2.11.09

the girl in the leopard loubs



When I was out on Gloucester Road the other day, doing errands, I saw Kaya (or Yoshi, her nickname) from a distance and, I swear, my eye was so drawn to her feet that they looked this large & clear to me, from a distance.



Thanks to you bloggers (okay, and LFW), I've developed such a hunger for height on feet, ridiculous height, and especially, a hunger for Louboutins. (And THESE Louboutins, specifically, altho other brands, like Asos & Office, are doing nice knock-offs). So much so that I was amazed to read that he's only been doing it since 1992: I somehow thought they traced back to Chanel days, and he was like a zillion years old (or no longer on this mortal coil. But thank goodness, he is! Alive, and well.). In this relatively short space of time, Christian Louboutin, as you all well know, has created something so iconic, with those shiny red soles, that he's even patented it.



But I never see them on the street. Not during the day, anyway, which is when I'm doing my street shooting. What I see on the street is usually footwear like Annie, yesterday: comfortable, cosy, Ugg-like footwear. Which is why this was such a 'find' for me. I mean, Kaya wasn't just, as they say, wearing those Louboutins: they were clearly wearing her, leading her along like two wild twin unruly puppies.



I thought she was with her friend, or perhaps, a sister, but it was her mother! Who was having some kind of conversation with her about whether to let me shoot her. I chose this background because I liked the texture of the cheap wood next to the animal print, but she was so painfully shy shooting her that the more I clicked, the more she seemed to try to literally climb into the background. She gave me this title, by the way, when she emailed me. 'Hi, it's Kaya, the girl in the leopard loubs'.

P.S. UPDATE:
Just heard from Kaya. She said it's okay to write what she told me after, that she was self conscious about being shot (altho she has her own blog) because she was afraid she'd look fat. That makes me absolutely mental: I had my stint of being too thin when I was a teenager. Now that I'm happy in my own skin, I eat what I want. But I'm aware I'm a fidgety person who burns a lot even sitting down. Still, it scares me when slim girls start talking like that.

Our bodies look different from our own perspective. Perhaps it has something to do with the position of our heads: it throws it all out of proportion.

Anyway, I thought that was a brave thing for her to let me tell all of you, and I'm hoping this will start an honest dialogue - as Alice has written recently in her blog, Little Miss London - about how the fashion industry can set up unrealistic expectations of body perfection. In her case, she hates her thighs. Do you have a part of your body you hate? Mine was my waist: that's where I put on weight. Now, I embrace my big belly! ; )

Oh, and sourcing: sweater dress from erin wasson x rvca • headchain by low luv • jersey/leather panel leggings by helmut lang • bag coco bag by aleander wang

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

"yes, she can!" (...Me not...I think O_O)

Francesca - Florence

Sofie said...

Hey sweetheart!!
How are you? I know it has been a while since my last visit and comment (did you receive it?)... So I hope all is well and you are doing fine!
How was the Halloween weekend?!
I purchased tons of sweets for the kids - and the half is left!!! (Why the hell do I chose trick so often?!?!... ;) )
Yoshi is really an eyecatcher, that's true.
And her CB leopard booties are calling HELLOOOOOO (or in this case: ROOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRR!) all over Gloucester Road and so it was no surprise you're hypnotized immediately....
Wishing you a fabulous week, darling!!
xoxo Sofie

The Photodiarist said...

I LOVE these boots.

StyleSpy said...

Shy girls shouldn't wear such fantastic outfits -- they draw too much attention! Probably she should just send those boots to me and then folks will leave her alone.


http://closetaltar.blogspot.com

Pearl Westwood said...

WOW outfit envy - Jill did you ask where here leggings were from? They are amazing! Also love the Wang bag.
I read a bio on CB and apparently he only planned to do one season with red soles, changing to a different colour for each new season. But due to the sucess of the red he didn't ever get around to the other colours!

Unknown said...

Oh total envy, wish I had lepoard loubs!
XOXOX
Libby
http://fashionconfectionairy.weebly.com

daisychain said...

omg those boots!

Anonymous said...

is it me, or does she look like a brunette marykate olsen?
- sara

Cindy Van Dyck said...

They're awesome!

Anonymous said...

It's not so much the shows I'm looking at but her gorgeous alexander wang bag!!!!! :D
Well and the shoes of course ;)
Nicky x

Cafe Fashionista said...

Every time I see those shoes I die a little more. I so know that I would never be able to walk in them; but simply gazing upon their loveliness from the depths of my closet would be satisfying enough! :)

sofiasophie said...

hese loub are crazy..
what I really really like is the kind of degradé......

Unknown said...

Wow... now I really feel fat.. if she thinks shes fat... thats really kind of sad.

dot said...

jessica: that's how i felt! i asked her to compare shots of herself with, say, georgie or estelle, and see she is thinner than model proportions! sounds like you've got the right attitude. tried to find your blog but couldn't find one, so hope to hear from you again. thanks for commenting - everyone!

and nicky: did you actually recognise the alexander wang bag BEFORE i added the sourcing from yoshi? that is scary. how do you know all this shit???

Susan said...

wow... those boots are yummy! :))
xoxo

Belinda said...

Those boots are gorgeous...and my hat's off to her for being able to walk in them during the day, as opposed to just wearing them out to dinner or something less brutal on the poor feet! She looks great...and no way, no how in any way does she look remotely *fat*! I have to also add that I am so jealous of her glossy brunette mane...I wish mine would grow that long, and shiny! :-)

Jessica said...

Hi there dot :) Sorry, I was signed in with the wrong email.. here's a link to my blog.. its not much.. anyways I really enjoy your photos and all the stories you have to go with them.. although you shoot all the trends right now and blogger favourites that are included on most other fashion photography blogs, yours stands out to me because you include cute stories and other things! i'm really enjoying reading your blog and thanks for sharing your vision with us :)