Lush and Lonely

For this editorial, I wanted to match the rich nature of a bank, the location, with rich textures and fabric of the clothing. We photographed this shoot on 1208 Washington Street, a once elegant and lively bank, but is now a worn down, empty space. I used the movement of the glitzy clothing to contrast with the structured and grandiose vibe of a bank. The serious and almost desolate looking nature of the photographs brings out the loneliness in the atmosphere with a model dripping in sequins and rich velvets. Since the bank was rundown, I wanted to represent the emptiness and abandonment of this bank with the amount of space in the photographs. The clothing represents what the bank used to be in the height of its time, now out of place and almost uncomfortable in its bleak environment. I created a contrast with the rich textures and fabric and the cold emptiness of the bank, creating a visually interesting combination of fashion and architecture. The model has a sad but serious nature about her, demonstrating the difficulties of being alone and abandoned. All she has left is her beautiful clothing, which comforts her and brings her peace. Abandonment and loneliness are not easy topics to talk about—sometimes people hide their empty and displaced feelings behind a wall of materialism, using fashion as a mask to convince others that they are complete. This shoot used a hollow environment with rich clothing to play with this emotion and bring together the sense of loneliness and empty extravagance with solace in possessions. The monetary aspect of a hollow bank and expensive textures works almost surprisingly well with the meaningful and raw sentiments of loneliness and peace in an empty environment.