Personification of Beauty

Melanie - the personification of freedom, love and beauty...

Melanie was the one to open Jeanette's eyes to her sexual orientation, the one who was Jeanette's first real love. She made her question her life up to date in her religion and her family life.

Melanie to me is a symbol for beauty, a girl who changed Jeanette's life for the better. Her presence in the second image of the photo shoot will be almost ghostly yet lovingly. 

The first image I drew of her was this one below. Her hair is wavy, soft and light and natural, rests behind her shoulders and out of her face. 

The face is contoured with freckles, innocent looking but softly contoured with blush cheeks.

Her lips will look red stained to represent love, passion but also danger.

The eyebrows will be brushes up in a natural way but present on the face to show structure reflecting how she helped Jeanette build her own identity.

Another version of Melanie I created was one much stronger looking and defined. The lips look like bold red petals and the contouring on the face is much heavier and the eyebrows are darker contrasting against the skin and hair.

The hair is more textured than the previous drawing but it has more control and structure.

Examples of the look I am wanting to create:

Catherine McNeil for Vogue Paris

These lips, look like they're a velvet texture, and the natural looking eyebrows

The dreamy appearance of this photograph, the innocence

This texture of hair, these kind of 70's untamed curls

Moodboard portraying Melanie as a character - her styling and appearance 

Hair Madness

Thinking about using wigs within a the photo shoot, I have a found some stunning hair designs, fashion editorials and images. The really sharp and unique designs really make the image and the hair is a big aspect of my look for Jeanette.

The angled cut at the back of the hair is so sharp and the contrast against her skin and the black looks beautiful.

The red hair is so vibrant and really pops underneath this lighting and against her clothing and back drop. The shape of the hair shows off her facial structure and the precise contouring.

These two images I found were so accurate and sharp, it keeps the eye drawn to the face. The slight separation of the fringe to the side of the hair is a subtle but brilliant way of making this look so striking.

This hair is the one that stood out the most due to it's bright colour. Even though it is clearly a wig due to the florescent colour, it looks beautiful next to her skin tone and the washed out blue back drop.

These three women look gorgeous in these brightly coloured wigs, the colour of the hair contrasting against the styling enhances the audiences view of the world of fashion. The fantasy world that people aspire to have but does not exist. 

What's in the closet?

In order to get a high fashion interpretation of Oranges are not the only fruit, I have taken a more stylish and contemporary take on her bright pink coat.

This first one I found was Betty Barclay in TK Maxx. It's a coral pink quilted coat with a collar and pockets. My idea was to add a black belt around the waist line to make it more of a cut off and edgy shape.

The second jacket I found was a darker and slightly more fuchsia pink. This is quilted as well but is more cropped. 

The third jacket I found was by Calvin Klein and was a bright pink, waterproof jacket with a zip. This one is the closest connected to the one mentioned in the book, however for a high end fashion shoot this one would be more difficult to make look like a editorial styled outfit.

Moving on from the pink coat, I found this floaty shirt by Diesel in a bright orange colour. I was instantly attracted to it due to it's eye catching colour, shape and material which will look perfect for one of my looks.

Extra purchases I made today were a couple of pairs of socks. The first, a brown/mustard coloured pair of knee high socks which can be teamed with one of my outfits to give her a more innocent and child-like appearance. 

The second pair are a smaller ankle sock in bright orange to match the orange colour theme within the book and my photo shoot. The white frills around the top also give her a innocent and feminine look which will look quirky and contradictory to her androgynous hair and makeup.

Another Outfit I purchased was a cream/white dress which represents innocence, the floaty and light material represents freedom at the end of the book where she finds herself.

Beautiful cream embroidery detail around the collar and waist

I bought the cross necklace that hangs low to the waist

Finally there is a pair of mustard brown coloured tights from Topshop

Drawing a couple of outfits

The first outfit I drew up was of my black and white dress, a floaty bottomed skirt matched with the cross belt from Urban Outfitters to cinch in the waist. This could be worn with the orange ankle socks and a pair of patient brogue shoes and the cross necklace.

The seconf outfit I drew was of a brown woollen cardigan with a grey school style skirt, mustard knee high socks, cross belt and a white shirt buttoned to the top. This outfit shows her innocent and child-like personality.

The third outfit was of the orange shirt worn with a grey t-shirt material pleated skirt, the cross belt and the knee high socks. The orange of the shirt and the hair will compliment each other looking striking and stunning.

The final drawing is one of the coat with a belt around the waist, again paired with the knee high socks.

Extra Touches

After I did the makeup testing I wanted to see what kind of ginger hair colour would look best for a fashion shot.

I used an auburn coloured wig first which complimented the dark shading and contouring of the makeup. However, I want the hair to be more ginger and brighter with a fringe.

I also added a slight touch of red lipgloss in the center of the lips to symbolise love, the devil and danger. This also add more colour to the face but in a subtle way.

The second wig I tried on was a very bright orange colour. This look was more striking and would suit better for an avant garde style, however I think it may be too bright and look too fake.

Makeup Practice

After finishing my design I decided to yeah of the makeup ideas and products to use.

Firstly I started out with the perfect base using Kryolan's camouflage palette covering up any red or dark and areas and remove any imperfections on the skin. I then used Illamasqua's rich liquid foundation in 200 to match my skin tone.

I brushed my eyebrows up and using a disposable mascara wand to apply a pale foundation to give them a bleached effect.

Combining the bronzing duo and powder in disobey by illamasqua, I heavily contoured my cheekbones around my eye socket and down both sides of my nose to make my face look more structured and thinner. Using the white eyeshadow by MUA I highlighted my the top of my cheekbones and my nose.

I added a light coat of mascara on my eyelashes and used a white liner on my lids to show contrast against the dark shading. I added foundation on my lips and lined them too. I used a pale pink foundation and slightly dapper it into the lips.

Drawing Developments

I have drawn some ideas to decide which look I prefer. I have taken inspiration from many things from this era but David Bowie especially with the hair styling due to the fact he was such an inspirational icon of the 70's due to his fashion sense and sexual orientation. 

Drawing number one 

Wavy/curly hair with volume at the front and left the curls to hang loose on her back...

Drawing Two

Eyebrows are half blocked out with a bold colour on top to match the hair. Hair is short and cropped giving her an androgynous look. Heavy contouring around the eyes and cheek bones.

Drawing three

This one is my favourite as it reflects the characters innocence at this point in her life. I want the hair to look like her mother has cut it so uneven and slightly wild. This will also represent her emotions and confusion within herself. The eyebrows will be blocked completely and heavy contouring around the eyes and cheekbones will give her a contrasting harsh look.

When thinking about location and positioning, for my first shot I am wanting to represent her innocence and confusion. I want the character to look almost disconnected to her surroundings. For example this first image shows her standing out with her contrasting bright ginger hair and pink coat against the stone and brick building (the church). I want the model to be holding an orange in her hand like a child would to reflect the name of the book and the hold her mother has one her at this point. 

This second drawing is inside the church where my character will look like she is praying in church sat in the isles. There will be a couple of rows behind her and a statue or a bold ornament which shows where she is. The orange will be held up near her face like she is showing it to God. This shot will be much more intimate showing the audience her character.

Idea Boards

When emailing a couple of Fashion Photographers, I sent them a few image boards so they could get the idea of the kind of look and style I am aiming to create.

All these images I put together have a dark and deep colour. It portrays the themes of the idea beautifully.

I want the colours to POP but yet have a dull tone throughout the rest of the picture. There almost an imaginary yet unsettling edge to this lighting and style, which I think will create the perfect atmosphere for the image. It will show how she feels uneasy and misplaced in her life whilst trying to understand her own identity. 

This next board explores way in which the photographer has created a sexual and intimate atmosphere. The top left image is one which stylistically I find really beautiful. I want to give my character a high fashion androgyny look with her hair and makeup. the blocking of eyebrows and the shading using eye shadow makes the face and her character look naked and exposed but subtly. I want to portray real passion, not necessarily just sexually towards Melanie but also for herself and her life - e.g. the church, her family, her religion.

Makeup Ideas

Heavy contouring, shading and highlighting to give off an chizzled androgynous yet beautiful appearance. The eyebrows will either be completely removed or half removed with shadows, little mascara. I really want to strip back with her face making her look almost like a statue. As the images progress I will add in lip tints such as dark reds or purples to represent passion, love and rebellion.

Hair Ideas

I'm wanting to make my character ginger, it represents her inner fire and links to the colour orange (the name of the book). Here are a few looks I am considering of the three of my shoots...

When thinking about styling, I created a board which would represent the era and her personality perfectly. I have asked a couple of stylists I know to get a second opinion on my idea. I'm wanting to revamp and renew the fashions within the era this was set in...