Artists are not quick to burn bridges. We keep each other in our Rolodex; a true artist knows they will always need another artist for something, someday. And when that day comes, we get together and collaborate – building off of each other’s talents, sharing ideas, working for long hours until all of the steam has left our bodies. There are no big dollars involved (in the beginning), only dreams. Dreams filled with love fueled by God-given talent. We want to see each other succeed. True artist recognize each other and are delighted to lend a camera, a brush, or in my case a wardrobe, to be a stepping stone for someone else’s dream. We believe in each other and know the truth behind the saying “Teamwork makes the dream work”. So I am pleased to present the collaborative results of the first ever Twisted Aristocrat Accessories A/W ’14 Look Book and Product Guide.
Ashton of Twisted Aristocrat is a longtime friend and colleague. I featured him on the site last year as a Style Stamped Artist. When I was the Visual Manager at Urban Outfitters, Ashton was the Menswear Manager. Now, years later, he’s an accessory designer and runs his own company. But not only is he a designer, he’s the curator, visionary, and the one-man show behind his brand who makes all of his leather items by hand. He’s self-taught and his products are amazing. So what artist wouldn’t want to be a part of what he has going on? His work is dope.
Ashton called me one day and told me that he wanted a Look Book for his collection and asked if I would style the looks. I said yes, of course. Then I asked him what exactly he had in mind. His response was “Barney’s”. I said okay (although I was expecting him to give me more than that). I looked at high-level retail store ads, looked at Ashton’s latest collection, and told myself two things before I got started: 1 – The accessories are the focus, not the clothes. 2 – Let go of your own style, and style for the project. Your style, whatever that may be, has nothing to do with the project. Bring your art, leave your personal style at home. So that’s what I did. I pulled things out of my wardrobe collection that I forgot I owned but were perfect for the shoot. Even more perfect for the shoot was our model Tessa, tall, thin, and able to fit all of my pieces without a pre-fitting including shoes! Ashton brought some pieces from his collection for our male model Malik, Diti Devi was on makeup, Haze Amor stood behind the camera, and collaboratively it all worked.
We got together at Haze’s residential studio in Washington, DC. I set up my garment rack in her kitchen, Ashton set up his product table in the hallway, and Diti set up her makeup table in the living room.
We each worked in our own space and came together. I pulled wardrobe, styled hair, and directed the shoot. Ashton gave his “yay’s” and “nay’s”, and Haze went to work behind the camera.
Ashton did the edits to all of the photos and incorporated this shoot with his already completed product photography images. The results:
Twisted Aristocrat Look-Book & Product Guide
We are all happy with the results! The photos visually give great presence to the awesome unisex accessories. We loved working on this project, and we hope that you shop the guide and find something you like! You won’t be disappointed.
For more information, visit www.TwistedAristocrat.com
Great job! Love how it all came out 🙂
xx
Candice
http://www.ediescloset.com