Dream Team

Can I tell you...about our Spring 08 ad campaign. Every season I conjure up images of how my ads should look like and the feeling they should convey. This is one of my favorite things to do. My visual bank has a million references to pull from and quite a library of coffee table books that inspire the visualization process. I brainstorm with my dream team: Inigo Elizalde( my in-house super talented graphic designer/art director)and Micaela Rossato(our visionaire par excellence). It takes team effort to have a successful photo shoot.
This season, Inigo and I were dreaming of striped cabanas in St. Tropez, Vargas pin up girls, Guy Bourdin, Ava Gardner. Sensuous, sultry, seductive, alluring, and chic!
Mica cast a fabulous Russian girl named Aleks Martynyuk who studied ballet and gymnastics at a young age(don't they all?). She was made it look so easy with her innate grace, she was a pro all the way. We love her.
We borrowed clothing from my designer friends: Paul and Joe, Tracy Reese, Tibi and Shoshanna swim wear. Inigo ordered awning fabric and constructed the 'set' in the photo studio in Brooklyn the day of the shoot.
Mica is like a painter of a photographer. She has definite ideas of how the shot should look like, the lighting, the mood, the poses down to how the photo is cropped. It's fascinating to watch her work. She constantly checks back and forth between her screen where she downloads the photos simultaneously to see if the pose needs to change or if the lighting needs adjusting.
As you can see from these striking images, I got exactly what I wanted. I just love it when that happens. Go shop now!

Visionaire

Penelope Satchel

Can I tell you...about fashion photographer Micaela Rossato? A couple of years ago I attended Surface magazine's Avant Guardian party in the hopes of finding a new visionaire to collaborate with. I was looking for someone with a distinct point of view and an eye for detail. Shooting accessories is actually very challenging for a fashion photographer. At the end of the day, you want to see the product without being redundant with poses. After all, there's only so many things a hand can do with a bag. Making it look 'natural' is almost impossible.
At this event, Mica's story caught my eye. It was funny, sophisticated and a little dark. In her website, click to Category:Fashion Accessories then to Publication: Surface, to see the story sold me. The icing on the cake was when I found out that she worked for Raymond Meier for several years. That was definitely a plus! Raymond is one of my favorite fashion photographers particularly because he is a genius at shooting accessories.
I've been working with her, along with my graphic designer/art director Inigo Elizalde for several years now and our images keep getting stronger and stronger. She knows what I'm looking for and she's constantly pushing the envelop. We've grown to trust each other's eye and that's a beautiful thing especially in this industry.

Here are some outakes from our most recent Fall 07 shoot and then the final photos. I love these shots because they give you a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes.
Joy clutch

Lucy slim shoulderEllen Platform Pumps

Click on the images if you want to see more detail. Of course, if any of these photos inspire you to buy online, don't hold back. Shop now!