Fashion Faves – Ranya Mordanova
A model and a photographer, neither of whom I’ve heard of before – which isn’t difficult as I’m not quite the holder of boundless knowledge I sometimes make myself out to be – and a very nice photoshoot indeed courtesy of ru_glamour. The photographer is Yossi Michaeli and the model is Ranya Mordanova. Let’s take a look at some of the photos. I know exactly what you’re thinking when you look at this photo because I thought the same thing: where the hell is Ranya in this picture? The answer is that she’s just left of centre and if you look very carefully you might just spot her blonde hair towards the top. Dificult to see but well worth it when you spot it. This is clever work by Yossi and the stylists on the photoshoot to bring together floral camouflage wear and the interactive elements of magic eye pictures. It’s the sort of fashion photo that really appeals to a certain demographic: veterans of flower-based warfare who recuperated with the aid of puzzle books in early part of the twenty-first century. But I like it too. No trouble spotting the beautiful Ranya in this particular photo, though, thanks to my Merdar. It’s like Gaydar but for mermaids. Not that I’m a mermaid or merman or anything like that. I mean, I’ve got a very dry foot – my right one since you asked – but I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s scaly like a fish. I’m not slowly transforming into a merman and I’m not doomed to live my life as one-twentieth fish. I don’t think. Damn. Now I’m going to have to check the family tree and see if there’s any sealife in the blood. What I’m trying to say here is that I like Ranya’s dress. It’s pretty. The last photo I’ve picked to highlight is just one that shows how much fun Ranya and Yossi had on this particular fashion shoot: not very much at all it turns out. It’s difficult to know for certain what happened between model and photographer during the day but we can see that it culminated in Mordanova drinking herself into a stupor and Michaeli placing his unconscious model’s hand in a nearby pool in an attempt to make her pee herself. A foolish venture for two reasons: firstly, models eject all bodily waste from their bodies in small purses which are then auctioned for charity and, secondly, it’s an urban myth that this prank actually works at all. If you really want someone to wake up only to immediately set about urinating all over the place...
Fashion Faves – Juju Ivanyuk
I must confess to not having heard of Ukrainian model Yuliya “Juju” Ivanyuk before but if there are two things that are guaranteed to grab my attention then those would be a great-looking photoshoot and sharing a nickname with something more typically attributed with West African witchcraft. Handy tip for up-and-coming models looking to catch my eye (there might be some; you don’t know for certain): “Macumba” is still not taken on the catwalks. To the photoshoot then, which comes – as it so often does – from Fashion Gone Rogue; Nihat Odabasi is the man behind the camera for this set of photos for Gizia. Retro meets science fiction in either a vintage vision of judo suits of the future or an outfit reminiscent of Logan’s Run. The latter, naturally, immediately brings to mind Jenny Agutter and I don’t think I need to say anything else. Don’t mind me. I’m just having a quick think about Jenny Agutter in Logan’s Run here. Anyhoo… great, sharp angles in the photo formed by the arm, the leg, and the set design. They have to be prominent to compete with Juju’s cheekbones. Lovely. For the second image an interesting – okay, disturbingly psychotic if we’re being honest – look from Juju which matches the rather odd clothing style being modelled; fur attached to part of what might be a wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube man by brass staples. It’s a bit steampunk, a bit cavemanpunk, and a bit inflatablefetishpunk. It should sell well in Turkey if I know the target audience of Gizia half as well as I think I do. For the last of Nihat’s photos I’ve chosen to look at it’s this one which showcases some great control of light on the well-designed set as well as an attractive contrast between the various lines and curves in the photo; more importantly is the way in which the picture – thanks to the way in which Yuliya is posing with this outfit – brings to mind a mermaid. Or, because of the colouring and lack of scales, maybe a half-woman, half-orca. Merwhale? Whalemaid? I can’t believe there isn’t a word of one of those things already. Anyway, don’t let that detract from your appreciation of the photo and don’t feel you should consider searching online to see if you can find the word for a human-mammal-fishy-mammal chimera just to show how smart you...
Fashion Faves – Dajana Antic
Via Fashion Gone Rogue comes this absolutely lovely shoot by Richard Bernardin of Canadian model Dajana Antic. And it’s pretty obvious why this shoot appeals to me; it’s that love of the vintage look I’ve got for some reason. A lot of this comes from Sabrina Rinaldi’s styling but Bernardin has sealed the deal with the harsh, narrow, flash lighting in the shots. The shadows are wonderful and the harshness gives everything an element of capturing a moment in a longer story. Dajana’s acting helps too. The slightly open mouth that almost gives her an “Oh! I didn’t see you there!” look adds to the almost paparazzi feel to the photoshoot. The final image I’ve selected is my favourite in no small part because it accentuates Dajana’s long legs. However, it’s the attention to detail in the colouring for this shot that really works; the reds in the shoes, the dress, the carpet, the brickwork, the chair, and even the fire in the drink in the tumbler that really bring out the warmth which lends itself well to...
Fashion Faves – Samantha Gradoville
Photographed by Thomas Cooksey for Vogue Latin America comes this selection of photos of Samantha Gradoville via Fashion Gone Rogue, all chosen because they showcase different uses of lines in the photography to bring out the beauty of the model and the styling. Samantha and her swimsuit are showing off some lovely curves here but it’s nicely framed to form a diagonal line through the picture. Good use of sticking two fingers up to the rule of thirds (rules are there to be broken, after all) by setting the horizon dead centre through the image too. The inky blue sea and cool colours in post-processing are bringing out an urge in me to wrap a towel around Samantha and urge her to get onto dry land. If that’s what Thomas was going for in this picture then well done sir! Interesting backdrop for this picture of Samantha featuring sky to one side and what appears to be the light through blinds on the other. It’s like she’s outside and inside at the same time. It’s making my mind think crazy things! On the plus side, it’s nice to see her subtly checking to see if she needs any more deodorant. If you’re trying on clothes that don’t belong to you – as models are prone to do – then it’s important that you’re not leaving them stinky. I’m not saying that Thomas had any problems with Samantha Gradoville on this shoot but this picture says he may have some deep-seated resentment for models in general as he’s clearly indicating the untrustworthy nature of them in this shot. We can plainly see the imagery we associate with a police line-up and captivity; portrait shot with lines behind for height; manacles on the hand. But just in case we were in any doubt as to whether this could mean the model was innocent and framed Thomas makes sure we can see she’s sitting down to disguise just how tall she is. Why would a model make herself smaller? Duplicity! She’s looking to avoid punishment. Oh, Thomas, what did a model do to you? Nice lighting and tones,...
Fashion Faves – Nika Lauraitis
Via Fashion Gone Rogue is this single photo from a shoot of Nika Lauraitis by Zoltan Tombor for Grazia Italia. There’s not a lot to say about this shot that shouldn’t be obvious from the photo itself; it’s a lovely outfit and shoes too, of course, but it’s the attention to detail in matching the colours with the brightly-coloured road markings that helps this stand out. The lipstick even matches the purse; very clever design for...
Fashion Faves – Kate Moss
A Latin American feel to this photoshoot featuring Kate Moss as photographed by Mario Testino for Vogue Paris. I’ve been thinking of getting a hat for a long time and thanks to this photo of Kate I can now add this particular style of headwear to my Oh Dear Lord No! list. I have a big enough head as it is without drawing more attention to it. So that’s what happened to my parents’ old, green, leather sofa. I loved that sofa. I mean I’m glad it’s found a home wrapped around someone of the standing of Kate Moss but still… An homage to Supergirl here and Kate carries the look off well. Personally, though, I’m still a Helen Slater fan. I’m old school like...
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