red heads – okay andie

I’m finally able to share with you the first shoot I styled (and modelled) with Gerald that was just published in the latest issue of Elegant Magazine. I’m quite excited about this, because it’s an actual print magazine, which means I can get my hands on a copy (as can you!!!). The pain about styling and modeling in shoots that are mean’t for publications is that you’ve got to wait and wait (and wait) sometimes until they have been released by the magazine. So while I had seen these images months ago, I had to wait to share them with you all (save for the few teasers on my instagram). But here we are! I’d just like to say, there is something so fun about being surrounded by gingers all day! To be honest, I don’t really know many gingers, at least not ones I see on the regular (we are very rare and we are mostly men…Girl, Interrupted anyone?!) I felt an immediate connection to these gals. A gingerly bond, if you will.

Photography: Gerald Larocque
Art Direction: Annya Karina
Styling: Alexandra Spence (dats me)
MUA: Lisa Arsenault of Pinch Cosmetics
Models: Kiana Pedersen (Peggi Lepage), Tara Van der Kolk, Alexandra Spence and Quinn Bell (Peggi Lepage)
Clothing: Larkspur Shoppe and my personal wardrobe

Growing up, I hated my red hair. It didn’t go with my vision of who I thought I was. Like c’mon, a goth girl cannot have natural red hair?! It’s just not interesting and weird enough, you know. I’ve had fire engine red hair, black hair, green hair, blonde hair and white hair throughout my teens. I thought those colours were far more interesting than what I was birthed with. But when I got older, and really looked at the reasons why I absolutely refused to keep my natural hair colour (sorry mom and dad), it was rooted somewhere in bullying. Children just do not appreciate a ginger headed gal (or guy). They are different, and children love to prey on different. At least, that was the experience I had. I guess subconsciously, I decided to hate the very thing about me that did make me somewhat different (physically), which throughout my teens, was all I wanted to be. How is that for irony?

I grew to appreciate the rarity of red hair, and I dont think I could take a bottle of liquid chemicals to my head again (sometimes I do miss blonde hair though). It’s nice to grow older, and just accept yourself wholly, and laugh at the moments when young idiotic boys would ask: “Do the curtains match the rug?” Sure do kid, sure do.