Charlotte York (City Girl) meets Jared (Country Boy)

Unapologetic. Unapologetic. Un-ap-ol-og-et-ic. UNAPOLOGETIC. It's my mantra. It's my lifestyle. It's tattooed on me. It's the theme of this photoshoot.

Ok, so I'm at work one day speaking with Jared, when somehow we got on the topic of sewing, photoshoots and fashion shows. I was telling him that I had a fashion show a few years ago, but the process burned me out so bad, I stepped away from sewing for quite awhile. I explained the many things I would change if I ever did another one. The fashion show itself turned out really good, with the help of everyone who participated, but the journey was journey-ing chile. Many new lessons learned, and many old lessons unlearned. Anyway, I was explaining to him how when I dressed people for the fashion show, I made sure the outfits they wore, were something outside of their comfort zone. I always ask potential models, "What's one look you would love to wear, if you had the guts to wear it?" I love hearing people's ideas, because their face always light up when they start describing that one gutsy look. Those conversations are how we decide exactly what they're going to wear. Jared and I started discussing the idea of him modeling for me, and he proceeds to tell me that "Sex and the City" and "Just Like That", are two of his favorite shows. I tell him how I've probably seen every episode of Sex and the City, many times. He then tells me that Charlotte is his favorite character, and at that very moment, I knew we would dress him as the male Charlotte York.

Over the next few weeks, we sent each other Charlotte York looks, poses, colors, etc. We had to first find material with a pattern that Charlotte wore or would definitely wear. We were determined. First stop.... fabric store. I was excited to have found some interesting fabric at the first fabric store I went to and sent Jared the pics.

After Jared picked the fabric he wanted, it was time to get to work. We played with different ideas, and he kept stressing to me that I had all creative control. I always want to make sure the model has some inclusiveness, because after all, they're the ones that have to wear the clothes. I really wanted to do this project justice, so I had to make sure it was something fun and creative. I decided that we were going to do something bold and unapologetic, and so I went back and forth with different ideas. I ended up deciding on a pants suit, minus the sleeves, but with a hood. I love hoods. I knew Jared was going to wear heels, so I decided to add a zipper at the bottom of the pants to compliment the heels.

Jared and I only had time to do one fitting due to our work schedules, and me having to travel back and forth to Philly. It was a good thing that after the fitting, there weren't many alterations that needed to be done. We scheduled the photoshoot to be in Philly a couple weeks after the fitting, but unfortunately, we had to reschedule it twice due to the weather. Mother nature be on one sometimes. Ha. Then one glorious sunny day, I was in Philly on break, and Jared drove to Philly for the shoot. Nate, the photographer, who worked on a prior photoshoot for me, went to work on Jared. Jared started off super shy at first, but by the end of the shoot, he had the confidence of someone who'd been modeling for a long time. He went from walking like he was performing a sobriety test walk after being pulled over for DUI, to owning his newfound confidence. I kept yelling to him, "Go Jared, do that, own that shit!"

I'm so proud of Jared for stepping outside his comfort zone, and thankful that he trusted me to help execute his very first photoshoot. I love that he was open to different ideas, and that he wasn't afraid to be himself. I have to admit I was a little nervous for him, because we live in a cruel ass world, and I didn't want him to feel uncomfortable or unsure in any way. He didn't. He owned it. By the end of the shoot, his attitude reflected the words that I live by, and that is, "Fuck what people think, they're gonna always have something to say." As the famous quote says, "Those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." Live unapologetically! And on that beautiful sunny day, in public, in Fairmount Park, Jared did just that.