BTS of our FW26 campaign photoshoot in the French Alps
When I have an idea, I’m like a moth to a flame. I must go all out. I don’t like any grey area in my life, and I most definitely do not like doing things halfway, not for myself and not for my brand.
I already talked about why I wanted to create coordinating menswear pieces to complement our women’s skiwear, but now I want to share more about the campaign execution, what decisions went into it, and how we shot a full-fledged, high-production campaign in 2 hours mid-mountain.
THE LOCATION
Skiing in France is stunning. The backdrops, the scenery, the restaurants. Everything looks straight out of a movie, which is exactly the vision I had for our High Stakes shoot. I wanted our launch to feel like a vintage James Bond film.
We shot the campaign in Megève, which is an adorable little ski town near Chamonix. For the first portion of our shoot, we went to a hotel at the mountain base for some high-tension scenes. I also really wanted to show the versatility of the outfits, not only do they look perfect on piste, but also sitting over drinks in a Michelin-starred restaurant.
THE MODELS
Finding the right talent was a top priority for me. I very specifically had a vision for a blonde bombshell with a tall dark and handsome male accessory. Mission accomplished. Tatiana had the look, complete with siren eyes, and Romain had that classic, Pierce Brosnan aesthetic.
For her, blonde hair was key for me to showcase the contrast with the monochromatic black ski suit. It really made the entire outfit pop, exactly as intended.
THE HAIR & MAKEUP
I’m psychotic about details. Everyone gets a vision board. The lipstick has shade ranges. I don’t fuck around with the fine print *fairy emoji*. Hair and makeup was no different.
The updo was the first non-negotiable because the Ace Ski Suit has a luxe fur collar, which I wanted to clearly show off, as one should. Not too bridal, not too prom. A perfectly messy, but sophisticated French twist (thank God we’re in France).
The updo inspo
And the makeup, you guys I’m so crazy. Laura was honestly such a good sport when I made her redo the wing tip for the 4th time. I wanted a softly smokey siren eye. Pouty lips and satin skin. We went light on blush since the freezing mountain tops provided the flush.
The makeup inspo
And the finished product was perfect:
THE STYLING
For her, I wanted to maintain the monochromatic Bond-girl black. We opted for a black turtleneck base layer, black heeled boots, and black and silver earrings to tie in the ski suit’s hardware. Black YSL sunnies for outdoor pictures.
For him, I strayed from the monochrome. I had a vision for his ski jacket and pants to look more like a formal suit. With an ivory turtleneck underneath to showcase the jacket’s detailing. Simple black boots and Gucci sunglasses to finish.
THE MOODBOARD
I told you everyone gets a vision board, myself included. I like to create this to capture more of a feeling than specific poses. More often than not, when we try to exactly use an inspiration pose, I hate it. It’s kinda like when you have an outfit idea in your head and then you try it on and suddenly you’ve never looked worse. I more so like to create a shoot direction and then have a hands-on approach mid-shoot.
Honestly pour one out for everyone on set with me. I’m bossy, I’m moving people around, I’m making it more risqué, in no capacity am I going with the flow. Creative directing is not for the meek.
ON SET
I’m jealous of swimwear founders. Shooting in freezing temperatures with high winds, snow, sometimes rain. It’s not for the faint of heart.
The weather was perfect all week leading up to our shoot and then truly worst case scenario for our shoot day. We had flown in our photographer from the US, the models had work engagements before and after. We simply could not reschedule. The problem with our shoot day weather wasn’t snow, it was rain. We couldn’t get the cameras wet (or her updo obv).
We delayed the shoot as much as we could and starting with the indoor pictures (we had previously planned to do those at the end). Sometime in the afternoon, we did a weather check at the peak to see if the rain was snow at that altitude. Luck was on our side because the weather cleared up just in time.
We had about 2 hours before models had to leave. We went to the top and we got to work quickkk. We did 3 rounds - him, her, them. Photo, video, drone. We were cutting it so close on timing, the models had to change in the hotel lobby to make their flights on time.
It was definitely a lesson learned. Moving forward I would leave a window of 2-3 days for on-mountain shoots to ensure we have flexibility if the weather turns. Luck was on our side this time, but I wouldn’t count on it again.
All in all, everything came out perfectly. It was everything I envisioned and then some. Shop the High Stakes Collection at slopesiren.com.
x Alex
Originally published on The Après Edit.