I was so excited to be offered to shoot garters by Tara Bethune-Leamen and her shop SWANclothing! I crossed paths with her on Instagram quite a while ago and I always silently sob over the beauty of her creations and her and just everything she posts. It was a little surreal for me to see the garters in person and have them on my legs. They're stunning and the quality is amazing. Here, I'm wearing the Double Rose garter in gold plated steel from the Floralis Brutalis line. I was also sent the Rosebud garters in black and took a few photos, but I don't feel like my photos or outfit did them justice and I'll be shooting them another time soon.
My legs seem to be slightly overwhelmed by the garters since I'm so short (5'3") and a bit flabby, so it's a challenge - one that I gladly welcome - to style them. For my look with the maxi dress, I went with the simple approach of the garter being hidden away but revealed if I lift up the skirt. The dress is also partly sheer which didn't translate into photos. When I shoot the Rosebud ones, I think I'll have a similar concept but maybe in a way that's easier to show off the garters without flashing my undies. And regarding the garter-over-the-eye shot, I had to do it, haha! Plus, it shows the inside part of the piece, which has the lovely swan logo in it.
As for wearing them, socks are super important. I didn't have any luck finding actual over the knee socks in person so I took advice from Tara to cut tights/nylons (click for her tutorial). I tried two different ones, plain black tights and gold lurex tights, which I used for this shoot and turned black. I found the lurex ones to stay up much better. I was running and jumping around and they still stayed up relatively well. I'm still on the hunt for more, I'm addicted to socks right now!
For my photos, I was inspired by Helmut Newton and Hans Bellmer since their work is quite leggy. I'm not used to showing off my legs, so I tried to emulate their work for some shots. In one of the other photos, I really liked the gold reflecting on my skin and how it reminds me of a brand in a way. I also wanted to do the impressions from the garter so I made it really tight and sat in a weird position. I don't remember having any marks from actual wear, it was only while there was pressure applied while sitting.
Eyes
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Coastal Scents Hot Pots in Brownstone and Violetta
Darling Girl Cosmetics in Obviously a Wig and Cupid's Bow
Sleek Supreme palette in Wah Wah White
L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Carbon Black
Press Sample
I love these photos! The ones in the field are gorgeous in an eerie sort of way - they remind me a little of Andrew Wyeth. I really like the way you styled the garter, too, particularly the indentations it made in your leg.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I can see a similarity with Andrew Wyeth's work now that you mention it.
DeleteNot many people would be able to photograph a garter belt so artfully and asexually. Not that there's anything wrong with an image oozing with sex, but you've achieved something very difficult in keeping the focus on the design itself. Nicely done.
ReplyDeleteAhhh I silently sob about these beauties as well! I love the first photo and the rose gold looks stunning paired with those flowers and your eyeshadow look. Great job!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
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