fashion-inspired
color. pattern. pose.
There’s just something about a woman’s jawline, and a good neckline. A mysterious look. Maybe it’s more of a glance. She looks at you. She looks away, and you want her to look again. She looks away and you want her to look away. She has your command. She doesn’t need to look at you to know that she has your attention.
Aleali
Bad Gal
Alex
I’d done a series of gestural sketches in the weeks prior to this. Sitting in my backyard, I allowed my hand to move with the wind as tender spring leaves fell. I thought of how feminine and full of movement these gestures were. I thought to contrast this with something historically restrictive, but that has become a symbol of status, wealth, and power. The gold chain is culturally significant in lack hip-hop culture as a signifier of progress and success, particularly for black men. This piece is about dichotomy of the gender binary: feminine and masculine, natural and man-made/urban, subtle and flashy, motion and stillness.
Editorial fashion shots have always caught my attention. A pose or a gesture captured. Our clothing, accessories, and stylistic adornments are all reflections of how we choose to present ourselves. The body is the canvas, the mannequin. A grounds on which we ascribe meaning. On set, the model becomes the designer, the photographer, the stylist’s canvas. Thus the editorial production process becomes a play, but the audience will only see frozen moments on a much smaller scale.
