Images' Ivy Matheson, in Elle Girl (Korea)

Ivy Matheson

December 24, 2011

Wow, another contract is coming to a close! This is my last week in Seoul and it's sure to be one that will fly by. Last minute jobs, souvenir shopping and holiday festivities - not to mention last minute visa applications should ensure that I'll be a busy bee!

Work wise, this trip has gone so much better than I ever could have imagined! Days after my last blog post, I'd found out I booked Korean Elle Girl! I'd be shooting for the editorial and cover!! I was in disbelief when my manager told me. We were on our way back from castings and she just grabbed me and said "Ivy, oh my God, Ivy, oh my God, Ivy, oh my God!" and I was thinking oh shit, what did I do wrong? That's when she told me "You booked Korean Elle Girl!" That's when a mix of shrieking, dancing and yelling began right there on the street. I was so excited! Elle Girl had been something I'd day dreamed of doing when I arrived in Seoul. I love fashion magazines that are targeted toward a more "teen" audience. I secretly LOVE reading Teen Vogue.

The shooting day arrived and it was... well if I had to describe it in one word I'd say "hypothermic." The weather in Seoul has been in the negatives for the past couple of weeks. I'm from Eastern Canada, so I should be used to the cold or at least know how to put up with it but it's just SO cold here. The shooting for Elle Girl was on location outside. It was at this old jail located in Seoul. Despite the fact that we were technically inside, it didn't feel like it. All of the doors and windows have no glass and are open to the outside air. There's no heat and the clothes were not all that warm. Plus I'm skinny! All of these things made for a very cold day. However, if I were to disregard the fact that I was cold, then I would have to say that the shoot when amazingly! They put me in a cropped blond wig and did some really colourful make-up. The concept was "mix & match" apparently, which is exactly what was going on. The clothes were to die for! I've never in my life worn labels as amazing as I did that day. It felt like such a treat to be touching the fabrics of designers such as Marc Jacobs, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton and Miu Miu! I am so cheesy, but I was sort of in amazement the entire time. The crew was really friendly and great to work with. The photographer was decked out in a lovely ensemble of snow pants and show boots and a giant parka, as was everyone else. I stuck it out for the 5 hours, in between looks I was wrapped in a blanket and hoarded hot packs. All in all, it was a very unforgettable experience.

The day after shooting Elle Girl, I received news that I'd booked another editorial! It was another editorial/cover deal! It's for another really amazing Korean magazine: Avenue L. I'd never heard of the magazine prior, but my agency was super excited for me so I was as well! I arrived on set for the job where I was enlightened that today we would in fact be shooting outside on the roof! My heart kind of sank.

Shit, I was still cold from my Elle Girl shoot! Once again, we loaded up with the hot packs and made our way up to the roof. It was freezing! That's all I will say, I don't want to complain too much because I am super thankful and happy to have booked these jobs. Again, the crew was super friendly and great to work with which is so important to me! At the end of the day, I'll just say I was happy to put on cozy socks head home to my warm apartment.

A couple of days after the Avenue L shooting, my agency told me that the editor had called and they wanted to take a couple more photos. After hearing this I had many questions: They didn't like the pictures? Was it my fault? Had something gone wrong? Were we reshooting or shooting new looks? OH MY GOD BACK TO THE ROOF? It turned out that the editor just wanted to do some additional completely new looks. The concept for the shoot revolved around the fact that I would be photo shopped into various famous European sites, so the angles at which the photos were taken had to be perfectly spot on. We had to shoot outside for the natural lighting or the photos just wouldn't look right. It turned out to be a quick and easy day. We only shot 3 additional looks, and we shot on the street rather than the roof so it wasn't nearly as cold. I was very happy with how the day went!

So the countdown until Christmas and my departure is on! Hopefully my roommates and I will be doing something relatively festive over the coming week! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Seoul!

Ivy








Images' Ivy Matheson, in Elle Girl

Ivy Matheson is an Images model, with View in Seoul.