Tuesday 28 January 2014

Gilded Mirrors and Stuffed Moose: Chanticleer Brides 25th Anniversary Collection

Yesterday I did something terrifying and wonderful for my career - putting yourself 'out there' is such a scary buzz, but I sometimes can't resist aiming high and trying for big things. I really hope it works out and I hear back soon!! In the afternoon I was drawn in silver, and today I'm cultivating patience (kinda).

And the day after I got back from Australia, at the beginning of December, I modelled for Chanticleer Brides latest (25th anniversary) wedding dress collection. The theme was 20s/Downton Abbey, and we shot at the incredibly eccentric location that is Maunsel House, in Somerset. Taxidermy everywhere, enormous paintings, huge windows, copper baths. Not sure it's quite to my personal taste for a house to actually live in (well, I definitely wouldn't say no to the bath, or the incredible four poster bed in the king's suite), but it's definitely 'fabulous, darling'. ;-)

Having modelled a previous collection (the 'Back to Nature' outdoors shoot a couple of years ago), I knew what to expect; intricate, exquisite hand-made detailing by the designer, Tracey, and a range of cuts for different personalities of brides. Having been down under, the dresses weren't made to fit me (as they obviously would be for a bride; Tracey would normally do about 3 fittings before a wedding day), but they looked good anyway; the team are a talented bunch!

All images by the lovely Chris Hanley, who gamely took up the challenge of photographing 18 dresses, cramming tripods into the most unlikely dark corners (all without knocking over the the suits of armour) and succeeding despite there being absolutely no clear spaces in the entire house! Clutter ruled. :-)

Make up was by Ashleigh Gregory, and the hair styling was done by Dean Brindley.

Behind the scenes video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYYhTwCZHXI :-)

I was bright and ready to go very early in the morning (oh how I wish that early-morning-riser self had lasted into the winter; I seem now to have morphed into a night owl!!!), but the jet lag seriously started kicking in at around 4pm, which was the middle of the night for me. I was pretty exhausted by the end, but I'm so glad to have been asked to model for Tracey again. It was so much fun! Anyone in any danger of getting married any time soon should definitely check out the website and go and visit the shop in Cheltenham: www.chanticleerbrides.co.uk