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. 

 

It’s a CHANEL world

CHANEL_Resort_01

I like the idea of rejecting winter. While talking one morning with the team at CHANEL about the launch of their eyewear e-commerce for the US I started dreaming about those sunny resort days ahead when you desperately crave warm golden light and any color besides gray. Once I was driving with a friend in the early spring and she laughed at me as I starred glassy eyed out the window and said “I miss the color green.”

It’s just that simple.

So let’s bring resort to us. In a beautiful explosion of color lost in the concrete industrial vault of Brooklyn, Juliane, our exotic CHANEL flower, paints a trail of prismacolor like an escaped wildflower from some tropical distant land, bringing back to life the sticky memories of warm days past and all that there is to look forward to when we bloom to our fullest beauty again.

CHANEL_Resort_02 CHANEL_Resort_03 Continue reading “It’s a CHANEL world”

Triumph Lingerie

Triumph_Lingerie_02

My latest project with my frequent creative collaborator Kelly got a little more intimate this time around with a look at one of the oldest lingerie brands, founded in Europe in 1886, Triumph. This project was unlike most of our jobs in the digital age, these image were used in print first, layout designed by Kelly, to be picked up at Journelle stores and handed out at Triumph’s fashion show.

We wanted these images to be a celebration of women, to be feminine but confident, uncovered but in control. We wanted to be inspired at the end of the day to put on some lace and love every curve. Now, doesn’t that sound fun?

Below are our four women, full of their own Triumphs, all from different places in the world and celebrated beautifully in their own skin because confidence is the biggest triumph of all.

Nneoma

 

Triumph_Lingerie_03

 Above & in the cover photo Nneoma wears: Amourette Spotlight Underwire BraAmourette Spotlight Hipster panties

Below: Amourette 300 bra

Triumph_Lingerie_04 Triumph_Lingerie_05 Continue reading “Triumph Lingerie”

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.

CHANEL_BOYFRIEND_01 CHANEL_BOYFRIEND_02 CHANEL_BOYFRIEND_03 CHANEL_BOYFRIEND_04 Continue reading “CHANEL + PARIS”

Supermodel Comfort

Carolyn_Murphy_UGG__02

You know her face.  A fashion darling she’s a cover girl, shot for campaigns with Estée Lauder and Tiffany & Co, and this fall is starring in the new stunning Oscar de la Renta ads.

But what you don’t see behind this classic American beauty is a woman who likes to surf out in Montauk and throw on a pair of warm soft UGG boots when she emerges from the cold North Atlantic ocean. So it was no surprise when UGG tapped her to be the face of their new Classic Luxe Collection, a more refined fashion forward take on the comfort of UGG boots. I spoke to Carolyn about how a woman as chic and timeless as she is can pull off an UGG moment and she suggested wearing the new Abree style this fall “with a pair of leather pants, crisp button down and wool coat so now you don’t have to be afraid to wear your UGG boots out of the house.” Comfort can be a beautiful thing.

Above, Carolyn Murphy photographed in New York City in UGG’s Abree boot in black styled with white Miachel Kors pants and a Stella McCartney blazer.

 

The Female Nude

The_Female_Nude_02

I am a woman. I am aware of my body like any normal human being. It’s not a surprise, just look at the images served up to us. Everyone is beautiful, happy, young, thin… they have the perfect (insert your own personal thoughts here) stomach, eye brows, waist, legs, hips- sometimes it feels like an impossible treadmill of perfect we will never really achieve because of genetics, because we have real life and real work and can’t spend the amount of time it takes to achieve “perfection”.

But really, what is perfect?

I’ve always be interested in shooting nudes. I started in college. The body is one of the most beautiful, natural things about life. The way it changes, the way it gives life, the way each is our own and that is what makes us special. I wouldn’t take my grandmother’s wrinkles away, or Dad’s loving soft hugs, or seeing my sister-in-law’s body change carrying the amazing twins my family adores. I would not say that I have had body issues all my life, but as I’ve gotten older I had to learn to look in the mirror and teach myself to stop judging the way I look compared to other people.

As a photographer I look for what is photogenic from people to places to the design of a still life. I’m not going to lie, I love tall beautiful thin fashion models. They are like illustrations of illusions of an idea of who we think we are or could be. Fantasy is part of the fun, photographing that fantasy is one of the things that I love most.

However…

There is a place for curves too. Curves are incredible. When our model Jourdan walked in I was honestly first taken back by her personality. Her confidence. Confidence is the one of the greatest quality anyone can possess. She was cool, smart, comfortable in her own skin. She was one of the least self-deprecating models I’ve ever worked with. When we started making photographs a lot changed for me. Not only as a photographer but as a woman. Maybe even more importantly as a woman. Here was a human, not afraid to let me photograph her with nothing to hide behind, no character to portray, no fantasy story to tell, it was just her. In the moment. In the light. Just the way she is.

After this shoot I had a mix of emotions. Her body, so beautiful, so photographic in its shapes and contours was in one word: inspiring. She made me realize that the female form in any shape and size is incredible. To have curves, softness, confidence was true beauty. She represented to me what being a woman was all about. I understood why Renior and Matisse painted the way they did and I saw that beauty too. I was so proud to be a woman and in my personal life, more confident about the size of my chest and softness around my stomach. If wrinkles show the hand of time and the life that was lived, curves show the fertility of it and the raw attraction of humanity.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that women come in many fascinating forms and, at this sitting, I saw beauty in a way that should be more often seen.

Here’s to the beautiful form we call being a WOMAN.

  The_Female_Nude_04 The_Female_Nude_05 The_Female_Nude_06 Continue reading “The Female Nude”

Chloe’s Rainbow

Chloe_01

It’s not that often that you come across a model who has such a stamp on her own personal style, such a sense of adventure and wanderlust for the world. We were talking about her modeling career and how it has changed since she started coloring her hair (yes, she does it herself!) which she said came about after years of modeling as a blonde and wanting to do something different, wanting to express herself. She was so tired of just being a “Barbie doll” and she thought, “Hey, if it doesn’t work, I’ll just go to art school.” Once she made the change, two modeling agencies dropped her until she found her way to ONE Model Management who totally embraced who she was. Now, especially though the power of Instagram and social media, she is a huge rising star, something so nice to see happen to a really sweet woman who loves to talk about traveling the world and organic human experiences, keeping a journal and lighting up a photoshoot like a rainbow in the sky.

Chloe002 Chloe003 Chloe004

Natural Beauty

Natural_Beauty__01

Natural beauty comes in all forms, in the bareness of a woman’s face, the sweeping landscape of our earth’s vistas, the colors of a sunset and in a precious metal that came crashing down to earth 4 billion years ago: GOLD. We talk about gold jewelry here a lot from what it means to us to where we wear it. I’m always inspired by what designers do with these natural elements, how they create magic with something that traveled across the universe and existed here before mankind.

Modeled by my own natural beauty muse Alli Lanier here are 5 new jewelry designers I’m finding inspiring these days to watch~

Temple St. Clair

Temple St. Clair began, like many great works of art, in Florence, Italy in 1986. A city where the namesake designer still draws inspiration from stating, “Each object that I create carries the soul of the history of the artisans of Florence.” With her signature cocktail rings, rock crystal amulets and elegant gold work, this very chic woman has created a line of jewelry that is collected by in-the-know women that appreciate the balance of art, history and craftsmanship.

Above cover~ 18K Gold Classic Horizontal Oval Ring with Blue Sapphire & Diamond Granulation

Below~ Royal Blue Moonstone & Diamond 18K Gold Bella Bangle

Natural_Beauty__06Natural_Beauty__08

Below~ 18K Gold Owl Face Post Earring with Diamonds

Natural_Beauty__04

Continue reading “Natural Beauty”

Lord & Taylor Birdcage

 Birdcage by Lord & Tylor by Ann Street Studio's photographer Jamie Beck

There’s something new happening on the second floor at Lord & Taylor’s flagship store on New York’s 5th ave and it’s called the Birdcage. I’ve always thought of Lord & Taylor as one of those iconic Manhattan department stores but now they are dusting off the old ideals of multi-level shopping and bringing in interesting emerging and boutique designers, making it easy for you to discover a more relevant fashion selection to what is going on in New York  you might not otherwise have access to. This newness is smartly curated to the young, smart and cool crowd that is more or less in the know, the kind of girl that always shows up with just the right balance of trend and style from a designer you can’t wait to google when you get home.

All the accessories in this fashion story we photographed recently at our studio are a small selection of what’s in store for Birdcage and the clothing can all be found as well on Lord & Taylor’s second floor which will soon house a special area just for their new concept of fashion curation. In addition to jewelry, Birdcage will also showcase cosmetics, tech, home products and edibles, supporting a modern day approach to fashion and lifestyle… so how cool is that.

Birdcage by Lord & Tylor by Ann Street Studio's photographer Jamie Beck

Above: A Peace Treaty Ring // BCBGMaxazria Dress

Below: Vanessa Lianne earrings & ring // BCBGMaxazria Turtleneck & Skirt // Enzo Angiolini flats // Ted Baker Coat

Birdcage by Lord & Tylor by Ann Street Studio's photographer Jamie Beck Birdcage by Lord & Tylor by Ann Street Studio's photographer Jamie Beck

Above: Matterial Fix Earrings & Bracelet // BCBGMaxazria Dress

Below: A Peace Treaty Earrings // Michelle Kim Grey Coat

Birdcage by Lord & Tylor by Ann Street Studio's photographer Jamie Beck

Continue reading “Lord & Taylor Birdcage”

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.

Chanel_Couture_06Chanel_Couture_03Chanel_Couture_04Chanel_Couture_08Chanel_Couture_05Chanel_Couture_09Chanel_Couture_13Chanel_Couture_10Chanel_Couture_07

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

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…

JasminePoulton__03

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.

JasminePoulton__04

Fashion is…

More than what’s current.

Women are…

One of nature’s greatest beauties & powers.

Continue reading “Meet Jasmine Poulton”

Mandarin Oriental Dreams

Mandarin_Oriental_02 (1)

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

 Mandarin_Oriental_03 Mandarin_Oriental_04 Mandarin_Oriental_05 Mandarin_Oriental_06 Mandarin_Oriental_07 Continue reading “Mandarin Oriental Dreams”

VITA!

Vita_Sidorkina_02

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…

Vita_Sidorkina_03 Vita_Sidorkina_04 Continue reading “VITA!”