for one day every month, a group of us gather for our homepage photo shoot. sometimes there's a loose theme in mind, sometimes we wing it; but it's always fun. often we utilize the lovely and talented members of our own beacon's family to style, photograph, and model. in february we were fortunate enough to collaborate with two young emerging artists living in brooklyn. photographed by our own sandra esther ciriello, our new friends elise peterson and armina mussa were the fresh faces of february at beacon's.

washington, dc transplants, elise and armina are now living in a sun drenched apartment in bed stuy, where we did our shoot.  their very different, but equally eclectic bedrooms are joined by french doors, which when opened create the perfect photo studio.

original art, vintage magazines, tapestries, records, found objects, not to mention lots of amazing clothes, line the walls of the girls' bedrooms.  both stylists, elise and armina are the first models to completely style their own looks.

for examples of their work, follow them on instagram, here and here. see elise's blog here.

In honor of Valentine's Day, we asked Beacon's Closet regular and NYC matchmaker Amy Van Doran to share some of her thoughts on love, her personal style, and finding happiness in the big city.

For those of us unfamiliar with the idea of matchmaking, briefly tell us what you do:

Matchmaking is one of the oldest jobs in the world. In a nutshell, a person tells me what they are looking for in a romantic partner, and I attempt to track that person down, and introduce them to my client.

Describe your personal style; who are your style icons?

Hmm, my style can be a little schizophrenic.. maybe it's a 1960's psychedelic librarian thing, or Miss Frizzle Chic. I definitely have an affinity for the absurd, eccentric, and macabre. My favorite fashion icons would be Daphne Guinness, Isabella Blow, Anna Piaggi, Iris Apfel, and Jenna Lyons

In your experience, what do your clients look for style-wise in the opposite sex? Is fashion important to your clients?

Women like clean, masculine, and timeless. The most important thing a man can do is make sure his clothes fit properly. Never underestimate the power of a bespoke suit.

Men say they don't care about fashion, but they do. A bright red wrap dress on a pretty lady will turn any warm blooded man's head.

In a singles' city like New York, what advice do you have for lonely-hearts this Valentine's Day?

Enjoy your singleness, dance, buy yourself chocolate, and come party with me and Shien Lee at her Dances of Vice Valentine's Day party.

http://dancesofvice.com

What's your take on love in 2013

With so many great resources out there to help people find love, there is no longer any reason to settle! Love completely, love without expectations, and love for the sheer joy of loving! And, don't be afraid to use all of the incredible resources out there if you need help meeting people.

photographed at amy's work space at the Oracle.

Visit Amy's website to get on her Rolodex, and go to The Donna every first Friday for her monthly "(Speed) Date my Friends" dance party.