July 10, 2014

This Time in My Life

July 10, 2014/ Alexandra Evjen

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A mint vintage VW bus. Hair blowing in the wind. A road map laying on the seat. The open road. If the sum of those things or even just one makes you want to go on an adventure you should watch this brand film for Jessica Daniels Photography made by Ale Vidal.

This may in fact be the art direction and styling project I am most proud of to date. I want to be this girl. I want to live her life and have her spontaneity. When I feel like that about a project I know that it's special. More about the process and outfits later. For now, grab your coffee and enjoy.

This Time in My Life from Ale Vidal - Imaginale on Vimeo.

This time in my life is an adventure - to do things I've never done and go places I've never been. To have adventures that open my heart and my mind. // This was the premise and script I worked on with Jess Daniels (www.portland-vancouver-senior-portraits.com) for her brand film. Our goal was to create a character that represents her style of work and the type of girl that is photographed by her.

Film by Ale Vidal // www.imaginaledesign.com

Styling & Art Direction by Alexandra Evjen // www.avestyles.com

Hair by Jenny Strebe // www.theconfessionsofahairstylist.com Make up by Stephanie Neiheisel // www.snmakeupartist.com Model // Agency AZ (Lia Briehl) // www.theagencyaz.com Clothing supplied by Fances Vintage // www.francesvintage.com Calligraphy, hand drawn details by Alyssa Hodson

July 07, 2014

Estella NYC Dolls

July 07, 2014/ Alexandra Evjen

About a year ago, I came across this amazing online kids boutique called Estella NYC. I could tell right off the bat that Estella cares about carefully curating their store with high quality clothing and toys.

Recently, they decided to create their own line of dolls that relate to all kids. They wanted this collection of knit, soft dolls to be different from other dolls on the market that seem to send only one message of how they should look. The truth is that there are many kiddos that wear glasses or have birth marks or have special needs and don't look anything like many of the dolls in super stores. I love the thought process behind their collection and that they are aware that many toys send messages and reinforce "perfection" to kids.

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Estella asked me to showcase their five dolls in action with children of all ages and backgrounds. Kym Ventola photographed the moments perfectly.

There were some challenging moments getting the kids to do what we wanted, but it's nothing a little candy can't fix.

One of the best moments was getting to have my beautiful niece, Claire, and one of her good friends, Seth, be a part of the shoot. They are two AMAZING superheroes that battle with epilepsy and some other health issues that make how they experience life, communicate and play different from many kiddos, but it was so special getting to share with the world through this campaign that they love toys just as much as the next kid. In fact, it was like these dolls were made for Seth and Claire. Seth's doll is a superhero with an S on the front, and Claire's doll has glasses just like claire and is wearing her favorite color.

Any company that is about showing equality among children is a company that I want to tell everyone about. Go check out their amazing dolls and their store!

Photos by Kym Ventola Styling and art direction by Alex Evjen

Models (not all pictured): Seth, 5 Claire, 5 Eli, 2 Isla, 4 Madeline, 4 Emery, 6 Finn, 1 Ayden, 4 Oliver, 3

June 25, 2014

Styling & Art Direction for The Motion Workshop

June 25, 2014/ Alexandra Evjen

14 professional photographers in one room all learning and wanting to add motion to their skill set - that's why they came to Ale Vidal's Motion Workshop. When Ale asked me to style four different shoots for them to capture I thought, "14 photographers!? This HAS to be good!" Then I thought, "Wouldn't it be SO great to get some clothing brands involved? They would be getting all of this content for their social outlets!"

Years ago my mind wouldn't have gone to brand partnerships it just would have focused on how to execute the shoot well. What I have realized, however, is that executing these shoots well means partnering with brands. Access to clothing is the hardest part for a stylist, so if you can add value to the brands that you want to work with by providing quality content and social sharing then it's a win, win for all parties involved.

So, before I approached brands to be a part of these shoots, Ale identified two high school senior themes, a bridal style and an engaged couple based on the background of her attendees. From there I started using secret Pinterest boards to solidify the mood, the style and the scenes with Ale. Then I was able to start dreaming about what brands would be a good fit for the different styles.

View More: http://imaginale.pass.us/themotionworkshop

Lulu*s sent us wardrobe for both high school senior shoots - a soft, natural prairie girl and a loud, bold, music lovin' girl. Lulu*s market is very young so they were a perfect match. Just one outfit was needed for both girls.

For the prairie girl we wanted a pastel palette, a dress that felt ultra feminine and innocent. We chose a blonde model with light eyes - Kacey from Agency AZ was amazing. Braids are a youthful hairstyle, as well as minimal makeup. Miriam Kenly and Stephanie are pros at bringing visions to life. For the scene, we thought about a basket of flowers for her to play with. I loved the idea of a clothes line with fabrics that would blow in the wind. Hilary Kram, a wonderful florist and creative, added some beautiful greens and floral to the clothes line to create more interest.

For the music lovin' high school senior we wanted to portray a girl that loved NYLON magazine. I chose a bold color palette and stuck with the current fashion trends such as mini skirts and muscle tees. The bright lipstick Stephanie Neiheisel created from a MAC pigment was genius. It matched her skirt perfectly. We decided to keep her hair down so that it would move well for the camera as she jumped on the bed and whipped it back and forth. Teens love to listen to music and these gold Frends headphones were the perfect fashion accessory. There's nothing that reminds me of being a teenager more than flipping through magazine and filling out quizzes. Because our model, Emily of Agency AZ, was being put in a studio setting Ale loved the idea of having some cool floral elements to make it a bit more interesting. Hilary did a an amazing job with stringing some carnations. It was simple, but a powerful set element.

We also had a young couple in their 20's who were pretending to be engaged who embodied a laid back, L.A. style. Lulus*s also outfitted the bride-to-be. Katherine Thornhill was our model and she is actually a wedding planner that helps brides prepare for their engagement shoots a lot. She and her boyfriend, Chris, were a real couple that could emote and express love on camera. I chose a maxi dress for her and layered a ton of jewelry on her hands to create interest for the camera. A center part with her long locks further ensured the boho vibe of their style. For Chris, we actually worked with a small budget and his wardrobe to come up with a simple, somewhat 'hipster' outfit. Simply peg rolling his pants and rolling his sleeves was a detail that took an easily preppy look to a more casual, west coast vibe. For the set we layered oriental carpets and pillows of different textures and colors. We also used a hammock that swung back and forth for motion purposes.

For our sensual, moody, haunting bride we started looking at bridal boutique partnerships, but nothing seemed to fit the high fashion quality that was needed to make this bride different from the rest. I had recently done some Pinterest consulting for Fame & Partners and remembered that they make custom dresses. After falling in love with a black dress, I asked if they could design it in white...and they did! The silk chiffon material was PERFECT for movement. For the set, we chose to pose her by ivy and a beautiful water fountain filled with roses. The movement of the water was great for motion!

Check out the film Ale made here and to hear from Ale about why she held the motion workshop, visit her blog here.

All of this production wouldn't have been possible without a stellar team and wonderful brand partnerships. Please go follow all of these people and brands!

Event // www.themotionworkshop.com

Photos by Ale Vidal & Mary Claire Photography // www.imaginaledesign.com // www. maryclaire-photography.com Styling and Art Direction by AVE Styles // www.avestyles.com

Bride: Madeleine Alexandra // alexandrafashionco.blogspot.com High school seniors // Kacey & Emily // www.theagencyaz.com Engaged couple // Katherine & Chris // www.luckyandinlove.com Make-up: SN Makeup // www.snmakeupartist.com Hair: Miriam Kenly // instagram.com/mirmaidkenl Florals: Hilary Lamb // hilarylambphoto.blogspot.com Wedding dress by Fame and Partners // www.fameandpartners.com Clothes by Lulu*s // www.lulus.com

June 24, 2014

A Film from The Motion Workshop

June 24, 2014/ Alexandra Evjen

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This face! Isn't Madeleine Alexandra gorgeous?! She is a fashion blogger with insane style and taste. She also is a dancer and moves and models like a pro. Ale Vidal of Imaginale Design hired to me to create beautiful vignettes for her workshop attendees to capture in motion. There is so much to share! I will be sharing the art direction and styling process tomorrow, but I wanted to just focus on this moment - this film that Ale made.

There was a whole team behind this vignette, but yet it seems so simple. One dress, some flowers, great hair and makeup...The planning for this simple moment started several months ago. Ale wanted a high-fashion bride that embodied a sensual and haunting quality. It might be a weird request, but that girl knows what works for the camera.

I'm so happy I get to work with such talented people. Enjoy the film and come back tomorrow to see how I translated her vision for not only this shoot, but three other ones in ONE DAY!

Madeleine Alexandra at The Motion Workshop from Ale Vidal - Imaginale on Vimeo.

The Motion Workshop - An event put on by cinematographer Alejandra Vidal to teach photographers and artists about direction in video, storyboarding, product creation, and the art of human connection through motion: www.themotionworkshop.com

Film by Ale Vidal // www.imaginaledesign.com

Styling and Art Direction by AVE Styles // www.avestyles.com

Dress by: Fame and Partners // www.fameandpartners.com Model: Madeleine Alexandra // alexandrafashionco.blogspot.com Make-up: SN Makeup // www.snmakeupartist.com Hair: Miriam Kenly // instagram.com/mirmaidkenl Florals: Hilary Lamb // hilarylambphoto.blogspot.com Assistant: Mary Claire // maryclaire-photography.com

June 12, 2014

Brand Shoot & Film for Stacy Kokes Photography

June 12, 2014/ Alexandra Evjen

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Stacy and I go waaaaaaaaay back - way back to college when I used to pick her and her roommate for church on Sundays. This was long before the days of styling and photography. We were just two college girls trying to figure out who we were and what we wanted to do with our lives. Since then Stacy has become a wedding photographer and I have become a stylist. Stacy reached out to me a couple months back letting me know she was in the rebranding process for her business (check out her new site here). She new that she wanted to style a shoot the represented the feel and lifestyle of her new branding because she knew the importance of creating a cohesive experience for potential clients.

We dreamed up a styled shoot featuring two of her favorite people that also happen to be REALLY good looking - Chris and Lauren. Using Pinterest and email we collaborated and honed in on creating a approachable, beautiful and well-styled experience. This shoot was actually featured on Desiree Hartstock's blog. You may know her as The Bachelorette. =)

Flower crowns, a picnic, spring and summer colors...It's basically oozing love and all things pretty...I hope you like it! You can see more photos by visiting Stacy's blog.