Shot by Courtney Reader, hair by Sam's Hair Band, corset by Jane Woolrich, suspender knicker by Adina Reay, stockings by What Katie Did
I've been so incredibly excited to show everyone these photos and write about this amazing photo shoot! As you know from my previous post, I love Jane Woolrich and for a long time, I just lusted after their designs from afar and could only dream about how gorgeous they are in person. But after planning a shoot with the brand, I finally got my hands on some samples the brand sent me to shoot in and despite being samples, they're absolutely magnificent.
I remember pulling out every piece from the package Jane Woolrich sent me and being astonished by the sheer (hah, pun!) beauty and craftsmanship of each garment. The silk chiffon felt like a whisper against my skin and the silk satin gowns like liquid against my curves, hugging in all the right places. The gowns, peignoirs, and corset have lace applique on them that must be hand done because it's so precise and delicate. I was in awe by how beautiful these pieces are, and the fact that they're so beautiful and still samples! Samples generally aren't made to the same standard as garments sold for retail because they're for press or photoshoots so they don't need to be of the same quality. But these are!! These have to be some of the most gorgeous garments I've had the pleasure of being able to wear.
I asked my friend and frequent collaborator, Courtney Reader, if she'd be interested in shooting these pieces because I knew she'd be excited to capture such gorgeous work on camera. She like myself is very passionate about beautiful clothing and lingerie, especially if it's vintage inspired. These peignoir and gown sets scream 1930s siren, and people on social media even thought that they were true vintage!
We wanted to shoot somewhere really special and Toronto's Allan Gardens came up. It's an amazing greenhouse full or all sorts of different plants, flowers, trees, etc. and we wanted to shoot there in the past, but people have said that it's very difficult to shoot there without a permit. But we gave it a go anyway and decided that if we couldn't shoot in the greenhouse, we could probably shoot on the grounds.
We did manage to shoot everything we wanted inside, but we did have to run away and duck from security from time to time! Courtney shoots natural light so it was just us, making us look less suspicious. However, it definitely didn't look like we were just visiting based on the garments I was wearing! These aren't regular daytime clothes, especially the corset and stockings look.
I did get a lot of looks, which is the norm when it comes to shooting out in public, even wearing regular clothes. The weird thing is if there's someone with a professional looking camera and a person visibly posing for it, people will stop and gawk. It is very annoying, but it does seem to come with the territory.
Allan Gardens is in a strange area of Toronto for a family-friendly horticulture centre. The park is filled with seedy looking men, even in the middle of the afternoon. This I don't have a problem with, people can spend their time where they like and I'm not one to judge a person based on their circumstances, but the thing about a lot of these men is that they didn't even bother to hide the fact that they were obviously staring at Courtney and I and saying rude things to us. This is a problem that does come with modelling (and with men in general), especially in a public location. It did make the shoot unpleasant and it's not the most fun thing to talk about, but I know women and femmes read my blog who are models or want to be models, and this is something they should know about.
On a lighter note, the photos turned out so well, I couldn't be more happy with them! I love the way the colours of the Jane Woolrich pieces look with the different plants. I'm also really happy that we didn't get kicked out! I posted some shots on my Facebook and people kept asking me how we were able to get these photos. People generally stay away from Allan Gardens to shoot in because of its reputation of being a difficult place to shoot in, which it may be. We shot these photos in the early afternoon on a Monday so that may have something to do with it too. Either way, I'm incredibly happy with the way these shots turned out and I think Courtney captured the gorgeous details on the pieces perfectly!
If you're on the fence about buying from Jane Woolrich for any reason, you should take the plunge and get something because their work is true luxury. Everything is so stunning from the designs to how everything is constructed. If Jane Woolrich is too pricy for you to buy at retail value, there's always the option of buying samples from their Depop page. They post new items every now and then so keep your eyes peeled for something special! I would love to buy some of the bras and sets but my boobs are too big. How I wish I was a 34B, I could buy all the samples!!
I'm going to post the rest of the photos below, I hope you like them!
What do you think of Jane Woolrich? Let me know in the comments!