THAT GIRL đź’‹
03/16/23
This is probably my favorite look of 2023 so far because I love how it naturally came together. This outfit was so precious to me to the point where I felt like I needed to take pictures in it before I tried to wear it for an event.
I originally wanted to plan a shoot with a photographer at a studio to celebrate my half-birthday, but I ended up going back home for a minute. When I got back to Houston, I didn’t want to wait for the coins to align or to not do a shoot altogether. Because of that, I chose to do the shoot on my own.
The main thing that inspired me was my Sanrio era in elementary school. My two favorite Sanrio characters were Hello Kitty and Kuromi—my wardrobe was 50% THEM at one point. I even dotted my i’s with x’s like I was Kuromi.
My mom got me a Hello Kitty dress from SHEIN and it was toooo cute. It had her signature red with hints of yellow, blue, and white + different things significant to the Hello Kitty multiverse. I loved it, but I couldn’t figure out the best way to style it at that time.
Fast forward…this look just randomly hit me while I was playing around in my closet. It flowed so effortlessly!
I added my long red robe to make it more grandiose and extravagant, matching with my dress perfectly. My yellow phone purse and white patent heels broke up the red, but still fell into that classic Hello Kitty color scheme.
The Shoot:
Taking photos is always a fun process for me. My earliest experience with shooting my own photos was when I’d play dress-up and take pictures of my outfits on the webcam. It’s a way for me to experiment with new poses. Creating with a team is great, but there’s a different level of comfort when I’m shooting alone in my space. There’s no awkwardness or holding back with myself cause I already know me.
I didn’t have a vision for how I wanted to edit. I just wanted to shoot this look! I was inspired by the song “ That Girl” by Bree Runway. I played it while I was shooting and it stuck with me.
Another thing that inspired me was a conversation I had with my friend, Jaya. She told me that there’s going to be a lot of women wearing red soon because we’re approaching the rise of the Matriarchy. I found that very interesting because I talk about my family matriarchy often and how much they empower me to be myself. I wanted to incorporate that red in my graphics to connect to that.
Best,
Janaya
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Dress: SHEIN
Shoes: Shu Deal
Purse: Beauty Supply
Robe: Amazon
