I have been exploring ideas for another bold and beautiful shoot and have come across Vivienne Westwood's red label that has just recently hit London’s catwalk. She employs savage and wacky backcombed structures of hair reminiscent of a wild animal, and a delicate yet colourful airbrush of make-up across the face transforming the model into what has been described as a “neon nymph”.
I loved this catwalk concept and have stumbled across a photograph that takes it out of the fantasy and into the reality. Yet another photograph by Rankin has caught my eye but this time its his teams savage make-up design that I am looking to explore, the photograph is all about the make-up and the eyes in this shot which I find really engaging it also relinquishes any of the messy hair seen in Vivienne’s work which I think creates far more tension around the eyes. The techniques used to create the catwalk make-up seem applicable in Rankin’s shot however the colour is far more vibrant and reminds me of something more foreign, seen or found on safari.
This is the element I want to play on, taking it out of the fantasy and into the reality. Savage animalistic features hidden in a deceivingly colourful and approachable setting. This is the shot I will take in as a reference.
