Little Black Dress Photo Series!

Hey, I’m going to be in a photographic series!  Crazy, I know!  It’s called “Little Black Dress” and it’s by a photographer named Tom Styrkowicz. The series focuses on the little black dress being a symbol of a woman expressing her feminine side.  Tom started the series when he would see moms at school in their “everyday” clothes, and then would see them dressed up for some event.  The dichotomy struck him, and the “Little Black Dress” series was created.  In the photographs, he also strives to combine who a woman is with her expression of femininity.  So, since I’m a dancer (well, that’s what I tell people at least), the goal was to combine wearing my little black dress while projecting movement and energy.  I have no idea if the goal was accomplished, but I do like the photos!

And I love my new best friend Tom Styrkowicz!  You wanna talk about someone who has lived a lot of life!  He started out as an artist and photographer in high school, and has come back to this vocation after the sudden death of his wife in 2005.  In between, he has had a career as a fashion photographer in Chicago and New York, (I about died when I saw a photo of him and Cindy Crawford in his office) and he’s been Senior Art Director for retail powerhouses like The Limited and Macy’s.  Later as a consultant, his creative insights advised and steered so many brands through the years including Napier Jewelry, London Fog, JC Penney, Jordan Marsh, Limited Too, Cacique, Outback Red, Forenza, Wrangler, and Victoria’s Secret Bath.  Tom moved his family to the Midwest, and was the Creative Director for Hallmark’s in-house Marketing Studio.  He left Hallmark so that he could balance his time between his two passions:  creating photography portraits and raising his two children.

You see Tom and his work all over town.  He was recently featured in Present Magazine before his showing of his series “Intimate Story Portraits” at the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center in Kansas City and the Creative Arts Center in Texas.  More samples of his work can be found at his website:  www. 53tom.com.

Love and LBDs,

Melanie