During the production of the last collaborative blog post with Elizabeth Dang, we talked about doing another shoot showcasing real women in everyday attire wearing the Chloe + Isabel jewelry she sells. The C+I catalog looks great — and it should — but we felt that sometimes there’s a disconnect between clients and the advertisement. While beautiful, sharply dressed women wearing fabulous jewelry graced the pages, we all know that they’re models. Therefore, a woman might feel like what she sees wouldn’t work for her.
Elizabeth and I teamed up with Kelly Key, an Independent Beauty Consultant with Mary Kay, to set the record straight: Yes, you can.
We grabbed a handful of friends from various walks of life, met up in a park, and did it. The goal was simple: Collaborate with these ladies and emphasizing simplicity and practicality have them look great everyday. Each of us brought our expertise to the table and kept it loose and fun for our five models. While I set up my gear, it was amazing to watch each of them in their element and working with our models, guiding them to styles that would not only compliment their attire but also express their personalities.
Elizabeth’s Thoughts
“I could have 100% styled them myself, but I wanted everyone’s own style to show through in these photos. I only made a few suggestions for pieces that stood out well with their outfits. Everyone had good taste and looked great.”
Elizabeth’s approach is sensitive to her client’s personalities and not just what looks good. This was something that really shined when we first worked together. While she is matching colors and stones, styles and metals to each outfit she’s making sure that each person’s personality is present. I could see that she’s not styling a mannequin, but a person. She’s got the “why” behind her styling and each model really enjoyed themselves and looked great.
Kelly’s Thoughts
“The looks we featured were natural and great for everyday. Since it was summer we went with vibrant limes, summery pinks, and plums to highlight their gorgeous eyes, cheeks, and lips.”
Kelly kept the make-up light and fun while styling it to match each of our model’s faces and daily attire. While she was naturally highlighting their wonderful features with hints of color, she was also showing them how practical it was to achieve their looks. Only needing a few minutes per face, she showed them — and me — that they were ready for anything. Kelly played off the colors and hues in their eyes, hair, the jewelry, and their attire to create a great everyday look.
The Great Everyday Looks
My Thoughts
What can I say? I had a blast with Yana, Tehmeena, Veronica, Rachel, Jeannette, Elizabeth, and Kelly! These ladies had awesome attitudes and my job was to echo their personalities through my photography the way Elizabeth did with her jewelry and Kelly did with her cosmetics. I kept it loose and natural, encouraging each woman to let some of her personality shine through. Even though each woman was at the same place with the same professionals working with them, each one was unique. Sultry, playful, friendly, mysterious, doey … all sorts of expressions and all of it hinted at through the professional make-up and styling. This is the sort of great stuff that happens when you pair a team of professionals with great women. I’m grateful.
Credits
- Styling: Elizabeth Dang — C + I Boutique | Email
- Make-up: Kelly Key — Mary Kay Beauty Consultant | Email | 703-231-5832