Natural Sculptures

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A few years back I met Bess Wyrick. She was doing a floral instillation in Gramercy Park’s Rose Bar — a giant hanging skeleton made from white flowers. I had always thought about flowers in the sense of arrangements but never really in the form of a live sculpture. There is something I really love about the idea of creating art that can only last and be appreciated for a short amount of time before its organic nature recycles back into the earth. An amazing example of that is in the whimsical work of Patrick Dougherty which blows me away.

Whenever Bess is in New York we try to collaborate. Most recently I asked Caroline to come by the studio and pose for me, something we have been doing together for years now. Bess, being the sculptor she is, created this spring garden nymph moment around Caroline’s delicate body which, to me, is reminiscent of the fleeting weeks when we get to dance under the pink shade of the cherry blooms before nature moves on to the green gardens of summer.

This May I’m going to be heading out to L.A. to spend a weekend retreat at Rose Story Farm (remember how we had roses shipped from them for this beautiful shoot?!) with Bess doing a workshop on flower arranging and creative expression. It’s going to be a lovely group of women, so think about joining us if you out in L.A.! More info on the workshop can be found here.

Happy Spring!

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The Romantic world of Michelle Hébert

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Recently I was at an Everlane dinner with my friend Caroline {pictured here} to launch their new very cute boatneck shirts. Caroline and I were talking about our next shoot together and that we should do something totally different from the Everlane campaign photos she’s all over the web in.

I’ve been photographing her for years now, there is just something about her face I love. Plus she is an amazing jewelry designer, an all around great human being, and a really fun time.  At that same time my friend Bess, who is an incredible floral designer {she does the Vanity Fair Oscar Party!} was coming in from L.A. and wanted to collaborate on something like our previous shoots. She recently met this L.A. based fashion designer Michelle Hébert and sent me some images of her dresses which I found insanely dark and romantic. So Bess brought the gowns and flowers, Caroline brought her beautiful face, makeup artist Eddie Hernandez used all rose scented Chantecaille products and together we brought the gowns to life.

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Once the pieces were on the body we could really see the creativity of the designs. What’s crazy is that this designer is 24 and self taught! Obviously one day she will be winning Oscars for costume design or working for one of her favorite fashion houses such as Alexander McQueen.  I had to know more about this girl out in L.A. hand sewing fantasies in her parents garage so I interviewed her to see what is in her mind that makes these moments.

Describe the idea behind this flower, lace and tulle designed dress:

Michelle Hébert: One of my early pieces and a design created to pay homage to the late Alexander McQueen. It almost felt collaborative as I set out to use symbols we both admired such as flowers, but to take that and design something that was my own. Materials: Lace, Flower Appliqués, Chiffon, Beads, and Tulle. 

Continue reading “The Romantic world of Michelle Hébert”

Winter Whites

We are all flowers in the garden of the world, but she –

she is an orchid, pure and white and lovely,

a small blossom on willowy stem.

she blooms, and I am lost

in her delicate lines.

She breathes life into me –

I was adrift in winter;

she gives me the promise of spring.

Youthful yet wise,

elegant and profound,

I dream of the day I may see her again.

For what other flower can there be?

What other love?

None but my orchid.

above and below:  Zuhair Murad gown, Chopard bracelet

Continue reading “Winter Whites”

Exotic Flower

Only a few weeks ago, we were preparing for our epic #onlyinsouthamerica trip (which we are in the middle of right now!), while at the same time, Kelly was readying herself for her incredible adventure through Asia. We were getting so excited about all the things we would see for the first time: new types of vegetation, wondrous natural colors to feast our eyes upon, and new beauty routines from women who walk in different parts of the world, all awaiting our discovery in the coming weeks.

To celebrate and channel our excitement, we collaborated with our friend Bess (remember this romantic shoot?) who always comes over to the studio with the most amazing and exotic flowers you have ever seen. Together, we started our adventure at home in the studio with a color explosion of natural wonders…

more flowers & fashion: The Bohemian / Spring’s Muse / Natural Wonder

Modeled by Jane of MSA Models // Styled by Kelly Framel // Clothing designed by Daniel Vosovic // Hair and Makeup by Ana Sicat // Florals by Bess Wyrick //

The Bohemian

Do you believe in magic, in a young girl’s heart?/ How the music can free her, whenever it starts…

The many ways of dressing up gold… along with stylist Micaela Erlanger we are transforming our muse Devon into 5 different fall looks with amazing gold accessories each day this week. See previously our Uptown Girl / Punk Princess and today she becomes..

The Bohemian

There is a certain magic in bohemian chic – the tinkling of many bracelets, the flow of her long skirts, the knowing look in her eyes when she catches yours…bewitching and bewildering, the bohemian girl will forever captivate us.

above: Alberta Ferretti dress, Gianvito Rossi boots, Carolina BucciH. SternMe&RoMonica Rich KosannJennifer Fisher, Borgioni and LFrank bracelets, Me&Ro and Monica Rich Kosann necklaces, LFrank earrings, Me&Ro necklace worn as headpiece

above and below: Isabel Marant dress, Gianvito Rossi boots,  Carolina BucciH. SternMe&Ro, Monica Rich Kosann, Jennifer Fisher, Borgioni and LFrank bracelets, Me&Ro and Monica Rich Kosann necklaces, LFrank earrings

above and below: Cynthia Rowley blouse, Yves St. Laurent vintage purple skirt, Gianvito Rossi boots, Borgioni and Me&Ro rings, LFrank earrings, Monica Rich Kosann necklaces, bracelets, as before, Zoe Chicco hand bracelet

The Bohemian for LoveGold starring Devon from Ford Models, Styled by Micaela Erlanger, Flower Crowns by Celadon & Celery, Makeup by Bradford Knight, Hair by Ana Sicat, Shot at Ann Street Studio

See the entire fall fashion series here or by girl:
Uptown Girl / Punk Princess / Bohemian Spirit / Power Chic / The Parisian

Spring’s Muse

When I first met Elizabeth Wyrick, she was walking into the studio carrying a huge bucket of the most exotic and colorful flowers I had ever seen – moss, spikes, fuschia – all while a blizzard was brewing outside.

Together with our porcelain muse, we were able to recreate a colorful, warm spring day in the middle of a winter storm. I watched in awe as Bess created the floral crowns with effortless grace…these small works of art were a beautiful  balance of texture, life, movement, and color.

It felt as though Bess had grown up among the very flowers she twisted and tucked into gorgeous sculptural shapes. When I asked about her connection to nature, it was no surprise to find she is living on a flower farm in California, had spent a semester of college in the forest as part of her master thesis, and is currently running one of the most successful floral businesses in the U.S. Her events range from charity galas for Leonardo DiCaprio to the Governor’s Ball to art installations at the Gramercy Park Hotel.

My favorite part of the day, though, was hearing her inspiration for each of the pieces she created, which you can read below…

  Above: Antonio Berardi top, protea flower crown inspired by Max from “Where The Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak

Above: Alberta Ferretti dress, crown of poppies with a base of grapevine, inspired by the vibrant and eccentric hats of the Kentucky Derby

Above: John Galliano dress, crown of roses and lady slipper, inspired by winged forest fairies and the combination of soft and hard flowers

 Above and top image: Something Else dress, crown of hanging lichen, hellebore flowers and olive branches, inspired by the queens in Game of Thrones

Shot at Ann Street Studio with flowers crowns created by Bess Wyrick, modeled by Colette of MSA, Hair & Makeup by Flippin Faces