As I walked down Mercer Street I felt a pinch in my stomach, you know that feeling that sits somewhere between anticipation, excitement and apprehension. For as long as I’ve worked in this industry photographing and styling campaigns, I’ve experienced the pre-shoot jitters. As Grace Coddington put it in her ‘Some Style is Legendary’ Documentary for Tiffany & Co., it’s much easier to relax and let the nerves subside when the camera if finally put down at the end of the day.
Let’s be honest though, it didn’t help the fact that all week the forecast for Manhattan was an 80% chance of rain for 5 days in a row, in which our photoshoot was strategically squeezed into the very middle of that unfortunate prediction. The likeliness of rain, the fact that myself and my team had never produced a campaign of this size in New York before (video content included) and most nerve-wracking of all.. that the brand we were working for was of course one of the most well recognised and illustrious brands in the world, Tiffany & Co., may have added to that.
So with that, and the fact that time on the ground in New York was limited, I looked to Frank Sinatra for advice, as the great man himself once said .. ‘it’s up to you New York, New York’.
Thankfully I had the most amazing team ever, which always helps. Australian model juggernaut Nicole Pollard, my very talented videographer friend Rodney Deane, hair and makeup artists Sophie Haig & Kelsey Morgan, and my faithfully patient and hard working in-house team, all banded together for one of our most exciting campaign productions to date for the launch of Tiffany & Co HardWear.
Oversized chain link necklaces, kinetic ball rings and swaying sphere earrings make up just a few of my favourite pieces. The Tiffany & Co HardWear collection is directional yet timeless, robust yet elegant and mostly cool and collected.
Holding embargoed pieces in my hands months out before the shoot, it was clear to me that the visual story we needed to tell about the Tiffany & Co. HardWear muse, was of a girl who was confident in her skin and wears her jewellery as an expression of her attitude. Not long after this discussion the decision was unanimous to photograph and produce the campaign in New York, a geographic symbol almost of the modern woman, the official inspiration of the collection and the very heart of the Tiffany & Co. brand itself.
And so here we find ourselves, back on home soil and this week enjoying the official launch of the HardWear collection. Tonight I sit alongside some of my favourite fashion entities Harpers Bazaar Australia and Lara Worthington, also involved in sharing their own take on the collection. An evening of visual storytelling, collaborative energy and most of all a celebration of months of work narrowed down to one very special moment, signifying a new collection this is set to be perpetually coveted.
This country mouse has returned from the city, feeling gratefully blessed with such an opportunity of this scale.. and with maybe one too many Shake Shacks under her belt. I’d like to make a special thanks to Frank for the pep talk and to the grand dame New York herself. It may be up to you New York, but let’s be honest a suitcase full of ridiculously good jewellery doesn’t go astray either..
You can shop Tiffany & Co. HardWear here.
photography + art direction + styling: Amanda Shadforth . videography: Rodney Deane . model: Nicole Pollard . hair: Kelsey Morgan . makeup: Sophie Haig
Head to my New York photo diary for all of the behind the scenes ..
