On the Road with Kaelen
This past week, New York-based fashion designer in the CFDA Fashion Incubator Kaelen Haworth went on a whirlwind 10-day long summer roadtrip—hitting up New Orleans, Austin, Marfa, and Dallas—in search of inspiration. Here, she shares her photo diary from the adventure.
New Orleans “This is in the Saint Louis Cemetery #1, which was incredible. The texture and color of the weathered and time-worn tombs was really beautiful. There is so much history in this cemetery – including the grave of the Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau.”
Photo by Renée Rodenkirchen.
New Orleans “This is in a bar on Frenchman Street that had amazing live music. This woman’s voice was insane—no one was really talking in the bar, they were all so focused on her.”
Photo by Renée Rodenkirchen.
New Orleans “We stayed at the W hotel, which is right in the heart of the French quarter. Exploring the area was amazing – it really felt like no other city. I’m still dreaming of the balconies overflowing with plants and flowers.”
Photo by Renée Rodenkirchen.
New Orleans “This is inside the Backstreet Cultural Museum in the Treme district, which was tiny but packed with amazing stuff. The focus is on New Orleans traditions like the Jazz Funeral, Second Line parades and the Mardi Gras Indians. The costumes above are part of Mardi Gras Indian tradition, which includes the making of a costume every year for the celebration, usually by hand. The artistry is incredible.”
Photo by Renée Rodenkirchen.
Austin “We had breakfast at Snack Bar in Austin on South Congress Street before shopping for cowboy boots at Heritage Boots and amazing vintage at Uncommon Objects. I am awaiting a shipment (and shipping charges) of a 30-pound pink marble vase from the latter. Whoops.”
Photo by Renée Rodenkirchen.
Austin “I almost bought these boots. They were stingray and the only ones that were all black (typical New Yorker) but they were also the most expensive in the store (typical me). So instead I went for a black pair with an embroidered design all over. All the boots are handmade in Mexico and, I felt like a new woman when I put them on.”
Photo by Renée Rodenkirchen.
Austin “Austin has some trippy vintage/costume stores. This one was called Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds. I watched Grease (and Grease 2 – no shame) probably three times a week in my youth, so naturally I wanted this jacket. I’m more of a T Bird than a Pink Lady.”
Photo by Renée Rodenkirchen.
Marfa “We drove from Austin to Marfa, and for the last stretch of the drive, there is nothing but landscape. We were relieved to see the Marfa sign from a gas tank perspective, but I loved the open road and the rocks that lined the empty highways on the way in.”
Photo by Renée Rodenkirchen.
Marfa “I fell in love with Marfa. I know that’s probably a cliché at this point but Marfa is my jam. There is nothing about it that isn’t interesting or beautiful, from the history of the town to the buildings to the landscape. The wall behind me was on the outside of a coffee shop in a container and had been hand-painted by an artist.”
Photo by Renée Rodenkirchen.
Marfa “This is inside of FREDA, which is the smallest, most charming store. The owner opened the shop for us because everything in Marfa is closed on Mondays, and we bought vintage brooches, turquoise rings, Marfa Soaps, and more. They also had a desert-friendly selection of some of the New York girls—Ryan Roche and Pamela Love.”
Photo by Renée Rodenkirchen.
Marfa “The colors in Marfa were beautiful. It felt like there was a pinky/peach wash over everything. The town is only about two-square miles, but you could explore for days.”
Photo by Renée Rodenkirchen.
Dallas “This was taken on Main Street in Dallas, we had just stopped in to see the spring line in Tenoversix. The eye behind me is called The Eye (seems obvious) by Tony Tasset and is 30-feet tall.”
Photo by Renée Rodenkirchen.
Dallas “This is in a vintage store called Dolly Python. It was amazing and packed with so much good stuff, but I’ll be honest – they had a tiny mutt named Mr. Sandwiches with the cutest underbite in all the land so I didn’t really do any shopping.”
Photo by Renée Rodenkirchen.
