Banana Republic + Piece & Co.

 

You guys know that I am a photographer, professionally. Sometimes I think I am put in a blogger or influencer category which is fine because I love to share my passions on social media and have now for years. It has helped me grow as an artist and thinker, pushed myself creatively and brought many wonderful friends and opportunities into my life. However, at the end of the day I make my living making photographs for companies and brands. Sometimes I share my work and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I not even legally allowed to because the company owns the images and rights straight from my camera. Sometimes the shoots are really creative and fun and inspiring and sometimes I feel as if I’m just a body there to push the trigger of a camera. 

This is one of those photography jobs I took that I feel so honored to be a part of. Banana Republic did a really cool thing. They partnered with a globally conscience textile manufacturer called Piece & Co whose main objective was to give opportunities to women in developing worlds while celebrating and even saving artisanal practices. The fabrics created by Piece & Co in partnership with these co-ops around the world are environmentally sustainable and empowering woman as small business owners and even in some cases, the bread winner for their families. When Banana Republic learned about the socially conscience initiative of Piece & Co. they wanted to partner to create a unique limited collection of artisan fabrics. So, off to South Africa we went to photograph the stunning artisans doing their handmade sun dying process that make up the fabrics in the collection, I’ll share those photographs on another post later this week, and to shoot the Banana Republic campaign for the collection on two local South African models. 

I loved this shoot. The spirit of the South African people is as beautiful as the landscape. The pride of the artisans showing their process and joy they had seeing the fabric come to life in fashion on our models. I love these photographs because for me they represent a circle, a connection we all have. The hands that create on to the souls that carry them on. 

Very special thank you to my dear friend and collaborator Kelly for bringing on board with this project and to Piece & Co., truly Kathleen (founder of Piece & Co.) and Liza (director of Piece & Co.) you two are the most intelligent, talented, impressive women I’ve ever worked with. Thank you Banana Republic for trusting me as your photographer. 

Modeled by Carla Peters + Samuel Mukhuwana // Creative Direction by Kizmet. World // Styling by Kelly Framel // Hair & Makeup by Tina Hoffmann // Production by Liza Voloshin 

This entire collection is available on Banana Republic where you can see and learn more behind the collection. 

 

Cartier’s Garden

 

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I try to spend my life photographing beauty. It is what brings me the greatest joy and to that which I want cast my gaze upon for eternity. Of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in the world, nothing will ever outshine what nature gives to us. How she makes woman with delicate skin and blushing cheeks, the colors of an exploding flower at the height of its bloom and that exceptional gift of gemstones and diamonds like stars that have fallen from the heavens to earth.

Recently we had lunch with Cartier at The Modern where we were first introduced to to their Étourdissant collection, a beautiful french word for “splendid”. The high jewelry collection is Cartier’s showcase of the most extraordinary, one of a kind pieces that can take the Maison years to create with the finest precious stones in the word. A collection so spectacular it is dizzying, like life itself if we watch with our eyes wide open. As we talked about the collection I was enchanted with the source of inspiration: the south of France, the Côte d’Azur, light and shadows, radiance and hues and the painters from France that created such vibrant works of beauty as a window into a world of natural wonders.

This thought of natural beauty stuck to me and I let images flood my mind and take me into an afternoon reverie. I became engrossed with the idea of creating Renoir’s garden.  A place of dappled color, untamed beauty, a young girl with iridescent paper-like skin dreaming of all to come in life lost in her thoughts as she whiles away the afternoon. She is innate beauty nestled in a bouquet of nature’s glorious shimmering colors. We watch her, with all the luxury of time, her jewels that seem to float off her delicate skin and glitter in the warm, late afternoon light. She lives in a world of splendor changed only be the gentle breeze that sweeps through kissing her cheeks and carrying her thoughts away.

The house of Cartier has reminded me that we must celebrate beauty, treasure color, create contrasts and seek character for it is the explosion of these things that make the world étourdissant.

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Étourdissant Cartier Collection earrings, platinum, diamonds & pink chiffon gown with flower aplique by Marchesa

Renoir_Garden_Cartier_02 “Art is about emotion; if art needs to be explained it is no longer art.”– Pierre-Auguste RenoirRenoir_Garden_Cartier_03

Étourdissant Cartier Collection bracelet, platinum, sapphires, diamonds & a light blue chiffon and sheer lace gown by Maria Lucia Hohan.

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“You come to nature with all your theories, and she knocks them all flat.”- Pierre-Auguste Renoir

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Étourdissant Cartier Collection ring, 18k yellow gold, opal, colored sapphires, black lacquer, diamonds with vintage Gucci grey silk chiffon gown from Cloak Wardrobe under a rainbow pastel chiffon skirt by Marchesa. Renoir_Garden_Cartier_06

Étourdissant Cartier Collection bracelet, platinum, 18k yellow gold, 55.91 carat peridot, onyx, diamonds with emerald green silk chiffon gown by Naeem Khan.

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“The work of art must seize upon you, wrap you up in itself and carry you away. It is the means by which the artist conveys his passion. It is the current which he puts forth which sweeps you along in his passion.” – Pierre-Auguste Renoir

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Étourdissant Cartier Collection ring, 18k white gold, pink diamonds, brown diamonds, white diamonds in a vintage baby pink silk gown by John Galliano from Cloak Wardrobe.

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“I look at a nude. There are myriads of tiny tints. I must find the ones that will make the flesh on my canvas live and quiver.” – Pierre-Auguste Renoir

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Étourdissant Cartier Collection earrings, 18k yellow gold, imperial topazes, colored sapphires, black lacquer, diamonds along with an Étourdissant Cartier Collection bracelet, 18k yellow gold, onyx, diamonds and nude silk chiffon gown by vintage Alexander McQueen from Cloak Wardrobe.

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“I like a painting which makes me want to stroll in it.” – Pierre-Auguste Renoir

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Étourdissant Cartier Collection necklace, platinum, diamonds and pink silk chiffon gown by YSL from Cloak Wardrobe

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“Why shouldn’t art be pretty? There are enough unpleasant things in the world.” – Pierre-Auguste Renoir

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Étourdissant Cartier Collection bracelet, platinum, sapphires, diamonds & a light blue chiffon and sheer lace gown by Maria Lucia Hohan.

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“The pain passes, but the beauty remains.” 
– Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Cartier Étourdissant collection shot at Jack Studios in New York City || Modeled by Emma Bartlett || Styled by Krisana Sotelo || Floral Set Design by Putnam & Putnam || Prop Stylist by Zio & Sons || Makeup by Christine Cherbonnier || Hair by Michael Thomas Lollo || Nails by Angel Williams

Some of the Pierre-Auguste Renoir paintings that inspired this story:

Femme avec parasol dans un jardin || Girl with Daises || The Bathers || La Promenade || The Lovers || Dance at Bougival || By the Seashore || Nude 1910 || In the Garden || Young Girl Bathing || Reclining Nude || In the Meadow || Young Woman Seated || The fisherman

&

Renoir the Film

CHANEL + PARIS

It’s hard not to think about Paris when thinking about CHANEL. It’s an entangled marriage that has withstood the hands of time that withers away most relationships. For this shoot I wanted to bring to life the Paris I feel and see when I think of CHANEL. Her perfectly monochromatic glow, silvery reflections of long casted shadows carrying the sound of clicking heels mysteriously descending from rue en rue, the dusty ashtrays at the night’s end as the last dance of smoke from a cigarette disappears into darkness.  This is my Paris. Black and white and smudged with history.

As I write this I am looking out at the rooftops of Paris from my suite at the Le Bristol Hotel pondering this wonderful moment in time. Time is a recurring constant in my life. As a photographer I count in tenths of a second and, as an artist, I try to pause it.

CHANEL released a new timepiece this season inspired by Coco Chanel’s nature to draw inspiration from the masculine wardrobe which has come to be an emblematic style of CHANEL. Coco was famed for her many boyfriends which, not surprisingly, inspired many of her creations and shaped the course of her life. It is then fitting the watch is named Boy.Friend – balancing both the iconic CHANEL watch shape but with a more masculine over-sized face, manual mechanical movement and ardillon buckle.

So we put the three together, my smokey silver city of lights, her mysterious fashion muse CHANEL and in the shadows the spirit of the woman who continues to inspire us all, Madame Coco.

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Meeting Cindy Ko

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I was recently introduced to Cindy Ko, a Hong Kong based fashion blogger, through a mutual friend. Knowing nothing about her or her life half a world away I wondered what it is like to be her… who is Cindy Ko? She is so beautiful… this exotic orchid of a flower. I loved her face, its sultry sophistication. I asked if I could photograph her on the rooftop terrace of the Gramercy Park Hotel where she was staying while in the city. I liked to pretend each time I brought my camera up I was watching one of those old sexy Shanghai movies where the beautiful heroine communicates through her eyes and body movements in a struggle for what she wants. It brings to mind a quote from In the Mood for Love:

“It is a restless moment. She has kept her head lowered… to give him a chance to come closer. But he could not, for lack of courage. She turns and walks away.”

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Why did you choose fashion blogging as a career?

I kind of just stumbled upon fashion blogging. I used to blog almost everyday on Xanga, I’d write about everything from day to day life to the random thoughts I’d have. It wasn’t until I saw a feature in vogue about fashion bloggers (six years ago) that I decided to specialize in one topic. Fashion. Now travel and lifestyle as well.  Continue reading “Meeting Cindy Ko”

Portrait of a Lady

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Doing a beauty video for Elle and Clarins had me thinking a lot about French beauty. In particular, how effortless and tasteful they are when it comes to skincare and how you makeup your face for the world to see. Every time I am in Paris I feel so inspired about the celebrated form of beauty French women have. To me, they are the most beautiful women in the world which I like to think goes beyond lucky genetics and has something to do with yummy french beauty products.

Kelly and I wanted to do a shoot for her sister Erin Framel on her birthday to mark this time in her life and celebrate all our collaborations. Many people go into behind the scenes to make a photo-shoot happen and Erin has produced, styled, and even modeled in many of our editorials and commercial shoots as a way to say thanks. With French beauty and one of my favorite fashion photography books, Woman in the Mirror, as inspiration we capture Erin in this timeless moment.

We let Elle & Clarins on set to see how we work and play together and here are the final images from this day of beauty….

Cover images~ Pamella Roland Gown || As29 Earrings

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Continue reading “Portrait of a Lady”

Play it for CHANEL

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The fashion world is always colliding and collaborating with artists, like two exotic fish constantly swimming around each other in a never-ending dance of inspiration, a black and white yin & yang. When the Chanel Haute Couture Spring 2015 collection came to New York for 48 hours they sent a selection over to our studio for another midnight sitting (after the delicate, one-of-a-kind pieces spent the day in back-to-back appointments with clients, collectors, buyers and press).

Of course, shooting couture on a model would be terribly fun but sometimes I want more of a story… not to mention, the Chanel shoots happen in the middle of New York Fashion Week where every model is busy being sent down the runways multiple times a day.

So we find our own muses.

Last September it was our Botticelli-esque raven, artist India Salvor Menuez on a concrete set piece we created for her, to live like a flower sprouting up between the cracks of distressed urban time. For this sitting, my creative collaborator Kelly Framel, found violinist Margot Moe, already a fixture in the fashion world for her legendary violin riffs over musical partner Mia Moretti’s DJ sets. They’ve brought music from the Lower East Side up to the runways of Fashion Week and into the temple of art by opening for Janet Jackson at the Louvre.

Which brings me back to my point of fashion and art and its never ending dance of inspiration.

So here Margot is, an artist, and there is CHANEL, the most legendary fashion house in the world, a moment of black and white yin and yang tugging and pulling and swirling and and jumping around each other on set like a tangled pair of lovers caught up in the fires of inspiration one never quite able to let the other go.

We sat in the studio in silence and listened to Margot play, the snow falling in a white blanket outside our old industrial windows contrasting with the inky black looks billowing through the set and I thought back to that moment when I was sitting in Coco Chanel’s Paris apartment  last fall, listening to the stories of her intimate dinner parties. She liked interesting people, people who had a story, people who created something and played to their own tune much like Coco herself.

I can’t help but think in another world, she would have been quite pleased to have Margot filling her home and her heart with a soulful tune that would fade out onto the black and white streets of Paris…

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Tell me about some of the current projects you are working on?

I’m in the studio right now recording my solo record, creating a classical music mixtape, and writing an orchestral piece. 

You’re an incredible violinist, how did you get started?

I picked it up when I was four and haven’t put it down since. 

What drew you to the violin? 

It’s a conversation without words.

Margot_Moe_05 Continue reading “Play it for CHANEL”

Beach Resort Fashion

 

As I sit here in New York City, it’s 24 degrees outside, we just “survived” snowmeggedon and more freezing rain is in the forecast for this next week. Oy, I’m ready for a break from winter, to play in the sun and sand and look out on a horizon of endless teals and blues until it ignites into a fiery sunset. I like to fantasize about what I’d wear to the beach or sparkling dinners seaside. Until that getaway day comes I’ll just pretend I’m here at Casa Claridge Beach Club, in these sweet, simple, resort outfits for the classic girl at heart.

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Above~ Jill Stuart crop top and skirt | Maiyet Purse | Maiyet Bracelet

Below~ Audra Bustier | Christian Siriano Trousers

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Above~ Solid & Striped black swimsuit | Maiyet sweater | Tiffany T bracelet 

Below~ Jill Stuart dress | Maiyet Shoes

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Above~ Jill Stuart crop top and skirt | Maiyet Purse | Maiyet Bracelet

Below~ Zimmermann Swimsuit

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Above & Below~ Tanya Taylor Meredith Dress

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Above~ Maiyet dress | Maiyet Purse | Maiyet Ring

Below~ Audra Bustier | Christian Siriano Trousers

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Shot in Miami at Casa Claridge Beach Club | Styled by Kelly Framel | Modeled by Gabby from Ford Models | Hair & Makeup by Melissa Connor using Sephora Cosmetics | Manicurist Cecilia from Pau-Eric Sinclair

Maiyet Resort

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Sometimes you have to be present in the moment. Sometimes you wake up and it’s raining outside, the wind is ripping at you and what you physically feel in nature, you are emotionally feeling in life. When Kelly and I were talking about shooting a fashion story on MAIYET’s resort collection, fittingly while at a resort for Art Basel, we couldn’t have anticipated the day nature gave to us. I wanted to use it as inspiration, to set the mood, to let the rain fall on her, the sand stick to her skin, the wind throw her hair and the ocean push her down. I wanted to wash away the year into a black and white memory. I’ve been so raw lately, having traveled and created non-stop for so long. I wanted a dark day on the beach, just to feel… something.

I think though the turmoil of that day, the turmoil of emotion is a part of life and a part of art. The change in the weather, the change in our lives. Everything changes, does it not? I remember last summer shooting my first story on MAIYET, the dancing light of the eastern tip of Long Island, the bond of friendship and womanhood captured from behind the lens. This resort collection carries the same threads but like life, you can see the changes. The signature cuffs are here but they are bigger now. The gorgeous coats take on more volume. The artful design to clothing is still there but more refined, more wearable from ocean to ocean.

So why MAIYET?… because they think differently. They hire artisans from around the world to produce their boutique clothing line which aids in these craftsmen to be able to build viable businesses in counties where opportunities like that do not exist so freely. Beyond the clothing they work with artists like Benjamin Millepied to choreograph a video with custom made pieces in movement to a beautiful dance based on an ancient Greek love story. They also made my all time favorite black blazer I’ve worn more than any other article of clothing, and THIS video which always and always gives me wanderlust.

…. and then I’m ready again for the sun to come out.

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Continue reading “Maiyet Resort”

Hanley Mellon

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Who ever said being put together meant having to be uncomfortable? Nicole Mellon has set out to change that with her fall collection of simple, classic, sophisticated, and comfortable clothing for the new modern day woman which needs this sort of easy versatility. I didn’t know what to expect when I first met Nicole at her apartment in the glamorous Pierre Hotel; the second I walked in the door I was overcome by her kindness, creativity, sense of style and warmth. She believes, like I do, that flats at night can be just as chic, effortlessness is real beauty, and simplicity is timeless. These are my favorite pieces from her line Hanely Mellon– something for everyday and always.

{ps- how cool is this #tbt pic of hers?…}

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Continue reading “Hanley Mellon”

Meet Jasmine Poulton

JasminePoulton__02Yesterday we played out one of my personal fantasies of glamour and fashion high atop the city skyline in a Mandarin Oriental suite with our British Wilhelmina model Jasmine Poulton. We were talking about dreams, the way so  many come to New York to find them or fulfill them. I asked Jasmine about her own life, what brought her to our city, a place where it seems everyone is from somewhere, and how she ended up on this beautiful fall day in front of my lens…

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New York is a city of dreams…my New York dream is….

Leaving every other weekend.

When I model I….

 Act.

The reason I moved to New York is…

To be free.

I am most inspired by…

 Nature, music, love, a mind’s endless ideas.

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Fashion is…

More than what’s current.

Women are…

One of nature’s greatest beauties & powers.

Continue reading “Meet Jasmine Poulton”

Mandarin Oriental Dreams

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High atop Manhattan’s skyline, overlooking Central Park and the Hudson River sits the proud Mandarin Oriental, glittering in the golden setting sun of an early autumn day. I love New York this time of year, I love the fantasy of glamour, a world where fashion, culture, business and design all collide into spectacular moments. When I was young and I dreamed of New York it was always like this – overlooking that powerful skyline that still mesmerizes me, in diamonds and designer gowns. Here, model and artist Jasmine Poulton brings my dreams to life in the Mandarin Oriental’s Oriental Suite in Donna Karan‘s very special 30th anniversary fall 2014 collection (remember when I took you backstage) and Chopard diamonds from the high jewelry collection

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VITA!

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After we wrapped our Hamptons Magazine shoot, we decided to play around on digital and on film with our model muse Vita Sidorkina. There are whispers in the industry that she is the next “it” girl, and it says a lot that she just signed a contact with Victoria Secret PINK. I’ve shot a lot of people through the years from models to artists to friends and business folk so I’ve felt the differences in front of the lens. I do my best to make the sitter feel comfortable, beautiful (or handsome), and safe, even if that means helping them pose down to their pinky toe to get a balanced and aesthetically pleasing shot for both yourself and them. However, sometimes you have someone who truly knows how to move in front of the camera. You start a dance and dialogue together both giving to create. Vita does that and as a photographer, it’s my favorite way to photograph someone. It feels like watching a flower bloom in high speed through your camera box.

This was my favorite shoot from summer: I love the simplicity, I love the styling Kelly did on Vita that she picked up from how some of the “cool” guys in the Hamptons had been wearing their sweaters in the chilly night air, and of course, I LOVE Ralph Lauren which is all she needs to wear out East…

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When I Met You in the Summer

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They say the light is everything in the Hamptons, so I say let’s put a gown and a girl in a garden and have a look. This summer Hamptons Magazine approached Kelly to style a sort of society portrait of some of the Hamptons “it” girls of summer and I was 100% on board to photograph it. The light out there is misty, in such a way that it dances with silver shiny felts of stardust. It makes everyone look ripe, the most beautiful versions of themselves. For this sitting, “When I Met You in the Summer“, I just leaned on what the Hamptons gives you so much of – beautiful nature, beautiful women, and above all…. beautiful light.

Above Vita Sidorkina in Valentino // Below Anna Kohanski Mason of Burn This in Ji Oh gray coat, Reem Acra Embroidered illusion gown

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Above Lo Bosworth in Ji Oh sweater, Altuzarra Murakami dress // Below Danielle Snyder & Jodie Snyder Morel of Dannijo in Gucci Avio suede trench & belt, & Donna Karan double breasted trench coat

 Hamptons_Magazine05 Continue reading “When I Met You in the Summer”