always an artist of other media, of painting and sculpture. Ironically, I did in fact have a pretend jewelry business during my elementary days starting at around age seven. I would display my creations--mostly beads and bones and such--for relatives and friends to possibly purchase for under a dollar.

I am currently burning the candle at both ends working 9 to 5 as a custom jeweler and metal caster at a high-end artisan shop in Austin and designing my line RIMA HYENA & THE CHILDREN OF THE COMING BRIGHT DAY. The work I do in the artisan shop is so highly refined and traditional that I can't wait to break the rules of size, design, and finishes with my own work.

I like the odd, old and sacred, even if it only looks sacred because it looks odd and old. I like to give my work narrative even if its only implied. As I get older, music plays a bigger part in my inspiration. The lyrics. The memories associated with certain songs. I am also inspired by symbols and imagery. Another rich source of inspiration for me is my humble inquiry into existence, nature, science, music, literature, art, mysticism, and even theories in physics, and philosophy.

I have become a purveyor of trinkets for the modern mystic. I build headdresses, talismans, amulets, jujus, hoodoos, and objet's d'snake spit, and continue to build my own symbolic vocabulary. I make jewelry for people who want something special, who feel something special when they see it and wear it, not because it matches their outfit.

With a healthy dose of humor and magpie curiosity, I make make make."













Laced With Romance is proud to collaborate with Rima on the Dust & Drag Fall 2011 Lookbook. Selections from RIMA HYENA & THE CHILDREN OF THE COMING BRIGHT DAY are for sale online at www.lacedwithromance.com or in the shop at 1601 S. First Street, Austin, Texas 78704.

WORDS Rima's own
PHOTOGRAPHY Bobby Scheidemann