Adventures in Fashion Shoots for Custom Magazines

I recently saw Avatar. What a logistical tour de force—watching the 10 minutes of credits that followed, I asked myself: Did anyone get sick? Was there a budget crisis halfway through? Did props get lost on their way to New Zealand, where the film was shot? The complexity of the production made me think about the fashion shoots I oversee for Four Seasons Magazine.

Last spring, we did an elaborate shoot in Paris. We brought in several million dollars worth of couture gowns and jewelry. On this shoot, trouble came in the form of a model with Marie Antoinette hair who didn’t want to come out of the bathroom. Down on my hands and knees and talking through the gap at the bottom of the door, I persuaded her to join the party. Out she came, and out we went to put her in a taxi for the short ride to the Arc de Triomphe. No go—her hair was so high, and she was so tall, that we couldn’t transport her upright in an ordinary car. The solution: The crew walked to the Arc de Triomphe. We got our shot and walked back. I carried the model's high heels while she took Geisha steps in her Pumas and wore a bath towel over her dress.

More recently, we took the crew to Miami. I was looking forward to a bit of sun. Instead, a storm brought flooding and “take shelter” winds, with a Nor’easter following up the coast. Added to the mix was tainted water at my hotel—remember Legionnaire’s Disease? I got news of that development from my managing editor just before my plane took off.

Undeterred, I headed to the hotel. Smiling personnel shuttled me off to another hotel, where I settled in and got the sunblock ready for the day of scouting ahead.

I met up with my crew, and off we went only to learn that our main prop—a beautiful sailing yacht—had mechanical problems and would need to be towed into the open sea for use. The next day, escorted by the tug, we enjoyed a beautiful day of sailing and promising results.

Things were looking up until later that evening, when the streets were suddenly engulfed by two feet of water. A friend who lives in the city told me that this happens all the time and the water would retreat in a few hours.  When in Rome, as they say. I accepted his advice and looked forward to continuing the shoot in the morning.

At 7 a.m., the sound of blow dryers filled my room as we readied the model. That was, until tornado warnings were announced on the television. So much for sunny Florida. Everyone left and we waited another two days before we could finish our work. I moved my camp to the home of some friends in Boca Raton and was commuting to Miami in the sort of neon blue Mustang favored by teenage boys—the last rental car I could get when the airport closed and people were trying to escape the weather.

All in all, the shoot went well. We got what we needed for the magazine, and that’s all that matters. Unless I shared the events of those five days with you, you would have no idea what transpired behind the scenes. And that’s the way it should be: Glamour, after all, is about creating the illusion that everything is perfect.

Posted By: Susan Weissman