I'm apart of the Fashion Club at the University that I attend, and I couldn't have been more excited when I found out that they had one!
Recently I was asked to come along and help out behind the scenes of one of the shoot, HOW EXCITING!! As soon as I found out I immediately started to plan what I would wear; something practical and easy to move in, yet something super stylist! I chose to go with black tights, a black tee, over-the-knee tan boots, and an autumnal cape, with me gold Michael Kors watch and black Rebecca Minkoff tote.
I was told to meet at someone apartment and off I went. When I reached the brightly coloured door I could hear the exciting chaos that was happening on the other side. I walked in and was greeted by what looked like the aftermath of a tornado going through Kim K's wardrobe....and I loved every bit of it!
I didn't know anyone there so I took the initiative to get myself with the beautiful garments that I was surrounded with. The thing was no one told me what the concept of the shoot was, what my job was, or really anything for the first two hours; and the chaos I mentioned previously was my barrier to finding out. So I found a place on the wall and stood back, and this is what I observed and learned:
1. Keep the outfits you're styling together, on a 1-2 hangers, this will make it a lot easier to see what items of clothes you have used and what is still available.
2. Take pictures of the outfits, this will make it easier for when you get to the shoot location and the outfits go from on the rail, to packed in a suitcase.
3. Have a concept in mind, this may seem blatantly obvious, but it will indeed make it much easier to start putting together looks. Make mood boards, or make albums of photos on your phone or laptop to refer back to.
4. Make sure that you have all the right people there. The stylists, models, makeup artist/hairstylist, and probably the most important person the creative advisor. This is the person who has the vision and is going to put it into fruition, this shoot seemed to have lacked one, hence the chaos.
Many hours later we were on the move, yes ladies and gents this was an on location shoot! We headed to a nearby bridge to take some artsy photographs with the industrial beams and the autumnal backdrop. Again there I stood, just watching, and here's what I learned:
1. If shooting on a road that is not closed off, make sure you have a person on the lookout for oncoming traffic, so the model doesn't become thinner than she already is.
2. Dress appropriately, there's nothing worse than not being prepared for the weather, it can definitely make it hard to give 110% to what you're working on, so dress accordingly.
3. Have suitcases for all of the clothes, this makes it easy to carry the outfits from place to place. It's a plus if it's a suitcase with the four wheels, they're just so efficient!
4. Be prepared to help at anytime!
That was my time! Finally I was called upon to keep track of all the clothes that were used for each look, it may seem minimal, but that's the thing with fashion no job is small!
Maybe it was best that I didn't get my hands to dirty the first time, that way I had the chance to observe and take in all the glorious action that happens behind the scenes of a fashion shoot!
Until next time...
