NYFW, day 4

this valentine's day i started at greenwhich street at DKNY show. loved the space, as well as the simple but very graphic runway design inspired by bauhaus. collection itself also reflected strong influence of the famous design school and art deco motives: it was a gracious mix of black, charcoal, and beige spiced up with accents of bluebird. i especially loved the slouchy boyfriend jackets and "skyscraper platforms" with studded soats and boot sleeves.

and in the evening there was custo barcelona with their new collection "hairy metal". typical for the brand crazy mix of patterns was complimeneted (complicated?) with metallic colors and fur. my favorite looks, however, were more simple and mostly for men. and only one dress that had a reminiscence of the past - a cartoonish face of a girl in bright colors.

happy valenitine's day!

my "lost in love" editorial in february issue of ROUGE magazine. more on my website.

open your heART

last night coco rocha teamed up with opera gallery, elite models, and designers like narcisco rodriguez, alessandra ambrosio, carolina bittencourt, to host a beautiful event in support of children of haiti. it was a great mix of beautiful people and art, spiced up with music and sparkling wine.thank you, coco!

NYFW, day 1

my fashion week this season has started with toni maticevski's show at altman building. we used one of toni maticevski's pieces - a gorgeous airy dress with aged veil and a big rose with brunt edges (below) - for our recent zink shoot, and i couldn't help but fall in love with his designs immediately.

 the new collection is eclectic but very much in toni's style: romantic and soft meets aggressive and sexy in an unusual combination of patterns and cuts. my favorite looks were the long multi-layered pastel dress that made model look like she was floating in the air, not walking; as well as an all-black ensemble of over-sized belted cardigan with puffy veil skirt.

one show that i always go to but unfortunately missed this season (it was way right after toni maticevski's show but in bryant park) was ports 1961. after checking pictures on style.com i got even more upset - looks like their FW2010 collection is very interesting, with retro-looking head-pieces and architectural designs. i loved the subtle color palette they chose for the season when most of the designers go with safe black.

another eye candy that day was mik cire's show at bryant park. beautiful "street chic" men's wear with amazing detailing on sleeves and shoulders (i wish style.com posted backshots!) styled with rough leather accessories. and even though designed for men, i can totally see some of the jackets and pants worn by women.

her majesty w/ sarah deanna

the following day the same team (newheart ohanian, anetta klemens, linh nguyen), but with a different model (this time it was stunning sarah deanna from muse models) - we were shooting a very graphic and clean studio fashion story using an unfinished 9" long wooden bar as our prop.

the style of this shoot can be described as "british-glamour-punk-rock": newheart was artfully mixing haute couture pieces with ready-to-wear, leather with silk, jeans with sequin, etc. and sarah was definitely rocking the show with her very unique look and unusual poses she was suggesting. ten  looks with three strong cover tries - hopefully this story will be out soon for your to see! for now some quick previews from our backstage (shot by serge glinka)

 

ink drop

it was definitely a very special shoot for me. done for zink magazine, may issue, it was inspired by the abstract pattern ink drop creates while dissolving in the water, as well as tattoo culture using ink to create permanent adornments on human bodies.

the idea was to create visually arresting images utilizing front projection to cast  images of black ink drops on the set as well as the model. combined with graphic shapes and solid colors (black, white, nude) of clothes projections provided abstract dreamlike effects by morphing the shapes of clothes and creating new patterns.

prepping for the shoot i did an extensive research and carefully selected 20 high-res stock images that would work for the story. consultation regarding projections and technical support was provided by carlos palacio.

when i though of a concept there were no hesitation regarding which model i'd like to be shooting with. asia from muse models has been one of my favorites for long time, but located in paris, she is rarely in new york. i couldn't believe our luck when her booker, katie wolland, confirmed that aisa will be arriving just a day before our shoot! not further castings were needed.

it was also my first time working with stylist newheart ohanian, and i was very impressed by her professionalism and creativity.  newheart immediately got inspired by the concept of the shoot, and put together an amazing 12-looks wardrobe with gorgeous reptile patterns/shapes, sequin textures, leather accessories, unusual head pieces.

and of course, the style wouldn't be complete without edgy contoured make-up by anetta klemens and avant-garde shapes linh nguyen created using asia's hair. 6"0 asia on 8" tall heels and in gorgeous outfits looked like the most incredible alien beauty.

the shoot is in post-production for the next couple of weeks. look for it on newstands in may.

kat's basic lookbook 2010

it was a fun shoot today - as always with katerena alkhimova, russian top-model and now a fashion designer producing her third collection for her brand, kat basics. over 20 soft and elegant 100% cashmere pieces looked stunning on our model, ganna baymyashkina (elite).

my job was to capture the overall warm and sensual mood of the collection - the task ganna made so easy to accomplish. half-day shoot at katerena's downtown loft felt more like hanging out with girls and just enjoying this beautiful saturday.

 

follow-up on kat's new collection in couple weeks at katbasics.com

special thanks to vincent giarrano for backstage images

floating point waves

past weekend i had a pleasure of seeing "floating point waves" by ximena garnica and shige moriya at HERE theater. mesmerizing, sensual performance that uses mediums like human body, water, and projections to send the following message:

"Humans want to be stable all the time.  But the world goes by, changing continuously. The world transforms until our standing point is instability, and we are but a floating point."

beauty update

another update in beauty sectio of my website - "northern light" story with robin (NY models)
make-up by anetta klemens, hair by ianthe foushee.

fuji instax mini 7S

brand-new addition to my growing collection of cameras (currently 22) - fuji instax mini 7S.

this snow-white beauty takes credit card-size instant color photos that are bright and crispy.