I snapped these photos in the backyard of a vintage shop, Gypsy Den.  The Gypsy Den drew me to this tiny (literally 1 block) artsy area on Colorado St.  One block, but packed with the most unusual treasures including a fortune teller’s covered wagon (picture the Wizard of Oz!).  Oh BTW, wouldn’t you know it…the Gypsy Den was closed that day….curses!!!

more vegas ….here

really anytime is a great time for a shoe break!

OK…weeeelll…not exactly the same color as our new logo , but pretty darn close!  I certainly did a double take!  YES, it’s true…we are still in the works for a nice change to our site (SOON!! ) and it was unbelievable (and super cool) to read Pantone choosing a very similar color for colour of the year 2012!   Seriously, have you seen the Pantone color book??  Thousands of shades & colors!!  And I have to agree…”Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, (Tangerine Tango) is an orange with a lot of depth to it ….marries the vivaciousness & adrenaline of rush of red with the friendliness & warmth of yellow to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat & energy”

We can’t get enough of magazines over here @ 203040.  Here, some of our fave sources of inspiration in our studio…and under $50

As you may have noticed, our blogging has been a little sporadic lately. We’ve mentioned — randomly, mysteriously, in passing — some upcoming changes. Well those changes have kept us mighty busy and stressed out, and the time has finally come to fill you in a little.

In the next few weeks Twentythirtyforty will be relaunching with a newly designed site, a more editorial-focused format, and a new name: Kit This.

At the moment, our blog, our styling, our editorial and our shop are all separate. And they really shouldn’t be. This site was originally imagined as sort of an online fashion destination, a new kind of editorial fashion experience. We love product — we love to discover it, we love to figure out how to wear it, we love to see how others are wearing it, and we love to play with it. So rest assured, you’ll see the same things here that you currently see.

We’ll have contributors, DIYs, styling ideas and inspiration, new products and designers, weekly editorials… It’s going to be so rad, y’all!

So please stay tuned. Kit This is coming soon to a computer near you!

For more info on our upcoming re-launch, check out this awesome write-up in Time Out Chicago.

I have to dedicate another post to  Clic Bookstore & Gallery in NYC. This one-of-a-kind bookstore & gallery was on our to-hit list while in NYC.  On our way racing downtown in a cab (my brain sloshing forward than back again at every stop & go), there it was just sitting so pretty on the corner…J’adore Clic.  I scream “STOP!  We’re getting out here!”.

oh the glorious books

Wonderful opening reception for artist, Don Oehl. There's nothing like his use of line to create beauty & fashion. Loved his cell phone holders & signed totes for FNO

Hi all!  Wrapped another successful trip to NYC  We packed in as many friends and as much fashion, food & art as we possibly could in three days.  As always inspiration overload & never enough {sleeping} hours in the day!  Do you have any favorite to-do’s or to-see’s while in the big apple??  Would love to hear!

Oh Edith A Miller! You sure do know how to put a smile on my face!

Maria Cornejo & B

one of my favorite things about this town...fire escapes! Check out this beauty!

Rachel Comey baby!!

We had a fun little unexpected shoot pop up last week.  We had the absolute pleasure of styling the works from a few students from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago, at the most unique space, Architectural Artifacts, amidst the most unique random items on one super gorgeous day.

More behind-the-scenes on FB

Architectural Artifacts

4325 N Ravenswood Ave

Chicago, IL 60613

hours - 10am to 5pm, 7 days a week

I know, I know, we go on and on about Erika Dufour, but she’s awesome and we just can’t help ourselves.

The latest story she shot for us is something I’ve personally wanted to do for a while now — kind of a rock/grunge/punk thing. I’ve always thought that there is something really beautiful about the the industrial and rundown parts of our city. Not everything is perfect and there is something very real and honest about that. Luckily, Erika sees the same thing.

Well you can’t properly bring a vision to life without a truly exceptional model, and we found one in the AMAZING Kel from Factor Women Chicago. She totally embraced the challenge and just went CRAZY! She really used her surroundings (and was not at all intimidated by the occasional condom or empty liquor bottle she encountered). She happily climbed to the roof of an abandoned building, jumped around on a random mattress, rolled around on the ground, and beat the living daylights out of a chain link fence. Honestly, she was so inspiring to watch.

So without further adieu, I give you today’s Girls Friday: Erika and Kel.

Awesome hair and make-up by Chrisondra Boyd of Ford Artists

There is so much more, so please check out the story in its entirety here.

{photography by Erika Dufour, styled by Brandon Frein and Arlene Matthews, hair and make-up by Chrisondra Boyd of Ford Artists, model: Kel of Factor Women}