India Salvor Menuez

When I was discussing with Kelly about casting for our CHANEL Haute Couture shoot she suggested this amazing young creature named India Salvor Menuez. From the first google image search I did of her I found her so fascinating, you really can see how this girl is just herself, a true individual who makes decisions based on her ideas and who she knows she is… so refreshing. Her presence in the studio was that of a calm artist, confident beyond her years. When I began to photograph her I could not contain my delight. She moved naturally in front of the lens the way I always try to direct models to do. This creative little creature, something of an exotic flower, was like a Renaissance swan to me. When I found the moment through the digital frame, India, so patient would hold it while the large format polaroid technician would help me capture the moment again but this time for analog. After the shoot we interviewed India about her personal projects, a fitting companion to these personal photos~

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You’ve modeled, acted, painted, photographed, created performance art – which of these mediums are you most drawn to? Is there any medium you want to explore that you haven’t yet?
I appreciate them all for such different reasons, for me it’s the cross pollination that is most interesting right now…seeing how different mediums can work together, or what the discrepancies are, how each path communicates its message differently is what interests me. I have so much respect for masters of crafts, artists who focus on their one way, but I’m just not there yet…I still want to try so much more. I co-wrote a film that has been in the works for 4 years now with my dear friend Maiko Endo; and working on that side of filmmaking has been really special for me and is certainly something I want to continue doing more of. One day I’m sure I’ll direct.

How would you describe your art?
A practice in search of new experiences.

When do you first remember thinking, I want to be an artist?
As long as I can remember. When I was little I remember thinking it must be the most free way one could live.

What do you look to explore in your work?
The human experience and how to push that further.

Who inspires you? Who are your heroes?
There are too many! But the heroes who influence me most are those I get to meet and work with. I cherish getting to grow up in NY, especially for the opportunity to call artists I so adore in time my peers.

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Your big acting breakthrough was as Leslie in Something in the Air. What was that experience like? 
It was amazing; I was so unexperienced but I just totally went for it and am so glad I did.

Do you have any films coming out soon?
A film I shot last summer with director Nathan Silver is going around the festivals right now called Uncertain Terms that’s getting some great response from audiences.
Then the film I mentioned that’s in post-production right now with Maiko should be finished sometime next year, so that’s super exciting. I shot a really special feature with director Luigi Campi upstate this past spring that I am looking forward to coming out and a short film with Zia Anger shot just a few weeks ago…and a handful of other indies in post-production I’m curious about. I’ll be shooting a short film later this month with Sebastian Sommer. I guess you can say I like to keep busy!

What projects are you currently working on?
Aside from all the films…I am soon to release my first public treadings into music on a project called YOU WHO with my amazing friend and collaborator Brian Close on Save the Day Records. We’re playing our first two shows this weekend actually: Friday at Body Actualized Center and then Sunday at PS1’s Book Fair which comes through us both having shows on Know-Wave Radio which is a continuing project.

I of course have my studio practice I put a lot of effort into keeping up, and then there are some exciting performance art projects – Gallerinas being one and then another is coming up with the same collaborators Mike Bailey-Gates & Claire Christerson at a show called Gymnasty which should be delicious…

What would be your dream project?
Something that brought everyone together at their full potential somehow.

What are you most passionate about?
Love.

Where do you find your calm amidst the craziness?
In nature and good food.

What drew you to live in Chinatown?
My dad moved here when I was in 4th grade after my parents split up. My mom still lives in the same sweet home in Park Slope but it was really Chinatown that opened me up to the whole of Manhattan and I’ve had two apartments elsewhere since I moved out but moving back to the neighborhood a year ago felt so solid. I knew this would be an apartment I would really live in a while. There are a lot of different reasons i love living in Chinatown but in general I just like the attitude of the neighborhood.

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Fashion is…
a moment

Art is…
important

Women are…
humans who identify as women

Love is…
lifeforce energy

Beauty is…
appreciation

New York is a city of dreams…my New York dream is…
every day different

Favorite trait of New Yorkers is…
they are weird

I wish people appreciated more…
the planet

An ideal day for me is…
a new experience with a good meal

I am happiest when…
moving

The best way I express myself is…
through action

In ten years I hope to be…
alive



India’s website // Instagram // Tumblr

All things CHANEL here

 Clothing & Jewelry by CHANEL //Modeled by India Salvor Menuez // Styled by Kelly Framel // Makeup by Christine Cherbonnier // Hair by Joseph DiMaggio // Manicure by Angel Williams // 8×10 Polaroid Technician Noé Arteaga //  Concrete Mural by Mr Perswall for Wallpaperdirect

More female muses: Laurel | Caroline | Jasmine

Chanel Haute Couture

I had never photographed couture before, but I had dreamed about it for years, ever since my first meeting with CHANEL. To see, to touch, to photograph something so special, so one of a kind, would become one of my greatest honors. I think every great photographer has their first “couture story”…the pieces are so rare that couture comes with quite a bit of fuss.

Coming straight from the runway in Paris, the fall 2014 Chanel Haute Couture collection visited New York for two days. I could have the pieces from 7pm to midnight at our studio which took three guys and two guards to carry up. The garments lived up to all my ideas of what haute couture is: immaculate quality, so intricate you could get lost in the details…fascinating aspects to the construction, just layers upon layers of depth and design. It is, quite simply, wearing art. Photographs will never capture the way the beauty feels in person, it’s like seeing a photo of a Botticelli painting online and standing in front of one in Florence. It brought tears to my eyes.

So what is haute couture?…

Haute couture, meaning “high fashion”, can be traced back as early as the 1700s at the court of Marie Antoinette, but the father of haute couture was Charles Frederick Worth, the man who changed the public perception of dressmakers from laborers to artists. At his atelier, he would create a living portfolio, a display of his work on models from which clients could choose a piece for themselves.

From this foundation, many couture fashion houses were born – so many that the term “haute couture” is actually defined and protected by a committee in the French government who have certain criteria in order for a fashion house to meet the haute couture standard. At the beginning of the twentieth century, there were well over a hundred houses considered haute couture, now there are only around a dozen.

Chanel is one of those legendary haute couture houses. Beginning in the 1920s, Coco Chanel revolutionized the fashion scene by ignoring typical fashion standards – creating a false bust and hips, using corsets to narrow the waist – in favor of fashion that allowed for women’s comfort while creating a new kind of polished style. As Coco continued to design until her death in 1971, Chanel became well known for creating fluid, effortless pieces that oozed glamour and sophistication. Today, under the vision of Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel continues to set the bar for the haute couture side of the fashion industry… to say the least.

So here we are, on an early autumn night at our studio, the windows are open with the distant sounds of New York city flowing in as stylist Kelly Framel is dressing our model, actress & artist India Salvor Menuez and I am standing on set ready to go to another world- one in which only Chanel can take me.

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Clothing & High Jewelry by Chanel Couture // Modeled by India Salvor Menuez // Styled by Kelly Framel //  Makeup by Christine Cherbonnier // Hair by Joseph DiMaggio // Manicure by Angel Williams //  Concrete Mural by Mr Perswall for Wallpaperdirect

All things CHANEL here

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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Mademoiselle Suzette

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Mademoiselle Suzette sighs away the long afternoon, daydreaming in bed about what it must be like to fall in love. She wishes she could join the party that evening, to have encounters with gallant men, to dance the night into dawn – but alas, she is too young for the attention she longs for, especially in the shadow of her beautiful older sister PenelopeMy age may be in the way, she thinks, but my dreams have no such limits…twirling her treasured ring around her finger, she closes her eyes, fashioning fantasies of what her life may bring, the places she’ll see, and the loves she’ll meet along the way…

Despite her youth and innocence, Mademoiselle Suzette may indeed have some #ChopardSecrets of her own…even if they are only in her dreams.

 

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Mademoiselle Suzette in her daybed wears Chopard’s Chopardissimo ring in white gold //  Marchesa top & skirt // In the garden of her dreams below, she wears Chopard’s Chopardissimo ring in rose gold // HONOR top & skirt

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Mademoiselle Suzette played by Sage // Shot on location at Old Westbury Gardens by Ann Street Studio // Styled by Kelly Framel // Props by Zio & Sons // Makeup by Ashlee Glazer // Hair by Justin Woods // Manicurist Katie Hughes for Butter London // All watches and high jewelry provided by Chopard

 

Lord Byron Woodring

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Being Lord of the Manor comes with a world of responsibilities…one of which is knowing which secrets to tell and which to keep hidden. He has navigated his business deals by holding his cards close to his chest and keeping his power as strong as the stone columns of the manse. Lord Byron Woodring is a reserved gentleman who appreciates peace and quiet and expects only the highest quality from everything in life, from his choice of wife to his L.U.C. timepiece down to the label of scotch in his drink. No time for play, he strategizes the evening ahead where guests become pieces in his chess game. What does he have in store for tonight’s dealings?

Wise, succinct, and most of all, discreet, there are not many #ChopardSecrets Lord Byron has not heard…but what of his own? We may never know…

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Lord Byron wears Chopard’s L.U.C. Timepiece // Caruso Tux & Shirt // Florsheim Shoes

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Lord Byron Woodring played by Sandor Johnson // Shot on location at Old Westbury Gardens by Ann Street Studio // Styled by Kelly Framel // Props by Zio & Sons // Makeup by Ashlee Glazer // Hair by Justin Woods // Manicurist Katie Hughes for Butter London // All watches and high jewelry provided by Chopard

Lady Argyle

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Lady Argyle, the matriarch of the House, possesses the kind of confident elegance only one of experience may possess…it gives her the ability to glide instead of walk, and glow as vibrantly as the royally violet jewels that cast a spell on those who glance her way. She waits on the terrace for her Lord Byron, sipping champagne, lost in the memories of so many summers ago. She knows the emotions the young ones will be looking for tonight, but at this moment she’s happy living in her memories, or at least, being the gracious host she is, that might be just what she wants us to believe.

No matter what #ChopardSecrets may be whispered across these halls, rest assured…Lady Argyle knows them all…

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 In the Manor & on the Terrace, Lady Argyle wears Chopard’s Imperiale Ring, Pendant and Watch // Zac Posen Gown

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Lady Argyle played by Elodie // Shot on location at Old Westbury Gardens by Ann Street Studio // Styled by Kelly Framel // Props by Zio & Sons // Makeup by Ashlee Glazer // Hair by Justin Woods // Manicurist Katie Hughes for Butter London // All watches and high jewelry provided by Chopard

Eros Twombly

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Eros Twombly, a young rising star in the world of jazz, found his success through his exceptional talent but he’ll never truly belong to the stage he plays on every night. His music is moody and lovesick, lost in between the world in which he was born and the one he created. He knows on this night his golden melodies will float around the air Miss Penelope inhabits, his dream girl, in his sight but always just out of reach… but what happens in the gardens under the cloak of night are lyrical secrets kept only between them. He is uncertain of where her heart truly belongs, but he plays on, hoping one day to win her love.

What #ChopardSecrets are held in the trumpet’s bluesy notes? Listen carefully, and you may find out…


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Eros wears Chopard’s Classic Collection Timepiece & Cufflinks // Steven Alan Suit & Tie // Caruso French Cuff Shirt // Florsheim Shoes

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Eros Twombly played by Timothy G. // Shot on location at Old Westbury Gardens by Ann Street Studio // Styled by Kelly Framel // Props by Zio & Sons // Makeup by Ashlee Glazer // Hair by Justin Woods // Manicurist Katie Hughes for Butter London // All watches and high jewelry provided by Chopard

 

Miss Penelope

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Young love is a complicated thing, especially for the darling Miss Penelope. Though everyone knows she is promised to Dirk Janson – a match to align two of the most affluent families on the East Coast, a dream couple to spend their lives on the glossy pages of society magazines – she dreams of another: a quiet man with mystery, with a different upbringing than her own. She hears his song in the garden as he warms up for that evening’s dazzling lawn party and asks herself – should she go to him, the one who makes her heart happy or can she keep these feelings a secret for all of time? After all – Dirk Janson is the most eligible bachelor of them all.

Miss Penelope knows the power of beauty…and of mysteries. To whom does her happy heart truly belong? Well…that’s one of the best kept #ChopardSecrets of all…

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At her vanity Miss Penelope wears Chopard’s Happy Diamond Collection // Vintage feather dress

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In the garden Miss Penelope wears Chopard’s Happy Diamond Collection // Lela Rose Gown // Louboutin flats

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Miss Penelope played by Dahlia // Shot on location at Old Westbury Gardens by Ann Street Studio // Styled by Kelly Framel // Props by Zio & Sons // Makeup by Ashlee Glazer // Hair by Justin Woods // Manicurist Katie Hughes for Butter London // All watches and high jewelry provided by Chopard

Dirk Janson

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A charming risk taker, Dirk Janson is well-known for being fast on AND off the racetrack. He’s rarely found very far from his beloved cars…or from the presence of a beautiful woman. Seen sporting leather driving gloves and the sleek Mille Miglia GT XL, Dirk kicks up clouds of dust in a classic convertible on his way to the manse, smirking to himself as he recalls who will be attending tonight…the jewel of the Gold Coast, Miss Penelope. Though a total playboy, he knows he is destined to marry her but perhaps on this night… she has other plans…

Underneath the charisma and beguiling smile, Dirk Janson has a few well-kept #ChopardSecrets of his own…but what else is speed for, if not outrunning your demons?

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Dirk wears Chopard’s Mille Miglia GT XL Watch / Chopard EyewearCaruso silk and cashmere turtleneckCarl Gross sport coat / Florsheim shoes / Perrin driving gloves / Alberto pants

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Dirk Janson played by Sean K. // Shot on location at Old Westbury Gardens by Ann Street Studio // Styled by Kelly Framel // Props by Zio & Sons // Makeup by Ashlee Glazer // Hair by Justin Woods // Manicurist Katie Hughes for Butter London // All watches and high jewelry provided by Chopard

House of Secrets

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When Chopard asked us to make a series of Cinemagraphs for their site, we took inspiration directly from the world in which Chopard lives: sparkling, wealthy, glamorous, and very cinematic (as you know, they host the Cannes film festival each year). So we decided to write a scene, this moment in time where six characters are all about to collide together, the moment before everything happens when all you have are butterflies and anticipation, dreams and a House full of Secrets

Over the next 5 days I will introduce you to our six characters: Eros TwomblyDirk Janson, Miss Penelope, Lord Byron WoodringLady Argyle, and Mademoiselle Suzette in this mansion on Long Island where their fates lay in wait in my favorite collection of Cinemagraphs yet.

Won’t you join us for the festivities…and see what #ChopardSecrets you may unveil?

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Shot on location at Old Westbury Gardens by Ann Street Studio // Styled by Kelly Framel // Props by Zio & Sons // Makeup by Ashlee Glazer // Hair by Justin Woods // Manicurist Katie Hughes for Butter London // All watches and high jewelry provided by Chopard

Pantin in Polaroids

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Recently we played around the studio with Chanel’s Spring Summer collection. Here are some behind-the-scenes Polaroids I fired off with my passport camera as Laurel brought to life all these kooky characters that reminded me of the subjects Cindy Sherman portrayed in her old black & white photographs…but this time, wrapped in Chanel and in living color.

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Miss Amy Keller

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With her porcelain skin and manicured lip, Miss Amy Keller is such a lady to me. One of my favorite secrets about Amy is that she doesn’t have Internet service at her apartment, opting to actually disconnect from work and the world when she goes home at night, choosing instead to read books of poetry. How lovely is that?!

When prepping for this shoot, I began by referencing paintings from the Edwardian era with its nods to society, social standings, fashion and luxury, taking inspiration from works like Giovanni Boldini’s “Portrait of Princess Marthe Bibesco” and John Singer Sargent’s “Lady Agnew of Lochnaw“. Amy reminds me of King Edward VII, a leader of the fashionable elite and style-setter across Europe – as director of digital strategy at Linda Gaunt Communications in fashion public relations, she has her hand in creating the image and vibes of fashion brands like Hunter, LL BEAN, Trina Turk, Talbot Runhof, & Stila Cosmetics. She’s often emailing with ManRepeller or Into the Gloss, pitching story ideas or helping them with product information. Amy has dressed me for unforgettable events and took us up to Maine to learn about the iconic American brand L.L. Bean Signature. Aside from fashion and beauty, she even influences language trends – I learn all of my “fashion girl lingo” from her… “Totes”, “That’s my jam”, “Break it down”, and “Obvi” to name a few.

So here is my portrait of a lady, floating on a painter’s canvas, poised and beautiful, lovely as ever, just the way I imagine her in those Madison Avenue power meetings.

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Perfect day in New York?
Open the curtains, matcha, run through Prospect Park, head to my City + walk North, bump into friends I love, take pictures of things I’ll post nowhere and window shop everything!

Favorite trait of New Yorkers?
Resilience.

Favorite NYC secret?
Does this city still have secrets?

*above Amy wears Lela Rose // below in Talbot Runhof*

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Fashion is…
Costumes.

Women are…
beautiful works of art.

Favorite poem?
“He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity’s sun rise.”
– William Blake

Continue reading “Miss Amy Keller”

There’s Something About Maggie

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One of the greatest aspects to being a photographer is all the amazing people that you meet that dance in and out of your life only to reappear down the road with new stories to share and new images to create together. Back in November 2012 we casted model Maggie Geha in our Lincoln Motor Co. Cinemagraph shoot. It was one of those shoot days where everything came together perfectly and we all bonded in such a fun, creative way. After that shoot Kevin and I were watching an episode of 30 Rock and BOOM! There was Maggie! It was so exciting to see her acting career take off. Fast forward to a flight from NY to LA this past January, Kevin and I started watching the Beyonce music videos and BOOM! There was Maggie again in “Pretty Hurts”! So I sent her an email to catch up and hear about all the amazing things she has been up to since our first shoot together. When she told me she was moving to L.A. soon I said that’s it, we have to do a shoot together before you go. Since I controlled the way she looked the first time we shot her, I let Maggie tell me how she would like to be photographed – 90s Guess Jean Ad Supermodel. DONE. We sat down afterwards to talk about Maggie and hear what this redhead plans on doing next…

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Maggie! It’s been so long! We last saw you in November of 2012 for our Lincoln shoot. What have you been up to since then? 

I had a really great 2013 in terms of work, continuing with modeling and beginning  acting. Major highlights – I did a Hanes campaign, I was featured in Beyonce’s “Pretty Hurts” music video, I booked a role on the series finale of 30 Rock, I did my first soap opera, All My Children. I had a really teeny tiny, “blink and you miss it” role in Winter’s Tale but I spent the day with Russell Crowe and Colin Farrell and director Akiva Goldsman so that was really cool; it was my first major movie set! I also did a Marc Lawrence film with Hugh Grant and Marisa Tomei, where I had a more substantial, fun part. That comes out this year! It’s called The Rewrite. They’ve “renamed” it many times! I worked several times on Good Morning America which was super fun and I booked my first two commercials with one of my favorite directors, Wyatt Neumann. What else? I worked with supermodel David Gandy on a short film for Bionda Castana which was fun and sexy, like this shoot!

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Maggie wears: bra from H&M, pants from BDG, and vintage neck scarf

What are the major similarities between acting and modeling?

Some people think that modeling and acting are completely different and that a modeling career can hurt an acting career, which I can understand, but I also think they can help each other. I mean, I feel like I act while I’m modeling and embody the concept of whatever we’re shooting, and modeling has provided me with an awareness of the camera and lighting, so they kind of go hand in hand that way.

Ultimately, I’d like to be working primarily in film and television, but I think I’ll always love modeling too. I would like to be able to do more fun creative shoots with really specific concepts. I love period pieces – like we did last time, and even this time. I like that kind of work. For me, in the beginning – I’ve been modeling for maybe three years – and for the first couple of years, it was lookbooks and catalogue and e-commerce and a lot of bridal, and it was more a means to make money. But modeling can also be a really great form of creative expression.

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Continue reading “There’s Something About Maggie”