The contrast of abandoned buildings and the gorgeous pastel skies, paired with the quiet blue waters of the Salton Sea. This strange place is a weird conundrum with a complicated history. Once upon a time, the Salton Sea was a midcentury oasis of a paradise getaway destination. Waterskiing and fishing and lounging, a little like a mix of Tahoe and Palm Springs. Of course, how it came to be is directly related to how it ended up.
Back in the early part of the 20th century, the Colorado river flooded. A lot. Some folks decided the best course of action would be to flood the desert basin that the sea now occupies. Yep, that’s right. The flooding never stopped for ages, and it became a sea fed by farm runoff and rain. They introduced fish and the shores became up-and-coming areas for getaway cottages. The land surrounding the sea was laid out with streets that were never ultimately plotted with homes because by the seventies, the floods became a huge problem, the fish population got out of control, and the abandonment phase began. Now there is little left, so many structures are abandoned to time and graffiti. The inhabitants that stayed are the old-timers. The previously pristine sands are completely covered in fish bones and dead fish.
And yet, it’s truly beautiful. Amidst the strangeness of this derelict place, birds have made it a habitat. And there is no prettier place at sunset. So with the help of the creative minds behind Your Face is Rad and Cheriene Galley Makeup, we came to create a fashion message the celebrates and explores this odd and wonderfully weird place.
