Photos by: Max Zoghbi
Outfit: Laundry by Shelli Segal maxi dress (Thank you to Femme Fatale), The Rhonda wedges in black and tan (Dee Keller), Shanghai Express lipstick (Nars)
Good Morning everyone! Alright, so you’re probably wondering who this stunning girl is in the beautiful, elegant Laundry maxi. Well, she just so happens to be one of my very best friends who happily volunteered to help me out with a photo shoot to show you some of Femme Fatale’s latest arrivals! Since both the dress and her hair are black, we chose to pull her hair up and add some dangling earrings for a more dramatic effect. Speaking of her hair, it’s actually pretty funny comparing the both of our sock buns because mine actually has a sock in it and hers doesn’t, yet it ‘s still way bigger than mine! She’s got some really ridiculously thick hair! As for the jewelry, we only added the earrings and two bracelets to maintain the elegance of the dress. If you’re totally in love with this look, make sure to head on over to Femme Fatale or check them out on Facebook (here).
By the way, I didn’t interview Jessica, but I did come across an old English paper that I wrote about her during my freshman year of college. This was back when I thought I wanted to be a writer. Anyway, this paper got me my first A+ of my college career and I thought you might find it amusing. Those of you who know Jessica personally know that any of her stories are wildly entertaining!
P.S. Click the ad below to enter the $100 Park Lane Gift Card Giveaway, and CONGRATULATIONS to all those graduating form LSU today especially my friends: Jordan Shepherd, Meghan Price and Abby Delahoussaye.
Life Without Testing the Water
By: Jennifer Palpallatoc
The exotic, Peruvian girl smiling next to me in every high school picture of mine waltzed into my life on my first day of high school. She stood behind me in line at about five feet with both of her hands firmly planted on her hips. The honey brown eyes hidden beneath her seemingly endless eyelashes scanned the room with delight. She took the initiative and extended out her hand with freshly manicured nails to introduce herself. “Hi, I’m Jessica Ramirez,” she said in a light bubbly tone. I proceeded to introduce myself, and we began to talk.
“Yea, my dad is a deacon in Slidell where I live,” she said.
“Oh, then what brings you here to Covington?” I curiously asked.
Jessica took a deep breath in through her nose raising her shoulders and replied, “My older sister, Maria, graduated from here. I’m super excited. She says I’m going to have a blast!” I later learned first hand that Jessica was all about having a blast.
It was the five of us every weekend, Jessica, Jordan, Michele, Samantha, and me. We were all new to the whole high school experience, but that did not seem to faze Jessica. Everyone adored her sweet, vivacious personality. As for the boys, they never ceased to admire her at all of the school dances. They claimed her golden, tan skin and dark black, shoulder length curls resembled the look of a goddess. Jessica never hesitated to be the first one to hit the dance floor. “She get it from her mama!” she screamed enthusiastically. She yanked me from our group of friends and headed for the stage. Normally, I would never dance on stage, but with Jessica, my nerves were few. However, these feelings of security would soon change.
One night, a few of us were sitting outside by the lake, and knowing that Jessica would take on any dare, Michele and I dared her to jump, naked, into the lake. Without hesitation or even knowing the temperature of the water, Jessica threw off her clothes and plunged into the pitch-black lake. When she came up for air, she enlightened us with one of her many not so bright ideas, “Let’s all go skinny dipping, and race to the other side of the lake. The water feels amazing!”
“No way! Do I look like I would ever jump into a lake at night?” I asked.
“Maybe,” she replied, staring at me with a hopeful face.
“I don’t think so, Missy! I can’t even see what is in this water. There might be like anacondas in there,” I said grinning.
“Anacondas! They have anacondas in here?” she cried with a terrified a face.
“Of course they do!” I said, trying not to laugh.
Gullible Jessica began panicking and splashing around like a toddler learning to swim. Michele and I fell over laughing as she struggled to pull her petite body out of the water. When I informed Jessica that anacondas didn‘t exist in the United States, she began laughing. That is how she reacted to all of her little mishaps. She would throw her head back with her huge fabulous smile and die of laughter. There were, however, a few occasions where the situations were not so funny.
One afternoon, Jessica lied wearily on her couch after a long day of repairing her house from hurricane Katrina. Anyone could tell she was exhausted by the way half of her short, toned leg was hanging off the side of the couch exposing her perfect, size seven foot. Her arms were crossed so that you were unable to see her hands splattered with white paint from touching up the walls. Suddenly, Jessica hopped off the couch like she had never even fallen asleep. This was no surprise to anyone, for this is how she woke up every morning, wide-eyed, and with a quick pace in her step. She quickly made her way to the outside patio with her hips swaying from side to side. There was no doubt that she was Hispanic. When she reached the doorway to the patio she placed her right hand on her already raised hip and stared at her sister in disbelief. “Maria! Turn off that music!” she screamed angrily.
“No.” Maria said calmly, “Just go in a different room.”
“It doesn’t matter if I sleep in a different room because there are no freaking doors in this damn house! I have helped dad paint and rebuild the house all day, Maria. I’m tired!”
“Jessie, chill out! You’re acting ridiculous.” Maria said, getting a little angry herself.
“If you don’t turn off the freaking radio, I’m going to chuck it across the patio!” Jessica viciously yelled.
“Jessie, calm down. Put the radio down.” Maria pleaded.
It was too late. Jessica hurled the radio across the patio in hope that it would smash into pieces, but it didn’t. The radio continued to play which infuriated Jessica. Their mother shocked with Jessica’s behavior immediately called for their father, Deacon Carlos. Mr. Carlos, disappointed with Jessica’s poor attitude, looked at her in disgrace and demanded her to leave the house. Jessica stormed upstairs to gather a few items that she felt were necessary and headed for where the front door would normally be. Stubborn little Jessica had every intention of proving her point.
After hours of hiking through the woods in her I love NY t-shirt, a dirty pair of jeans, her tennis shoes covered in white paint and carrying a huge royal blue duffle bag, she decided to find a place to rest. Jessica spotted a massive tree that had fallen during Hurricane Katrina and tiredly raced towards it causing her to trip and sprain her ankle.
Frustrated and in excruciating pain, she finally made her way to the mall of Slidell, and found herself faced with a rather terrifying situation. Three grungy looking guys approached her.
“Hey Guh, what you doin out hurr all alone?” one guy mumbled while shutting his car door.
“Yea baby, why don’t you come with us?” said another one wearing a wife beater with pants sagging to his ankles. Jessica, trembling with fear, took a deep breath through her nose and managed to say, “I advise you stay back because I have knife in my bag and I am not afraid to use it!”
“Whoa baby girl!” mocked the driver sarcastically.
“Dis girl hurr gotta knife,” the other joked.
Knowing that she didn’t really have a knife in her bag, she was relieved to see them off. Jessica was now, not only tired and hurt, but she was scared.
Walking through the mall parking lot, Jessica encountered a man in a suave, black pick-up truck. He kindly asked her if she needed work, but Jessica ignored him and kept walking. He circled around a second time and offered to give her a ride. She knew it wasn’t the safest alternative, but she knew she could barely make it any further on foot. With a hopeful mind, she opened the door to his truck, and asked him for a ride to Covington. Jessica immediately called us from the man’s cell phone to warn Jordan and me that she was coming. We informed her frantic mother who left for Covington the second she hung up the phone. I could tell she was on the verge of insanity the way she cried the words, “I’ll never see my baby again, darling. She’s not going to make it this time.”
“Mrs. Elisabeth, Jessica will be fine. She is going to make it. I know it,” I reassured her. Jessica always made it, but this time felt different. Even I was scared for her.
By God’s grace, Jessica proved her invincibility to us all once again when she safely arrived in Jordan’s driveway. Jessica looked up at us with the same eyes that a little girl has after her mother has found her alone and lost in the mall. She smelled like a little boy after a long day of playing outside, and her beautiful face was smudged with dirt. Her black hair was pulled back into a messy bun and sat like a bird nest on the top of her head. We helped her into the house and iced her sprained ankle. I proceeded to unpack her bag and pulled out a pillow, a black pea coat, a two-liter of diet coke, and her school uniform. We both looked at each other and began to laugh. She then started to cry and spilled every detail of her day to us.
Mrs. Elisabeth and Maria arrived with the police shortly after to settle the whole matter. They were thankful to see Jessica was alive, but they were extremely disappointed in her. She apologized and promised her mother that she would never hitchhike again. No one sincerely believed that, but we all pretended for her mother’s sake.
To this day I still hold all memories of Jessica dear to me. Her passion for life drives her to do the things that most people would never even dream of doing. Even though she may sound crazy, it is her crazy, carefree spirit that many of us yearn for. She lives her life without testing the water before jumping in.
Have a wonderful weekend!
