Maritza Ramirez' "Little Black Dress"

Up-and-coming Minneapolis photographer Amy Gee shoots local designer Maritza Ramirez' contribution to last fall's Little Black Dress event on friend and beauty blogger Kara Nesvig - and dare I say, the dress looks much better on her than the model in the show. The gown suits Kara's figure and old Hollywood look perfectly.






Photos: Amy Gee
Dress: Maritza Ramirez
Model: Kara Nesvig
Hair: Caitlin Dvorak (HAUS Salon)
Makeup: Heidi Melena

BlackBlue showcases summer women's collections

Men's store BlackBlue has been well-loved since it opened a couple of years ago on Selby and Dale in St. Paul. As a result of female love for the store despite only carrying menswear, the store started to carry some women's clothing and shoes earlier this year. Yesterday, they posted a new shoot featuring shoppers Amy Gee (a photographer regularly featured in Le Petit's muses and lenses photo feature) and Kara Nesvig (the beauty blogger behind Vanity Project) modeling a mix of men's and women's items from the store. Visit blakblu.blogspot.com for clothing credits.

[All photos courtesy BlackBlue]

Local inspiration: muses and lenses

Apologies to regular readers of my weekly muses and lenses photo feature - MNfashion Week took over my life (and blog) for the past couple of weeks so I haven't gotten around to posting until now. Here's a compilation of images culled over the past few weeks via Facebook, Twitter and the blogroll featuring local photographers and their subjects.

WERQ, Naures. Bitch knows how to pose. (Photo: Marissa Wetzel)

Danielle Morris gets her Nick and Eddie "mugshot", courtesy of Cindy Ivy.

Little Man's Chris Perricelli looks straight out of the '70s in this shot photographed and art directed by Emily Unte.


Hairstylist Jessie Quast ponders her reflection.

Photog Amy Gee snaps housemate (and beauty blogger) Kara Nesvig posing hard.

Local model Ashley Hawks updates her portfolio.

Photographer Sohail Akhavein shoots style blogger Kara Nesvig taking a glamorous shower.

Amy Gee shoots a sophisticated profile of designer Ra'mon-Lawrence Coleman.

Emily Utne goes behind-the-scenes at the Emma Berg promo video shoot with Vision model Mary Cann.

Lindsey Tauer poses for Mighty Swell Vintage.

Ignite Models Inc. debuts new talent Aja. (Photo: Billy Rood)

Photographer Louisa Podlich features the lovely singer-songwriter Haley Bonar as part of her .onethirtyfive. project with writer Christian Dahlager.

METRO Magazine fashion editor Mary O'Regan hangs out on the rooftop.

Photographer Eliesa Johnson does a road warrior-style test shoot, complete with motorcycles.

Style blogger Kitty Cotten wears neon Gojane pumps.

Song of the Exile style blogger Julia wears a blouse by Project Runway season 2 winner Chloe Dao.

Twee Nguyen models a dress from Local Motion, as photographed by Minneapolis Affair.

Dirty Hair Halo blogger Shannon Licari is hippie chic in peach.

Local fashion link roundup: 3.30-4.3

• The April issue of METRO features a vintage dress from Mighty Swell Vintage.

• The Mighty Swell pop-up vintage shop has found a permanent home in the former digs of Umber Studios. Their next sale will be April 30 and May 1.

• METRO does a Q&A with local men's fashion blog Trnds.com founder Corey Tenold.

• METRO also spotlights new local handbag line Ila Handbags.

• The Minneapolis Examiner has a new interview with ROX jewelry's Robyne Robinson on moving from a full-time journalist to full-time jewelry designer, and her recent travels to Greece.

• ALL Knitwear by local designer Annie Larson is now available at two new retailers: Douglas + Bec in New Zealand, and General Store in San Francisco.

• Local beauty blogger Kara Nesvig tries on a couple of spring makeup trends: DIY matte hot pink lips and Yves Klein blue nails.

Local inspiration: muses and lenses

Another round of local fashion muses and fashion photography via Facebook uploads and the blogroll - a little taste of local inspiration.

Trnds blogger, Space150 web developer and sometime Vision model Corey Tenold poses with his new gal pal, Vision model Ashlee Walker.

Photographer (and l'etoile's Bachelor of the Year) Tucker Gerrick captures musician Rachel Palmer in a moody scene.

L'etoile founder/creative director Beth Hammarlund (looking stunning in an original Emma Berg design) and l'etoile ad man Brian Gioelli at the Weisman Art Museum for their October wedding. [Photo by Kate Iverson.]

NYC musician Danny Santell shoots musette Cayla Caul Field being snotty.

Cayla gets pretty for photog Ryan Fridley.

Dirty Hair Halo blogger Shannon Licari tastes a snowflake.

Vision model Elle Williams gets wrapped up in fur (courtesy of June Resale). [Photo: Jenn Cress/MUA: Amber Brenke]

Filipe Marques posts some groovy outtakes of his shoot with musician/model/stylist triple threat Hannah von der Hoff.

Former Mpls.St.Paul Magazine fashion editor (and current NYC-based Associate Style Editor of Martha Stewart Weddings) Melissa Colgan gets Fuji film fabulous for New Year's Eve.

Geisha Pearl Vintage seller/style blogger Kitty Cotten strikes a cat-like pose.

Writer/painter/Voltage project manager Natalie Gallagher gets the glitter treatment by Sarah Schiesser and her little sister, Valerie Gallagher.

Photographer/visual artist Sohail Akhavein posts a self-portrait in anticipation of his joint January 22 show at Umber Studios with painter Natalie Gallagher. Get a preview of the show, plus peek into the artists' inspiration, at the colorantcommaflesh Tumblr.

Amy Gee captures stylist/bloggers Kara Nesvig and John Sand looking macabre.

Brad Ogbonna snaps designer portraits (including designer Kathryn Sterner) for the U of M's upcoming senior fashion show, "Distortion," on February 19.

Blogger/model Hina Khan gets ready to hit the road and head to L.A. [Photo: Matt Stenerson]

Jessie Quast shows some leg, via Russell Joslin's lens.

muses and lenses: Sohail shoots Kara & John

Local photographer/graphic designer Sohail Akhavein just posted this glamour-trashy photo spread featuring stylistas Kara Nesvig and John Sand on his Facebook page, and I felt it deserving of a post of its own. I love the magazine-layout feel of it, and it gets extra points for taking advantage of the wintery Minnesotan landscape. Yes, Minnesota can be fabulous. For more photography by Sohail, check out this spread in the latest issue of NYC-based magazine Creem, and his tumblr at suffixhail.tumblr.com.