Wearable Art Conceptual Styled Shoot with Make Up Therapy and Celadon Celery

June 08, 2020 • Leave a Comment

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After meeting numerous amazing, unique funky vendors in the wedding industry that are more like fine art installation artists, I was inspired to create a shoot that showcased each of their individual talents, since their work does not belong in a typical wedding shoot, magazine, or on a traditional bride. I then came up with the idea of “wearable art”, and the hunt for the perfect artists began. A few of us were already going to be at the Engage conference in Arizona, so I thought finding a barren desert-scape would be the perfect backdrop, since I didn’t want the location or the backdrop to take away from the art itself. I wanted the background to be a “blank canvas”.

Each vendor was hand chosen and had their own “looks” represented in the shoot and had their own creative freedom to create a piece or look. I just photographed each look in my own surreal poppy oversaturated style.

I had seen a photo a year ago of a place in the Utah/Arizona wilderness called “The Wave” it is located in Coyote Butte and you have to apply 9 months in advance just to get a permit to hike into this place. We had to rent a van to carry our dresses and props and drive from LA 8 hours into the Arizona Wilderness then hike three hours in through snow and 30 degree weather to get to the locale for this shoot. It was intense and we felt obligated to document the entire process to create this shoot, since the process and the art of the process was just as important if not MORE than the end product of the shoot itself.

The looks were:

-Hand-made dresses made of found objects or repurposed materials (Evey)

-Ceramic corsets baked and hand sculpted in clay and then fired in a kiln, not knowing the actual color of what it will be until it is taken out of the kiln 12 hours later (Nicole Moan)

-Dresses inspired by fire or ashes (Michelle Hebert)

-A tribute to Jackson Pollock (throwing pigment on Models wearing a “blank canvas” or white outfits) (Laura Grier)

-creating hair sculpture pieces (Krystal Kaos)

-Over the top Make-up and colors/lashes based on each look (Tara Dowburd)

-Creating a behind the scenes video that looks like a fragrance ad with dramatic faded in and out of focus clips of each look and documenting the “process of the shoot” (Sarah Horowitz)

-Over the top floral crowns made with found plants in the environment as well as orchids and flowers, hand wired and created on site (Bess Wyrick)

-The idea that COLOR rules and why not have a wedding dress or veil that is NOT white. This idea and the hike out to The Wave was my concept (Laura Grier)

Also, the colors and dramatic skies and lighting/colors are my art specialty

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The Artists

Tara Dowburd-Make-up

"I have been a Professional Celebrity Make-up Artist for over 16 years and am the Owner of Make-Up Therapy, a company I founded almost a decade ago. Make-up Therapy consists of a personally hand selected “Glam Squad,” otherwise known as the "Beauty Team,” that has grown to boast the best Hairstylists and Make-up Artists in Los Angeles for on location bookings within all of California and the US. Myself and my Team's work has been flaunted down countless red carpets and wedding aisles, graced the pages of dozens of magazines and blogs, and has garnered an extremely loyal clientele over the past sixteen years in the industry. My mission is to make sure every client feels pampered and relaxed, while looking and feeling fabulous!

While working with some of my celebrity clientele, such as: Ana Ortiz, Ervin “Magic” Johnson, Fergie, Kaley Couco, Kristen Bell, Mayim Bialik and Trent and Mariqueen Reznor, I have learned everyone just wants to look the best version of themselves, and that is my goal.

From our very first collaborative meeting for this photo-shoot, I was immediately ecstatic and could not wait to start putting the make-up together for each look. Individually, telling a story of different aspects of beauty, through nonverbal communication. Make-up Artistry is wearable art. It is a transforming and enhancing exquisite art, no matter how natural, dramatic, or glamorous. Whether it’s for a Red Carpet event, a Photo-shoot, or a wedding,

I believe wearing make-up should be to enhance ones features and help bring together a cohesive and extraordinary look.

For the Wearable Art photo-shoot, we had 9 very different looks that we styled and put together. I begin my creative process by looking at the entire vision, including the outfit, accessories, and location. I then write down a few adjectives that come to mind, which inspire me with make-up ideas for each look. While also taking the model’s coloring and features into consideration, the make-up concept is formed. The individual photographs are meant to make a statement while telling a story, and hopefully the following words will give insight to my creative process as to why each look was created.

“The Hoop Dress” ethereal, romantic, feminine yet powerful, glowing

“The Paper Dress” fun, playful, colorful, artsy, fierce, sexy, doll-like

“The Ceramic Corsets” feminine yet strong, fairytale, goddess, beauty

“The Red Dress” sexy, carefree, bold, breathtaking, daring, couture

“The Tie Dress” golden, bold, Hollywood, drama, attitude, edgy, daring, enchanting, disco

“The Metal Dress” rockstar, fearless, dark, provocative, untouchable, goth

“The Burnt Dress” intense, confident, complicated, dark, powerful, smoky

“The Pant Suit” understated yet glamorous, sexy, edgy, artful, fuchsia, contour

“The Pigment Shoot” fresh, youthful, innocent yet daring, playful

Bess Wyrick- Florals

Celadon and Celery is an NYC and Los Angeles Event and Floral Design Company. We cater to the needs of New York City, Santa Monica, all of Los Angeles and Orange County, with a specialty in the art of floral and event concepts. We know that our clients are among the most stylish and design savvy in the world and are the most appreciative of our attention to quality and detail. Our floral and event designers combine shapes, materials, textures and innovative aesthetics to create unforgettable occasions. We offer full-scale event design, floral stylists and planning. Our unique and modern style of design is a vehicle to showcase beauty in hotels, resorts, or private residences.

Each venue has its own personality, and our first step is always pinpointing the unique intricacies of each location. The creativity and collaboration that goes into the production of events of every scale excites us. We put care into coordinating everything including vendors, venues, design aesthetics, details and all other aspects that are needed to make your event perfect. Whether it is East coast, West coast or abroad, when styling photo shoots or locations, the architectural details provide inspiration. We combine items native to the property with props from our creative craft dealers to complement your personalities and any venue. Our vision is to recreate the space with truly authentic pieces, pushing beyond flowers, fabrics and decor to construct elaborate presentations that are reflective and repres
entative of the time, occasion and season.

Krystal X Kaos- Hair Creations

My name is Krystal x Kaos I created my own destination wedding hair and make up company called Anything for Beauty. I'm a celebrity hairdresser in the Orange County area. I believe in that name through my craft and in my vision. I am in love with the avant garde side of hairstyling. This type of style is kind of my niche. I created hair pieces, such as two blond hair buns and a brown hair disc that can be seen in the wearable art shoot where the two models are throwing colored pigments. This part for me was a very strong part of the shoot and I felt needed strong accent of hair to go along with the theme. I also styled three wigs from lolita wigs one blonde, red and black. I felt like these wigs gave the wearable art pieces exactly the right striking looks needed. In conclusion, all these hairstyles ended up bringing together a fluid work of art as a whole. Thanks to all sponsors and to our creative team for making this shoot worthwhile.

been doing hair for 13 years and doing freelance for 5. Ive done a few celebrities hair from Steve O to Dave Navarro and Taylor Scout Compton and my work has been published in countless Magazines. Ive worked with some amazing photographers, wardrobe stylist and makeup artist. I love doing creative shoots that really express my av-ant guard side of doing hair. I Tend to push the limits and think out of the box when it comes to traditional ways of doing things. Now I feel like the world has embraced the really "wacky" ways of art since Lady GaGa has exploded into the lime light. I know that im not the only one who feels the same way i do.

Forward a few years later to 2012 I thought to myself I think i want to join the Wedding world, but i didn't know how to start so i booked my self a ticket to the Marketing Wedding Association in Vegas to network with other wedding vendors. While there i attended a class there lead by Laura Grier about the wonderful world of color captured by her camera lens, again I was magnetized by her speech and thought she was speaking to me. Her photography in weddings is also inspired by David LaChapelle. Again I thought yes perfect i want to bring my world of art into weddings too. I really think that weddings need to be updated and brought to the next level and my way of thinking and Laura's way of thinking matched just perfect. After her speech I was compelled to reach out to her to get to work with her.

Lucky me she was planning a wearable art shoot and I was in!! Wearable art how perfect is this for me and what i want to do in weddings!! So like i said i work with amazing artist and for this shoot i had done a "wearable art shoot" with a fantastic clothes designer named Evey at Evey- Cruelty Free Wedding Dresses and Wearable Art She creates wedding dresses made of anyhing you think of. I called her right away and needed her to be part of this shoot. I also contacted www.Lolitawigs.com whom i love to work with to create interesting looks on my models to donate wigs for this shoot and im so glad they were on board with it. I also created on my own hair pieces for the shoot like two hair buns and a hair disc that also went perfect with the shoot. This shoot was located in the Arizona Desert a great location and we had a great Team and many works of art. The results were an explosion of creativity and passion.

This shoot is the just the beginning to something impactful for the wedding industry. The team we brought together worked really well together and im so happy to have met them all. In conclusion, i wanted to make my mark in the wedding world and be one of the few hairdressers to bring something different to the table. Im versatile and ambitious and hope that my new company Anything For Beauty Mobile Services will grow in the next couple of years. Thanks to Laura for also believing in me and giving me this chance to show off my talents i cant wait to see what else is in store for us all.

Evey Clothing- Cruelty-Free Wedding Dresses and Wearable Art

Evey is an innovative fashion designer in Los Angeles, who is not afraid to break rules or push boundaries. She employs an arsenal of tools, techniques and un-traditional materials to create ethical, sustainable clothing that turns both heads and minds. Evey describes her one-of-a-kind aesthetic as “wearable art,” which captures her innate ability to make anything beautiful and leave a lasting impression without leaving a mark on our environment. Evey has been approved by PETA and the Humane Society as a Vegan Designer.

Evey creates custom wearable art wedding dresses, shoes and veils to fit each of her brides. Her one-of-a-kind statement pieces truly capture and celebrate the personality of the brides that walk down the aisle in them. Weather revamping a dress belonging to your mother, or making a wedding dress completely out of sentimental objects, or creating a funky, vibrant colored gown, Evey creates glamorous wearable art that will make you look and feel extraordinary, on your wedding day.

“If you can dream it, I can create it.”- Evey

The 6 pieces I chose to create for this shoot were:

1. Pink Ombre wedding dress:

I created this sunset inspired wedding gown made completely out of various shades of pink, orange and white fabric scraps. I love playing with texture, so through various methods of fabric manipulation including gathering, pleats, flounces, tucks, wrinkling and the creation of over 3000 handmade fabric flowers, this dress came to life. I thought a flower covered dress would stand out beautifully against the desert back drop!

2. Up-Cycled Wedding Dress:

I thought the rocky environment would look incredible with a sophisticated, deconstructed, glamorous “Alice in Wonderland” type wedding gown. I decided to make this one completely out of mens clothing. I found some mens pants, button down shirts, jackets, suits and ties, and shredded and gathered them until I felt it was fit for a bride! If you look closely, you can see buttons, pockets and sleeves.

3. Romance Novel Dress:

With Valentines Day in the air, I though
t a wedding dress out of Trashy Romance Novels sounded necessary.I thought the natural world would be a nice backdrop in juxtaposition to the gown which captures the youthful, vibrant, consumerist mindset of our culture. The gown, whimsical, and eye-catching, made of thousands of pages of folded text, is completely disposable, in contrast to the memories that it would produce for the bride who wears it!

4. Crystal WeddingShoes:

The shoes a bride wears should be just as special as her dress! I designed these sparkling ruby red crystal covered shoes to really pop and add to her fun vibrant attitude.

5. Black and Metal Wedding Dress:

This punk glam inspired wedding dress made of black lace and chains and pieces of scrap metal was influenced by modern punk fashion mixed with vintage luxury. I love zippers so I used about 100 feet of zippers in this creation. Not every bride wants to get married in white!

6. Veil:

I love pushing the envelope especially when it comes to veils. I go for drama, both in color and length. Why not have an endless fuschia colored veil!

Michelle Hebert- Ethereal Evening Wear

Michelle Hébert is a luxury brand that intertwines art with design to create ethereal evening wear.

Michelle Hébert's designs are highly regarded for their aesthetic appeal, and the designer herself for her passion within this craft. On the surface designs by Michelle Hébert are seen as elegant, flattering, and romantic, but when one delves deeper they notice finer details in the creation of each piece. Each piece being the product of meticulous attention to quality, imaginative concepts, and in simpler terms a different kind of beauty.

-I was honored to be apart of this shoot through the contribution of a few of my fine-art gown designs. To work alongside the many talents involved was truly wonderful. The pieces chosen for the shoot were either personal designs, or pieces I created in collaboration with other artists such as the red fire dress which I designed for a shoot with fine-art photographer Alex Stoddard. I always love working creatively with new imaginative innovators so being apart of this project was right up my ally! -Michelle

Nicole Moan- Ceramic Fashion and Wearable Art

I
was born in Irving, Texas into a family of artists and interior designers. I began working with clay in junior high, over time my tile work became more elaborate and experimental, and those instincts led me to branch out with my designs.

I first entertained the idea of shifting my abilities from tile to include clothing when I wanted to develop a corset that fit more comfortably than the traditional designs that utilized wires or boning.

I decided to use "Spring Wedding" and "English Lace" for this project when I heard that the shoot was going to be in the desert because I wanted a look to counterpoint the barren sands. Something with a flare of elegance yet sassy.

I think of myself as a very quirky person but I like to give each piece it's own personality and let it speak for itself.

Laura Grier and Sarah Horowitz- Photography and Videography

Los Angeles based Photojournalist, Laura Grier, owns and operates Beautiful Day Photography specializing in Destination Weddings and Wanderlust by Laura Grier specializing in Travel, Portraiture and Fine Art. Living abroad and traveling extensively through her work has influenced her technique to always take the perfect shot in spontaneous situations and to frame the world in her unique perspective. With a Dual-Degree from Syracuse University in both Photojournalism and Fine Art Photography, Laura blends the two genres of photography to create a unique, conceptual, overly saturated style that allows her work to stand alone. By age 18, Laura obtained secret clearance with the CIA, working in their photo imaging department at Langley and went on to work in London for the rock and roll-themed magazine, Mixmag. Two years later she understudied with National Geographic photographer, Ed Kashi, in Florence Italy. Since then, her photography has taken her to six continents and dozens of countries. She has worked freelance for a variety of media and entertainment companies including National Geographic, Novica, WireImage, Warner Bros and CBS Studios. As a result of this expansive experience, Laura creates powerful images in a wide array of disciplines, including wedding, commercial, music, corporate, celebrity, fashion, and fine art photography.

A SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL OF OUR CONTRIBUTORS AND CREATIVE GENIUSES:

Narrative and Conceptual Photography-Laura Grier of Beautiful Day Photography

Make-up Application- Tara Dowburd of Make-Up Therapy

Florals/ Styling /Model- Bess Wyrick of Celadon & Celery

Hair Artistry and Wig Styling- Krystal x Kaos with Anything for Beauty Co.

Artist & Fashion Designer (Red Dress and Burnt Dress)- Michelle Hébert

Custom Wearable Art Wedding Dresses- Evey of Evey Clothing

Ceramic Corset Dress Designer- Nicole Moan

Model 1- Christina Duerr

Model 2- Ashley Gain

Videography and Stylist- Sarah Horowitz of Sarah Natasha Photography

Film Editor- Jodee Debes