Meeting with Stylist, Sofia

I was extremely nervous to meet the stylist as I didn't know how enthusiastic or passionate she would be or if our ideas would gel. If the meeting did not go to plan then I had a back up plan of making her second look myself and then paying my design student, Zhane, to make her third look, after I had designed it. I made sure I had this plan so that no time would be wasted trying to figure out another stylist. 

I talked Sofia through my project proposal so she understood exactly what the film will be about, its meaning and its style. I then showed her the mood boards representing each look I wanted her to style, explaining the setting, model's emotions and the corresponding makeup and hair design. Sofia said she felt very inspired and excited about collaborating on this shoot as she thought the concept was unique and so would be able to create avant-garde designs to expand her portfolio. She mentioned her mother was a professional designer in Rome so she had grown up in the fashion industry and so was confident in creating abstract designs and making them if necessary. I said I didn't have a strict budget as I didn't want her to feel too restricted, so we agreed she'd show me what she wanted to buy as we went along. 

She - Look 2

Sofia felt inspired by the plaited hairstyle to incorporate that into the styling, possibly creating a similar restraining jacket like the on in the mood board or some other type of caged design. I was concerned she wouldn't be able to find anything similar in high street shops of even on amazon; however she suggested she made the garment instead, by plaiting lines of rope together and securing it down the back with either a zip or disguised clips. I made it clear that the styling used in the mood board was just an example for her to work from, giving her the freedom to develop it into a design she felt was more appropriate. I said I wanted the model to have bare feet to reflect the mistreatment of the asylum patients and mirror She'e feeling of unworthiness. She sounded very confident and inspired by this look which definitely settled my nerves; however I was eager to see what she'd come up with. 

She - Look 3

I explained that this look needed to be all white to represent freedom and purity, but also so the coloured powder paint would be vibrant and true to colour. I said I didn't want the look to be too girly or angelic as the soft white colour would reflect this, but that I wanted to look to exude her new found confidence and strength to express herself without listening to others' negative opinions; a world without discrimination. I explained the makeup would be ethereal, with all the features softened with white and the hair would be free to move, so I wanted the styling to contrast and be more structured. I was again concerned that this styling would be difficult to find in stores; however she said she could buy a structured white blazer and then add shoulder pads and the extra material on top. She said she was going home in a couple of weeks so she would talk through the design with her mum, a professional designer. I feel confident giving Sofia this challenge and said she could contact me at any point if she had concerns or worries as I wanted her to enjoy the experience to make something she was proud of.

She asked for Natalie's measurements so she could start designing and we agreed to stay in contact throughout to keep each other up to date with our developments. She suggested we met up a week before the shoot; however I think we should meet up a few time before then to make sure I am happy with her work and to make sure the outfits fit the model perfectly. I am very excited for this collaboration and can't wait to see the outcome!