PULLING TOGETHER A SHOOT

Ever wondered how the professionals pull together a fashion shoot?

With blood, sweat and tears that's how!

From conception to seeing the final product in print the process can be just as painful as it is fantastic and last week, spent pulling together the WWB July issue shoots, was no exception.

It begins with an overall theme and mood for the season, then comes scouting locations, casting models and finding the all important photographer.

Then comes the fun part of my job – styling the shoot.

The first thing to think about is the actual product itself and for S/S 13 I saw several recurring themes from pastel colour clashes, ultra girly details, pleats and retro prints. Styles that fit into this theme I instantly pick out and then the easiest way to style what’s left is to this is to take emotion out of the equation.

This is where a mood board comes in handy - usually a group of tear sheets from other magazine shoots or adverts you find inspiring along with fabric swatches or accessories - that I always keep on the table or pinned to the wall when selecting outfits.

I also find it always helps me to create a character for the shoot. For example this time my muse was a bored, 50's Miami or Beverly Hills housewife. I ask myself what she would wear and how she would wear it.

I kept this character in mind when shopping for accessories and as a result I picked out 50's style sunglasses including cat eye frames and earrings which were a mix of bright crystal and kitsch plastic fantastic - as inspired by the Prada S/S 12 ad campaign. Finishing it all off were glasses and headscarves sourced from the bargain-filled Walthamstow market.

Finally pulling everything together on the day is the hair and make-up artist who I gave the same brief.

I figured if my housewife was bored she might be more inclined to take some risks. She'd wear a bold lip and vivid eye colour which clashed with her equally bright jewellery.  She’d also experiment with her hair, going from a classic soft wave, to a tucked in bob and finishing with a rock ‘n’ roll beehive the more adventurous she got…

The finished shoot can be seen in the July issue of WWB. I hope you enjoy it and it gives you some inspiration for the season ahead.

Natalie Dawson, fashion writer, WWB