Thursday 4 August 2011

Clémentine for Grazia.it

Miss Clémentine Levy for Grazia.it. Purrrrrr. The first photo of Clémentine reminds of a cat all curled up in the afternoon sun. Albeit a very pretty, very French cat, wearing a very cute dress. Clementine is the creative manager at 30cancan, a boutique in Pigalle, Paris, a model. You can find her blog here and the full article on Grazia.it today here.I photographed Clémentine in Montmartre on what I think might have been the second hottest day of the year in Paris....the Sunday evening before I photographed Anne-Catherine. It sounds like the perfect place to take photographs (and it has always been in the back of my mind that I wanted to shoot there)- all those cobbled back streets, the view across Paris from Sacré-Coeur, the cute little cafe's serving freshly squeezed orange juice: utterly delicious on a steamy afternoon. Except I kind of underestimated the heat (lugging a backpack, cameras and clothes for Clémentine to change into was a bit of a challenge up all of the hilly streets and stairs!), and the number of people about-oh boy, was it packed! Plus a French rollerblader was preparing to set a world record jump from Sacré-Coeur so there was scaffolding up everywhere. Oh là là!Clémentine has the sort of effortless, chic French style so many of us long for but just can't quite achieve without hours of, well, effort. Which clearly contradicts the effortless bit. The first time I met Clémentine (outside the Louis Vuitton show in October 2009) she was wearing a simple black blazer and trousers with a white shirt, leopard print clutch and embellished heels. With her hair swept up in a high ponytail, winged eyeliner and pale skin she looked every inch the Parisian girl about town.

What was Clémentine wearing for our shoot? Black cutout dress from ASOS, Cartier Trinity bracelet (a gift from her aunt and uncle which she never takes off); Black jacket (vintage), Jeans (Cheap Monday), Shoes (Topshop); White Dress (vintage); Black singlet top (Topshop) and green skirt and sandals (both Topshop).
We were rather concerned about an alarm going off on the Vespa so leaning against it was the bravest we were prepared to be!

p.s. you can click on the horizontal images and diptychs to make them a bit larger.

45 comments:

  1. What a beautiful woman! She looks really good on pictures, she kinda invites you in.
    You did a great job!


    Stop by my blog
    http://lostinpattern.blogspot.com/
    xx Brigita

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  2. Bit painful to see this post, I just ruined my long green skirt in the laundry today :(
    She looks a lot like Jane from Sea of Shoes!

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  3. Such a cute woman and style
    Im in love with that LBD on the first pictures...where is that from??

    x

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  4. i love your work. wish i had a vespa motorbike like that !

    i invite you on http://fashionmugging.blogspot.com !

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  5. wow. Adorable pictures. It's like you are photographing another moment in time....!
    love,
    http://twentyfourstyle.blogspot.com

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  6. @Elmo- the LBD is from ASOS!

    @Kim- oh no! did your washing machine munch the skirt?

    @FashionMugging- I wish I had a vespa like that as well....but I would probably be too scared to ride it for fear of crashing it :)

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  7. Clementine looks like the younger Winona Ryder....simply stunning.

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  8. @Kit- holy cannoli, she does! I just googled some old photos of her and she has a striking resemblance to Winona

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  9. All great shots as always. I really love the jeans outfit with the long black blazer and stunning bag (which I must have!). But the first cafe shot is my favorite. I love her pensive pose and the composition is just delightful. Really captivating shot!

    The Styleseer

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  10. She's incredibly chic! Love all of the backgrounds!

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  11. aw i love every piece she wears!she's so effortless elegant and chic <3

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  12. Her beauty is very odd, but really really amazing. Nice post!

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  13. @Lauren- that was one of my fav shots as well. It just looks so French I guess.....plus the cafe owners were really lovely to let us shoot in there. Not everyone is happy for that to happen ;)

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  14. amazing pics as always...you are great

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  15. I love her hair! I've been wanting bangs for so long and I kind of love the little middle split she's got going on. Not to mention her impeccable style. Great spread you've got here!

    http://nomadic-d.blogspot.com/

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  16. She is effortlessly beautiful and chic. Lovely photos!

    http://www.designers-artists.com

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  17. she is so pretty! and the pictures are just beautiful!

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  18. She is beautiful in every shot! So effortlessly chic.

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  19. You look so beautiful!
    http://www.afrenchinlosangeles.com/

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  20. Great photos as always.. and such a pretty model.. I do wish I had straighter hair.. a fringe is so cool and youthful xx

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  21. beautiful
    have a great weekend :)

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  22. great photos

    http://kimchicsisters.blogspot.com/2011/08/tied-together-with-bow.html

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  23. so stunning. i love the lace dress

    http://www.postmodernrunway.com/

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  24. Vanessa, wonderful photos! Great lighting. Was wondering, how much processing do you do with your photos? do you use photoshop?

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  25. @Sunday- yep, generally speaking, I use lightroom (for sorting and cropping) and photoshop (a little curves, levels) but not much of each as I don't know what I am doing in either unfortunately :) Really need to step up my retouching skills stat!

    @everyone- thanks so much for your lovely and generous comments!

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  26. i felt in love with your blog, it's beautiful and with a lots of cool shots!
    i'm following you now..
    kisses from brasil!

    Pétalas e Paetês
    www.petalasepaetes.blogspot.com

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  27. It is great to see these stories going from strength to strength. Xxxx

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  28. Very lovely collection, great stuff.....


    thanks to share,

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  29. french girls just know how to do it, great style :)

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  30. You took these beautifully! (as well as the other photos I saw on your blog).

    http://thefoolishaesthete.blogspot.com

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  31. one of the best ones so far! amazing! really really really well done vanessa! beautiful!!! xxx

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  32. Lovely photos of a stunning beauty. I adore how each look is so different, yet she looks totally comfortable in them all!

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  33. love the photos, yes she really resembles the a cat

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  34. so many doll-like girls lately here and there.
    what do you see on this?

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  35. I love your looks and your pics! xD

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  36. OMG, I absolutely adore your blog and your pictures!!! It's to die for! :)

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  37. Such beautiful photography! As others have mentioned, Clementine is absolutely stunning and effortlessly chic. xoxo, B

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  38. Clémentine looks so beautiful! like a french kitten. love the styling xx

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  39. All the photos are gorgeous! May I ask where her lovely bag is from?

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  40. She looks so simple but Gorgeous,Wonderful,Beautiful just of the blue..I'm in love with her...:D...:D...

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