I couldn’t think of a better timely post for this Halloween dress-up week than this Funny Face recreation mini project of mine. To be honest, I didn’t on purpose shoot this for this November occasion but rather, the concept was plotted the moment I found out about this arc installation somewhere in the metro. While it’s true that I tend to get turned off by any copycat installations (I just went to the northern province of Abra this weekend and they have a mini urban light ala LACMA there), I couldn’t help but make better use of it to recreate that classic scene in Funny Face (1957) – the very first shoot of Jo Stockton (Audrey Hepburn) and Dick Avery (Fred Astaire) in Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in Paris.
It just made me realize how effortless recreating looks from the 1950s are for me because I truly identify myself with this era. Think: gowns with tight waists, full-skirts and low necklines – including strapless, off the shoulder and halter bodices accessorized with matching hats, shoes and handgloves. For recreating Jo’s look, I only had to wear an LBD as a top here and buy lots of balloons for props. Since this is just a first part shoot of the series, let’s have a different talk about the New Look of 1950s in the next post.
If there’s anything else I realized in this shoot is that, I miss Paris! For the last two years I kept on visiting the city but circumstances didn’t allow me to go back this time. I guess it’s not true what my roommate in Vienna told me about once you visit Europe, you’ll keep on coming back every year. Only the every year part I guess for someone not rich like me (lol), but Europe and Paris will always be on my mind. So, without further ado, I present to you the show! Shot by my good friend @nionphotos.
