The Victorian trend from last winter has evolved into something more colourful, lighter and with a decidedly American feel to it for spring. The inspiration behind this trend has left the shores of England and travelled to the American Midwest, where now it’s all about the outback look and Little House on the Prairie. Take a cue from Erdem, Etro, Alexander McQueen and Philosophy for a girlish take on the classic theme.
So this is my first shoot back from my winter break, and funnily enough it’s got a bit of an autumn feel to it. This is also chronologically the first shoot done for 2016, so it’s nice to see it’s not as stiff and awkward as the others would be for the usual first shoots back from my annual winter break.
This shoot was done in one of my favourite spots in all of London; Richmond Park on an absolutely freezing April morning that felt more like winter than spring-time.
I was also quite ambitious in that I chose to shoot two outfits; a rarity for me because I often don’t have the time to do both, but because another shoot that was meant to be done that morning too fell through, I had the time, enough morning light and energy to full focus on both outfits.
The idea behind the styling of these shoots is quite simple; it’s my take on the prairie look that were particularly brought to us by Philosophy and Erdem. It was all about delicate cream maxi dresses with elaborate buttons and drop waists paired with a long tan coat. For the second outfit I focused on the muted floral pattern characterised by the Victorian trend from last season with some thick knee-high socks, a straw boater hat and a very hippy patterned leather saddle bag.
What I particularly love about this shoot is the energy and joy in the shoot. I often look very stiff and serious, so it’s always great when a shoot of mine captures some life and energy in it.
This second outfit is more girlish than the first, and I really played around with the idea using the straw boater hat (reminiscent of the straw school hats some private schools in England still have their students wear) and the knee high thick socks.
the last bit I wanted to point out is the lighting on the image below is absolutely amazing, but unfortunately only two images picked up this golden tinge from the sunlight. It’s my mission now to recreate this light for a future shoot, so keep an eye out for it.
Outfit 1
Cream maxi dress: H&M Trend, found here – Tan maxi trench coat: H&M Trend, in stores now – Straw boater hat: Topshop, found here – Black and white strappy sandals: New Look, similar ones found here – Gold bracelet: Tiffany ‘T’ bracelet
Outfit 2
Pink floral print dress: Zara, found here – Straw boater hat: same as before – Leather saddle mini bag: River Island, found here – Grey knee-high socks: H&M, similar ones found here – Black ballerina flats: ASOS, found here
