Last spring I had to most amazing opportunity to shoot my music video for Love Me Right in the most stunning home (MY ACTUAL DREAM HOME) in Altadena, CA.
I just came across these photos again the other day and was confused as to why I’ve never shared them.
With the support and love of my friends, I was able to make this video happen.
Love Me Right is all about respect, it’s about love, it’s about wanting to be seen and wanting to be appreciated. I wanted to share these photos to appreciate and support those who helped me create it.
Anica, our producer extraordinaire. I’m grateful for her.
For this shoot, I had no clothing budget so I had to get very creative with my options! As I often do, I thrifted some of the pieces and upcycled what I already had, and was gifted some of the other pieces.
Outfit # 1: Mellow Yellow - The top was a Vintage Victoria Secret PJ top I thrifted, the jeans were a gift from Boyish Denim (They are an eco-friendly company and make their jeans with recycled cotton), Scissor Earring and Sterling Choker from Danica Stamenic, who let me use so many beautiful pieces from her collection for this shoot. Most of the jewelry you’ll see in these photos are courtesy of her. Nameplate and Cherub necklace were a gift from Shami.
Outfit # 2: HEART - For this coat, my number one inspiration was Shu Shu tong, one of my favorite designers. I had this black coat already so I cropped it so it could be worn as a dress and stitched hearts all over it. I paired it with some knee-high socks and shoes from ASOS that I already owned.
Outfit #3: Lady Luck - I wanted to go very chic lady tux on this one and I did just that. I thrifted this whole outfit. I found a pair of men’s slacks and cropped them into shorts, I loved the idea of the lace underneath to make it feel a little bit more feminine. I sewed the pearl buttons to the front of the cropped blazer. They actually didn’t work so I ended up having to sew the blazer on to actually wear it.
Outfit #4: Flower child - To make this dress used a vintage bedsheet. Using the elastic edges for the top and straps. My grandma used to be the queen of a halter dress and this reminded me of her. I literally made this dress in a few hours, by hand, the day before we were supposed to shoot!
Outfit #5: Black Ruffle - This was another dress that I owned and loved the bottom but the top of it just did not fit me, so I took the bottom off and attached it to a blazer. I added the ruffles and wrapped them around to the back and then sewed on vintage flower patches. At first, I was unsure about the flowers but decided it fit the mood.
Outfit #6: Pick WICK Baby - This stunning Vintage Chloe floral dress was a gift from my friend and my mom Kristen Bell. We found it at the Pick Wick Vintage Show in Burbank, CA. Underneath I wore a blouse by River Island that I already owned. I have always dreamt about making a cooking show wear beautiful designer clothing and felt that this was the manifestation of that dream.
Bantu knots by my lovely friend and neighbor Tina Deshawn.
