Renaissance — The Wardrobe

I see my body as a canvas to create art, the clothing and accessories I decorate it with are my paintbox. I’ve been on the look out for an evening gown for some time now, to create a fresh take on evening glamour. This week I found the perfect ball season piece.

There is so much inspiration around us, but in fact finding beauty in all things is actually sometimes a struggle. Albert Einstein once said “There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.” I believe that this is inherently true, though not always easy. There are some days when it’s hard to find your muse and making progress doesn’t come easily. But if we are honest with ourselves, I believe everyone has days where we look in the mirror and we doubt our own beauty. It’s on those days though that it’s amazing what a little creativity can do to transform the situation.

Change the way you see yourself, from and object of beauty to a vehicle of artistic expression.

This signature gown and heels are from Portmans. Although I loved the silhouette I am usually drawn to much brighter vibrant colours so the floral pattern seemed too dull in the beginning. However after some contemplation I realised I needed to draw the colours out through contrast and repetition. Styling can make or break an outfit. There are so many factors to contend with, skin tone, shape, the context of where the outfit will be worn all weigh on the decisions. I feel as though this gown is made to be worn to a private high class event, and I wanted to show the elegance and vintage feel of the gown through the styling and statement hair.

I chose the word Renaissance to describe this look because I have always been a creative and I enjoy the artistic process, whether it is through my images, or creating garments and accessories. I am excited about creating new things in many different mediums. This is a large part of what a Renaissance artist was many years ago from my understanding. Leonardo Da Vinci was a perfect example of this. Although we are worlds apart in skill and expertise, it was his passion for integrating his understanding and love of beauty in different mediums and skills that I can connect with. I pride myself in being a 'Renaissance Woman', and bringing my skills together to more effectively communicate an idea or feeling in my work.

I chose these matching earrings and necklace from Lovisa, because the shapes of the cluster crystals echo perfectly the shapes of the hydrangeas within the gown print, and the soft white shades. I wanted something light, to break up the intensity of so much black, and this soft cream shade of the clutch from Colette made the perfect accent piece. The heels are a fantastic style for this gown too, because the straps around the ankles draw attention to your lower legs and make them look longer. The lines of the shoes also echo the shoulders of the dress which keeps this look cohesive.

In terms of this look, I created this head piece to integrate the ideas displayed in the print of the skirt section of the dress and make them more obvious. I wanted to highlight the colours and the rich shades within the dress. My intention was to bring out the beauty of this gown and make it visible to the viewer through the accessories, and of course my beautiful magenta backdrop. This is repeated again within my makeup, I used a little of my deep fuchsia lip-colour on the outer edges of my eyes to make the blues deeper. I added a little luminescent glitter in red and white within the middle section to give my eyes more dimension. Having such an intense deep colour behind me makes the gown stand out and softer shades within the florals pop. Because the silhouette of the gown could also be quite severe with such a long and rigid skirt I added a bow and can to lift the feel of the outfit and keep it feminine and cute.

There is both a depth and a fragility to this look that thought about intently, and I hope that you can also see it conveyed through these images that I had the pleasure of putting together.

Love my images? If you'd like to get in touch regarding photography, please contact me on my business website: