Play Together, Stay Together
Words by Elena Eberhard
From left to right: (a) Garments by Andy Anrong, BFA Fashion Design. Styling by Pei-Chi (Peggy) Lin, BFA Fashion Styling. Photography by Ruby Cheng, BFA Photography. (b) Dress by Anna Yinan Zhou, BFA Fashion Design. Photography by Elliott Pasinsky, MFA Photography. (c) Garments by Chris Cabalona, BFA Menswear Design. Styling by Megan Vo, BFA Fashion Styling. Photography by Jen Lovely, BFA Photography. (d) Garments by Linh La, BFA Fashion Design. Styling by Anastasia Smith, BFA Fashion Design. Photography by Gaby Chang, BFA Photography. (e) Dress by Anna Yinan Zhou, BFA Fashion Design. Photography by Elliott Pasinsky, MFA Photography.
Styling, Fashion Design, and Photography graduates share their experience of collaborating on look book photoshoots last summer. From the starting sparks of inspiration for the collections to the creative insights on the location, their stories are colored by the passion of practicing their art as they apply the skills learned in the classrooms to real-life projects.
Many of these young fashion professionals met during the Styling Network meetup in September 2018, or were taking the same classes and found that they shared a common vision and aesthetics. What started as the photoshoots for designers look books, resulted in some outstanding art collaborations.
All garments designed by Linh La, BFA Fashion Design. Styled by Anastasia Smith, BFA Fashion Design. Photography by Gaby Chang, BFA Photography.
Make-up: Mitasha S. Hair styling: Peggy Lin. Models: Alexandria C. at Scout Model Management and Adrienne D.
Linh La's womenswear collection is inspired by the story of Judith Scott, a fiber and mixed media artist born with Down syndrome resulting in deafness and alienation from the world, her family, and her twin sister. Scott's sculptural artworks were created from the knotted cloth or yarn, a process that La interpreted in her garments, combining textures and colors.
Anastasia Smith, Fashion Design major who took advanced Styling classes, met La at the Portfolio Review in the School of Fashion, where she was presenting both her designer and styling portfolio. "I admired Linh La's work and pitched her my ideas for a look book photoshoot of her collection. In just one week, we produced the shoot. I knew one of our models, Alexandria Ceranski, through the Styling class that we took together."
The inspiration for the photoshoot came from the collection itself, as Smith wanted to stay true to La's thoughts. "Judith Scott blossomed as an artist later in life, when her sister Joyce gained custody of her alienated twin and brought her to art education. The story of two siblings clinging to each other, holding on to their bond, the 'don't leave me' feeling became the main emotion of the photoshoot" shared Smith. "It was hard to find two models who would look alike. My makeup artist Mitasha Singh helped to enhance the common features and worked on the lines of the models’ cheekbones to increase the similarity."
All garments designed by Andy Anrong, BFA Fashion Design. Styling by Pei-Chi (Peggy) Lin, BFA Fashion Styling. Photography by Ruby Cheng, BFA Photography.
Andy Anrong, BFA Fashion Design, describes his menswear collection as functional and versatile. Inspired by the "Vitruvian Man" drawing by Leonardo Da Vinci, it develops the idea of multi-use garments, adaptable to fit different styles and personalities.
"A friend of mine, Styling major Peggy [Pei-Chi Lin] offered to help me with the look book photoshoot as a makeup artist," recalls Anrong. "I was rushing to do it immediately after the runway show. Peggy connected me via Instagram with her friend, photographer Ruby Cheng, who is also studying at the Academy. Her posts on social caught my eye. We exchanged a few ideas through Instagram group chat and met for the first time on set on the day of the shoot."
"Masculine, classic, clean, free, and independent were our keywords. The makeup was minimal for both face and hair. The lighting helped to create a shadowy gray background with soft and calm light on the models. The collection included lace pieces, that brought a feminine vibe. I wanted to counterpart these garments with an exaggerated masculine attitude of the poses and facial expressions. The group shots of three models recalled 'Boys Band' kind of feeling, while other poses had to showcase the functionality of the garments, the hidden details that could gone unnoticed at the runway show. The poses reflect the freedom of movement and independence, and focus on highlighting the collection."
All garments designed by Anna Yinan Zhou, BFA Fashion Design. Photography by Elliott Pasinsky, MFA Photography.
Makeup: Rosa Zhang, BFA Fashion Design. Model: Leif Lei, BFA Fashion Styling.
Anna Yinan Zhou, BFA Fashion Design, met the photographer Elliott Pasinsky at the Styling Network event in September 2018, two semesters before her collection was accomplished. "I loved his work, and planned to shoot the look book of my collection with him right after the runway show, to get the images for CFDA portfolio submission," explains Zhou. "We didn't have a model but had already scheduled the shoot just two days after the fashion show. A mutual friend introduced Leif Lei to myself. We knew and admired each other aesthetics at the time when we met, so it was a happy coincidence. I explained to Leif the emotions that served as an inspiration point for the collection. The feeling of choking and being ashamed, hiding behind the tulle veil as if in a cage, an 'unbreathable' state of body and soul. Leif came up with these dramatic poses that reflected perfectly the emotions I wanted to portray! The makeup of brush strokes and lace texture on Leif's face to imitate layers of tulle added to the smoky mood on the set".
Elliott Pasinsky, photographer, came up with the idea of studio photoshoot for Zhou's collection: "The garments are beautifully dark and mysterious. To me, they convey a calm intensity with each piece possessing its own personality. I felt that mirroring them with a dark set would be too predictable, so I placed them in a stark white environment where nothing could hide."
All garments designed by Chris Cabalona, BFA Menswear Design. Styling by Megan Vo, BFA Fashion Styling. Photography by Jen Lovely, BFA Photography.
Makeup: Elena Martinez. Hairstyling: Priscilla. Accessories from Tevin Vincent. Models: Joniel, Tristan G., and Tristan Y. - Stars Model Management.
Chris Cabalona, BFA Menswear Design, found inspiration in the clowns of the early 1900s. His collection takes the element of joy and channels it into sophisticated and structured looks. His creation process involved hours of precision tailoring, redefining what is commonly perceived as classic male attire.
Megan Vo, BFA Fashion Styling, was invited to collaborate on Cabalona's collection photoshoot by the makeup artist Elena Martinez. Vo brought in Jen Lovely, photographer represented by Stars Artists, who, in turn, contacted the models. "We planned the photoshoot within three weeks to give us time to work on inspiration and production," remembers Vo. "Chris Cabalona's inspiration for the collection set the tone for the photoshoot. We hesitated between the studio option or the location, and finally decided in favor of a location photoshoot at Sutro Baths because the collection is monochromatic. The sky was contrasting with the clothes, and there were those cliffs of Lands End, in a similar color shade that the clothing, offering a rich texture to the background. Models posing was effortlessly minimal, while their facial expressions were strong. It was challenging to shoot with multiple models because one model can hold the others down. It was my biggest fear, but everyone turned to work really good together."