After being in the world of menswear for a week , I was ready to dig my teeth into the world of sparkling stilleto's , glorious gowns and sexy leather leggings - I was having womenswear withdrawals so while on my way back from the shoot with Seventh Man I was told Sarah Cobb was shooting for french fashion publication L'Officiel magazine , my head almost exploded at the mere thought of being apart of it. L'Officiel - outside of Vogue - is one of the most highly regarded French Fashion publications. Its edgy, world class reputation is recognised worldwide.
When I recieved the brief - a spring summer trend story shot on 5 models in group sequences my head started spinning. 5 models , 10 trends - makes 50 looks. Including Shoes, Jewellery, Accessories - i'm talking bags, hosiery, scarves, gloves, sunglasses, hats - you name it we need it - it was shaping up to be a mammoth task for myself and the 1st assistant Faye. Mammoth , maybe , exciting , DEFINITELY! The trends varied from Animal Print and Block Colours to Leather & Stripes. Before I could say '...we need to call in the new green striped Prada wedges' it was Friday morning and time for the shoot. I woke up anxious and excited, not only was I assisting on shoot for one of the most elite style publications , it was also my first time assisting Sarah on a shoot and I was determined to make a good impression and soak up as much wisdom from her expertise as I could. I arrived at Sarah's at 8.30am to collect all the cases of couture to be shot for the day. A toal of 3 large suitcases and 6 large bags full of fashion goodness. As I got into the car the driver made his way to the studio and I made a quick emergency phone call to my mum for a pre-shoot prep talk. "Don't be nervous Deni you'll do great" - with those words we pulled up to the entrance and it was time to get started. The studio was huge , the biggest i've seen so far , the models were in hair & make-up and photography & crew snacking on bagels & fruit provided for breakfast. I started to unpack the cases seperating the clothes into trends. Boxes of looks hot off the runway were being sent to the studio all morning and when a box of Balmain arrived I almost squealed (my favorite brand of the moment) - out of the box I retrieved an amazing black leather baseball style jacket , silver sleeves, white panels on the shoulder , a metallic B badge on one chest and a big Balmain written across the back shoulders. 
"Oh my god Denis that is so you , I think you need to try it on" , "I know right (says I as I slip into it thinking , thank god i'm sample size) ah its amazing" , "That is so cool on you" - and suddenly I stop and think , 'What , me and Sarah Cobb are having a RZOE/Brad moment' and I smile on the inside and get back to work. The first story is colour blocking and as we overload colour onto our super tall , super thin , extremley high-fashion models, I stand back in awe of Sarah's vision. To say she is an amazing stylist would be an understatement. Immediatley I felt inspired & before I knew it the girls were in front of the photographer ready for the first shot!
Following colour we went to neutral and soft hair and caramel tones were before me. What I loved about this story is that with such a simple trend as neutrals your challenged to still make it interesting and inspiring and make girls want to wear tan , nude & taupe tones in their own way. 
Up next was my favorite category , a Biker-Leather style story , one of my favorite trends and a style that always inspires me. What I most enjoyed about this story was that the collaboration of ideas between Sarah and myself was really flowing , apart from the fact that she's extremley down to earth and so easy to work with yet extremley hard working - she was genuinely interested in my opinion and took my point of view seriously. As the girls stood before us leather clad with biker chic feirceness they posed and played it up for the camera's like the proffessionals they are. Its so amazing how a GREAT model stands out amongst the merely good & these girls were great - working off eachother , with each click of the camera a different look a new angle , being a model is not as easy people think yet these girls made it seem so effortless and chic!
Biker-Bad Ass out of the way it was time to turn to animal inspirations for our Animal Print story. An exaggerated play on prints textures and colours , print upon print of leopard was piled on the girls to bring out the animal inside. However for this shot we moved from inside the studio to outside in the freezing cold wind to shoot at a nearby playground. The models piled on their coats and I found myself assisting Amalie, a gorgeous 17 year old blonde dutch beauty as she was having difficulty walking in the sky-high Alexander McQueen heels I had put her in. Feeling bad I gave her a helping hand. The weather was beyond cold , freezing didnt even suffice for how cold it felt , but as soon as we got the the park the girls had to turn it on as the coats came off and the camera turned on. Posing by a big playground lizard the girls did an amazing job in the cold-chill.
As we walked back to the studio I continued a really interesting conversation with Amalie and it suddenly hit me that here was a seventeen year old girl being thrusted into a world of fashion , money , drugs , sex - when most girls are preparing for their Debutante Ball in high school. "You kind of forget how young you are in this world , age doesnt really exist" - she said to me and I felt a combination of excitement and sadness for her. As we returned back into the warm studio it was time to change into the next look before we headed back into the cold. The next story was romantic-lace and truly a beautiful fashion moment. The following day I had lugged around a box almost the same size of me , containing one amazing Giambattista Valli tulle ball-gown style skirt. The pain it gave my arms & shoulders seemed suddenly so worth it once on the model paired with a Chanel vest. In a second all the pain I endured lugging that box around , was forgotten, I imagined that's what having a baby must feel like for mothers - hours of pain but as soon as the glowing result arrives you forget it - it was my little fashion baby come to life! As the girls stood in a line it almost put a tear in my eye - they looked angelic , beautiful and ethereal. We started off in the studio and the lovely Nicole flashed me a peace sign between takes -
However the photographer felt it wasnt giving off the right look , the soft feminine feel of the lace needed to be juxtaposed with something harsh & more gritty , so we took to the streets & the side lane by the studio proved the perfect location , for the poor girls however it meant freezing yet again with next to nothing on underneath their sheen lace outfits - bundled up they stood 
there but once the coats came on and the camera started working I felt like time stood still , the girls looked amazing and as they stood there ready for each shot I couldnt get over just how incredible this was all going to look! 
As I said bye to the team and got on the train to make my way to work (yes , interning doesnt pay the rent folks so i've been working a night job also doing more or less 13hour days Monday to Friday) something came over me as I sat looking out the window. Somewhere in the daily grind of working in Fashion sometimes I forget to stop and appreciate what I'm experiencing. I suddenly thought back to the young boy who saved his money each month to buy all his favorite fashion magazines and obsess over every fashion shoot just praying that one day he would be a part of that world - and now he was. What I experienced on shoot last Friday was so amazing that as I sat there reflecting on my day I was overwhelmed with emotion , tears started building up in my eyes. Happy tears, tears that said 'Deni you are so lucky to be doing this you're dreams are coming true' and for a moment I reminded myself that I was exactly where i'm meant to be. In an amazing city making my dreams come true - even if it means I've had to run around London carrying boxes and suitcases weighing down my scrawny arms with designer clothes - it will all be worth it one day - now more than ever I am more determined to make those dreams a reality xoxo Deni
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