May 9, 2012

Little Black Dress Designer | Editorial Shoot 2012

When Jeff Shell from the Neal Hamil Agency asked me if I would like to shoot the editorial for this years Little Black Dress Designer I was thrilled. I immediately had an idea and inspiration for what I wanted to do. Having just come back from Paris my thought process was all about vintage, roaring 20’s, cafe feel to the photos. Not only that but with a location like Boheme in Houston, I knew this would be perfect.

If you’re not familiar with the The Little Black Dress Designer read below. For the editorial shoot, the Top 10 dresses by some very talented designers were provided and accessories by Charming Charlie. This and a incredible team made for some very beautiful images.

About the Little Black Dress Designert:
www.littleblackdressdesigner.com

The event will showcase the Top Ten Little Black Dresses by upcoming fashion design students who were invited to submit their version of the LBD in March. The Top 5 winning designs are picked by celebrity judges, and awarded $7,500 in scholarships through the Fashion Group Foundation of Houston, Inc. The event is presented by Momentum Porsche, with additional sponsorship from Macy’s, More Than You Can Imagine, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue and Tootsies.

LBD 2012 Celebrity Judges include Albert Rubio (Saks Fifth Avenue), Chloe Dao (Dao), Christine Goins (Tootsies), Clifford Pugh (CultureMap), Edward Sanchez, Elaine Turner (Elaine Turner Designs), Jody Schmal (Houston Magazine), Joy Sewing (Houston Chronicle), Kate Allen Stukenberg (Papercity Magazine), Lenny Matuszewski (fashion show producer), Roz Pactor, Stacey Swift (Neiman Marcus), Tamara Bonar (fashion show producer).

The Little Black Dress is one of the fashion icons of our time, inspiring designers from the moment it was introduced by Chanel in 1926, through Givenchy’s 1961 creation for Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, to the myriad current fashion designers the world over. It is in this sartorial spirit that this contest was created to support young, up-and-coming fashion design students from Texas. More info at www.littleblackdressproject.com.

Credits:

Hair: Dennis Clendennen and Team (AVEDA/Dionysus)
Makeup: Laura Martinez (Lead), Virginia McConnell, Danielle Tiara and Eliy Bell
Stylist: Rose Tran (Lead) and Katherine Fan
Models provided by Neal Hamil Agency: Phoenix Hamilton, Lacee Teel, Caroline Mathis, Audrye Williams, Briana Whitsett, Amber Castillo, Erin Marquez, Jessika Rodriguez & Kara Pyle
Special thanks: Jeff Shell, Apollo Stackwell, Patty Castillo (Charming Charlie) & Nadira Baker from Boheme

November 21, 2011

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From The Sidewalk to the Catwalk – Dallas

It’s late October and I find myself taking a break in Texas Hill Country. Wimberley, TX to be exact. After a full week of shooting Audi Fashion Houston, Wimberley made for the perfect getaway. I could relax, and also focus on editing all the shots with few distractions. Well that was the plan until the phone rang.

On the other line was Luis of Metrovelvet.com asking me what my schedule looked like on Thursday, Nov 11th. I told him I had a gig the day before and a big shoot the following Friday in Austin, why? “Would you like to go shoot Jean Paul Gaultier in Dallas?” he asked. Without hesitating I said YES. For the next few weeks I was slowly counting the days on my calendar eagerly anticipating Gaultier in Dallas.

November 11th and Luis and I find ourselves at the Dallas Museum of Art. From the moment we pulled into the drive, I knew the exhibit was going to be magical with the big banner that was hanging in front. We arrived a bit early at DMA while last minute touches were still being done. We waited around for a bit and closer to the event time we registered and got our credentials. We then made our way into the auditorium where the speech was going to take place. Slowly people started coming in and taking their seats. I think at that point Luis and myself noticed we didn’t collect our gift bags so had to pay the front desk a visit again, haha. I mean, who doesn’t want a Jean Paul Gaultier gift bag and goodies.

As event got on it’s way I was really looking forward to Jean Paul speaking. We all know how incredible of a designer he is, but I wanted to know more about the man, his inspirations, thoughts about fashion and take on life in general. What one word could I use to describe Jean Paul after hearing him speak? Genuine, yeah, I think that’s perfectly fitting. After all, Jean Paul was one of the first designers to use normal (non-model types) in his fashion shows. His passion and love for real people, real life really showed. It also shows in his designs, sketches and the way he carries himself.

After his speech, we were treated to a tour of the exhibit with Jean Paul himself. I particularly enjoyed him showing us a display which had one of his pieces and also a vintage looking tv show a 40’s French film that inspired him to be a designer. I believe the name of the film is either Fabela or Favela, I’ll have to ask for the correct spelling because I surely want to check it out. Anyway, while he was showing us, he lit up like a kid in a candy store. It was amazing to see how much passion he still has for that movie. He even took the time to sign the two JPG books Luis had been carrying around.

Special thanks to: Oliver Meslaym, Cecilia Bonn, Nathalie Bondil, Lisa Lawrence, Jelka Music, Kevin W. Tucker and the entire staff of DMA.

See the great write-up by Mr. G and photos by me on Metrovelvet.com – Click Here!