Fab Savvy Fashion

NOTE: This page, “The Skinny”, is not geared solely toward thin or small framed individuals. In fact, this is an attempt to dig deeper into fashion by bringing you a “hot off the presses” style scoop on the latest, greatest, or simply under-recognized goings on in fashion. And because we are Houston based, we’ll be serving up the skinny on the Houston Fashion Scene on a regular basis. Enjoy!

Something Like A Coloring Book

“SOMETHING LIKE A COLORING BOOK”

Not often do your accessories move you, or anyone else for that matter. How many of us can say that the hottest accent to our ensemble is also an artistic extension of ourselves? Allow me to introduce you to a lady, a movement, and an EARRING on a mission. For almost three years now Artist/Designer Jeyfree has been creating truly expressive custom neck and ear-pieces. The Bronx born-and-raised turned Houstonian, says the overarching goal of her creations is to bring social awareness. She told me during an interview that she feels “a fashion statement should include a state of mind, not just looking good”. Lucky for us, her statement making pieces look great. Jeyfree custom designs ear pieces and neck pieces for her clients, making sure each gets something unique. She said she always knew she was an artist. She recalled coloring all the time as a child, when other girls her age were “playing with Barbies”. Her hard work at an early age certainly paid off.

Right now, Jeyfree is in Africa with a group called the awakenings movement. Their mission for this particular voyage: to spread and share social imagination through visual arts. The trip fits right in to Jeyfree’s personal expedition, the artistic Journey she calls The Road To FREE(DOM), which is also the name of her blog. Whatever the road, it is clear that only more and greater successes are in her path. She’s come quite a ways from the accomplishment of her first sold pieces. “I had a small trunk show in a night cub” she said, remembering that night and the fact that she was unsure about how her work would be received. She made ten pieces and sold them all. “I was so proud because I worked so hard on those ten pieces.” You can tell that fortunately this grounded and humble artist is not one to let bigger stages lessen the pure artistry of her work. I asked her if she intended to continue to hand make her pieces when they are in higher demand. Her answer “YES, YES, YES! It’s funny . . . I was just talking to a friend about this the other day she asked me the same thing.” She says she thought about it and concluded that the pieces would not be custom-made otherwise. You can tell that delivering to her clients is important. Her two main aspirations: “To never sell myself short” and “To do it for everyone else (her clients), not myself”. It’s her passion expressed in the pieces themselves that make her work as crave-able to us, as Asian food is to her (She said she must have been Asian in a past life, telling me about her favorite places to score Japanese, Chinese and Korean cuisine).

Simply Recognizeable

Simply recognizable, these custom ear pieces have been spotted at some of the trendiest events and spots around Houston and elsewhere. And since they are as electric as Jeyfree’s own personality you can’t help but ask … ‘where did you get those?’ These inspired creations and their creator, are sure to be household names, and are a refreshing discovery for those of us searching for something beyond commercial fads in fashion. When asked to put her fashion sense into a short phrase, the creative Jeyfree offered “Something Like A Coloring Book. It’s empty at first like the blank pages, you never know. You bring it to life with the colors you choose”. Sounds like it could also be a metaphor for her developing as an artist. If so, we should all be eager to see the choice of colors yet to come.

6/8/09