hedvig shows some leg

Hello world, just resurfaced. Got the Lag, and got it bad. It was really, really hard to leave, but there are some good reasons to be back in the Nation's Capital, and one big one is style. I saw it from the moment we were @ the gate @ JFK: nothing against NY, of course - we lived there forEVER - but I feel the style there is a bit.. safe. I'm not even saying that British style is necessarily British girls (or boys) - a city is always an amalgamation of every culture on the planet. But for me, in my opinion, what is going on in London is the same thing that happened in, say, Paris in the 30s: it is drawing a lot of like minded creative people.



People like my friend Hedvig. Who I photographed the day before we left, in early July. We just happened to find we were free & she was in my neck of the woods so we met for a coffee. The day was sultry, cool, rainy, like today, and I loved the way she was showing off her mile long tanned legs - she & her Man were fresh off the plane from holiday).



It seems so long ago, that day - so much has happened since. So much, and a whole lot of nothing. We spent a lot of time with friends, family - children seemed to be center focus most of the time - and had such fun. And I swam and swam until my mind went blank. And I feel renewed, but also I've got the Lag, and got it bad. And I started to think that one's personal 'style' is so much more than just the clothes we choose to wear. It's about how we decorate our homes, what we cook, what we do, how we LIVE.

And yet, at Gate 28 @ JFK, waiting with other British citizens, looking around at the gay couple who I wanted to photograph so badly (except, of course you can't really shoot people at the gate: you're about to ride an 8 hour flight with them, it's just not right) but something clicked in me: besides the cat, who I missed so much, and all our friends, and just the whole wonderful BRITISHNESS of it all, what I really missed was everyone's wonderful, personal, unique Style with a capital S.



The thing about Hedvig is she can walk into a shop and zero in on the item that is just exactly her own, personal style. (But the main thing I love about Hedvig is her HEART: she is just such a kind, kind friend). She never seems to wear the same ensemble twice but there are always ingredients from previous times, then something new. It's not always expensive: it just looks it. She mixes up good quality brands (like Acne) with cheaper things, especially from H&M. She's quite loyal to Scandinavian brands, I've noticed (she's Norwegian). Her handbags are usually the most expensive thing, or her shoes.



When I see H next I promise I'll source this for you. All I know is, her top - part poncho, part jumper - is from H&M cause she had just got it when I saw her.

(note: just discovered - we were both away - Hedvig's got a blog!! And she's used the logo I custom designed for her! So excited, it looks great. Check it out: Northern Lights.)

It's hard to be back. It felt like, landing in Heathrow, it was winter and we'd returned from a tropical climate (well let's face it: we did). I don't know how to dress today: I, too, want to show off my tanned, toned pins, but it's f-ing freezing out there, and about to rain. Yesterday, without my camera, I saw two unrelated women wearing summer dresses, black opaque tights and black shoes, that's probably a look I'll steal.

It's true, there ain't no cure for the summertime blues, but fashion is a fun little diversion.