Inspiration
Over the years, it has become a routine of the Artistic Team to meet in the Creative Director’s home. At the front of Mary Alamine’s house is an impressive Ornamental Pear Tree, which, as seasons fly by, goes through drastic transformations. Anyone who passes by would think it’s an ordinary tree, but to our artistic team, these changes symbolize something deeper and more powerful. Witnessing these great changes made us aware of the cycle of life, death and rebirth.
During Winter, the tree turns brown, dark and becomes lifeless, with branches thin and fragile; perhaps they’ll break off and disappear. In one meeting, Mary said “It would be so cool to make hair look like that”. What initially started out as a thought, turned into a brainstorming session about how to create a texture like the one seen in those branches and how to achieve the contrast of dark and light. Later that evening, Mary sent the team some of the photos of this tree and the team then noticed a set of trees on the way to salon every morning.
Theatre changes seasonally. From the blooming of beautiful flowers to the delightful contrast between the lush green leaves and the brown tree branches. It was an almost unforeseeable change. We found something inspiring in its beauty but also in the transition and change that it went through, symbolizing the eternal cycle of change, and how what was once dark and gloomy, can again become something bright and beautiful.
Styling – A focus on the contrast between dark and light. Flowery high-fashion dresses, with light, flowy fabrics that glide with each breath of wind. You can see white and creamy tones with textured fabrics that show a lot of skin.
Makeup – Natural features and flawless skin are defined with radiant highlight and contouring, while the eyes are coated in bronze and earthy tones, and a hint of shimmer. Through a bold, dark lip, resembling more a lip stain, rather than a block of colour, the entire makeup look receives a touch of power.
Lighting & Backdrop – Although the overall shoot has a dark feel, the colours are bold and the light is strong to make the hair, styling and makeup shine through. Playing around with lighting makes elements of the shot really come to light.
Hair: We’re playing with texture, cool shapes and volume, creating both short and long looks, ranging from shaved parts of the head, to inserting texture and mesh to add to the edgy vibe.
Credits
HAIR: Mary Alamine, Travis Bandiera, Emma Gottwald & Elie Kashi
PHOTOGRAPHY: David Mannah
MAKEUP: Chereine Waddell
STYLING: Angela Liang
SALON: Royals Hair Sydney
