AUDREY KITCHING

A NEW LOOK

Audrey Kitching. Model. Artist. Designer. Crystal worker. Clairvoyant. Energy healer. Blogger. Internet darling. With her trademark pink hair, petite frame and gorgeous face, we were thrilled to both photograph and interview this sensation. Our team gave this stunning beauty an editorial “makeover,” referencing the late 1940s – 1950s couture glamour of Christian Dior’s New Look, which was characterized by a silhouette which included broad shoulders, narrow waist and full, long skirts. Fashion Editor Xina Giatas stated, “Audrey’s personal style is feminine and bohemian in spirit, so I loved the opportunity to mix it up with her through channelling the more structured and voluminous New Look by Dior.” And our Beauty Director James Vincent said, “To bring across something new and exciting with makeup, we tapped into Audrey’s classic beauty and her beautiful, brilliant energy. The makeup feels Fellini-esque with its deep black shades and bold, feline shapes, but we have given balance by pairing black liquid liner with unexpected bright parallel lines and pops of color on the lip and cheek that range from sheer to saturated. Audrey’s beauty and spirit have a natural excitement to them and we hoped to capture that and reflect it in the makeup.” Photography by Alexander Thompson. Thank you to Laura Rebel Angel and Severly Mame. http://www.crystalcactus.com

PONYBOY:  Audrey, we read that you were born in New Jersey, but now reside in Philadelphia?

AUDREY KITCHING:   Yes, kinda sorta! The town I was born in is about five minutes from the center of Philadelphia, so I grew up with one foot in the city and the other in the woods. The best part about Philadelphia is you’re about an hour from the ocean, mountains, woods, country, various cities…basically anything you want is within a very close reach. But, I work in New York City mainly. I am in and out of the city all throughout the week. For someone whose heart lays with nature, being able to commute in and out of the city is beyond a blessing.

PONYBOY:  What was your childhood like?

AUDREY KITCHING:  My childhood was equal parts magical and tragic. I grew up building vampire traps in the woods, doing strange nature spells, pressing flowers in old library books, planting gardens, painting, collecting bugs, meeting animals in the woods, and dyeing clothing. My childhood, in that sense, was out of a fairytale. I have always been very energetically sensitive, since I was very young. As a kid you only know what your surroundings teach you. I would see ghosts and demons all the time and no one would believe me. It was pretty horrifying to not understand what they were or how to explain to adults what was happening. I have this haunting memory of being maybe nine years old at my older brother’s wedding rehearsal. It took place in an incredibly old, well-known haunted hotel with a restaurant and lounge in the historic part of the city. I spent the entire night being freezing cold, sick and followed by a little girl. I kept telling everyone she wouldn’t leave me alone and was making me feel ill and scared. Long story short, the entire family was incredibly annoyed with me and put me in time out for the rest of the evening.

PONYBOY:  You also lived in Los Angeles at some point. What was that experience like for you?

AUDREY KITCHING:  Los Angeles can teach you a lot about yourself very quickly. My lesson was finding out this place was not for me at all in any way, shape or form. It’s this strange bubble, a completely distorted reality. The people who live there and revel in it have become so embracing of that delusion that they see nothing outside of it. The thought of the real word is a very scary thing to them. I do know there are a few exceptions to this, but I’m just being generally honest here. I’m in a strange paradox because I’m sort of the anti-industry, while still working within it. Everything Los Angeles stands for is against what I live. It’s a very toxic place that feeds on souls of the desperate. My advice to anyone who is an artist with integrity would be to accept the lesson and save your soul.

PONYBOY:  How did you get into the world of modeling?

AUDREY KITCHING:  I really just fell into it. I did a lot of artistic projects for friends when I was younger and when my online teenage rants grew in popularity, companies started to notice. They would book me because of my reach and what I stood for at that time. When I look back to the start of all this I had no idea how much influence and power I was beginning to harness back then. I was just a kid complaining about things I thought no one could relate to. It was kind of like my personal diary, but public. I’m not your normal model by any means. People meet me and the first thing they always say is along the lines of, “Wow! You’re so tiny. I never would have thought!”

PONYBOY:  You’ve been photographed for many magazines. What’s been your favorite editorial to date?

AUDREY KITCHING:  I did an editorial for ZINK and they flew out all the McQueen gowns straight from the runway in Paris a few days before. I am such a fan of that label, so for me that was a pretty memorable experience. They also made me look like the Queen of the Underworld, which is very McQueen in its own right.

PONYBOY:  Would you say that modeling is ultimately your passion?

AUDREY KITCHING:  Any kind of art is my passion, and right now modeling falls into that category. So, in a sense, yes. I just love to create, whether I’m the one in front of or behind the camera, painting, gluing things together, or mixing up oils. As long as I’m bringing something beautiful to life, my soul is satisfied.

PONYBOY:  You’ve been described as a huge social media star. Did that originally come about from you being a blogger?

AUDREY KITCHING:  It did, for sure, but it was never a goal or intention of mine. It was my outlet. I never fit in with other bloggers. I was never the girl doing the $100 Instagram posts about teeth whiting, face masks and diet teas. I was writing more about real life situations and wearing what I wanted, not what I was paid to dress up in. During the peak of the blogging days, this was a dangerous tactic. I isolated myself, but created my own path at the same time, ironically. Being authentic and going against the grain does eventually pay off, as long as you believe in what you’re doing.

PONYBOY:   Are you still an editor for Buzznet?

AUDREY KITCHING:  I’m actually not. I worked for Spin Media for almost ten years. I did a lot of their music and fashion columns online. I look back and it’s kinda wild to think about some of the situations it granted me. I was paid to just go on tour with my friends and take photos the first few years I worked there. It was completely out of control to be honest, chaos at the deepest level. Once I had enough of the music scene and touring, I switched over to the Style Editor role and focused more on celebrity interviews, red carpets and fashion week events. It seems like a whole other lifetime, looking back now.

PONYBOY:  You’re also a designer. Tell us about the clothing projects that you’ve worked on in the past.

AUDREY KITCHING:  I have done major clothing collaborations in the past. We had showrooms in Tokyo and were doing incredibly well in the market. But, I sort of saw how dirty that side of the industry was, and chose to step away from it all. I didn’t want my day to day life to be so consumed with trends and what was popular at that moment. It started to feel like a big game that I didn’t want any part of. Whenever you can make other people money and they know that, you must be incredibly careful with your talent and ideas before they are exploited. After choosing to step away from that side of design, is when I created Crystal Cactus. Now, we curate full moon ritual bath soaks and crystal healing jewelry.

PONYBOY:  Explain to our readers the concept behind Crystal Cactus.

AUDREY KITCHING:  Crystal Cactus is really a lifestyle brand to expand minds and bring in beautiful products that assist it. It was a way for me to show that knowledge and consciousness can be beautiful. They don’t have to be isolated concepts.

PONYBOY:  You’ve been dubbed a style icon. Describe your personal style.

AUDREY KITCHING:  My style is a mix. I love my lace and my latex. I always say it’s feminine, but not girly. I think there is a difference. I love muted colors, textures and layers. I grew up dyeing my own clothing from thrift stores and I’m still doing that today. I dye my clothing all the time. I might be addicted to it actually. I just like to take something ordinary and make it feel special, different, one of a kind.

PONYBOY:  What designers do you favor?

AUDREY KITCHING:   Galliano, McQueen, Prada, and Ashish.

PONYBOY:  More than anything, you’re a successful business woman. What do you have on your horizon next?

AUDREY KITCHING:  I have so many projects going on, but my main focus next is my top secret aura project. I cannot wait to bring that to life! It’s been in the works for a while, but it will be worth the wait. I promise.