SIGVINSPIRATION

We spent an afternoon with songwriting songstress HT Heartache the day  before she jet setted off into a bicoastal lifestyle between her hometown of Los Angeles and the slow culture of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, all whilst preparing to release her second album, Sundowner.

How would you describe your personal style:

Middle aged art teacher

What inspires you in terms of personal fashion :

Western flair. eccentric old people, people with no clue what's going on.

What inspired you to become a singer /song writer/ musician :

I started writing and playing when i was 21. I loved to write and I loved music but had never fused those interests prior to that point. I had a bunch of friends around me making music that were a big influence around that era, not to mention I was a bit heartbroken which helped spawn the process as well.

You've just released your second album, Sundowner. Can you tell us a little about your songwriting process :

I wrote most of the album as I was recording it so it took a while to finish. The writing process was different for each song but generally speaking with writing I just start tinkering around on guitar until some melody or some chord progression or some lyric feels worth pursuing, then I build a song around that. My friend Christina Gaillard produced the record with me and composed really beautiful arrangements around what I had written. She plays a multitude of instruments and was able to bring a lot of her own inspired ideas to the record as well. it was a good collaboration. 

We all have days when we feel a lack of inspiration, or disconnected from our goals, how do you remedy this for yourself :

Uninspired and disconnected is a familiar state of mind for me and I usually do something extreme like leave town or go on a juice cleanse or give up alcohol for the rest of my life in an attempt to find new perspective. Call me dramatic but it works sometimes. Lately I've been thinking that trading in my i-Phone for a flip phone would solve everything. Probably not the case. At the end of the day it's all part of the process I guess. Inspiration, like all things, comes and goes in its own fashion.

When you hit a creative block, how do you get outside of yourself:

Exercise, patience. 

What can we find you doing when you’re not playing music:

You can find me playing Yahtzee out in nature somewhere. Rarely at da club.

What artist/musician most inspires you :

All of the underdogs with a real fire burning for what they do. People who make art and music their whole lives just simply for the love of it. Forever unrecognized. Answering to no one but their own higher self. All guts no glory. Those people are heroes. 

Favorite song of the moment :

Just been chillin to the iTunes classical radio station, i believe it's called "unwind". 

Icon of the moment :

Johnny Castle

If money weren't an object, what occupation would you choose :

Full time traveler.

Best advice you’ve received so far :

Relax.

Ht Heartache is wearing a Sew it Goes Vintage Bolero & Sheer Tuxedo Blouse

What advice do you have for others seeking a creative path :

Don't take yourself too seriously. Support people around you who are working toward the same goals, it's not a competition.  

Last but not least, do you have a favorite all time vintage score:

I got this rabbit fur coat from from the Goodwill a few years ago. It's calico and has a huge witch hood…it's incredible. Unfortunately I can't bring myself to wear fur, so it never leaves the closet. I could probably retire if I put it on e-bay, thats how cool it is.

Listen to the album Sundowner by Ht Heartache 

Watch the music video for Sundowner's first single, Cowboy Poetry , filmed in Joshua Tree, Ca where the album was recorded.

We spent an afternoon with the captivating wardrobe stylist Kelly Williams, the other half to the incredibly talented styling duo JAK, at her beautifully curated Silver Lake home in Los Angeles.

What inspires you in terms of personal fashion?

My inspiration comes from old Hollywood and from a bit of a dark place. I also find inspiration through my job. I have a career in fashion where I get to dress people up every day. I don’t necessarily have to dress myself up during the day to feel like I’m expressing myself truly, I have the luxury of getting to express myself through styling someone else.

 How would you best describe your personal style?

I feel like my personal style comes from my body type, I have curves so I feel like I’m always playing a bit of the vixen card, whether it’s from the 20s, 50s, 80s or 90s. I think the one thing that keeps my style consistent is that I like to keep it kind of sexy and simple. On the other hand I am also an avid vintage t-shirt collector myself, so when I’m working, I usually end up wearing an oversized blazer, vintage t-shirt, and jeans as my daily wardrobe staple. But when I get dressed up and I’m going out on my own time I like to play it up and have fun with fashion.

What led you to becoming a wardrobe stylist?

 I was working for a magazine at the time. I always had an interest in trend forecasting and I always wanted to work in the publication industry as a fashion editor, but as the industry was changing I saw how being a wardrobe stylist was a different version of being a fashion editor. It sort of fell into my lap, I met Jessica Loria, my styling partner, through a mutual friend and it all just came together.

In terms of your work as a stylist what is your creative process?

 It begins with a vision, a combination of our personal style and what we see happening in fashion, which then presents itself through a curation of ideas that have come together through various sources of inspiration. That’s what makes our career so fun and interesting and mentally stimulating and challenging at times. We’re working with companies who already have their aesthetic and you have to find a way to open their eyes or find a way to make it work.

We all have days when we’re feeling a lack of creative or personal inspiration how do you remedy this for yourself?

 As a creative person, I feel that sometimes part of the process is being uninspired. I like those moments when I’m feeling blank, or when I’m tired of what’s happening trend wise, it sort of sends me off in a direction where I’m able to search for something different and then it will come to me. I’m always looking outside of fashion. It feels as if fashion moves too fast these days, I’m not able to connect with how trendy it is to be “trendy” and I don’t know if there’s much longevity in that. I like being part of creating the type of images and photos that are timeless. I remember digging through fashion magazines and I still have those tares from 10 years ago, and they’re still timeless and that truly is what you hope to achieve.

When you’re not working where can we find you?

 I have become a bit of a loner in my free time. When I have downtime during the week, I take my dog Jackson for a run around the reservoir near my home. I also recently discovered a passion for water coloring, just for myself with no judgment, it’s challenging and I enjoy it.

On a perfect day you could find me wearing a really cute bathing suit and laying by a pool!

Fashion Icon or muse of the moment:

 I absolutely love Michelle Violy Harper’s style. Everything about her is super conceptual. She totally has that look where she obviously planned it out yet it comes across as effortless and everything is so on point. But then again, I love the natural ease of Jane Birkin, simple with jeans and a t-shirt, which I can appreciate.

 Film of the moment old or new:

 So many, from The Women, to Boogie Nights, to The Hunger. All three of these films really take me to another space. From the actors, to the costuming, to the sets and locations - I like watching films where I can completely check out. All three of these films, while very different have a commonality to them. These women are evil, drug induced, even vampiric but at some point in the film you watch Joan Crawford, Catherine Deneuve, and Julianne Moore and you're completely captivated by their strength and presence.

 Read of the moment:

 I enjoy reading anything really by Anais Nin and I am currently reading Big Sur at the moment. I like the neurotic, poetic moments that Kerouac gives the reader and the same goes for Nin, but in a different light. She has a dreamy quality to her writing - and then it slaps you in the face with a bit of crass sexuality.

 If money were no object what would you be doing?

I would probably be a bohemian woman, with a skin care line, and I’d spend my days styling my friends and surrounding myself with other creative people. We would just listen to music, and create, and eat amazing food. I mean, that’s the dream fantasy.

Best advice ever received?

On a personal level, I would say from my parents and the example that they’ve set with the balance they’ve created in their lives. They’ve found a way to have a career, and a life and still enjoy and travel, that’s the dream.

 Professionally the best advice ever received might be from my boyfriend (J.G. Francis of Mercedes Motoring). Which would be to never cut corners. He has such a strong business himself and he never cuts corners, financially, professionally, creatively, he just doesn’t do it. I think that’s what makes a lasting business, it’s finding a way to create a strong and recognizable presence, and that can only be done by not cutting corners.

Do you have any advice for someone seeking a more creative path?  

 I didn’t get anywhere in this industry without stalking people, for lack of a better word.  When I want something I will go and get it. When I wanted to work for a magazine I was emailing every magazine, when I wanted to style I just did it full force 100%, and again no cutting corners. You have to put yourself out there all the way, and that goes for any industry.

 If you could travel anywhere right now:

 Japan. That’s always my answer.

Kelly is styled by and wearing vintage pieces from Sew it Goes Vintage

 Last but not least, favorite vintage score:

We spent an afternoon with wardrobe stylist Jessica Loria, also known as the other half of the talented styling duo JAK, at her hillside home in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles.

 It was a day of playing dress up, cooking (she cooked), and chatting about the fact that sometimes personal inspiration finds you in the less obvious of places, like the kitchen….

Jessica is wearing a 1960s vintage Kimono from Sew it Goes Vintage

What inspires you in terms of personal fashion?

I get inspired when I see retro and vintage photos, because I think the most inspirational thing about that is envisioning the moods and the emotions that come with the fashion in the photo. It’s interesting for me because I get to pull from costume houses for work and I’ll think about this beautiful vintage dress that I’ll be holding, for example, that has already had lives before you in a sense. I find it inspiring to be a part of wearing something that has so much history and tells a story.

 How would you best describe your personal fashion?

That’s a tough one because I think for every girl there’s a difference between what you envision your personal style to be like and what you actually walk out the door looking like. For me it’s always changing. Currently my personal style is lots of black and white and comfortable because I’m always working. I’m also obsessed with my new neon Nike’s that seems to be making their way into my wardrobe daily! But If I’m going to get dressed up it’s going to be vintage.

 In terms of your work as a wardrobe stylist what is your creative working process?

It definitely differs for each job. I guess the main process starts with a vision. We just try to stay on top of what every single designer is doing every single season so we know where to go, but it’s usually always off the top of the head. We never have to go digging for inspiration and I can honestly say we’ve never been stumped on a job creatively. It just comes to us.

 We all have days when we’re feeling a lack of creative or personal inspiration, how do you remedy this for yourself?

 I have to be honest, it doesn’t happen very often. I think when I feel that I’m in a slump with my job or what not; I feel like I want to do things other than fashion related things, like cooking. I feel like I get burnt out on looking at blogs, social media, and collections. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by it and I need to look elsewhere. When I’m not working you can definitely find me in the kitchen or hosting a dinner party.

Do you find a personal or creative release through cooking?

Yes, it allows me to feel like myself again and therefore so much more receptive. Depending on my mood or lack of inspiration one day a collection will fail to inspire and the next day the same collection could feel like it’s changing your life. That could be with anything, I think if I get really rundown with work and start to feel sorry for myself, which I know that’s what it is because I am so grateful for where I’m at, you just need to switch it up an do something that you love, and then you can come back to it feeling refreshed. I think if you never take a break from what you’re doing you will lose more and more inspiration every day.

And traveling, obviously, which I don’t get to do as much as I wish I could!

So if you could travel anywhere right now would you go?

Spain. South of Spain, I’m doing research right now because that’s where I really want to go. I want to do a full blown non fashion related food tour all over Spain. That is my ultimate destination right now.

 Icon or Muse of the moment:

If I had a muse it would be Frida Kahlo I think she was so strong and eclectic and is the epitome of sexy, it didn’t matter that she had a unibrow and wore ponchos, her sexiness came from her confidence, and who she was as a woman. She was an incredible artist, explorer, she had a lover, she had many lovers but was also deeply in love someone. For me she is everything.

As for a fashion icon, Bianca Jagger is always someone that comes to mind, every time I see a photo of her it lights up at me, she just does it right so much.

And if I had to choose someone current it would be the French actress, Marion Cotillard. She just exudes beauty always in everything she does. Even just how private she is about her personal life. I think it’s really hard for me to see someone being too much of a celebrity because of the industry I’m in I get turned off. And even with Marion, Frida, and Bianca It’s more about a quiet confidence, subtle effortless nature, which is what style is about. It’s about just being who you are and not just about what you’re wearing.

 Favorite film of the moment:

I just saw for the first time ever my first Kung Fu movie, Ip Man. I feel very inspired by it, which might be the reason why I really wanted to wear a kimono today. I’ve never seen a Kung Fu movie ever and I realized that they’re directed so beautifully. It was color storied and color blocked with the emotions of the film. I was so into it, it had everything from the relationship story to the costume design.

 Favorite read of the moment:

The new Pok Pok book (Pok Pok Food and Stories from the Streets, Homes and Roadside Restaurants of Thailand) about the American chef who opened Pok Pok in Portland, Oregon. I’ve been spending my nights reading it and researching all this special equipment you have to order to go along with the recipes. I’m having a Thai food moment that I’m really excited to explore in my kitchen right now.

 If money were no object what would you be doing?

I call those my sunset years and I think about them a lot.  I would be an owner and/or creative director of a restaurant group or winery. I would love to own my own business where I could bring all of my talents into one to create a really amazing ambience for customers and what not. I have a feeling if given that opportunity I would still be working creatively but it’s sad to say I probably wouldn’t be working in fashion anymore.

 Do you have any advice for anyone seeking a more creative path?

You shouldn’t be afraid to start from the bottom. You should totally let your age disappear from your mind. If you really know what you want to do you should be apprenticing and be humble. Anyone that I’ve ever admired who is successful now started from the bottom and had a mentor. I think that’s the only way to appreciate having your own career or owning your own business.

 Best advice you’ve received?

It’s something my dad once shared with me. Never place too much importance or your position in life on money, because once you get to where you think you want to be going, you’ll find that money loses it’s value.

 Last but not least, favorite vintage score: