New York State of Mind

Hermès Shawl and bracelets, Mr. Business "Louvre" Trench, H&M x Comme des Garçons Shirt and Socks, J. Crew Pants, Burberry Prorsum Shoes 

Hello everyone, and happy new year!  I know it has been a while since I last blogged.  Moving to New York changed my life dramatically, and major changes in my schedule, life, and relationships made it a little difficult to document everything.  However, I am happy to report things are all positive and I am writing again!  My photography set-up still isn't in place (I haven't found a spot in my apartment that was quite as perfect as in San Francisco), but I will try and share some looks the best I can.  A special thank you to my talented friend Anthony Amadeo for shooting this.  My friends named Anthony are both coincidentally incredible photographers!  The day we shot this, I had on plenty of new inventory to share.

This gorgeous blue trench was a godsend from the Amacord Vintage Fashion SoHo store here in NYC.  It was produced by an Italian brand called Mr. Business some time during the 1970's-1980's (I think).  The jacket was deadstock when I purchased it with the original hang tags still attached.  What luck to be able to grab it in the original condition!  Vintage finds like this make me wonder what other beautiful gems can be found locked away somewhere untouched.  The color of the denim is still the original shocking blue it was decades ago, and the shape of the collar holds well because of the fabrication.  Bonus: the hang tag says the coat is called the "Louvre."  

Rabbit Ring by Kasukobo Japan, Sea Urchin Ring by Ugo Cacciatori, 

Pendant Rings by Enrique Muthuan

My love affair with Hermès continues with their hand rolled cashmere and silk shawls.  The blend of these fibers makes them soft and comfortable to wear in different temperatures.  There are so many great options for colors and prints on each 56" x 56" canvas.  The color way of this particular shawl called "Couvertures et Tenues de Jour" was a very popular edition, selling out instantly because it was featured in the collection's catalogue.  When I saw it on eBay at the end of the season, I pounced (over paying just a little...).  Regrettably my sales associate called me a few hours later to tell me they had received the last one in the country and my head exploded.  Upon reflection, it was worth every penny to secure the piece.  I bought it just before moving to New York, and it has kept me warm in this new, frosty climate.

There are new editions to my ring collection including another gorgeous creation by Ugo Cacciatori.  The design is based on a sea urchin, another example of his re-occurring ocean theme.  Intricate details make me appreciate how much work went into the casting process.  The two pendant rings are by the Brooklyn based, Argentinian-lawyer-turned-designer Enrique Muthuan.  I first discovered him by chance at a fashion week party 2 years ago.  Tobias Sorensen was sporting some major jewels and I asked him where he got them.  Fast forward to Christmas 2012 when I was wandering the Holiday Market in Union Square, and there was Enrique with his own booth and an impressive spread of his inspiring work.  These two pendant rings spoke to me immediately.  The Virgin Mary is one of my favorite icons in any culture or language in which she manifests.  I think the other ring is Joan of Arc.  I have to confirm this with Enrique, but there is a soldier riding on a horse, so it is a fair assumption.  He has so many more pieces but I am so critically broke and I cannot choose!  Check out Enrique Muthuan's website for more information and his online store!  I love anything in solid 925.

I will try and post new things as they come along, but being the unpaid intern that I am, it will not be much.   As Anthony A. was shooting me in front of the Flatiron building, there was a busload of toursits unloading around us - which is probably why the best full shot of me was during a derp face.  Hopefully I find the right set up in a more private space like before, but OMG YOU GUYS I LIVE IN NEW YORK CITY.  It's been too long, I missed you.

- jerome   

The Evolution of a Nickname

Nicknames are given out of love. Here is the list of names my friends and family have christened me with over the years. If you did not develop the name, then please do not refer to me as such. Except for "J." That is pretty neutral. No one can really reserve first initial nicknames, not after Gossip Girl or 9/11.

Rome
Roma
Roma Downey
Roma Downey Jr.
Roma D
Romatherapy

Here are the nicknames I am giving to Hurricane Sandy (which is quite ironic because my good friend Steven gave me the name "Roma D" because of the line in Grease where Sandy sings "Look at me! I'm Sandra D!")

Hurricane Hella Inconvenient
Hurricane of Emotions
Rude

Everything seems to be going awry today. JUST PLEASE GOD DON'T LET MY WIFI GO OUT! And scene.


- jerome

Italians and Outerwear

While I was living in Milan, I received a lesson in creating a lasting wardrobe built from classic and quality pieces that stay sartorially relevant and functional for a very long time. Just being around the Milanese teaches you a great deal, the first being that Americans are sloppy. Casual to Italians (and this is not reserved for the fashion capitol Milan) is still polished. Sweats are dressed up. They take pride in how they present themselves to the world. As winter nears and the leaves change color, outerwear is an important part of dressing up again. Thank goodness for that because as a San Franciscan I have the urge to bring a jacket everywhere I go no matter what my eyes tell me about the weather outside. My collection of outwear does not always live up to what I have learned during my time abroad because for some reason I used to believe I could pull off womenswear and have it look correct on my body type but I hope I can get it right with time. Here are some men I met in Milan who knew what they were doing.



I took these photos on main luxury shopping streets in Milan, more specifically Via Montenapoleone and Via della Spiga. All these men were either running errands or going to work. Look how well the clothes fit, the comfort and naturalness of the ensemble, and how each piece can be worn today or years from now. My theory holds up: I took these 4 or 5 years ago.


-jerome

Winter is Coming

The cold is coming fast and it is making me feel nostalgic. A revisiting to my fall/winter outerwear was long overdue because of the sweltering heat from this summer. Rediscovering things in your wardrobe can be such a rewarding experience especially when you realize you were right when you said, "I WILL TOTALLY WEAR THIS ALL THE TIME". Looking through my collection I came across pieces I used to style a past project. I am surprised I never posted this shoot. This was another collaboration I did with Anthony Deeying during a visit to New York. It is strange to think that we did this together a year ago, and now I live here. The model Jon Paul (FORD) was such a sport and really knew how to move, producing amazing shots considering the freezing cold. I love a good night shoot in Central Park!

Outerwear pieces by Burberry Prorsum, Alexander Wang, and Alexander McQueen

- jerome

Target Acquired: AMBUSH Designs Claw Rings

It's an AMBUSH!!! These are some statement rings if I ever saw one. They have such a powerful weight to them and so fun to wear! The blue version comes with gold bands (as I assume all of the other styles do) and the silver is the same color throughout. The shipping from Japan was unbelievably fast. I am very pleased with the quality of AMBUSH's products and customer service. I highly recommend getting these before they are knocked off! If you are thinking about ordering, here is a sizing tip: my ring finger is a US size 8, so I ordered the size "3" on the website. This worked out perfectly for the other fingers. Good luck!

- jerome

Free Me

It is always a pleasure to find old projects on the Internet when you are googling yourself "just in case" when doing random searches. I came across this shoot I did with Anthony Deeying, a dear and talented friend of mine whom I've worked with many times before. Pulling clothing for this shoot was relatively painless. Many pieces came from my personal wardrobe. I was unaware that this project would be optioned for a magazine, and it was a surprise to see it published in TANTALUM (read the Anthony's interview below). Maybe I did read this forever ago, but for some reason it was so new to me to see it again...

TANTALUM: Anthony, thank you for your amazing story "FREE ME" for the first issue of Tantalum can you tell us how the editorial came about?
ANTHONY DEEYING: The editorial came to life thanks to the stylist; Jerome Ison. He loves patterns especially Starts/Polka dots/stripes. He was able to pull pieces that focused on mixed patterns in the same color palette and add stacks of bracelets which is his go to personal style as well.
TANTALUM: The model has such great presence, did you direct her or did she just bust out in those moves?
ANTHONY DEEYING: Evan is one of the best movers I have ever had the pleasure of working with. We gave her some 'key' poses to mimic and she ran with it... we had music playing and she got into the mood and went to town. Her hair was also so amazing, between hair flips and wind she made it work.
TANTALUM: Whose idea was it to use a leather harness usually reserved for The Folsom st fair mixed with a vintage cardigan!?
ANTHONY DEEYING: The Harness is actually designed by Zana Bayne (www.zanabayne.com) who is a dear friend of the stylist. Her pieces are addictive! beautifully hand made, and just will make any outfit so cool.
TANTALUM: The images are far less static then typical fashion editorials, do you find that sense of movement is common in your style of shooting?
ANTHONY DEEYING: Movement is very common in my shooting. As much as I love the standstill poses in other editorials - My style is very much emotion and movement, giving the freedom to the model to make it their own with the mood we've worked on for the shoot.
TANTALUM: How did you get into photography? was it something you always wanted to do or was it a fortunate accident?
ANTHONY DEEYING: I've been fortunate enough to be in the arts my entire life. I was apart of an intense magnet program in high school that specialized in fine arts so I was able to be in the dark room and learn colors, patterns, you name it from some amazing teachers at a young age. But photography as a job I never thought - originally I wanted to design, but then got bored and tried photographing my friends... submitted them to agencies and was booked for my first test shoot the next day.
TANTALUM: Do you have any mentors/muses?
ANTHONY DEEYING: Muses, yes.. many - I love awkward people... not the typical 'pretty models' I like character that comes out in photos. Evan (in this editorial) is definitely a muse for me. I wouldn't narrow it down to just one person, but a handful of amazing talent i've been able to photograph and produce amazing pieces. Mentors; I absolutely adore Steven Klein's work - I'm a goth kid at heart and the dark, emotional images he's able to produce just blow my mind and I think he's a genius. Also Hedi Slimane is a huge influence - the raw simplicity of his work is something I've admired and respect.
TANTALUM: What do you look for when figuring out who to use for your editorial team??
ANTHONY DEEYING: I work very hard to narrow down talent. I sort through so many books and websites seeing what the stylists/makeup artists have to offer. It's extremely taxing, but I do it because I know what I want and who will be able to deliver it. I love giving up and coming people a chance, but it's done after much research of them. haha. I'm very picky.
TANTALUM: What inspires you?
ANTHONY DEEYING: Again, movement/emotion is a major thing for me.
TANTALUM: How did it feel to see you work in print for the very first time??
ANTHONY DEEYING: Actually, the first time my work was published in print I took the cover of the magazine! The editor actually had an original cover already lined up but saw my shots, pulled it.. and replaced the image for the cover with the one I shot. It was for a French magazine, and I was fortunate to get a cover and three page feature in the issue! I also ended up being in Paris while the issue was on stands - so walking around Paris and seeing my image on the cover was beyond incredible.
TANTALUM: Final thoughts funny stuff that happened on shoot day??
ANTHONY DEEYING: To get the movement shots Evan had to be jumping around, dancing, whipping her hair around in the studio with no A/C poor thing had to break every now and then to get her makeup and hair reset because she was breaking a sweat. But she looked amazing and was definitely a trooper.

- jerome

Target Confirmed: Put Your Claws Up

Behold the AMBUSH Design Claw Ring. This baby has just enough whimsy to be classified as cute, and all the danger required in my prerequisites for jewelry. I first saw this baby on CL, the leader for the K-pop group 2NE1. I worship those girls with no apologies and their ring game is always on point. On one interview, CL was whipping her hand around with these huge claws on them and my heart skipped a beat. When I went to their show last Friday she was wearing the rings again in multiple colors and I was researching by the time I sat down on the train ride home. The ring is by the Japanese designer AMBUSH as part of their HOLY MOUNTAIN collection. Evil eyes, claws, crosses, and furs AND SEN M. IS MODELING OMGOMGOMG all strike a chord with me and my fate was sealed.

The only catches were the Japanese website and sizing, so I had to task a friend to translate for me. You have to put in all your information and they send you a confirmation email in about a week before you process the actual payment (still waiting for my confirmation - but let me know if you need help when ordering from the US). If you are curious, I am going to pull the trigger on the silver and blue claws in a size 16, the Japanese equivalent of my size 8 ring finger. You can also see the ring featured in the latest issue of i-D on newstands now.

- jerome