By:  Jessica S. Hallett – Model, Guest Blogger & Founder of 87Life

I was born a tomboy.  Both my parents are people who would much rather spend their time enjoying the outdoors than a day at the spa, so naturally I took to flannel, jeans, and a few yearly trips to Northern Maine (which, by the way, are all still things I adore). 

Not until I reached my early twenties and was living close to Wilmington, North Carolina did I develop a real passion for all things fashion.  The small city of Wilmington has an amazing fashion, film and music scene which immediately inspired me.  Slowly I started to pay attention to new trends and experiment with different clothing choices outside my comfort zone.  My blog 87Life came to life in the winter of 2010 and quickly turned into a website full of outfit posts, makeup reviews and everything girly.

When I moved back to Maine I instantly started searching for local inspiration and other fashion focused people.  One of my good friends and a seriously talented photographer, Liz Donnelly, was nice enough to let me tag along on an upcoming photo shoot she was working on for the Salon and Boutique, Akari, located in Portland’s Old Port.  Though I had never modeled before I couldn’t believe how comfortable I felt and how wonderful everyone at Akari was.  Since that shoot I have completed two other shoots for them. 

Earlier this month I had the privilege to model in their winter newsletter shoot, which was a complete blast.  The day started around 3:30pm with hair prep.  My hairstylist decided to give give me a brand new look.  Normally my hair is super straight, but for this shoot she crimped my entire head and then brushed it out, turning my thin, straight hair into a huge fluffy afro.  It was amazing to watch my hair in the matter of an hour change completely before my eyes.  Next up – makeup and dress – which were both quite simple in hopes to not overshadow my wonderfully dramatic hair.

The location of the shoot was in part of the store that was in the midst of being renovated, giving a unfinished, cool feel to the pictures.  I will admit having one of my best friends as the photographer is a huge help.  She is the first to tell me how to improve my photos and someone I trust immensely; we work as a team.  The entire shoot was extremely entertaining.  I have so much fun working with these amazingly talented women.

As I said before, I had no modeling experience before working with Akari, and I owe a huge amount of my progress to the amazing people at Akari that have helped to fill me with confidence and who have taught me so much about fashion, beauty and the power of a vision. 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 30th, 2011 at 12:00 am and is filed under Fashion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.