now that you know nao, it's time to know noa

I know what you're thinking: that's easy for YOU to say.

But if you consider yourself remotely fashion forward, you've simply got to know Noa. She's the brains (AND the beauty) behind Brains+Beauty. She's pint sized, even for a 13 year old*. She talks more, and faster, than I do, which is a strange experience for me, karmically speaking.



It's hard to follow her thought process at times, but I know where she's coming from: she just thinks so fast and has to get those thoughts out of her head, to make room for the new ones pouring in. She didn't want me to shoot her nails as they were such a wreck, but I just felt that SOMETHING had to be imperfect about her look, and find it absolutely charming: it's so... 13, you know?



So even tho we've spoken & emailed countless times, I still didn't get it straight who exactly made her tights: they're either hand painted BY a friend, or hand painted by someone and a gift from a friend... the dress is the Real McQueen, and she showed me that she shortened it, which seemed blasphemous somehow - it's her mum's dress for God's sake! - but she said 'That's okay, I bought it for her.' HOW? Noa is THIRTEEN! What is it, babysitting money? Is she even old enough to babysit?



She does make me laugh tho. She told me 'everyone says I'm the British Tavi, which is ridiculous...' I mean, just like you could not invent Tavi, you couldn't invent Noa. She is a force of nature: a law unto herself.



Noa was showing me the construction of this dress: McQueen designed it so that it looks like a spine is running down the wearer's spine. I don't know why, but for some reason, that breaks my heart. That's when the tragedy hit me. I can't explain, but somehow seeing how this dress is made.. how could the same being that created this art, not want to live and live and live, to go on creating tomorrow, and the next day?



Oh btw, when I admired her coat - it's that kind of curly black fur like substance that reminds me of closely clipped poodles - I told her I used to have one from my step-grandmother, Martha, and stupidly gave mine away. She then proceeded to tell me how she was related to the coat on her back: something like her great aunt's ex boyfriend's mum. OH and in the middle of this impromptu shoot, the girl in the previous post appeared in the blue McQueen leggings: how wild is that.

I don't know much, but I do know this: Noa packs a ton of brains, and beauty, into such a petite package.

*EDITOR'S CORRECTION: Apologies. I got Noa's age wrong. In her own words:

"one correction hahaha I am 14! Turning 15 in less then 2 months :):)
When I was 13 I certainly did not wear eye makeup hahahha"