BIRDS OF A FEATHER: JESSIE

SO WE MAKE A LITTLE HOUSE VISIT OVER LE WEEKEND,

A NEW FRIEND AND MUSE.

JESSIE, THE PHOTOGRAPHER, FROM LOS ANGELES.

AND WE CAN'T EVEN HOLD THAT AGAINST HER, BECAUSE SHE IS SO CHARMING AND DELIGHTFUL AND SO GENUINE.

AND WE FIND WE LIKE ALL OF THE THINGS SHE LIKES, RIGHT DOWN TO HER TURQUOISE SHUTTERS IN HER ABODE, AND WE DIG THE WAY SHE LOOKS IN OUR CLOTHES.

SHE'S HEADED OFF TO COACHELLA, SO WE ONLY HAVE A LITTLE TIME TO GUSH BEFORE SHE GOES. 

AND SHE LETS US LOOK AROUND, ASK HER QUESTIONS, BECAUSE WE ARE NOSEY LIKE THAT, AND SHE IS GRACIOUS LIKE THAT. 

NAME: Jessie Chaney

JOB: Photographer

RESIDENCE: Notting Hill

BREAKFAST: Green Juice and Granola

HOLIDAY: St. Barth's

CITY: Los Angeles

TOOLS: Yoga

ESSENTIALS: Black Eyeliner, camera, almonds, headphones

UNIFORM: Dress, boots and leather jacket

FLOWER: Peony

ART: Robert Frank, Jeff Wall, Man Ray, Rothko, William Eggleston, Jackson Pollock

MUSIC: Neil Young, Black Keys, Radiohead, Beachhouse, Yeayeayeahs, Fleetwood Mac

PYJAMAS: Vintage Slips

TATTOOS: Feather for freedom, lightness and spirituality, Star connecting with my sister/other half who has a moon, OM as a sacred reminder, Fleur de Lis.

TIPPLE: Rose

ICON: Lee Miller, my mom

VICES: Soy lattes, boots, scarves, jewelry and chocolate

BOOK: Just Kids 

ERA: 1970's

ANIMAL SPIRIT: Dolphin

MY BOHEMIA: Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but photographs...

BEFORE WE HAVE EVEN STARTED DRESSING HER UP, WE HAVE ALREADY MADE PLANS TO GO TO INDIA TOGETHER. 

(WHEN WE FALL IN LOVE, WE FALL HARD AND WE FALL QUICKLY, BE IT WITH FABRIC OR FRIENDS)

ALIX OF BOHEMIA LOLA DRESS IN NAVY SPOTS

THE  ALIX OF BOHJEMIA LORELEI JACKET, INSIDE OUT!

SHE'S BEAUTIFUL ON THE INSIDE TOO.

AND AGAIN,

THE INSIDE STORY:

THE INTERIOR OF THE ALIX OF BOHEMIA FREE LOVE WAISTCOAT.

WE LIKE VERY MUCH REVERSIBLE AND VERSATILE THINGS.

WORN OVER THE MARCEL BLOUSE IN CHIFFON SPOTS.

DETAIL OF ALIX OF BOHEMIA MERMAID DRESS, WITH SEAWEEDS ON IT AND BANDS OF LACE THROUGH THE BODY.

CAN WE HANG OUT HERE ALL DAY JESSIE GIRL?

WE WANT TO SIP SOYA LATTES WITH YOU AND COMPARE NOTES.

TO TAKE IN THE TALENTS OF THE NEWEST FREE SPIRIT OF OUR TRIBE

GO AND SEE JESSIE 

WWW.JESSIECHANEY.COM

BOHEMIANS: MEET MICKEY

He was short of his age, 

with rather bow legs and sharp, ugly eyes.

Hit hat was stuck on top of his head so lightly, 

that it threatened to fall off every moment.

He wore a man's coat, which nearly reached his heels.

He had turned the cuffs back,

half-way up his arm, 

to get his hands out of the sleeves, 

Apparently, with the ultimated view of 

Thrusting them into his corduroy trousers, 

which is where he kept them.

He was, altogether,

as roystering and swaggering a young gentleman

as ever stood four feet six.

                                            C. Dickens, Oliver Twist

THIS IS MICKEY, OUR BOYFRIEND.

(JUST KIDDING MOTHER! WE CAN HEAR YOUR HEART STOPPING FROM HERE).

IN TRUTH HE'S A PAL, AN ORIGINAL,

ONE OF THE LOVELY ONES FROM AROUND THE ROAD.

AND HE DOESN'T BITE.

(TRUST US, SWEET MICKEY HASN'T ENOUGH TEETH TO DRAW BLOOD)

AT ANY RATE, 

YESTERDAY WE WENT ROUND TO HIS CAVE FOR A CUP OF TEA AND TO PICK UP SOME MENDING AND WE COULDN'T RESIST SNAPPING A COUPLE OF IMAGES.

IN OUR MIND, HE IS THE ARTFUL DODGER, BUT TWICE AS NICE AND MUCH, MUCH COOLER.

SEE MY CAT? MICKEY SAYS,

HE'S VERY LOW MAINTENANCE:

SHOWING OFF HIS NEWEST ACQUISITION, A CARNIVAL SIGN FROM THE TURN OF THE CENTURY. HE WAS PRETTY JAZZED ABOUT IT, THE IMAGE BLURRY FROM HIS WILD GESTICULATIONS.
THIS WAS HIS PROJECT FOR TODAY, HE TOLD US, GETTING THE LIGHTS TO WORK AGAIN,

RIGHT AFTER HE FINISHED A BATCH OF BORSCHT, THAT IS. 

PRIORITIES, PEOPLE. 

THE TROUSERS IN NEED OF SOME BOHEMIAN HANDS, 

PATCHED WITH JAPANESE INDIGO

THIS PATTERN IS CALLED

'FALLING SNOW'

AND BECAUSE WE DON'T LIKE TO EXCHANGE MONEY BETWEEN FRIENDS FOR SERVICES RENDERED,

MICKEY OFFERS US THE MOST DELICATE AND PALE TURQUOISE JAPANESE QUILT, TO MAKE INTO A JACKET, SHOULD WE BE ABLE TO CUT INTO IT:

THAT MAN HAS GOT OUR NUMBER, AND WE MUCH PREFER TO HAVE SOMETHING CHOSEN FOR US, INSTEAD OF CHOOSING FOR OURSELVES.

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL SCRAP FOR THE TEXTILE ARCHIVE, TO JOIN THE REST OF OUR RETIREMENT PLAN.

(OUR CAPITAL IS TIED UP IN FABRICS, JUST THE WAY WE LIKE IT)

ABSITIVELY POSOLUTELY!

AIMEE'S TABLE

EVEN A BOHEMIAN GIRL HAS GOTTA EAT FROM TIME TO TIME , SO WHEN WE WERE INVITED TO A LITTLE TASTING BY THE DARLING AND DIVINE 
AIMEE HIRSCH, WE BID FAREWELL TO OUR SEWING MACHINE, THREW ON SOME WARM RAGS AND HUSTLED OVER TO HER KITCHEN ON SEYMOUR WALK TO SEE WHAT WAS ON THE MENU:

THE LADY HERSELF AT WORK, COAXING DRESSED CRAB INTO TINY TOMATOES

PROSCUITTO WRAPPED FIGS WITH GORGONZOLA AND WATERCRESS:

HANDSOME HAL'S HELPING HANDS:

LEMON POLENTA CAKE WITH CREME FRAICHE AND BLUEBERRIES:

BLOOD ORANGE SALAD WITH SHAVED FENNEL AND OLIVES:

SLOW ROAST HARISSA SHOULDER OF LAMB WITH CHICKPEAS AND SAFFRON YOGURT:

SPICED QUAIL WITH VIETNAMESE NOODLE SALAD:

GETTING INTO IT: A CHORUS OF FOOD ORGASMS AND INSTAGRAMMING ENSUES

APPARENTLY THIS WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING OF THE GRAZING. ONTO THE THREE COURSE DINNER:

GARLIC CROSTINI WITH WILD MUSHROOMS, POACHED DUCK EGG AND TRUFFLE OIL:

PINE NUT CRUSTED RACK OF LAMB WITH POTATO DAUPHINOISE AND MINTED GREEN BEANS:

THE MOST INSANE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE TORTE WITH HAZELNUT AND SALTED CARAMEL CRUST THAT MADE US WEAK IN THE KNEES:

(WHO NEEDS A BOYFRIEND WHEN YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO CAN MAKE THIS BADBOY?)

SHE'S BEAUTIFUL AND THE GIRL CAN COOK LIKE AND ANGEL.

LAUGHING HERE WITH HER VERY GLAMOUROUS MAMA OVER A BIT OF MONKFISH:

ALWAYS A TREAT WHEN THE FOOD TASTES EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN IT LOOKS.

ITS A REALLY GOOD THING WE WORE OUR FATTY PANTS TO THIS TASTING, WHEN WE WERE RELEASED WE BASICALLY ROLLED ONTO THE STREETS OF CHELSEA. 

TO GET A PIECE OF AIMEE (AND THAT TORTE!):

GO HERE: AIMEE HIRSCH

MOVING BLUES

SO.

WE'VE BEEN PRETTY SILENT BUT WE HAVE AN EXCUSE.

WE'VE BEEN MOVING AND SHAKING.

WE SPENT DAYS AND DAYS PACKING EVERY LAST SCRAP OF FABRIC AND TRANSPORTING IT, (WITH THE KIND HELP OF SOME CAPABLE GYPSY HANDS) AND THEN WE HAD THIS TO CONTEND WITH:

THAT IS A HELL OF A LOT OF FABRIC. 

ITS ABOUT AS UNGLAMOUROUS AS IT LOOKS.

BUT WE'RE USED TO UP AND MOVING, IT KIND OF KEEPS US ON OUR TOES.

AND THANK GOD FOR THE LOVELY INTERNS FROM TRENTINO WHO SEW LIKE ANGELS, WHILE WE ARE UP TO OUR EYEBALLS IN AFRICAN BAGS AND TEARING OUR HAIR OUT BECAUSE WE CANNOT LOCATE THE GOD FORSAKEN CORD TO THE PRINTER.

ENOUGH WITH THE UGLINESS OF TRANSITION, LET'S LOOK AT SOMETHING PRETTY.

LIKE JANE.
 AND A LITTLE BIT OF SERGE:

 THE COOLEST CAPED CRUSADER

BASKETS ARE BETTER THAN BIRKINS, EVEN JANE THINKS SO.

ITS PROBABLY A GOOD THING WE CANNOT FIND THE SCISSORS, OTHERWISE WE MIGHT FEEL COMPELLED TO CUT OURSELVES SOME FRINGE A LA JANE.

HAIR AND EYELASH HEAVEN

WE WANT TO RIP THIS OUTFIT FROM HER LOVELY GAMINE BODY

WITH THE KIDS

WITH B.B.

CROCHET CROP TOP HEAVEN

AND NOW BACK TO THE SISYPHEAN TASK AT HAND, UNPACKING.

OH THE SHEER TEDIUM OF IT ALL!

ITS NOT EASY. 

BUT AS JANE SAYS:

(WISE AND BEAUTIFUL THAT ONE)