The genesis of this piece began with a passage in the book, “The Heretic’s Daughter” by Kathleen Kent. In the particular passage, a mother is explaining natural mushrooms to her daughter and says, “If you didn’t know the lore, you would liken the dark underside to unwholesomeness and the light underbelly to goodness… That which is scarred and pitted in nature can mean sustenance and life, whereas a smooth and pretty skin can mean destruction and death. People, too, are not often what they seem… “

This passage struck me and I wanted to do a street style piece where the non-descript character who lacks flash and could be seen as less than, is actually the person to be trusted. It is often those who hide behind the veneer of perceived perfection and polish who should be duly scrutinized before being blindly followed.