Blue Lace Dress
Ours is the story of the blue lace dress. It begins with Sabrina Huff on a sunny day in May, in beautiful Vancouver, BC. From there, we follow the dress as it travels to five more destinations across North America, at each destination meeting another photographer, another little girl, and creating the beautiful images that spin the fabric of our tale.
The dress made its debut in the quaint town of Pitt Meadows, BC. Sabrina began her session with the beautiful mountains of British Columbia as her backdrop, only to realize that the sun wasn't going to last more than 5 minutes where they were shooting.
"Once I realized that we were going to lose the sun very quickly, we all jumped into our respective cars and literally chased the sun to a quiet road. I have a thing with roads. I don't know what it is about them or how it came about, but somewhere along my photography career, the love affair began. Once I realized that I couldn’t finish the session at the location where we started, I knew that this was the perfect opportunity to combine the beauty of the dress with the tranquility of a sleepy road."
After leaving Sabrina and Vancouver, the dress then made its way across the border and down into Alabama, where it came upon Maruso.
Sabrina Huff, (Group Leader)
Location: Vancouver, BC
As soon as Maruso opened the package containing the dress, an idea popped right into her head and she couldn’t wait to get started. She had a fairy tale in mind and knew just the sweet girl to bring it to life.
“I loved watching her eyes light up when she saw the dress. The little girl clamored to get into it and ran her hands down the dress in awe of the color and flow. The transformation had begun. Newly a princess, she started walking toward her kingdom with a pep in her step, as she took in the sight of the horses she would ride. Like a true lady, she walked at a steady pace even though her excitement was building.
Choices, Choices, Choices-which was the proper horse for a beautiful princess? Riding like the wind or side-saddle like a lady? Even with all of her grace and etiquette, curiosity about the world seeped through. Watching, wondering, learning. Ah, a world with endless possibilities, fit for a princess and her trusty steed."Magic had been made with the young princess, but now it was time for the beautiful blue lace dress continue its journey. The dress traveled back up the eastern coast of the United States, and arrived in Morristown, NJ, where it made the acquaintance of Dawn and Jade.
Maruso Setta
Location: Huntsville, Alabama
Dawn knew she wanted her daughter Jade to model the dress, but didn’t have much of a plan outside of that. Her first attempt to shoot the dress didn’t go very well. She and Jade visited a local park with interesting trails and pretty light with the intention to explore, but the day was hot and humid and bugs kept pestering Jade. A twig masquerading as a snake might have scared her a bit, too. They ended up cutting that session short, but tried again the next day.
“After how the previous day had gone, I was not looking forward to trying again, but I was on a tight timeline with the dress due to a family vacation. So Jade and I decided to visit the grounds of a local catholic school right down the road from my house. We go there in the winter to sled but have never really walked the grounds any other time of year. Jade put on the dress and I just followed her around with my camera as she explored. I never realized how amazing these grounds are! It was fun to see her exploring and twirling in the beautiful flowing dress."
After the ill-fated run in with the twig snake and a much more pleasant day at the school, the dress continued up the east coast to Meg in Brunswick, Maine.
Dawn Pecorella Curto
Location: Morristown, NJ
When she opened the dress and saw the color, Meg knew she wanted a "Cinderella" feeling. Once MJ had the dress on and Meg saw how the fabric flowed, it was clear they must incorporate dance as well. So off they went to the nearest "castle", Fort Popham in Phippsburg.
"MJ danced as if in a dream, ran away down the beach to Hermit Island, and then waited, alone, for the arrival of her prince. In the end, her only true sadness was that she had to part with the dress!"After MJ’s happily ever after (excepting the sad good byes, of course) the dress bade farewell to the eastern seaboard and took off across the country to sunny San Diego County, which is actually its home, to meet the last two photographers and little girls.
Meg Davis
Location: Brunswick, Maine
Daughter: MJ age 8
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Southern California had an unseasonably wet winter this year and it was still raining daily in May when Meghan was originally planning to shoot. But by the time the dress had made its way around the country and even up to Vancouver and back, it was early August and glorious Southern California summer was in full effect.
“As Natalie Babbit wrote in Tuck Everlasting ‘The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer...like the highest seat of the Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning’. During this magical week my feisty model Piper and I took off to twirl in the golden summer light floating lazily down through some hidden tree tunnels nearby. Tree tunnels evoke fairy tales to me, and this whimsical dress fit right in. We danced and told stories and at the end of our session we stood on a little outcropping overlooking the sunset and the swishing of the dress whispered goodnight to the final light as it left the evening. It seems like my favorite shot is often the last of the evening, and this one was no exception."
There is no story set in Southern California that doesn’t include the beach, so after waving goodnight to the sun in San Marcos the dress made one final stop in Escondido, CA, where Brooke and Morgan packed it up and made for the surf.
Meghan Dickerson
Location: San Marcos, CA
"The movement of the fabric and the color of the dress reminded me of the sea, so I thought the beach was the perfect setting. It was high tide, and at first my daughter Morgan was worried about the waves crashing over the rocks getting the dress wet or dirty. It took some convincing and a little bribery, but soon the trance of the waves (and the promise of $5) drew her in and she was splashing and playing without a care in the world. It seems perfectly fitting to end the traveling dress project with a portrait of reflection, as all of the photographers that participated now reflect back on the dress’ journey and share this project with the world.”
Brooke Modifica
Location: Escondido, CA
Models: Morgan, age 8
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Over four months our little blue lace dress traveled through five states and two countries. It visited roads and fields and beaches. It spun through castles, danced in tree tunnels, peeked around stone walls. Now the dress is safely home once more, tucked snugly between a tutu and a funny old cape in the closet. There’s no place like home at the end of a long journey, but any time we get the itch for adventuring we can dust off this story, and through the images and words written here, we can set out on the road once again.
Artist and Photographer since 2013, specializing in Fine Art Portraiture for Wall Art located in Vancouver, WA, USA.
