2. Before conducting any kind of photo shoot for an editorial, there are a couple of things essential for any stylist to
know. Fashion trends, target audience of the magazine as well as its concept and the theme play a vital role to
determine how to make an editorial shoot a success. Thus, in order to plan and execute an editorial shoot for Nylon
magazine based on S/S 2014 trends where I would play a role of a stylist ,photographer and an art director in
deciding the layout, I firstly did a brief research on Nylon Magazine in terms of its concept, style and imagery and
target audience before I could begin to decide the theme and concept of my fashion editorial . Having understood the
magazine: its concept and target audience; the next milestone to be crossed was to choose an appropriate theme for
the editorial in addition to finding an apt story for an editorial along with recognizing the major S/S 2014 trends on
runways which I would incorporate in my editorial .
Since the target market for my selected magazine, Nylon is young fashion loving and trendy women; I
chose my editorial theme to be ‘Carnival Festivals’ i.e. festive seasons which typically involves a public celebration
or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party celebrated at different times of the
year across the globe. My editorial being inspired by the theme ‘Carnival Festivals’ named ‘Carnival Dreams’
revolved around a trend conscious young girl who one afternoon while reading a book dozes off on her chair and
begins to dream of herself being dressed in vibrant and fun carnival themed outfits until the last shot where she
wakes up on her chair again only to realize it was a dream. The story contained themes of youth, vibrancy and fun
with a sense of femininity which was illustrated through the use of a sweet Japanese girl model with a soft, feminine
and fun personality dressed in young, fun and vibrant outfits based on the S/S 2014 fashion trends with her hair let
down, smoky eyes and bright lips to add drama to the whole editorial along with using carnival props like funky ear
cap, angel wings, crown, magic wand, masquerade masks, feather scarf, joker hat and huge specs to name a few. The
editorial was shot in the studio with soft box lighting set up on either side of the model in order to brighten the
background as well as the model’s face. The sequence of the images saw the first shot with the girl asleep on her
chair followed by her dreaming of leaving home with her luggage for the carnival and a series of events showing her
being dressed in different attires with the level of excitement increasing with each shot until the last shot where she
wakes stretching herself only to realize that it was nothing but a wonderful dream.
3. The editorial made use of photographic techniques like creative composition, selective focus to capture the model’s
facial expressions in some along with using fast shutter speed to capture the movement of the model’s actions.
After a successful shoot, though my job as a stylist and photographer was over, my task did not end there as
having completed the shoot in order to shortlist the best shots shortlisted for each look, now as an Art Director I
scanned all the images on the basis of which best describes the theme and look. Having done that I then retouched all
the selected images before going for publication. In order to create drama and brighten the image, I applied several
retouching techniques like brightness/ contrast, color saturation, color balance, black and white, crop tool along
with changing backgrounds to abstract ones and horizontal flip using Adobe Photoshop to meet the criteria of the
editorial being young, fun and vibrant.
Thus, after applying post production to the selected images; in order to proceed to complete the entire editorial
process and to decide a layout in order to get a rough view of how the images would be laid in the publication, prior
to the final commitment using the InDesign Software; I, then created a flat plan i.e. a layout of how the images
would be placed along with the credits, texts and captions is drawn on paper stating all these details in addition to
whether the images would be full bleed or with borders in order to provide a clear picture of the layout to the art
editor and the team; keeping in mind that the real impact of the shoot is not lost.
The initial editorial story prior to the shoot contained 8 looks; but after the shoot looking at the
images to give the whole story a new depth and drama 11 shots were selected for the publication with
repetition of images in 3 outfits, thus, emphasizing their importance in the story. Therefore, the entire editorial
was then decided to contain 11 shots spread over 12 pages with 1 double page spread and the remaining 10 being
single page spreads with 8 images being shot full length, 1 being shot 3/4th length and 2 half length. 5 images were
with full bleed whereas the remaining 6 had borders of different lengths creating a rhythm and size contrast in order
to give the entire editorial a dramatic effect.
Lastly, I marked the end of the entire editorial process by creating the editorial on the basis of the decided layout
using Adobe InDesign; ready to be sent for publication.
Having done this project , I learnt about the minute details essential in planning and executing an editorial
photo shoot along with gaining experience of how exactly a fashion publication functions in order to create their
publication and also helped me broaden my knowledge about the importance of adhering to deadlines as creating
magazines is no child’s play instead each team member plays an equally vital role in publication and thus, involves
true team spirit, hard work and dedication to make each publication a success.
4. Nylon is an American magazine that focuses on pop-
culture and fashion. Its coverage includes art,
beauty, music, design, celebrities, technology and travel.
Its name references New York and London.
Style & Imagery: Young, Vibrant and funky. It uses more of
street style images combined with current trends.
Target Market: Young, fashion loving women. College
going or young working adults. May not necessarily own
luxurious items but aspire to own these items.
6. Taking inspiration from few of the images of the various carnival festivals across the
globe, I further created a theme board in link with the mood of my editorial being fun
and festive to create a better view for myself and my team of how my editorial would be
inspired by carnival festivals. The purpose of making the theme board is to help myself
refer to these images put together and visualize how exactly my editorial would look like
based on the theme ‘Carnival Festivals’.
7. The initial story board contained 8 looks but after the shoot looking at the
images to give the whole story a new depth and drama 11 shots were selected
for the publication with repetition of dresses in 3 outfits emphasizing on their
importance in the story.
8. After deciding the theme and story; prior to the shoot, I even researched on the different kinds of accessories, facial
expressions, make up and model poses which I would use in my editorial based on ‘Carnival Festivals’ named
“Carnival Dreams”. Thus, for a better understanding of how the editorial would look like with all of the essential
components like accessories, facial expressions, make up and model poses put together; I further created various
mood boards along with one board describing the mood of the editorial to be young, fun, festive and vibrant with a
bit of drama.
17. SUNGLASSES
Christian Dior House of HollandMoschino
Keeping in mind the theme of the editorial being based on ‘Carnival Festivals’ and mood
being young , vibrant and trendy in order to create an editorial for S/S 2014 for Nylon
Magazine; prior to the shoot, I did trend research on various S/S 2014 runway trends
appropriate for my theme in order to give myself an idea of how to style my model to
create a S/S 2014 trends based fashion editorial.
18. List of things I require for the shoot
üHats
üWigs
üRoman Laurel Wreath
üFeather Headbands
üMasquerade Masks
üEye Masks
üGiant Specs
üFeather Streamers
üSuitcase
üHeels
üSlippers
üColorful Clothing
-Pastels
-Neon
-Bright
-Metallic
-Stockings/Socks
-Printed Outfits: Animal, Geometric, Abstract
21. CARNIVAL
DREAMS
Photographed & Styled by Simran Sethi
Break-free and get lost in the
carnival land!
Sleeping Beauty
DenimshirtfromLevis,ShortsfromBershka,SlippersfromToryBurch,SunglassesfromChromeHearts,WatchbyDKNY.
22. 3 4
Monochromatic Zinger
Off to Carnival Land
StripeshirtfromZaraLeatherPantfromH&M,HatfromH&M,,SunglassesfromHermes,WatchbyGucci,BraceletfromForever21.
StripeshirtfromZaraLeatherPantfromH&M,HatfromH&M,,SunglassesfromHermes,WatchbyGuccii,HeelsfromCharlesandKeith,BraceletfromForever21.
24. 7 8
The Angel From Above
The Bride To Be
CropTopfromTopshop,PrintedOverallsfromOnline,PastelChainfromH&M,BraceletfromA/X.
CropTopfromTopshop,SkirtfromH&M,HeelsfromCharlesandKeith,
25. 9 10
Color Splash
Party Animal
PeplumBustierTopfromForever21,SkirtfromBershka,,WatchbyDKNY.
PeplumBustierTopfromForever21,SkirtfromBershka,,WatchbyDKNY.
26. 11 12
Time To Wake Up
TankTopfromForever21,BlazerfromOnline,ShortsfromForever21,WatchbyDKNY,SlippersfromToryBurch.
Back To Reality
TankTopfromForever21,BlazerfromOnline,ShortsfromForever21,WatchbyDKNY,SlippersfromToryBurch.
27. The second part of the fashion editorial project involved me to design a fashion ad for a fashion label as well as decide its
final layout for publication with the main aim being to be able to lure its customers to buy the product . Though in the real
fashion publication world, fashion publications are paid by clients to print their adverts which have already been shot by
the client’s consent and thus, only the finalised print ads are sent to the particular publication to be printed in their
publication and thus, form a major part of the publication’s income., here in order to complete the advert right from the
advert shoot to the time of sending the advert for publication, I would play the role of not only the client of the selected
brand to have a final say in the advert shoot but also be the stylist and photographer at the time of production as well as an
art director of the selected publication house where the advert is sent to be printed post production; applying post production
to the images as well as deciding the final layout of the advert to send it for publication .
Keeping in mind that before proceeding to shoot an and for any fashion brand, it is vital for any photographer and
stylist to understand the brand ethos, values and concept for which the advert is; since the brand identity is at stake and
thus, needs to be shot with great planning in order to make it a success; I selected Estee Lauder as my brand to be
advertised in the same magazine as my fashion editorial i.e. Nylon. Having selected the brand, thus, in order to plan and
execute an advert shoot for nylon magazine based on S/S 2014 trends where I would play a role of a stylist ,photographer and
an art director in deciding the layout, I firstly did a brief research on the Estee Lauder in terms of its concept, style and
imagery and target audience along with the major trends of S/S 2014 witnessed on the runways before I could begin to decide
the specific product I would advertise for Estee Lauder. Having understood the brand: its concept and target audience, along
with recognizing the major S/S 2014 trends I would incorporate in my ad keeping in mind the magazine’s concept of being
young, vibrant and funky; the next objective was to choose an appropriate concept for the advert which would not tarnish
Estee Lauder’s brand image and the specific product I would advertise for the brand.
Since the target market for my selected brand , Estee Lauder is girls in their teens to the women in their 50s who
have elegance and style along with being beauty conscious in addition to keeping in mind that the Nylon magazine caters to
young fashion loving and trendy women I chose my advert’s concept to be classy and sophisticated with traces of elegance
and maturity with the aim to sell the product Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay Rose Lipstick.
The story contained themes of sensuality, femininity and traces of seduction which was exemplified by using an
Asian Indian Model with a strong personality dressed in classic and elegant outfits based on the S/S 2014 fashion trends with
her hair let down, basic eyeliner and minor face contouring with blush to give her not only a classic and elegant look but also
to make her look seductive.
28. The ad was shot in the bedroom of the model with natural lighting of the sun entering the window along with normal
room lighting and the camera set to a higher ISO value to brighten the model’s face and the set up. The sequence of the
images saw the first shot with a close up of her face where she is seen to be biting the lipstick followed by the other where
she stands in a seductive pose with strawberry in one of her hands. The advertisement made use of photographic techniques
creative composition, depth of field and selective focus to capture the model’s facial expressions
After a successful shoot, though my job as a stylist and photographer was over, my task did not end there as having
completed the shoot in order to shortlist the best shots shortlisted for each look, now as a client as well as an Art Director I
scanned all the images on the basis of which best describes the brand concept as well as the theme of the story. Having done
that I then as an Art Director retouched all the selected images before going for publication. In order to create drama and
brighten the image several techniques like brightness/ contrast, color saturation, color balance and crop tool were applied
to make the ad look appealing using Adobe Photoshop to meet the criteria of the advertisement of relating it to the brand
persona of Estee Lauder which could be described to be elegant, classy with a bit of seduction.
Thus, after applying post production to the selected images in order to proceed to complete the entire advert process and to
decide a layout in order to get a rough view of how the images would be laid in the publication, prior to the final commitment
using the InDesign Software, I then created a flat plan i.e. a layout of how the images would be placed along with the
credits, texts and captions is drawn on paper stating all these details in addition to whether the images would be full bleed
or with borders in order to provide a clear picture of the layout to the art editor and their team; keeping in mind the brand
concept as well as seeing to it that the real impact of the shoot is not lost.
Thus, the entire ad was then decided to be of 2 pages with both being single page spreads with 1 images being shot
half length and other being quarter length. 1 image would be with full bleed whereas the other would have borders of
constant size creating a rhythm and size contrast in order to give the ad a dramatic effect.
Lastly, I marked the end of the entire advert process by creating the ad on the basis of the decided layout using Adobe
InDesign ; ready to be sent for publication.
Having done this project , I learnt about the minute details essential in planning and executing an advert photo shoot
along with gaining experience that in order to be able to sell any product, it is essential to keep in mind the brand ethics and
image, and create an ad appealing to its viewers to attract them to buy the product without tarnishing the image of the brand .
I also learnt that though unlike editorials, advertising tends to look cleaner, using simple lighting to really show off the
clothing or make up with the motto to be able to sell the key merchandise; it is more tough to design an ad than an editorial
as for the ad the brand image is at stake and usually the client has her say in the final end product and hence requires a lot of
coordination in order to make it a success.
29. It was founded by Estée Lauder with four products and an
unshakeable belief: that every woman can be beautiful. in
1946.Today, more than 60 years later, that simple notion has
literally changed the face of the beauty business. Essence
includes beautiful beauty products.
Brand Persona: Classy, Sophisticated, Elegant, Mature,
Beautiful.
Style & Imagery: Estee Lauder ads always try to portray
elegance and sophistication. The model is placed either on a
dark background or rich background to compliment the brand
persona. The ads are subject specific i.e. focus on the product
they are selling than the model.
Target Market: No specific target audience; girls in their
teens to the women in their 50s those who portray elegance and
style ; and are beauty conscious, all use this brand.
30. The story board for my ad created prior to the shoot to give myself and my team a rough
guidance how to go about the shoot; keeping in mind the brand concept along with the aim
to be able to lure the customers to buy the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay Rose Lipstick.
31. Prior to the shoot I created various mood boards for a better understanding of how the ad would
look with all of the essential components like facial expressions, model poses and makeup put
together in order to explain the model and my team what kind of look I am going for. I also created
one mood board to understand and demonstrate the brand persona of Estee Lauder which can be
described as classy, sophisticated, elegant, elite and mature to help me refer back to, at the time of the
shoot so that the true meaning of the shoot is not lost .
36. COLD SHOULDER
Chanel Saint Laurent Mulberry
Keeping in mind the brand persona of Estee Lauder being sophisticated, elegant and classy
along with the story of the ad containing themes of sensuality, femininity and traces of
seduction; in order to create an advertisement for Estee Lauder Double Wear Lipstick Stay
Rose Lip color based on S/S 2014 trends for Nylon Magazine, prior to the shoot I did trend
research on various S/S 2014 runway trends appropriate for my ad theme and concept in
order to give myself an idea of how to style my model to create a S/S 2014 trends based
fashion ad for Estee Lauder.
37. List of things I require for the shoot
üEstee Lauder Stay Rose Lipstick
üFake Nails
üGolden Ring
üGold Chain
üGold Metal Belt
üColorful Yet Elegant Clothing
-Bright
-Metallic
üNude Pumps
üStrawberry
