Fitting with Lexy
I am looking back on this fitting with a whole new perception of my shoot idea.
When I first fitted Lexy with my store-pulled and personal pieces, I had a forced image of what she should look like. Layering is in style, bulky and baggy are trendy and camouflage is “midwestern” so everything should make sense, however I was still not certain of the final vision. “Of course it’s supposed to look like this. THIS is in style and it’s midwestern.” I was lacking a story. Just because the fitting “made sense” didn’t mean it was complete. The idea was still unclear and I was still unsure of the projected, finished product. I couldn’t reply to the question: why?
Reflecting, I was stumped on norms and had a certain perception of how a stylist is supposed to work. Now, I’ve given the general term “midwest” some time to breathe and understand itself. I have found the “why” behind the inspiration— the story behind the beauty. It was come to me as to why I am so fascinated with an area known as “flyover country”. This will be expanded on gradually.
Looking forward, I’m styling Lexy very differently. I don’t care that layering is in style; I don’t care what they are doing on instagram or Tik-Tok— I repel it. My focus is on the balance between femininity and tomboyishness. I understand why I want to capture the midwest and it is because it is so still and balanced. The summers are just as unbearable as the winters. The delicateness of the midwesterner is as tough as their strength. The plains are flat so one can witness the rise and fall of the sun while standing in one spot the entirety of the day. The only movement there is are the clouds in the sky and grass on the plains.
This shoot has shifted its concentration from the styling to the story. I have plucked the elements I want to focus on and the styling will compliment them. It is in moments like this where my comparative literature degree smooths out the inspirational wrinkles in the creative process. The shoot will be a nouveau romantic, taking the late 1800’s themes of time, hardship, self-reflection and religion while combining them with visuals and fashion. I look forward to the final product. I now see the explaination.
