ALPHABET ANGLE

First and foremost, the challenge was to do something different.

The team - consisting of stylist Vik Lim, makeup extraordinaire Yuan Sng and photographer Lance Lee - got together and brainstormed over the concept. After much deliberation, it was finally decided that ropes of yarns would be used instead of fabrics or finished garments to clothe the model.

As for the choice of model, it was apparent that a local or an Asian face would be the best fit. Top Singapore model Sharmini was selected primarily for that reason, and also because she will be Singapore's representative model wearing designer Tan Yoong's creations at the World Fashion Awards to be held in Los Angeles, USA, later this year. 

Vik's idea of showcasing stunning visuals hark back to the early 20th century black and white poses of Vogue models and mannequins in stark graphic poses. To achieve this, Yuan air-brushed her entire face with a glowing sun-kissed foundation, and then added dark and smoky slanted eyes for dramatic effect. He also slicked back and plastered down the model's hair, and affixed twisted yarns onto her head. Just before Lance captured the first shot with his camera, Sharmini's glowing presence was enhanced when her skin was woken with a bit of body oil.

Apart from some regular standing poses, the more unusual "alphabet" poses were achieved with Sharmini lying down and contorting her body to form the shapes required. With the alphabets S & F out of the way, the toughie was trying to achieve the W. Requiring strong abdominal muscles, the model bent and held her pose twice, once on the left, then on the right. Both poses were then fused together to achieve the desired effect.