The Lost Sirens: 'Street Siren' out now in Kirameki Magazine

"We are all laying in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." -Oscar Wilde

This collection is a story about true love in the age of youth... Beautiful and whole-heartedly blind; so much so that it eventually leaves you with a hole in your own heart. This is a story of magic and destruction, of the breathtaking emotional highs and lows that every facet of lovesickness is borne out of-angst to sightless euphoria and everything in between.

These clothes are an homage to the young destroyers, the misfits, the vandals, the freaks, the runaways and the beautifully broken. It's a story about the stargazing grunge queens with tears in their eyes and and the smoke of spliff on their tongues. Or the mind-numbingly drunk punk rock princesses, bruise covered and fragmented in their pain... Trying to hurt on the outside to distract themselves from what's within.

They are 'The Lost Sirens'... Angsty feral dreamers, strong enough that they think they can eat the flesh and bones of their young destroyer love boys.... But in the fall of this euphoric idea of "love" the Sirens are the ones who are lost enough that they end up with cracked and broken hearts. I guess that's how the light eventually starts to find it's way into them.

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To continue to see this collection of unique streetwear as it develops please follow the tumblr archiving the photoshoots that document it as well as the things that inspire it.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the most recent shoot of the collection, out now in Kirameki Magazine.

PHOTO CREDITS

Photographer: Chantel Beam

Model: Lana

MUA: Jolie by Monique Noelle

All clothes by Papusza Couture 

'Matryoshka' Editorial in Beautiful Savage Magazine

Last time I was visiting my loves in NYC I had the pleasure of working on a gorgeous editorial with some of my favorite ladies. The editorial, titled 'Matryoshka', is out now in Beautiful Savage Magazine. I was the stylist for this shoot, and provided pieces from my own collection combined with accessories and knits from some of my other favorite designers.

All credits and full story can be found in the link above. Below are a few of my favorite outtakes from the shoot.

"The name Matryoshka comes from old Russia, where, among peasants, it was a very popular female name. According to scholars, Matryoshka contains the Latin root “mater,” meaning “Mother.” Eventually coming to symbolize the maternal image of a large, healthy peasant family, the Matryoshka inspired Russian wooden nesting dolls—constructed so they may be taken apart to reveal smaller and smaller dolls resting inside."

Mermaids in Brooklyn: An Urban Kingdom by the Sea

"I was a child and she was a child,

In this kingdom by the sea."

-Edgar Allen Poe

This year has been an insanely busy year. Many of the adventures have been magical and wonderful... Sometimes exhausting. I ventured into my year by spending the latter part of January and most of February in freezing cold NYC. I still have a few shoots from that trip I am just getting to share. 

One of my favorite shoots was this mermaid meets punk rock inspired shoot I did with a few of my favorite ladies in Brooklyn. All of these chicks where just tough as nails, modeling in mid February 15 degree celsius temps. We took the train out to Coney Island and you could feel the icy wind cutting the metal shell of the train. But a mermaid in Brooklyn knows how to be a tough badass bitch, even on Siberian cold days. I would say that my time living in Brooklyn is one of the biggest contributing factors of my mermaid edge. I've still got a clan of beautiful mermaid babes there to visit too, and here are the pics to prove it...

Photographer: Ipek Sen

Models: Gemini Blitz, Kendalle Aubra, Marqaret Mendez

MUA: Christine Geiger

Hairstylist: Ariane Garcia

Wardrobe Stylist: Kendalle Aubra

Designs by www.papuszacouture.com

Kai'outi Magazine: Woodland Issue Cover and Editorial

There has been so much happening lately in Papusza Land that I am far behind on posting photos from all the magical things that have been happening lately. I will be posting more in the upcoming weeks, but wanted to share the November issue of Kai'outi Magazine, which has a photo of the beautiful Neon Lolita wearing Papusza Couture on the cover, and includes an editorial. I love this whimsical editorial, shot by Justin Schlesinger, with dreamy hair and makeup by Monique Noelle. This is "Neon Forest" from the "Woodland" issue of Kai'outi Magazine.

"The Union" Dark Bridal Editorial

Earlier this Spring the talented Ashley Garner pulled some of my gowns for a dark bridal editorial entitled "The Union". The shots turned out lovely, and shed an eire and unconventional light on the merging of two dark souls, into an eternal union. Have a peak at a few of my favorite images from the shoot below, and view the complete editorial here.

On the note of bridal couture-for those of you who do not know-I have a specialty line of custom heirloom dresses and gowns. I will be posting more on this at some point in the next few weeks or so, but feel free to have a peak at some of my "Trousseau" Collection here.

Photographer: Ashley Garner
Models: Samayah Jaramillo & Marshall Showalter
Wardrobe Designer: Papusza Couture
Millinery Designer: Katie Burley Millinery
Hair/MU: Erika Arce

"Voluptuaria" | Unique Clothes for Curves

"A divine nimbus exhales from it from head to foot,
It attracts with fierce undeniable attraction,
I am drawn by it's breath as if I were no more then a helpless vapor,
all falls aside but myself and it....
Hair, bosom, hips, bend of legs, negligent falling hands all diffused,
mine too diffused..."

-Walt Whitman

I am happy to have recently debuted my newest line, entitled "Voluptuaria". As one might gather from the name, this is a line of unique and handmade clothing for curvaliscious babes. You can find a couple of these items already listed for sale in my shop, and keep an eye out for more coming later on this summer. This line is an homage to the soft and feminine aesthetic of vintage Hollywood glamour, with a touch of tattered punk rock and bohemian romance. Below you can find beautiful editorial captures taken by the talented Marisa Pike from the first shoot of this line, which was set at the iconic Hotel Shangri-La in Santa Monica. These looks are modeled by drop dead gorgeous bombshell blond Felicity Hayward, looking like a classic Hollywood beauty in hair and makeup by Giovanna Paramo.

Flowers in May: Lolita Flora Editorial

At the dawn of Spring I did a shoot with a talented little crew of ladies, and enjoyed the blossoming of the season in the whimsical hills of Berkeley. I created an editorial around a small collection of dresses, embellished with silk flowers. Shoot day was every bit as dreamy as I had imagined... our team was truly full of magic, and enchanted with flower power. If you would like to purchase clothing from this editorial it can be found for sale in my etsy.

PHOTO CREDITS:

Photographer: Regina Marie
Model: Neon Lolita
MU/Hair: Becky Brazier
Wardrobe Stylist: Kaytee Papusza
Wardrobe Designer: Papusza Couture
Flower Crowns: Katie Burley Millinery
Jewelry: Taxil Hoax

Sending Love Letters to NYC in Spring | A Fairytale in Photos by Ashley Garner

As many of you know, my love affair with NYC has been going on for about 8 years now, since 2006 when I decided I was going to move to Brooklyn. At the time I was ripe, eager, in my early 20's and as I would have said back in that day; "Ready to take the bull by the balls." After living there for about 5 years I peaced out and moved to Cali... which has mostly been great for me. But I definitely have those days where I miss that beautiful babe of a Big Apple city. I remember when I was living in Brooklyn I once heard someone say, "New York is a drug, and I'm addicted." I 100% concur, and this sentiment has remained with me in the past few years since coming back to the West. I've never stopped loving her and I hope I never do.

Recently my talented muse, fellow creator and friend Ashley Garner moved to NYC-I was stoked to be able to see her and do some work with her while I was there over the winter, she is kicking so much ass already. I mailed Ashley a box of dresses for an editorial last week, including the magical Love Letter Dress. I was so pleased to see her create a fairytale through photos with it in Central Park. Have a look at this magical story below.

Special thanks to Sanaz Gangei for the beautiful script on the textiles of this gown.

Spring Fever | Color Junkie Sale in Etsy

Spring is in the air, and I can feel it! I had so much fun kicking off the season this past weekend, by having a fabulous and color happy photoshoot with my girls Neon Lolita, Regina Marie and Becky Brazier. I couldn't be more in love with color right now if I tried, and I have been having such a blast playing with it, after months of working only in white and silver while creating my "Pleiades" collection. See a little teaser from the shoot this past weekend included below, along with a few of my other fun, Springy and color happy looks. Proper photos will be coming from this past weekend's shoot soon, but many of these other looks are currently for sale in my etsy, where I will be having a 20% off sale starting at midnight this evening, lasting until Sunday at midnight. This sale is good for *ANYTHING* in my etsy shop... to take advantage of it just enter the coupon code COLORJUNKIE upon checkout.

Photo by Sean Murdock | Model: Vera | MU by Lauren Warner | Hair by Celia Racicot

Photo by Elizabeth Raab | Model: Cayte Bosler | Hair/MU by Eleanor Sabaduquia

Photo by Jill Hannes | Model: Alexis Hutt | Hair/MU by Becky Brazier

Photo by Raymond Haddad | Model Ashley Garner

Model: Annie Su

                                        

Behind the scenes shot of Neon Lolita from last weekend shoot with Regina Marie.