So that's the jazz

Should I be embarrassed to admit that during the last year of graduate school my fingernails were perpetually painted red, and not just any red—a particular shade of crimson? It only took about twenty minutes to repaint them each week, and this task was undertaken either by myself or by a manicurist from one of the many nail salons along Westwood Boulevard. The reason? I just liked the way that the nail color completed my outfits and added glamour to my everyday existence.

It was during one of these nail salon visits that I came across a very smart Teen Vogue photography spread. "My Funny Valentine" in the February 2008 issue was the catalyst for starting this “My Sky-Blue Portfolio.” When my polish had dried, I found that I could not leave the sweet photos behind—I wanted to show my sister—so I went back and asked the attendant if I could please take the magazine with me?

And before I could take the issue home, I kept bringing it out and showing the pictures to friends. “Doesn’t this look like my sister?” I said. “I should start a fashion blog with her—I read them all the time, anyway.”

So, here’s our photo shoot inspired by “My Funny Valentine.” Autumn wears a dress that’s very rouge, like my favorite nail polish, and stands by our favorite boy model, our trusty brother James. If you like, here’s some ambiance music.

By the way, we lately learned that “My Funny Valentine” is the work of photographer Arthur Elgort, who’s clearly a favorite of ours: He also photographed the spreads that inspired this blog post, as well as this one.