Cropped sweater, Opening Ceremony. Underwear, B tempt’d. Heart rings, Material Girl.
Remember when you were 16 how the summer seemed to last forever? Somehow those high school summer days and nights were eternal. Spending sun-drenched afternoons in an idyllic park with your close friends and, if you were lucky, a few love interests. At the time, it was hard to approach your crush, to get up the nerve to talk, to be convincing that the two of you should hang out. When you look back at those moments, you realize that it wasn’t that hard, nor was it something you ever really needed to worry about. But that thick humidity in the summer air, making the palms of your hands sweaty, also made you think twice about whether or not you should be worried. Were you nervous about reaching for their hand or embarrassed that your nervousness was showing? Maybe, if you rubbed your palms on your pants ever so gently and dried them off, while your heart raced with adrenaline, you’d seem like you had been here before: an experienced, mature person who had felt the touch of love. But then again, what was the point in faking something you would only get to experience once in your life?
Like the first time an actor rehearses their lines, you readied your speech. Did you say it with aplomb, self-deprecation, or with just the right touch of romance on your tongue? You could have had that internal monologic debate forever. But the first time you said, “I love you,” your stomach churned with uncertainty, but ultimately with the hope that it would be returned; that whomever this person was, they had been aware of your emotions and would respond in kind. Once your breath had pushed those words past your lips, it was over; your love was out there. The speed at which anxiety hit you would never be that quick again. It cued the butterflies, and they fluttered in your stomach. But when those words were returned to you, when you got that validation that your love was reciprocated, all of that anxiety was labeled as inexperience and that changed you forever. You departed from that youthful state where romanticism was synonymous with love to a point, where, while love remains amazing, transcendent, and still quite possibly the most amazing thing that humans have ever created, it was just not as awkward or embarrassing anymore.
Over the years, you learned that love’s not ideal: it’s an idea. Love is no longer intimidating in that awkward butterfly kind of way but rather it’s intimidating in a continuous readjusting sense. Love can work for everyone. We don’t just love; we learn how to love. And learning something new takes time, patience and dedication, a place where there’s no room for youthful intimidation. -Dave Synyard
Left: Cropped sweater, Opening Ceremony. Underwear, B tempt’d. Turquoise ring, Expression.
Glitter Oxfords, Topshop 
.
Right: Dress, Topshop . Leather cuff, Expression. Necklace, stylists own.
Left: Bra, Triumph . Underwear, Calvin Klein . Jeans, Diesel. Rings, Expression. Colour bracelets, Expression. Silver bracelets, Material Girl. Belt, stylists own.
Right: Top, Free People.
Lace top, Free People. Denim vest, Topshop . Underwear, Wacoal .
Boots, Frye. Bracelets, Material Girl. Ring, Expression. Necklace, stylists own.
Bra, Valisere. Eyes, Ideal Light Brush-on Illuminator . Cheeks, Clinique Blushing Blush Powder Blush . Lips, Dior Serum De Rouge .
Photographer: May Truong maytruong.com. Video Cinematographer: Derrick Belcham of A Story Told Well. Fashion Editor: Colleen Henman. Model: Julia Stone. Make-up and Hair: Natalie Blouin from Plutino Group. Photographer’s Assistant: Aleyah Solomon. Styling Assistant Daeun Janet. Floral Set and Headpiece design: Lori-Anne Krauswitz Lakrause. Flowers supplied by Botany Floral Studio. Photography studio: Silverline.
All Clothing + Accessories Available at Select Bay stores.