Beauty

Sustainable Beauty

Collaborations • Collaborations • Editorials • Editorials
To complete the Chanel Haute Couture SS16 series I wanted to create a beauty look. The detailing of this top and dress looked so amazing close up, that it just made sense to use them for this part of the story. Set against the high shine of the solar panels, everything radiated.

As I mentioned before, I had to wake-up at the crack of dawn to create this look before we left for the location. I did a test of the whole thing before hand so I hoped I would be better equipped to do it half asleep! Looking at the catwalk presentation of the collection, I took inspiration for the beauty look. For the hair I decided I wanted something a little smaller so that I could do more with the make up. So I reduced the size of the bun. Then with the make up I wanted to reference the graphic eyeliner but I didn’t want it to feel like a direct copy, so instead I made it sharper and added crystals to create some texture and detail. To draw the eyeliner I used tape to guide the lines. The crystals were attached with eyelash glue, and on the lip, I used two colours to create a matt ombre, from pink to a nude tone. All the products I used were Chanel (you can see the full list below), because I wanted to create a completely Chanel experience for the editorial.

 

Dress Chanel Couture SS16

All Make-up Chanel

Foundation, Perfection Lumiere
Concealer, Correcteur Perfection
Setting Powder, Poudre Universelle Compacte
Bronzer, Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder
Blush, Sunkiss Ribbon
Highlighter, Joules Contraste Lumiere
Mascara, Le Volume
Eyeliner, Ligne Graphique De Chanel
Eye Shadow, Les 4 Ombres
Eye Cream Shadow, Illusion D’Ombre
Lipstick, Rouge Allure Velvet
Lip Liner, Le Crayon Levres
Brow Powder, La Palette Sourcils De Chanel

When the theme of this collection was announced, I knew I wanted create a really special shoot around it. Protecting the world we know and love is at the heart of this story, so when looking for a location I wanted to make sure it had as much to say as the collection did.

Culworth Ground’s Farm was suggested to me by a friend. This beautiful 500 acre estate of rolling fields, hedge rows, woods and water, sing of England’s beauty. The farm is run by the charming Buckley family. They balance progressive and diverse commercial rural farming with preservation and enhancement of the natural landscape and wildlife they are surrounded by. The key to this is sustainability. Using cutting edge agricultural technology, they produce barley (for beer), pigs (for bacon) and solar based electricity. The straw from the cereal crops is used as bedding for the horses, pigs and cattle in the winter, and is then spread back over the fields as natural fertiliser in the spring.  Some of this was featured in Make Hay. There are also 20,000 solar panels, generating enough power for 1000 homes in the surrounding villages. These are seen here and in Solar Sunrise. The work of young families like this, can change how we all live.

I wanted to say a huge Thank you to the Buckely’s not only for having me for the shoot but also for all the hard work they have put in to creating this amazing place.

Culworth Grounds Farm

Thorpe Mandeville OX17 2HW, United Kingdom

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Photos by Kit Lee , Frances Davison
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Fashion

Solar Sunrise

Collaborations • Editorials

With the sun rising, bird song was the only sound track as we began this shoot. For the second part of my Chanel SS16 Haute Couture editorial I wanted to contrast with the naturalness of the barn shoot, but retain the theme of ecology and suitability. So my second location was the Culworth Grounds Farm’s solar field. Last season I loved the tulle capes we shot, they felt so ethereal and magical. When this collection featured them again, I really wanted to try and get that movement and lightness across. In the crisp wind of the early hours of sunlight, the Haute Couture pieces came to life. Floating lightly across the breeze.

Our departure time was 5am, I woke up at 3am to have enough time to create this hair and makeup look. We drove through the dark to get to this location in time for the sunrise. As we drove through the farm and up into the solar field until we found the perfect spot, the sun began to rise. We had to move quickly in the freezing cold to get in position and ready for the shots. That morning it was under 5 degrees, but I hope you think it was worth the goosebumps.

The Culworth farm is 500 acres in South Northamptonshire, it’s family run and has four main focuses; agriculture, bloodstock, conservation and renewables. You can read more about their work on their site. See the Hay Barn shoot, also shot on location at Culworth, the first in this three part series here. 

Dress Chanel Couture SS16

All Make-up Chanel

Foundation, Perfection Lumiere
Concealer, Correcteur Perfection
Setting Powder, Poudre Universelle Compacte
Bronzer, Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder
Blush, Sunkiss Ribbon
Highlighter, Joules Contraste Lumiere
Mascara, Le Volume
Eyeliner, Ligne Graphique De Chanel
Eye Shadow, Les 4 Ombres
Eye Cream Shadow, Illusion D’Ombre
Lipstick, Rouge Allure Velvet
Lip Liner, Le Crayon Levres
Brow Powder, La Palette Sourcils De Chanel

Photos by Frances Davison , Kit Lee
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Fashion

Make Hay

Collaborations • Editorials
Rolling in the soft warm hay is every spaniel's dream. The day of the shoot, sun streamed into the barn; and a happy spaniel called Lulu and I played fetch amongst the bales.

When Chanel asked me if I wanted to create a story around their SS16 Haute Couture collection I was so excited by the opportunity to create a meaningful and adventurous editorial. The collection was themed around sustainability and eco friendly practices. I think we all want to protect the beautiful planet we live on, and small changes can make a huge a difference. Turning off the tap when you brush your teeth, turning appliances off at the socket, taking part in land fill charity clothes swaps; these small gestures can make a difference for everyone. I really wanted to create an editorial that both celebrated the beauty of nature and referenced sustainable technologies, bringing some attention to great projects.

I realised I wanted to shoot in a clean energy environment, so I found a Farm I felt was both beautiful and doing new and interesting things for sustainable farming. England is so green, it’s easy to take for granted that this beautiful country needs love to keep it like that. Culworth Grounds Farm is doing wonderful things towards sustainability, which I will touch on more in the following editorials. This week I will publish three pieces inspired by the Chanel Couture collection, this is the first.

The collection featured wooden beads, straw fabrics, cork shoes and neutral tones; Karl Largerfield returned Chanel to beige for the first time under his leadership.  Every element had to be made because the fashion materials and embellishments don’t exist in natural fibres like these.  Mr Largerfield wanted to create a perfect world that should exist, taking ecology one step further and making a setting and collection that was beautiful, high fashion and luxurious as well as sustainable and natural.

Taking inspiration from the show, I shot this beautiful dress in a straw barn. I also referenced the show’s beauty looks, adapting them to suit my vision. I wanted the shoot to feel soft, natural and warm but with a sense of modernity, the beauty look really helped to do this. Culworth is a family run farm and the spaniel in the photos is the family’s dog.

To see my previous Chanel Couture editorials shot on location with Wild at Heart have a look here, here and here.

Dress Chanel Couture SS16

All Make-up Chanel

Foundation, Perfection Lumiere
Concealer, Correcteur Perfection
Setting Powder, Poudre Universelle Compacte
Bronzer, Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder
Blush, Sunkiss Ribbon
Highlighter, Joules Contraste Lumiere
Mascara, Le Volume
Eyeliner, Ligne Graphique De Chanel
Eye Shadow, Les 4 Ombres
Eye Cream Shadow, Illusion D’Ombre
Lipstick, Rouge Allure Velvet
Lip Liner, Le Crayon Levres
Brow Powder, La Palette Sourcils De Chanel

Appointment Thorpe Mandeville OX17 2HW, United Kingdom

Culworth Grounds Farm

This beautiful Farm in Oxfordshire, near Banbury was the location for our shoot. It was still dark in London when we left for the shoot, arriving in time for the sun rise.

As always a huge thank you to my photographers Kit and Frances for making the day so easy and fun.

 

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Photos by Kit Lee , Frances Davison
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