Behind the Scenes at our lookbook shoot
by Dianna
I was very excited to work with my PR team at 360 Immerse on our very first lookbook shoot. The 360 girls are very experienced in producing lookbooks, whereas I’m more at home with forecasts and profit and loss statements.
Here’s how the day unfolded:
9:00am: I’m running late!
Not a good start: a car ahead of us has broken down, and the shoot can’t start till husband Leigh and I arrive – I’ve got all the shirts and cufflinks! I settle into the passenger seat, and surf the net. The traffic in the domain tunnel inches along, till finally, we make it to the studio of photographer Sean.
9:30 am: the dream team is on the job
I arrive at the shoot to be greeted by Alex and Michelle from 360, my marketing manager Kate, and makeup wizard Tre Dallas, who shares the secret of how to get cheekbones like our model Lydia. (I’m not telling!) Kate prepares the shirts and cufflinks, Michelle runs for coffee and I realise I forgot to wear any make up today. Oh well, too late!
9:50 am: cufflink time
I give everyone a lesson on how cufflinks should be worn on French shirts. These things are very important to me! Lydia, from Chadwick Models dresses, and I’m thrilled when she tells me she wears French cuffs herself.
Sean starts snapping and as the first shots appear on his laptop, I’m immediately convinced I’ve chosen the right team to pull together this lookbook.
10:00 Next!
Yep, we are already on to our next shot. Lydia wears a crisp white shirt with gorgeous emerald-cut solitaires.
11:00 time flies
Wow, we’ve gone through so many shirts and cufflink combinations already! Lydia pulls out a crouch pose that has her legs shaking, but it looks amazing. She’ so professional, she never says a word – but I can tell her legs aren’t happy.
11.30 Poor Winston
Little Winston is hovering around the studio hoping for a cuddle. He’s banished to the stairwell. (We let him in later.)
12:00 Getting creative
We decide to show off the cufflinks with Lydia’s hands behind her back. Sean tries endless angles to get that perfect shot.
12:30 Michelle has the knack
Michelle from 360 Immerse has a sixth sense for the best shirt/cufflink combinations. She chooses a gorgeous paisley shirt with our dark grey pearl trio for the final shot. She’s always nearby with a comb if Lydia has a hair out of place. ‘Cheaper to fix it now than in retouching!’ she laughs.
1:30 It’s a wrap!
Lydia was so lovely I give her three pairs of cufflinks as a gift. She chooses the dark grey pearl trio, the silver barbell and the bows with blue crystals.
1:45 Time for lunch
The shoot’s over, the images are wonderful, so Leigh, Kate and I reward ourselves with a delicious Thai lunch. Yum!