The contributing team here at VIA VTG VOX POP is a lean and mean-ingful(!) cool girls posse. We like to get down and dirty in our work because, well, it's 'our' work not something we're paying others to dream up. We run a small, tight ship. Our fingerprints are all over everything we do. After getting to know us, we're sure you'll agree... our contributors rule.
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
PHOTOGRAPHER: Kelsey Castner
Half predestined nature woman and half fated city slicker, contributing photographer Kelsey Castner is a youthful ticking time bomb of creative energy and raw talent. Ambitious and fearless... whether taking on work or life challenges or making a visual statement with colored hair that changes hues monthly... Kelsey latched on to the opportunity to hone her burgeoning skills in the worlds of fashion and photography with us. She was just what we were looking for.
A 21-year-old, small town NJ native with a BA in Graphic Design, Kelsey's interest in art and photography is estimated to have started the very moment she could hold a marker or click the button of her parent's point and shoot. Not unlike her peers, her recent work is influenced by the raw authenticity and visual vibrancy of street, bmx, skate and youth culture and their inspiration on her own photographic technique. Winning entries in Vans Instagram and Lightroom Software competitions are proof of her talent in the making.
Like a mood ring, Kelsey’s personal style relies on a daily inner emotional gauge. As a result, her vibe is a collection of looks rather than one aesthetic… self described as "outfits that tend to appear as if different eras were put into a blender." Whether grunge princess, skate culture tomboy or hippie chick, we always love to see which one walks through the door.
When not schooling it, photographing it or drawing it, Kelsey can be found giving love to her two cherished pups or any of the canine species that cross her path in her part time job (though she'd probably do it even if unpaid!) Her most cherished (and relied upon) possession is her 2000 Jeep Cherokee (yes, it really has seen over 273,000 miles!) and the craziest thing she's ever done is to conceal her (unknowingly) pregnant pet rat, Coconut, in her closet for six months before her family found out. She loves to wear black (though her true color crush is purple) and if she could eat breakfast and Mexican food every meal, she would be forever happy. Her sign is Libra, her spirit animal a wolf and she is living a thriving, undeterred life despite having Type 1 diabetes.
Is there any doubt why she's our kind of cool girl collaborator… doing it, living it and wearing it… with our kind of cool girl style?
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
HAIR+MAKE-UP ARTIST: Julie Torres
Talented, smart, savvy, hip, the kind of ready for action Cool Girl vibe we love... our go to Hair+Makeup Stylist, Julie Torres, needs no excuse for the overwhelming passion she has for her work. Inspiring beauty both in how one looks on the outside and feels on the inside is firmly embedded in her DNA.
The daughter of a professional barber, childhood days spent keeping company in his shop were surely the impetus for her own beauty career… one infused with his influential old school sensibilities where hard work, talent, performance and customer satisfaction are balanced by the camaraderie created between colleagues and patrons alike.
A talented artist who can meet the demands of any project that comes her way, whether skillfully wielding a blow dryer or personalizing latest makeup trends, Julie has an incredible knack for always making us glad to be under her care and in her enthusiastic company.
When not working, you'll find her working out or traveling the world for both physical and mental rejuvenation. And, though she leads a colorful life, you'll find her style defined in a wardrobe palette of stylishly reliable black as she leaves her beauty mark across the Tri-state area. We can't help but feel lucky when she works her magic in our behalf. See why in our editorial and product model shoots and our inspirational 'Current Mood' features.
*
FOLLOW VIA VTG VOX POP + FRIENDS ON INSTAGRAM
