If you don’t know about the history of the amazing Travelling Yellow Skirt Freak Show please read here.
Otherwise none of this will make any sense to you.
This is the story of the fantasy in my head vs. the reality of my life in my quest to capture my interpretation of the Travelling Yellow Skirt Freak Show.
The Fantasy
I was strolling through the forest singing softly to myself when I happened upon a lovely spot to sit and reflect for a moment.
Butterflies and birds flocked to my sunny skirt and floral crown.
It was magical.
I gazed up through the trees in amazement at the clear blue sky.
I was so overwhelmed with emotion I had to lay down, close my eyes and let the overpowering love of the universe rush over me.
It was all just a dream.
The Reality
Try#1
Now the real story.
I recruited my husband to take photos of me in our backyard from atop a ladder. I knew exactly what I wanted in my mind, an ethereal dreamlike photo taken from far above.
This was lost in translation apparently.
I tried my best to direct him on how to set up the camera.
Massive fail.
All photos from that shoot were overexposed to the point that it looked like the camera was pointed directly at an exploding sun.
#effingwasteoftime
Try #2
We gave it another go. I set up the camera myself. The exposure was decent, but the photos were hideous.
Things to think about when laying down and trying to get someone to take your photo from above while wearing a bustier and oversized maxi skirt:
Lava-like overflowing side boob.
Man shoulders.
One inch legs.
Maybe if my husband was actually shooting above me and not on an angle (the ladder wasn’t anywhere near tall enough) I wouldn’t have looked so bizarrely misshapen. I looked like the love child of a Francis Bacon and Picasso painting.
#howdoyouspelldivorce
Forget about the husband trying to help.
Try #3
I tried taking some photos on my own standing up in my “usual” spot.
Me no likey.
Try #4
I was determined to make this work on my own. Heck other bloggers can take their own atmospheric photos why can’t I?
I made a floral crown, changed my outfit and drove to my neighbourhood park.
When I opened the car door the extreme heat & humidity slapped me upside my face like a searing pancake fresh off the grill. The universe wasn’t going to make this easy but I stubbornly and foolishly thought,
“Oh yeah! Bring it!”
I traipsed through the bush slogging my tripod, shoes and camera while trying to hold up the tent skirt with my free hand, narrowly missing two large piles of dog poop on the way.
Battalions of hyper squirrels ran back and forth in front of me, a warning I was clearly off the beaten path and trespassing on their territory.
I found a spot I thought was far enough away from the trail to avoid attracting any unwanted attention. I began to set up the tripod, bending and contorting my already overheated body into extreme yoga poses while trying to avoid ant hills, dog poop, and sharp branches all the while still holding up the massive parachute skirt that was the heat equivalent of wearing ten plastic garbage bags taped together. Mosquitos the size of small birds swarmed around my head and feasted like kings on my sweaty flesh.
“Breathe, just breathe,”
I told myself.
“You can do this.”
Sweat dripped down my forehead from my floral crown and threatened to ruin my makeup. I hastily wiped it away with the back of my hand. My face and body was covered in a slick layer of perspiration. I had no kleenex, personal assistant, photographer or stylists on this shoot to scrape off the mud and dead leaves that were covering my cute heels that sank into the spongy ground as I tried to navigate my way through the fallen branches and undergrowth forest without falling.
I was on a mission. I was determined to make this work.
I sat down on a rotting log. It sank a bit under my weight, moist and putrid with decay. Perfect for a shot of the shoes and skirt!
“Hey!” I thought, “I’m starting to get the hang of this.”
After messing about for fifteen minutes trying to set up my tripod above the fallen tree I risked my safety and laid all the way down on the log on my back, half expecting a rabid squirrel to attack me from a tree branch above. I quickly started taking photos.
“This might work after all!” I happily told myself.
Just then I heard a guttural menacing growl.
What the…?
I slowly turned my head and saw a large, mean and rather perplexed looking boxer dog about six feet away from me, clearly disturbed by my presence. When I tried to move he started barking excitedly, like he’d just discovered an alien. The owner relentlessly called him from the trail but the dog refused to leave. He was freaking out over this half human, yellow and pink sequinned tree that was moving. The equivalent of a doggy nightmare, when the trees you’ve been peeing on all your life rise up and attack you.
The dog kept barking.
The owner kept calling.
The mosquitos kept biting.
I kept swearing sweating.
And that my friends…was the very last straw.
“That’s it! Eff this!”
I may have actually said that out loud at this point.
I couldn’t concentrate anymore. How was a professional supposed to work in these atrocious conditions? I’d have called my agent to complain but she was back home sleeping and snoring loudly. #lazypug
I packed up my gear.
The dog finally left.
I headed back to the car.
I passed another person on my way out of the park. They just looked at me knowingly, nodded and smiled like they were in on some brilliant inside joke.
(The joke is on you my friend! I got my photos! Ha!)
Uh-huh.
And that is what really happened.
I left my mark on The Travelling Yellow Skirt Freak Show…
So who is next? I challenge you!
This skirt has many more stories to tell. Make sure you are one of them! Contact Melanie, the keeper of the skirt, “it” girl of Vancouver, Queen Comic Blogger and brilliant artist that started it all.
Linking up with Visible Monday, Shoe and Tell, Turning Heads Tuesdays Your Whims Wednesday, What I Wore I Will Wear What I Like 52 Pick-me-up
You have left your mark – beautifully. With a hilarious story to accompany. You look gorgeous, xox.
This is my favorite blog post of the year!!! Perfect. Lol, glad you finally got your pictures!!! 😀
You definitely made your mark, I love the photos despite the agony endured in the making of them!
That flower crown rocks. I want it! xxx
It turned out pretty good for a quickie : )
Oh my! Oh MY! OH MY! You are gorgeous! You’ve created the magic Suzanne! Ethereal, fantastical, magical, beautiful! Whoop! Whoop! I LOVE IT!
I can’t believe the challenges you faced while doing this….and on your own. I remember when I had the skirt; we had an unseasonably cold snap. I think it was about minus 7 which is pretty freaking cold for here. I was freezing!!!! The skirt was actually feeling kind of crispy. But heat, humidity, bugs, poop…..and that DOG {boxers always seem so drooly too}! Yikes!
I’m so glad you did this. Your addition to the skirt is the best ever!
Happy sigh!
HAHAHAHahahaha!!! Suzanne, you did it! I LOOOVE what you’ve done. And your writing. Hahaha. I’m surprised we didn’t bump into each other in the woods. But you got birds and butterflies. If you had yelled loud enough I would have run over with my insecticide (oh, yeah, just water, but still, they don’t know that).
The rotting log throne is perfect.
I so wish you had videotaped you on the ground with your hubby on the ladder. That would have been hilarious, although perhaps not so much so at the time. Heh. We artistes are a dedicated bunch.
For the record: I told Suzanne, any old photo would do. Psychology, my friends, the best gauntlet around. Heh.
Oh, and I absolutely love what you’ve added to the skirt, your signature flowers. GORGEOUS.
Amen. Totally agree.
Nothing to add to that.
Love the story, the humor, the pics, the add-ons to the skirt….very funny and cool!
Oh, oh, it’s so exciting to see you continuing on with the Traveling Yellow Skirt!!! You conquered her brilliantly too, through all your travails. It’s a wonder you didn’t wander into Just Wonderful Nature Woman in Hot Pink while you were out in the forest. It seems Vancouver is full of fancy dressed ladies traipsing about, tra la, tra la.
Ha, I LOVED! This! I was in a foul blackberry-tart-related mood and this has made me smile! Oh dear, the trials and tribulations of blog posts! But seriously, these photos are amazingly ethereal and beautiful- you look a vision- a damsel from another world! I love your writing and flowers on the skirt too! Beautiful!x
I’m almost speechless, this is so perfect. The pictures are amazing, and all the more so because you took them yourself. I love what you wrote about the experience. So funny! And your addition to the skirt is perfection. Sharing this…
I honestly can’t believe that it took the Magical Yellow Skirt that this long to find you!!! I see that the Canadian Parks are filled blogging fashion fairies these days. I love your story. And such gorgeous photos to show for it. I’m so glad you avoided the dog poop. I can’t imagine taking THE SKIRT to the dry cleaner! Yikes!
Beautiful addition! Gorgeous, creative AND determined? You’re unstoppable!
Amazing story! The photos look so good, I’d almost rather not know about the squirrels and dogs and marital disagreements – I want to believe the dream. You and Melanie are so in sync now, with your joyous forest photo shoots creating magic. I didn’t know the skirt was still traveling, but your photos and beautiful “signature” have really brought it back to life!
The things we do for our blog photos! You do look like enchanted forest fairy in these photos! I am impressed with your photoshop skills with all the pretty birds sitting on you. I have seen this skirt on a few bloggers and it’s been awhile since I’ve seen it and love all the pretty addition.
BTW, I can’t stop staring at your gorgeous belt!!! I need one in my closet.
Alice
http://www.happpinessatmidlife.com
Would love to see you Thursday for TBT Fashion link up.
Wow, now THAT was a challenging photo adventure. Great job perservering. If I ever don’t like the photos Angel takes of a certain outfit, it’s too bad, guess that outfit will never be photographed because repeating a photoshoot sounds like WAY too much work to me. You got some incredible photos though, with just the sort of feel you were going for, even if they aren’t representative of the photoshoot experience, though. 😛
I thought I was on the list, but I heard nothing, ahhhhhhhhh
You look fantastic in it, and I love how you make a fun story with the photoshooting, jajjaja
I would love to meet you so much
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You’re a trouper! You had to suffer for your art but you soldiered on, good for you!
Very beautiful photos and hilarious text! It’s really a great story … The Yellow Skirt keeps on inspiring perfect posts!!
Oh the things we creatives do to suffer for our art! But this will go down in blogging history. Brilliant. The clash of fantasy versus reality indeed! I was with you every step especially trying to get your husband to take the shots! Exactly the same with mine!
You had me falling off my chair at Lava-like overflowing side boob.
Ah hahah. Looks great and loved how you styled it. You crack me up!!! So fun…
You should see the grin on my face… hahaha. That will be there all day. What a funny story. I made me laugh so much. I could see all of what happened as if you played a film. And those funny hashtags hahaha: #effingwasteoftime and #howdoyouspelldivorce. LOL
You got amazing photos in the end and did the skirt proud. Some of them (when you are lying in the grass) are ever so sharp.
And I love the rosecrown. How did you make that? It suits you so well. You should send it in for the next Hat Attack.
I didn’t know the yellow skirt was still traveling, but I am glad it does. I just but on my jeans until I was at the spot where my yellow skirt pictures were taken (by husband) and put the skirt over the skinnies at the very last moment. You didn’t think of that, did you? hahaha
Greetje
Really Greetje (said with huge laugh and smile)? I’m just going to start calling you “Brillian G”….even I wouldn’t have thought of that!!! jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Hahaha
#effingwasteoftime – that cracked me up!
For you to acknowledge the sometimes futile photo shoots we endure, perfect!!!! I can’t tell you how many times I have had this scenario in my head of HOW the photo shoot should turn and HOW it actually turns out.
BTW you look fabulous and I kinda like the overexposed images.
This is my favorite post of yours for the year!
From a fellow TYSFS alumni.
Ahhh Suzanne….the craziness that we go through to bring our readers beauty!! I will say I love the pink shirt with the skirt better than the bustier…but both are truly captivating…especially with that story. I must ask…is this fact or fiction? jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
It’s all fact! Do you think I could make up crap like that? ha ha! Seriously. I don’t have that good of an imagination.
I told my husband the whole story when I got back and I knew I had to make it part of the post.
I’m glad you kept with it- and glad to hear we’re not the only ones with photo shoot fails sometimes! The end shots are great though 😉
Wow! I can’t believe she is still travelling. Awesome, awesome, awesome!! And you did a magnificent job. Love your addition (I kept forgetting to send her off and did so in a panic in the end and forgot to add my bit 🙁 ). Are those Irregular Choice shoes I spy. Magnificent. Poor husbands. They never can quite get it right. I think Dolly Parton can answer your tag question in song if required. Love, love, love the yellow skirt and you have done it proud xx
You’re a star, Suzanne! I love how you’ve styled the skirt! Yes, those husband photographers are so grouchy and just do not understand our VISION! Amazing flowers, pictures and YOU!
Love love love the crochet duster. I would have snatched that up right away. I try to avoid thrifting if I’m not looking for something in particular. I mean, browsing is fun but I make more mistakes without a goal in mind. One thing I wish would improve in thrift stores are the dressing rooms and bathroom availability!
Oh, Suzanne, this is just the adventure that the skirt needed to get her mojo back and start another journey! I loved the story, the hashtags and the resulting photos (especially the last one of you lying in your yard. Good for you for battling the elements (and the mosquitos, squirrels and dogs) to follow through with your idea.
Here we find where Truth and Adorableness converge. I was starting to wonder where an uncharacteristic sticky-sweetness was coming from ( although the TLS does promote over-the-top scenariaos ) but I so got your traumatic and heroic efforts to get those photos. And you know I’ve been suffering on that front! Made me feel worlds better.
A delicious addition to the glorious saga.
Thank you so much for the treat.
Oh you crazy gal! I’m with Greetje, I still have a grin on my face after reading this, in fact I just shared it with Par and he’s still laughing. He said it makes it even more fun now that he’s actually met you. You seriously did a fantastic job of resurrecting the FYS. Your story is brilliantly and magically told and your self taken pictures are fabulous. And, I agree, best # ever! Wonderful idea transforming it into a fairytale with the pink and incredible floral crown, which by the way is fabulous. Thank you, my friend for the entertainment and for bring new life into the FYS.
Rabid squirrels, killer boxers and termite infested rotting wood aside…you look mighty fine my friend! Ethereal, gorgeous and not the least bit sopping wet with sweat. Perseverance pays off. 🙂
Debbie
http://www.fashionfairydust.com
Love this Yellow skirt-story. Beautiful Pictures!
I’m feeling the magical power of the Yellow Skirt and You . Fabulous !
What a hysterical recount of this shoot! yes, it is so frustrating getting the pictures we want that out heads can imagine, and putting them into the camera , that way, is so much work!
sorry about the rotting tree, i had visions of you sinking, down, and down… oh no…bugs and worms, and won’t we won’t do for our blog posts! The creative impulses, are everything, really, but the energy it takes!
Love this version very much..dreamy and magical if one can black all thoughts of decaying earth…
I did read the original post you linked… super fun! How you adored that skirt!!
I also love to read your posts, and that is the truth! You re of a kind and fabulous at what you do.
xx, Elle
http://mydailycostume.com
adorned, i meant and one of a kind!
xx, Elle
http://mydailycostume.com
I love the fantasy version, I think we all need to have that with fashion. Love the skirt!!! I have thought many times about getting that husband on latter . red hair flowing behind my head type of look, but was afraid he would fall off. well you made it look great nonetheless!
Thanks for linking up with Turning Heads Tuesday
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
This is the coolest blog post I’ve read in ages! LOVED it!! Oh and I do love the yellow skirt and flowery crown / tiara (whatever you call it!).
Suzy x
http://www.suzyturner.com
I re-read this story as I am linking to it in my post (you inspired me with the wood photos). And I laughed and laughed… oh girl, you are so funny….!!
Greetje