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Harmonia by Lena Kholkina

It’s a story about a girl who dreams of seeing the world, even if she never leaves her room”, describes photographer Lena Kholkina, who used film to capture a very old world themed editorial.

The location itself provided a lot of imagery and ideas for the shoot. The owners are people who travel a real lot, and we tried to incorporate that into the story”, says Ms. Kholkina. The house provided a sort of dim ivory light, lined with bookshelves, framed photographs, vintage wallpaper, and flowers that were probably taken from a garden nearby. It’s a perfect place for a young dreamer to get lost and plan her escape. New face Sonya at Al Model Management plays the part perfectly, and anyone with a keen eye will notice that she’s a keeper in the fashion world. With her long limbs, baby blonde hair, and alabaster skin, she captures the eye of the camera naturally. Her pillowy downturned lips give her a slight resemblance to a young Jaime King.

The styling of Harmonia has a post-war era feel, however stylist and artist Elena Zichon had many inspirations. “I’m infinitely inspired by Dyagilev’s ballet seasons and the grunge years. This shoot was also inspired by the Naiads, oriental princesses by Vrubel, Serov and Bakst-great Russian artists of the turn of the century- American Lolitas of 50s-70s, and the amazing book Out of Africa by Karen Blixen”. All of this is evident from the sheer flowing dresses, beaded headpieces and body jewelry, floral and lace patterns, Japanse paintings, and other props used in the shoot. One can’t help but reference the similarities to Sofia Coppola’s film The Virgin Suicides, in both style and concept. Lena, Sonya, and Elena have have a good dynamic, “…we had worked together before, so the shoot went really smooth and pleasant, with champagne and strawberries to follow”.

Credits:
Photography by Lena Kholkina
Modelling by Sonya @ Al Model Management
Styling & Makeup by Elena Zichon & Lena Kholkina
Location by Sasha Glazovskaya