Behind The Scenes - Love Spring Photoshoot

This is a peek into what typically happens in our photoshoots for Runway Goddess!

You can check out the photos in our Love Spring Lookbook here.

Jayna getting hair and makeup done

Test Shots

Adjusting the heels

Walking to one of the shoot locations

Having a blast!

Preparing to change

Blurry shot of clothes to shoot on the day

Styling the outfits 

Putting on the final touches

Taking just a mini break

Loki wants to be in the shot too

Huge thanks to our gorgeous gal Jayna Nash. She's such a gem and really awesome to work with!

Ulyana Sergeenko - Spring 2014 Couture

Ulyana Sergeenko designed a gorgeous couture collection that evokes feelings of an old-time romance, sensual and elegant with a dramatic flair. 

“It’s a glamorous woman taking a voyage through the Eastern republics of the former Soviet Union" The Russian couturier explains. Inspirations were taken from a train trip, with destinations that included Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Ulyana tells a story through her exquisite collection and translates the adventures of a femme fatale. 

Detailing was greatly emphasized and close-up you could see the intricate details and careful craftsmanship for each piece. The collection featured luxurious silk satins, hourglass corsets with very defined sweetheart necklines, hand-painted fringing, some layering and silk embroidery. The accessories fit the theme with colourful vintage-feel trunks and bed-roll clutches with flower embroideries and tassels. All the models wore peep-hole pumps and looked sultry and sophisticated. 

Below are my favourite looks from the collection, be sure to check her work out, links below.

Check out Now Fashion and Style for great coverage on the show.

Photos used in this post are from both sites.

Spring Photoshoot

Jane modelling Digital Floral Print Mini Dress

As winter slowly passed and the Jacarandas start to bloom, Spring was finally announcing its arrival. At the same time, gorgeous digital prints and florals were making its way on runways all over. This season is not shy on colour or beautiful exotic prints, florals are sort of a big deal, and tribal inspirations are still as Magatu (Zoolander) would say, so hot right now!

New stock we ordered were finally here. We signed off each box and piled them into our warehouse. There were just shy of ten bulging cardboard boxes, bound by yellow nylon rope. It was an exciting task, we were like children on Christmas day not knowing which 'presents' to unwrap first! Organising photo shoots are the next best thing, there's no denying that it is tiring and takes lots of time and planning, but every time the results come back, it's instantly worth it!

The date for the shoot was set, and we were grateful when the sun came out early that morning, after a full week of rain. We did worry that the ground would be too soft for heels, but there is a trick to prevent soles digging in to your lawn (posted later)!

Photo-shoots involve a fair deal of planning and coordinating and not to mention luck. We planned for an outside shoot, so good weather was essential. It usually lasts a whole day, depending on the pieces and type of clothing. We have done just enough of these to grasp what sort of lighting we liked, and what worked well  for us. After all, we did not have fancy equipment and a studio to control the environment. 

We like to use lists and check it off as we go. Here are some examples of things we do to prepare for a shoot:
- selecting and hanging up garments, ensuring the correct size for model
- steaming and ironing 
- removing tags or loose threads
- match accessories 
- prep for makeup and hair (hairdryer, curlers, hairspray, cotton tips... the list goes on)
- prep camera for shoot

Applying makeup

We try to have an early start so we can take advantage of good soft lighting, and then again late in the afternoon before the sun sets. The midday sun is too harsh if the day is cloudless, and several things tend to happen if you attempt to do the shoot then. For one, your model won't be able to open her eyes due to the glare, especially with reflectors. The intensity of the midday sun also quickly burns your skin, and you begin to feel the heat within minutes. Not long and you will perspire, and literally feel drained under the sun... the outcome of the photos end up looking less than desirable. For those reasons, we choose to avoid midday, and use this time for a long lunch break and touch-ups. We like to use this time to review the photos and make any changes to makeup or hair if needed. Your model can also get a good idea of what poses and expressions look more flattering on camera.
  
We are very happy with the lighting and outcome, the photos all look beautiful! 

Thanks Jane for another great photo-shoot!

Jane modelling Silver Keyhole Chiffon Dress in Salmon

Jane modelling Lace Insert Bodycon Mini Dress