spring – Ann Street Studio

Spring Showers!

March 19, 2015April 28, 2015Posted in Fashion EditorialTagged ann street studio, annstreetstudio, fashion, fashion editoiral, GAP, gap spring, gap spring 2015, jamie beck, katherine taylor, katherinetaylor, location, madison bilhahl, spring, spring 20159 Comments

Friday marks the official first day of spring and I couldn’t be more beside myself with joy. It’s a funny thing living in New York. By the time end of February rolls around people have had it with winter. I personally will have had it before the ball will have even dropped on New Year’s Eve!

I look forward to the charming cherry blossoms in Central Park, stopping by the Van Leeuwen truck in Soho, and wearing classic trench coats which immediately has me channeling Audrey Hepburn.

GAP asked us to bring to life our idea of spring into a Cinemagraph for styld.by for which of course, the first thing that comes to mind is that inevitable spring moment of getting caught in the rain…

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Ecco Domani’s Spring Fling

April 7, 2014October 28, 2015Posted in LifestyleTagged ana sicat, anasicat, book club, drink, drinks, Ecco Domani, eccodomani, erin framel, erinframel, food, food pairing, girlfriends, italian, italian wine, molly shuster, mollyshuster, pinot grigio, Pizza, spring, wine2 Comments

Last fall we had the pleasure of shooting the new packaging and in-store displays for the contemporary Italian Wine Ecco Domani at our studio here in New York. Just because it was a photoshoot and not an actual event taking place – in this case, a book-club party with a group of girlfriends at home – doesn’t mean the food shouldn’t be a great pairing for the wine!

My friend Molly who is an amazing food stylist (remember this series we did together?) created a few spring-time inspired grilled flat bread recipes for our shoot that were DELICIOUS with the crisp Pinot Grigio wine (after we wrapped, we enjoyed some ourselves!). I love Molly’s recipes, they are so fresh and seasonal. This past December she created two special wine cocktail drink recipes for our Ann Street Studio Holiday Party with Ecco Domani’s Pinot Grigio and Merlot. It’s very important to the global wine brand “to produce wines that are fruit forward and food friendly” so the pairings had to work in real life just as in our book club photoshoot.

I’ve really been enjoying the relationship with Ecco Domani this past year, a brand that also thinks about tomorrow not only in their wine but in the world around us. They do a lot in the fashion industry with the Ecco Domani Fashion Fund to help young emerging designers create their collections and present them to the world. So many of the past EDFF winners have gone on to shape the fashion industry and be a driving force in our culture such as Alexander Wang, Prabal Gurung, and Rodarte to name a few!

It’s been an amazing experience finding a balance between being creative and getting the shot the client needs for their messaging and display / box dimensions. And of course, it is always a joy and pleasure to get to work with your friends, the people you have a creative conversation with so seamlessly that it makes work feel like play. For this shoot we collaborated with food stylist Molly Shuster, stylist Erin Framel, and hair and makeup artist Ana Sicat. So perhaps you’ll be inspired to have some friends over on a Saturday afternoon, talk about what you’re reading, have some wine and try out Molly’s recipe, sounds like a perfect way to spend an afternoon to me….

PS-This light, floral, citrus-y and crisp top selling wine is also very easy to find in your local wine shop or Italian restaurant, and now when you see the advertising and packaging you know who shot it! Xx

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The Streets of New York

April 1, 2014May 4, 2016Posted in Fashion EditorialTagged andreas, Andreas Schönagel, AndreasSchönagel, ann street studio, annstreetstudio, canal, chanel, chanel spring summer 2014, chanelspringsummer2014, fashion, fashion editorial, fashioneditorial, film, jamie beck, jamiebeck, jennifer nam, jennifernam, laurel, Laurel Pantin, laurelpantin, new york, ourfriendlaurel, pentax 67, pentax67, spring18 Comments

If you’re ever looking for a good time, walk with Lucky Magazine’s Market Editor Laurel Pantin down Canal Street in head-to-toe Chanel and listen to the guys try to sell the fakes to the girl in real. I have been wanting to shoot Laurel in a fashion story for almost 2 years now. Though we bonded over our Texas roots (she is from Austin), our paths to fashion were quite different. Studying Art History and writing from NYU, she originally wanted to be a scientist who never touched the idea of fashion when a twist of fate led her to a chance meeting and into the Condé Nast building. I love running into her at events or fashion shows just to see what she’s wearing…and though she is a constant subject of street style photographers, she always stays true to her own personal look, be it wearing men’s jumpsuits, socks + sandals, or looking like the subject of a 90s rom-com…. oh, and she kills a red lip. Aside from all these god-you’re-so-cool traits, Laurel is super down to earth fun, a major tomboy and between her and her bestie John Januzzi, has the best cynical sense of humor in the industry… to give you a good idea of just how cool she is, in the middle of this shoot she said, “I guess I shouldn’t have drank that entire bottle of Champagne yesterday.”

I did a quick little interview on Laurel’s favorite things about New York while we walked the street in head to toe Chanel Spring / Summer 2014 collection….

Chanel to me is…

the thing that makes you feel like the most special, beautiful, luxurious, pampered, ridiculous, frivolous, wonderful girl in the history of girls.

Favorite trait of New Yorkers is…

the ability to act like nothing fazes them while secretly freaking out.

Best pizza…
ALL THE PIZZA!!! But if I had to choose, maybe Motorino.

Best coffee…

…flavored ice cream? Blue Bell from Texas. I don’t think I understand what is good coffee and what is bad coffee. Like pizza, all coffee is good coffee!

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Simplicity

August 23, 2013March 25, 2014Posted in BeautyTagged beauty, botanical, botanicals, flowerpower, flowers, peony, spring, still life20 Comments

I must have flowers, always, and always.

― Claude Monet

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April in Paris

April 12, 2013February 8, 2016Posted in TravelTagged botanicals, europe, flowerpower, flowers, france, paris, spring, travel4 Comments

God knows, when spring comes to Paris the humblest mortal alive must feel that he dwells in paradise…

– Henry Miller

Spring’s Muse

March 29, 2013March 1, 2015Posted in BeautyTagged beauty, bess wyrick, BessLove, colette, fashion, flowerpower, makeup, msa, spring6 Comments

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

Dreaming of Spring

January 8, 2013October 29, 2013Posted in TravelTagged bridge, film, flowers, fuji, fuji film, fujifilm, golden gate bridge, nature, san francisco, SF, spring14 Comments

“It is a very beautiful day. The woman looks around and thinks: ‘There cannot ever have been a spring more beautiful than this. I did not know until now that clouds could be like this. I did not know that the sky is the sea and that clouds are the souls of happy ships, sunk long ago. I did not know that the wind could be tender, like hands as they caress – what did I know – until now?”

― Unica Zürn

San Francisco, California

Central Park in the Spring~

May 3, 2011March 15, 2015Posted in New YorkTagged central park, central park west, centralpark, cpw, springLeave a comment

A blossoming walk, hills of green grass, a visit from the Scarlet Tanager for luck, and that warm spring sunlight returns to our city park…

For Claire~

Central Park in the Winter / Central Park in the Fall

Images of a Spring Weekend

April 11, 2011May 2, 2013Posted in UncategorizedTagged Images from a weekend, images of a weekend, springLeave a comment

A couple of days free in the city, quiet wonderment, discovering new blossoms & new works of art… a small glimpse into a spring weekend From Me To You

Patches of daffodils and bare legs hit the streets

She & I visited “Food for Thought” which inevitability made us hungry– insert delicious lunch at Co., have you been there?

I saw a lot of girls wearing a lot of braids…

The bodegas were in bloom

While seeing his documentary my admiration for the man and his work grew… which also caused a slight obsession with getting a bike…

Went to the MET to creatively recharge… found her there doing the same.

Pink was everywhere!

So I wore pink too…

….and at the end of the day, walking back home, I found some lovers in Central Park enjoying the view and what a view… so I enjoyed it too.

I hope you all had a Happy Weekend!

Molly & Jamie ~ At the Green Market ~ Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

May 4, 2010Posted in UncategorizedTagged food, food photography, jam, mason jar, molly and jamie, molly shuster, recipe, rhubarb, scones, spring, strawberries, summerLeave a comment

From Chef Molly:

Rhubarb is one of my very favorite things. It just reminds me of summer. On special occasions or particularly beautiful summer nights, my family often drives out to the coast of Westport, MA to our favorite seafood restaurant. In addition to the fresh seafood, they boast the most gorgeous, Norman Rockwell-worthy fruit pies. The flavors often change, but come summertime, Strawberry-Rhubarb is a near constant on the menu. Delish!

Rhubarb first appears in the spring and is available through late summer. It’s a vegetable, most often used like a fruit, with a flavor unlike anything else. Here we’ve made a delicious homemade jam. Rhubarb, undoubtedly, is the star.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam ~

Ingredients

5 cups rhubarb (about 8 stalks), cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 1b strawberries, quartered

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 1/2 cups sugar, or to taste

Place all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan.

Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir occasionally. Simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until the the fruit has broken down and started to thicken into a jam-like consistency. Remember, the mixture will continue to thicken as it cools.

Remove from heat and cool completely. Store in an airtight container or mason jar and keep in the fridge. The fresh jam will last about a week.

Enjoy with some lovely buttermilk biscuits and a cup of tea. The perfect start to a summer morning!

~ Recipe and words by Chef & Food Stylist, Molly Shuster. Photography by me.

An ongoing collaboration, please do see more recipes from our series!

Molly & Jamie ~ At the Green Market ~ Spring Salad

April 22, 2010August 20, 2012Posted in New York, Travel, UncategorizedTagged dressing, farmers market, food, molly and jamie, molly shuster, nyc, recipe, spring, spring saladLeave a comment

From Chef Molly:

It’s a good time to be in New York. Trees are blooming, kids are outside playing and people are revelling in the first lazy afternoon spent sunbathing in the park. With the whole of the city rejoicing in these first signs of spring, I was sure the farmer’s market would join in similar abundance.

There were new spring delicacies to be had: ramps, lettuces, swiss chard and a multitudes of egg varieties dotted the farmer’s market. However, I am afraid we will have to wait a bit longer for the spring fields to catch up with my fever.

Radishes are one of the first things to pop-up in green markets during early spring. Happily, there were beautiful baby lettuces to accompany them for this lovely, simple, spring salad.

Spring Salad with Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette~

Ingredients

Salad:

one bunch mixed spring lettuces

one small bunch radishes

one avocado

Lemon-Herb Vinaigrette:

two tablespoons chopped herbs (such as chives, parsley, tarragon, mint)

one small shallot, finely diced

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt, pepper

First, make your dressing. In a bowl or mason jar, whisk all of the ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Wash and dry the lettuce and radishes.

Thinly slice the radishes. Halve and deseed the avocado. Slice lengthwise and carefully spoon out the flesh.

Place the lettuce and radish slices in a large mixing bowl. Whisk the dressing and pour over the greens, only just enough to give them a light coating of vinaigrette (you will have leftover dressing).