4 In Collaborations

Stromae music video (day 2b)

After the hotel we went straight to our next destination… the “Neptunium” or more commonly Schaerbeek’s swimming pool… No need for bikinis or swimsuits, we weren’t there to make a splash no… We were there for the locker room.

See Jerome, the director needed lockers for this scene. So the location scout/manager* went on a search for the perfect lockers and apparently, those were the best in town! Full of memories and character… Sadly they were destructed the day after we came and replaced by new ones.

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6 In Collaborations

Stromae music video (day 2a)

The second day was more relax than the first one. Even though we had to film in two different location, it went really smoothly. Probably because we had more room to breathe…

So… 7 am… First stop: Thon Hotel on Avenue Louise.

The theme was … The Young and the Restless! (Les Feux de l’Amour for the frenchies). They wanted to reproduce the cheesy atmosphere of the show with a side of “bad” acting and some frozen smile, fake suspense and killer glances… Everyone had a blast and it turned out really funny.

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6 In Collaborations

Stromae music video (day 1)

A few weeks ago I was ask to style the new music video of Stromae. For those who don’t know him, Stromae is a new and very talented  Belgian singer and songwriter. His latest song “Alors on danse” was number one for several weeks all over Europe. You might not remember his name but watching his video might help…

Even though it was very short notice, I was asked 1 week before the shooting, I immediately said yes as it’s something I had never done before. I was suppose to style Stromae and all the extras who would appear in the video according to the script.

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5 In My Diary Archive

It “sings” for itself…

It’s one thing to say that someone has a beautiful voice, but it’s another to actually hear it… So just for you, here is Amanda… She was rehearsing a song written just for her by Ray and Renny, two american brothers, music producers and writer who contributed to Urban School. They have worked with Akon, Lady Gaga and more.

 

Anyway, enough said…

 

Enjoy!

 

[vimeo w=”680″ h=”383″]http://vimeo.com/12455248[/vimeo]

12 In Collaboration Archive

Greek Goddess…

Amanda is another singer from the TV show I have been styling “Urban School”. She’s got an amazing voice! Something between Beyonce and Keri Hilson…

 

This shoot was a bit of a challenge as Amanda, like most woman who are not a size 8/36, was worried about the clothes I was going to pick for her. It’s true that sometimes it can be hard to find nice clothes in bigger size, as what could look great in a 8 won’t often look as good in a 12 if you go to the wrong shop. It all depends on how they grade they patterns…
In my opinion one of the best shop for larger size is BCBG Max Azria… It’s a little bit more expensive that most high street shops but it’s worth it as the clothes are well cut and don’t loose their shape from the 6 to the 14.

 

This beautiful lemon dress is one of the 5 outfits I picked out for her… She was happily surprised by my selection and felt really comfortable in them… No need to say that she looked amazing…

 

 

Dress: BCBG Max Azria
16 In Collaboration Archive

Flowers in the city…

When I picked out this floral dress for the shoot, I immediately knew it would look great on Natalie. We started the session with this dress, but as it is the case in most photo shoots, the first pictures were not the best. It always takes a little time for the photographer and the model to bond, and this is usually what makes the difference… The originals pictures were taken indoors, but this one was shot on my terrace after a few hours talking, posing, laughing… (and a very good sandwich!)

 

 

To be honest if I was taller I would have bought one for myself, but I’m not so… Anyway I think it’s a perfect dress for the summer, or if you’re living in Belgium, for a few days in July and another few days in August as if it’s like today, I am pretty sure it will be raining most of the time…

13 In Collaboration Archive

Butterfly beauty …

Natalie is a young and fresh singer I met on the belgian tv show I am currently styling, Urban School (I will tell you more about it later). I had to style her and take pictures of her pretty face for the belgian magazine Flair. So I improvised a little photoshoot at my place… No need for artificial light as the sun was at his brightest. We had a really nice time, mademoiselle likes to play with the camera. Natalie is obviously very pretty but also very talented, she’s got a beautiful and suave voice, perfect for jazzy sounds. You’ll see more of her shortly…

 

In Collaborations

The McQueen years… (part one)

Where: Paris
When: February 2007
What: Backstage at the Alexander McQueen fashion show

I didn’t know back then how lucky I was to be working with one of the most influential fashion contributors of the century. Well… I guess the long hours working for peanuts altered my vision.

But now I realize how much I learned from that man… Or above all from Miss Flo. the nicest and most skilled technician and seamstress ever. In french we would call her “la premiere d’atelier” All the heavily crafted and intricately pieces McQueen showed the last five years… it was her.  The dress SJP worn for the premiere of Sex and the City… Still her. Most of the dresses worn on the red carpet or for prestigious event… Miss Flo!

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In My Designs Archive

Here come the Feathers

Now that we agreed on a dress… I had to get started. Measurement taken I had to translate them into a pattern to make the first toile. The toile was fine… Just a few things had to be corrected here and there… Three toiles later I could finallystart with the final fabric. Precision was a must. Scissors, pencil, needle ruler, paper, I operateed like a surgeon while Ella Fitzgerald was singing in the background…

And then there were the feathers… All the way from the states 250 ivory feathers… That should have been enough. Or was it???

The feathers arrived by post in a box the size of a Kellogg K! I could barely do half of the dress with those… I needed at least 350 more !!!

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In My Designs Archive

Feather & Chocolate

A few weeks after moving to Paris, I had the most exciting but also scariest request a new designer can ever get … To make a wedding dress!

You see, it is one of the most… what am I saying? THE most important dress a woman will ever wear in her entire life. Not only will she remember it forever, but so will her family and friends! And we know how sometimes people can be mean… That’s why I was scared. Even thought deep down I knew I could do it, it would be a first. I had a moment of hesitation… Imagine if I screw it?!

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