Modelresource spent Wednesday on the set of another Vervegirl shoot. This time it was for a Rimmel advertorial at the new studio of one of Canada's top photographers, moo, in Toronto's Fashion District.
Before our first model arrived we had already dealt with the day's first unexpected occurrence. Wigs were forgotten and had to be sent over in a taxi.
B&M newface Sherry, arrived at 9:30 and was ushered straight into makeup with Veronica Chu. This was Sherry's first ever booking, and I was immediately impressed by her composure. She didn't seem the least bit shy or intimidated, despite the fact she only expected two or three people on set.
B&M newface, Sherry with Veronica Chu
Vervegirl Editor, Sara Graham, appeared shortly afterward to see how things were progressing. I asked her how this shoot would be different from a typical Vervegirl shoot. Because it's an advertorial, she explained, the outcome is very client driven. "We're recreating the Rimmel Underground Look as part of the campaign launch along with FCUK and EMI music." It's a British theme that adds a soundtrack to a look, with EMI artists like Lily Allen, The Kooks and Corinne Bailey Rae.
The magazine's new Project Coordinator, Maya Haidar, was also on set. In her new role she acts as a liaison between clients and the magazine's sales and editorial departments. "It's like having a bunch of people at a buffet," she explains. "I'm the one that makes sure everyone is eating."
Surprise number two occured when Elite's Leigh arrived with brown hair. Most of her portfolio is blonde, and Vervegirl booked her believing that still to be the case. The 16-year-old went back to her natural brunette colour however, shortly before leaving for Marrekech to represent Canada at the recent Elite Model Look. There was a definite sense of relief that the wigs arrived earlier.
A brown-haired Leigh getting some serious eye makeup
As you can see in Leigh's photo, the makeup on her eyes was somewhat extreme. I asked Veronica Chu if readers, when they see this advertorial, should expect to be able to do this at home. "This look is just the concept," she told me. "Readers should take the essence of it." Chu compared it to when she worked for a cosmetics company, and along with a team of other artists she would attend fashion shows. The team would then reconvene to discuss how they could translate the runway looks into something people could wear in their daily routine.
As we got further into Leigh's makeup it became apparent the blonde bob wig wouldn't work with the heavy eye makeup. As Haidar pointed out, "Punks don't have bobs." Chu immediately began to trim Leigh's bangs. About two inches came off the front, which Leigh wasn't concerned about. Her hair grows quickly and although two inches sounds like a lot, the effect was to clean up her hair rather than change her appearance.
Haidar, who was also taking video of this shoot for Vervegirl's records asked Chu if she frequently cuts models' hair on set. "Never anything drastic," she replied. Chu has been doing makeup & hair for four years, and has been very successful in that time, travelling the world and shooting an a-list of models and celebrities. The one time she did do a full cut, she revealed, was when a male model with really shaggy hair arrived to a booking that required short hair (as he was on his comp card). The client wasn't prepared to use him with the scruffy look, so the model agreed to have it cut off rather than lose the booking.
Sherry as a blonde
We still needed a blonde model for this advertorial, so although Sherry had spent nearly an hour in front of the camera the blonde wig landed on her head and her makeup was redone to fit the new look.
Our third model, Next's Eva Shaw was now ready to receive her Rimmel look. This was Eva's second of three appointments today, so she had arrived with makeup already on.
Eva Shaw
In recent months Eva has become one of my favourite models. She's always in a good mood (which makes things easier for everyone involved) and speaks intelligently about the industry. She knows which models are appearing in which magazines, and which designers are showcasing which looks. Expect her to be based in New York not long after L'Oreal Fashion Week next month. Eva's third appointment that day was actually her first casting for the upcoming fashion week.
By 12:45 Sherry had completed her first ever booking and seemed to grasp how fortunate she was to have shot with moo so early in her career. "He's a really helpful photographer." moo has made his reputation as an innovative persona with a special talent for capturing movement.
moo was quite pleased with Sherry too. "She was great. I love working with new faces. It takes a bit of patience but once they get it they're really anxious to push it a bit further and really nail it." moo says more experienced models are often so practiced in front of a camera that it's hard to break them out of their routine.
Note the concept image behind Leigh's head
Leigh meanwhile, had slipped into her FCUK dress, and was getting direction from Haidar while final touch-ups were being applied to her makeup. "You're a punk, but you're still a lady." This was the attitude Leigh employed when she stepped in front of the camera.
Despite having modelled for only a little more than a year she was "on" as soon as she stepped in front of the lens. Popping from one pose to the next, the Guelph area model didn't need much guidance, and when she was on set she took direction really well. Her shoot lasted about half as long as Sherry's and it should be really interesting to see how the images differ between the two models, despite having the same photographer shooting for the same project on the same day.
Eva Shaw on set
Eva finally got on set at 2:30 and, well, it was a clinic. Completely as ease with herself, Eva doesn't miss a shot. I've always been conscious of what a model does with her hands – how she extends her fingers or curls them gracefully. For Eva, little things that are often overlooked are quite simply second nature.
By 3:30 the entire event had wrapped. Three models, with three different looks in what everyone agreed was a very smooth day. The final images will appear in Vervegirl's Prom Issue, appearing in high schools across Canada on April 9th.
