Since Poeta had a bit of the air of the Belle Epoque, right around the premiere of the film Titanic (noted for detailed costumes) we got a call from an editor of Elle magazine to do a photoshoot for a story around vintage-inspired clothing. Here are some raw images from that day of shooting. We flew in family friend/dancer Jennifer Hanna and recruited the stunning waitress from Gelato Vero on India Street in San Deigo to be our models. Joel Beeson is the photographer. As a documentary photographer, Joel was gracious to consider fashion photography as a favor to me, and it was his insistence that we use non professional models in the documentary style that makes his work so lovely.

Vintage Swarovski beads, Czech, Venetian, and Japanese delica beads, seed pearls, freshwater pearls, silk embroidery threads, French silk tulle, charmeuse, chiffon, and hand-dyed vintage lace

With friend Lori Nichols, photographer Joel Beeson, and a Holga camera, we headed for the empty train yards of Birmingham, Alabama to shoot our part Deborah Turbeville , part Sarah Moon - inspired vintage scene.