fashion NEWS

CATWALK TO STREET

2 Jul 2012
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Have you seen ‘Catwalk to Street’ on page 78 of our July issue? It’s where fashion editor Asanda Sizani gives local designer pieces a unique twist and we are not the only ones loving it! The Twittersphere has been raving about the shoot and here, dear ELLE fans, is what went on behind the scenes.

What’s the big idea?

Streetstyle has become a huge fashion influence and the streets have become the new catwalk. I spend a lot of time walking instead of driving to see what people are wearing and how they are wearing it. For this shoot, I wanted to feature key South African designer items from the most recent fashion weeks and style them in a ‘streetstyle’ way. I also wanted to capture the vibrancy and energy of the street. The city setting in which the model did everyday things like having coffee, read on her iPad and listen to music on her headphones made the shoot realistic and relatable.

Model Senait at Fusion

These suede Luella heels are on our wishlist!

 Any funny moments on shoot day?

Make-up artist Sylvie Hurford digging in a rubbish bin for a coffee cup she’d just thrown away for a shot. Overall it was a really stressful day, though, and we did not have many funny moments. We were shooting in downtown Cape Town in some of the busiest streets, which was overwhelming. I was very worried about the safety of the crew and the clothes. But I did get to I experience fashion that literally stops traffic! Senait, our model, brought pedestrians and cars to a standstill while I nervously held on to a R26 000 Vuitton bag for dear life. At one point a homeless person stole the model’s boots, which were on the ground between shots. Luckily one of the security men outside a nearby building ran after him and got them back.

Photographer Ulrich Knoblauch

Make-up artist Sylvie Hurford for L’Oreal

Model Senait at Fusion with hair stylist Kristeen Kuria and fashion editor Asanda Sizani

 How did you choose the key pieces?

I chose a selection of 10 pieces by 10 different local designers. I wanted to have a good range including a dress, shorts, jacket and trousers to give me a good variety to work with. I also wanted to use our best designers, both established and emerging.

Love this PVC cape from Suzaan Heyns? We thought so!

This shoot has had rave reviews on Twitter. Why do you think it resonates with our readers?

I think it inspires people to wear the runway trends their way. Everyone loves to see a practical solution to runway looks. We all love to see fantastic designer items on the catwalk, but often don’t know how to actually wear them and carry them off in real life. We mixed and matched designer items with other pieces and I made sure to incorporate classics that everyone already has like a denim jacket – to show that it’s easy to rework what you already have in your wardrobe and also to match them with current designer items. My favourite look is the Gavin Rajah dress over an Old Khaki denim shirt.

Highlight?

The shot with Senait holding a Vuitton bag full of cabbage roses wearing a Clive Rundle skirt gave me goosebumps. For some strange reason, I got a little teary-eyed shooting this particular shot as it reminded me of when I first fell in love with ELLE.

 Any challenges?

Because we were shooting on the streets, we were changing outfits anywhere that would allow us to… restaurants, the Woolworths store and even just shielding the model from the sun for quick on-the-spot hair and make-up changes. Sometimes all of us had to walk to the other side of town to look for the best places for a shot.

Photographs: Ulrich Knoblauch

Make-up: Sylvie Hurford for L’Oréal

Hair: Kristeen Kuria

Model: Senait at Fusion