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DURBAN ROCKS, IT REALLY DOES!

13 Dec 2011
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Senior fashion editor Poppy Evans and her crew took a trip to the seaside to shoot ‘Durban Rocks’ on page 54 of this issue. She tells what went down during three days of freewheeling on the Durban beachfront, sand art, rickshaw rides, rain (lots of it) and all the fun of the fair.

Durban RocksDurban Rocks

You definitely did not have much luck with the weather – tell us how this affected shooting.

We just had to work with it! There’s not much you can do in these situations. We did extend the shoot by an extra day just in case the sun came out. Had the rain not given up at all, we would have just shot the entire story to make it look like it was supposed to be in the pouring rain!

 

Durban Shoot

What influenced your styling?

The styling was not inspired by one particular trend but based on the idea of a holiday wardrobe – a mix-up of partywear, swimwear and those odd bits and pieces we only tend to wear when we’re truly taking a break from reality. With the location in mind, I wanted the styling to be a little bit streetwear, a little rough but still glamorous and sexy. Tarryn and I started describing the look as Puerto Rican ghetto girl – Americana paired with afro-pop and everything in between – oh but with lots of gold accessories.

What do you love about this shoot?

The sense of humour – it’s a bit like a holiday to read. It’s relaxed and the number of pages give it depth.

BTS

Tell us about the models – what did they bring to the shoot?

It’s really important on trips to take a great crew as you’re together day and night. April and Caroline are both young and fun and have adventurous spirits – there’s nothing diva-ish about them. When bad luck strikes on set (such as weather) it’s important for everyone to pull together, regardless of the fact that it’s cold, wet, you can’t swim and you have lived off of toasted sandwiches for a week. Both models are real team players and didn’t complain once.

Models

In Action

Sand Art

BTS

Any funny moments?

Having to rescue our model Caroline from the pool! She didn’t tell us until after she got in that she couldn’t swim.

BTS

Durban Rocks

Shoot

Biggest challenge apart from the weather?

Producing a 22-page story that had a strong narrative and a thread running through it – it’s easy to end up with a mish-mash of pictures that look like they are from different editorials.

BTS

Highlight of the shoot?

I love the sand sculptures along the promenade and the shot with April from behind next to the snake eating a G-string-wearing woman is my favourite out of the entire story

Durban Shoot

What was the idea behind the hair and make-up?

Hair and make-up needed to be glamorous yet still understated. It doesn’t make sense for a girl to be surfing in a smoky eye. Make-up artist Lisa Bailey focused on achieving great nude skin and then giving each girl a more prominent lip.

Make-Up BTS

The End

What do you hope your shoot will offer ELLE readers?

The inspiration to explore Durban and to go a little crazy with their holiday wardrobe.

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Vicky on 12/14/2011: What fun! Great work Lisa. Poppy you made me want to get my 'Afro-pop' on! :) Fab overall!