Golden Girl of the West

Powder Blue

2016-04-27T07:08:00.001-07:00

blue dress, boots and silver clutch: vintage | jewelry: patania

xx~syd

Azteca

2016-04-19T06:57:00.002-07:00

two piece tunic + pants, with aztec calendar print: vintage | silver jewelry: vintage | red velvet boots

xx~syd

A Desert Coat

2016-02-26T13:37:00.000-08:00

Early mornings in the Old Pueblo. There is always a chill in the air.

Xx~Syd

coat: vintage (how sweet it was) | boots: 1990s charles david | black turtleneck: splendid

Monday Muse | Sofia Coppola

2016-02-22T14:01:00.000-08:00

"That's the way I work; I try to imagine what I would like to see."

~Sofia Coppola

Mornings with Georgia

2016-02-22T13:35:00.001-08:00

Trying not to rush into Monday too fast. Instead, I am enjoying a slow morning and some fact checking with Georgia O'Keeffe. Happy Monday!

Xx~Syd

Bon Weekend No. 10

2016-02-19T12:57:00.000-08:00

image: via

That olive green built in sofa, no?

Xx~Syd

Red Velvet

2016-02-19T09:21:00.001-08:00

red velvet bolero: vintage | black high waist jeans: levi's | boots: vince | silver belt + jewelry: vintage

Xx~Syd

Brass Buckles

2016-02-17T07:56:00.001-08:00

Xx~Syd

Touch of Emerald

2016-02-17T07:43:00.001-08:00

dress, clutch + hat: vintage | silver georgia cuffs: sam patania (tucson, az) | boots: vince

Xx~Syd

Monday Muse

2015-12-28T15:13:00.002-08:00

" I find mediocrity hard. I find that whole area difficult. I'm a very passionate person; I care very much about what I do. I believe I give it a lot, so it's gotta be good; otherwise what's the point?"

~Phoebe Philo

photograph by Davis Sims for The Gentlewoman.

Dark + Mysterious

2015-12-21T06:10:00.001-08:00

"There's something about black, you feel hidden away in it."
~Georgia O'Keeffe

wardrobe, hat + metal belt: vintage | boots: cole haan

Winter in the Old Pueblo

2015-12-09T09:54:00.000-08:00

"The air is cold, but the warm sun still shines on my face. It feels like winter in the Old Pueblo."

~gg of the west

glasses: celine | blazer: dkny (old, but similar here) | white shirt: calvin klein (similar here) |
bolo tie + ring: vintage

Black: Transitioning to Fall

2015-11-09T10:48:00.000-08:00

In the mood for a black uniform, as we transition to a slow fall in the old pueblo....

"Women who wear black, lead colorful lives."

~Neiman Marcus

skirt: vintage | boat neck top: gap | shoes: loeffler randall | jewelry: vintage

Bon Weekend No. 9

2015-08-28T08:59:00.002-07:00

image via: lonny magazine

"Your mind will answer most questions, if you learn to relax and wait for the answer".

~William S. Burroughs

Monday Muse | Grace Kelly

2015-08-17T18:00:00.004-07:00

grace kelly in a squash blossom, image rizzoli via: elle decor

" I'm basically a feminist. I think that women can do anything they decide to do."

~Grace Kelly

Monday Muse | Cher

2015-08-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

Cher wearing a Squash Blossom while attending an event in 1974. Photo credit Michael Ochs via: pinterest

" If you really want something, you can figure out how to make it happen!"

~Cher

Cactus Mother

2015-01-09T00:30:00.000-08:00

I am constantly reminded of how lucky I am to have been born and raised amongst these beautiful cactus creatures. The desert is a place of healing, peace, beauty and nature. I would be lying if I said that I never felt the need to get out and explore life and opportunities in other cities. To see and appreciate different architecture, culture and landscapes, but my heart always brings me back to this place…. my home, my desert, my Tucson. On a lovely Tucson winter afternoon, Puspa Lohmeyer ( my friend, creative partner and photographer) and I visited one of our favorite local cactus nurseries. Dressed in a palette of winter whites and placed in front of a backdrop of cactus green. I immersed myself in a sea of saguaros and breathed deep. These particular cactus, only mere babies in comparison to the sea of ancient ones found in the deserts wild, were so promising. Each one so similar, yet so different, protected and nourished in their own skin. Healthy, youthful and content, the desert alone naturally provides everything they could ever need, a force of nature that is overwhelming in it’s own thoughts. It is when I am in the nature of the desert, that I always find my peace and clarity. The place that I venture out to walk alone in the stillness of it's modest grace. The sonoran desert is the only region the saguaro naturally grows. It is where it belongs. Gratefully, this vast landscape is right in my backyard and at the end of the day, of my travels or big city fixes, there is really no place I would rather be, nowhere else I belong. Life may take me on a journey to other places, but my heart and my roots will always be here, walking among the cactus.

Xx~Syd

credits:

creative director + styling: sydney ballesteros

photography: puspa lohmeyer
wardrobe: maxi skirt, jewelry + accessories: vintage
boots: cole haan
1960s bertoia chair: hot cool vintage

location: old pueblo nursery: tucson, az

Rebel Heart | January 2015

2015-01-06T15:25:00.002-08:00

She is a beautiful free spirit. One that holds a bit of mischievous curiosity underneath it all. Perfectly polite, graceful, and beams hints of glamour, but she can't seem to shake her love of rebelling from the expected once in a while, the thrill of rush and and the so called bad boy. She has a Rebel Heart.

Credits:

Creative Director + Stylist: Sydney Ballesteros

Photography: Puspa Lohmeyer

Model: Lisa Marie Lipscomb (FORD RBA)

Makeup: Tangie Duffey

Hair: Raul Mendoza

Wardrobe: Razzle Dazzle Vintage, How Sweet it Was Vintage, Black Cat Vintage, Ellie Mayhem Vintage, Buffalo Exchange, Zappos

Published:

Fashion Shift Magazine, UK

Zocalo Magazine, Tucson AZ

Monday Muse | Jean Shrimpton

2015-01-05T08:47:00.000-08:00

" Be patient, the best things happen unexpectedly."

~Jean Shrimpton

by Richard Avedon, 1968

photo: via

Oxblood + Velvet

2014-12-17T08:42:00.000-08:00

The winter season in Tucson is such a special thing, the days are overcast and the air is crisp, (but not frozen over), and the spirit of a desert Christmas weighs heavy around the corner. On one of these beautiful winter afternoons, Puspa and I wandered around the original adobe barrios of downtown Tucson, I in my vintage 1970s oxblood and velvet suit of course! I just couldn't wait for the cool winter days in the desert to come, so I could wear this suit I had been so anxiously awaiting to, and on this day I did- enough said. Wishing you, my lovely readers a happy holiday season, from the old pueblo. Many blessings and peace for the new year to come! xo

photography: puspa lohmeyer

creative direction + styling: sydney ballesteros

location: barrio viejo, tucson az

1960s turquoise squash blossom: vintage (razzle dazzle, tucson az)
1970s velvet suit: vintage

Shades of Olive

2014-11-19T11:39:00.006-08:00

Green has always been on the list of favorite colors, but lately I've been obsessing over the color green, olive green to be specific. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite colors to wear this season. The actual fall weather reaches the desert a little later than the rest of the world, so this news flash may be late. Some of these items would argue to be called the color moss. Indeed it's very close in scale, but maybe a tad bit more brown in it. I think I just like the word "olive" better, don't you? Here are some of my favorite selections in the world of olive.
PS- I am coveting those SW boots, and Christmas is around the corner (hint, hint).

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

xx~Syd

Tucson Modernism Week 2014 | Vintage Style Exhibit Part 1

2014-10-23T10:11:00.003-07:00

Another year has come and gone, and the beautiful desert nights of October have graced Tucson with their presence. What that means is...Tucson Modernism Week, a two week long series of events, dedicated to the preservation and design of all things mid-century modern. Some of those categories are homage to architecture, furniture, fashion and cars. You know the good stuff!

My contribution to this wonderful event is the vintage style exhibit, where I produce, curate and style a lovely show, complete with stand still models and a set of vintage mid-century fashions that will feast your eyes. Below is Part 1 of the show, the behind the scenes footage, shot by my creative comrade Puspa Lohmeyer. Enjoy!

Credits:

Photographer: Puspa Lohmeyer

Creative Director + Stylist: Sydney Ballesteros

Makeup: Tangie Duffey

Hair: Raul Mendoza

Wardrobe: Black Cat Vintage | Razzle Dazzle Vintage | How Sweet it Was Vintage | Desert Vintage | Buffalo Exchange

Monday Muse | Grace Jones

2014-09-29T10:53:00.001-07:00

Androgynous beauty, strong force, self made, style pioneer, fearless, risk taker, icon, model + singer.

image: via

"I believe in individuality, that everybody is special, and it's up to them to find that quality and let it live."

~Grace Jones

Monday Muse | Greta Garbo

2014-09-15T15:37:00.001-07:00

True actress, modern, emphatic, sophisticated, astute, disciplined, alluring and mysterious. An understated style setter and art collector ahead of her time.

image: via

"I wish I were supernaturally strong, so I could put right everything that is wrong."

~Greta Garbo

Indigenous

2014-09-12T15:48:00.005-07:00

Just chasing summers light and saguaros, and painting pictures in the sand. Another day outdoors in the life of the beautiful desert mountains, in my native home of Tucson Arizona. This overwhelming landscape never gets old and never ceases to amaze me. Grateful.

creative director + stylist: sydney ballesteros
photos: puspa lohmeyer
location: gates pass, tucson az

wardrobe:

dress: how sweet it was vintage (tucson, az) | hat: vintage | shoes: handmade espadrilles from spain (similar here)