San Diego Collaborative Fashion Meets Flawless

The allure of downtown San Diego draws in crowds of people from all over the world. The Gaslamp Quarter lights up the evening with an array of bars, restaurants and shops. There seems to be nightclub on every block. As you walk down 5^th Avenue through crowds of people, you can hear the different genres of music playing from each place you pass. It’s almost as though you’re window shopping to see which place is more appealing. Finally you walk by a bar which happens to be playing your favorite song and that is how you and your friends decide on your destination.

Fast forward through a night of crazy fun, drinks and dancing. The next day you find yourself waking up at an undisclosed location somewhere downtown. You’re a little confused as to how you arrived at your current destination. However, someone hands you a cup of coffee, you thank them for their hospitality and now you must leave.  Even though it would appear to be the quintessential "walk of shame," it’s not, and you still have to make it home in last night’s attire. But you’re a fashionista with flare and somehow you always manage to turn a bad situation into a better one.   

Did that paint a picture for you? Good! As an editorial stylist, we have to create story ideas for each photoshoot. I attend an editorial styling class instructed by fashion hair artist William Willams, which is hosted at Low Gallery. It’s a quaint art gallery located in San Diego’s art district, Barrio Logan. My colleague, hair artist Phil Backes, had pitched the story idea and asked me to be the lead makeup artist for this specific shoot, and of course I said yes. I live for this stuff. Fashion, music and the arts are all intertwined in one way or another.

The meet–up spot is always at Low Gallery. Meegan Nolan is the owner and curator for the gallery and is always so gracious for allowing our team to use the location as a studio. That’s where all the magic happens. I’m talking about the collaboration. The collaboration is the key to the success of up–and–coming artists. We are always searching to find designers for our specific stories, and that can be a challenge at times because each story calls for a different type of style. That is what I call the recipe for our photo magic. Of course there is a little more to it, but you get the gist. 

As an editorial stylist, you have to be creative for certain photo shoots. Like I said, searching for designers can be a challenge. For this specific photo shoot, we collaborated with Wendy Smith. She is a fashion and lifestyle photographer who is based out of Southern California. What makes her style so unique is the way she paints the photos with color. She specializes in the use of natural light and vibrant color. There is just the right amount of everything in each shot and it is combined in such a way that she can turn any photo into a work of art. She has been a professional photographer for over four years and since she had stepped into the fashion photography realm she hasn’t looked back. She has also been featured in multiple publications such as Fuse, Pump and Bisous, just to name a few.

Smith is also a stylist in her own right and is working on securing agency representation, which shouldn’t be hard for her to accomplish. Smith amazed us with how well she put together the outfits for this photo shoot. I was impressed when she told me that she went "thrifting" for the outfits to be featured in the shoot. I had asked her if there was a specific place she liked more, but that lead to a conversation about thrift stores in New York and used clothing sold from certain lots in Los Angeles. I was intrigued. Needless to say, when beautifully creative minds come together in efforts to take each other to the next professional level, amazing things can happen. 

Check out our gallery down below for some exclusive, gorgeous images!